My 380 struggles terribly with a poor battery..
Throws odd CEL's, though I've never had the Crank Angle sensor issue..
Usually Upper Manifold Abosute pressure
Mass air flow sensor ( recently )
and just now a O2 sensor issue ( Pending ) what that is...

None of these have ever thrown the car into limp mode...
I actually Rang Mitsubishi for a CCA rating and they said 560 CCA.. Yonks ago..
But the general go is 600 or more around here..

I ran an exide as my replacement, 560CCA, ran great for a couple of years and died... CEL's and lacking power, noticably...

Next battery was Century High performance (620CCA), 67EF, I think, same as Red Valdez.... and its time has come too..

I charged it last night with a CteK MXS10 and it reported under 80%, threw it on the charger again, sub 80% again..
Its chuggedy in the trans, poor idle on start, And throws CEL's one after the other, I an chage the battery, clear the faults and it fine for a trip or two, then all over again..

So I found a Fullriver HC 64, (http://www.batteriesdirect.com.au/shop/product/22732/hc64-(fullriver).html), its as high as the Century and Exide, but its over all length is 7mm longer than recommended... Will it fit? Thats the question... At a leisurely 750CCA and a battery I'm happy with the TW ( HC65 - 825 CCA, tight Fit that one lol ) its been way better than the yellow top.. and very strong in the drain department...

Any else run it?

Just on the CEL thing, I only run one amp in the 380, efficient D class, but about 900 watts.. Never cranked either.. I've heard things connected can set off the ECU like Steering wheel control adapters, Now disconnected, Park light sensing LED DRL's.. ( Full Power when running, Parker mode with external lamps lit ).. All disconnected. Made no difference whatsoever....

But these CCA ratings are for -18 deg.. they are 10-20% over that in Qld Temps.... Doesnt make sense...
Is the wiring to the ECU undersized or something... Beats me...

Spend a few bickies more and get an Optima.
You want the D34, either Red Top or Yellow Top.
Red top has 800 CCA, costs around $270.
Yellow top has 750 CCA, costs around $300, but is better for high powered sound systems.
I fitted a Red Top to my old 380 and never had a single hiccup in the four years I ran it.
Download the specs from here:
http://www.optimabatteries.com.au/battery-specifications/

Did you have to change the battery terminal over, My 380's positive comes up the side of the battery, it doesn't look like it will reach the 34's terminal without modification...

Will be curious to see how you fare Marty. You're correct in the battery that I have at present. Last service though my mechanic commented it wasn't 100%, which is a little disappointing given it's age.

Did you have to change the battery terminal over, My 380's positive comes up the side of the battery, it doesn't look like it will reach the 34's terminal without modification...

Funny you should ask that!
I got a D34R, thinking the same as you, but when I went to fit it I realised the terminals were the "wrong side" of the battery and I should have got the plain D34.
But I played around with the cables and and connections and got it to fit in the end.

In our little SQ group in Qld, we have moved away from Optima's, they moved their manufacturing plant a few years ago, and quality hasn't been the same since.. We now use Full rivers... And without any issues between us..
( I found out the D34 doesnt fit as I have a spare Yellow top assigned to Patio Audio duties at home )

Red, the Century has a 3 year warranty, and I give mine a maintenance charge at home every three months, and find it fine for a week or or two after a charge, but ECU issues after that.. I even took it Century's Brisbane plant and it comprehensively checked in front of me. It passed their tests...

As soon as I confirm the fullriver will fit, I'll have another going in, Last time I had a purchase order direct from the wholesaler, skipping retailer markups and taxes... Hit me up if you are interested....

Are you guys maintaining them? The Century high performance batteries lose fluid and need to have the water kept up.

Yes, how to maintain a sealed battery - - good question.

A lot of the sealed for life batteries still lose water, but the makers figure there is enough in there to last the life of the battery. I've had to top up a battery that seemed to be failing (*), except the acid was half way down the plates and topping it up with distilled water extended its life by 12 months.
I figure even if a battery appears permanently sealed, they have to get the acid in there somehow in the first place, so its worth checking how its done.

(*) Slow cranking in a CH Lancer. The 380 would throw a spazz long before that though.

Red, the Century has a 3 year warranty, and I give mine a maintenance charge at home every three months, and find it fine for a week or or two after a charge, but ECU issues after that.. I even took it Century's Brisbane plant and it comprehensively checked in front of me. It passed their tests...


Checked the alternator output voltage? Sounds like a classic case of the alternator not keeping battery charge up. Low acid level? Or just short trips?

20-40 minute daily trips, Alternator is fine.....

Anyway, dropped the HC64L in today, had to take it from it's outer protective 3mm Steel case, and its a perfect fit... Battery retainer fits snug too...

This is a sealed AGM battery.. Unlike the Century which requires maintenance... I asked for a better battery at the wholesaler, who would have changed the purchase order, but they said that would be the pick...
I have a D34 yellow top in the garage, thats on Patio audio duty.. Not a good battery IMO, they've killed a few alts and other things in our Queensland audio cars...
The Fullrivers arent cheap... but this is my second, I have another in the Magna and going well, after a the yellowtops performance drop within the warranty period.. As long as they hold a charge, they wont do jack about its performance at all...

After a bit of research (http://www.kampers.com.au/index.php/articles/electrical/battery-performance-test/), I found that if Gel gel batteries drop below 11 volts for extended periods of time, they have a hard time recovering, if at all... Mine dropped to 10.7 after an extended tuning period, and started straght after with a 1 hour drive to help drop a bit of charge in it.. But it was never the same after that.. That wasnt what i would consider an extended period. Hence why I wont put money in an optima again..