These batteries are made by johnson controls and are very top notch. They cost 50 bucks or so and last forever. I have one from 91 in my 80 244. It is still working to this day.

If your 240 has the newer updated plastic tray to hold the battery then you have another option of getting a bigger battery for teh same price, but has about 150 mroe cold cranking amps and is jsut plain MASSIVE. Listed below are the 2 batteries... the smaller one being the one that will fit all 240's enw and old.. and the higher amp one is one that can fit the newer 240's with the palstic tray

DURALAST-7YR 47-D 7 YR $5.00 $64.99
** 525 COLD CRANKING AMPS (655 CRANKING AMPS)
-> 2 YEAR FREE REPLACEMENT <-

DURALAST-7YR
OPTIONAL 48-D 7 YR $5.00 $64.99
*** 700 COLD CRANKING AMPS (875 CRANKING AMPS) ***
-> 2 YEAR FREE REPLACEMENT <-

These batteries are WONDERFUL since you can add water to them. I woulddn't ever buy a sealed battery for a car since if you car ever gets a voltage issue and overcharges the battery and boils off some fluid.. you can always add a bit more water in.


Kevin O'Brien

Hi Steve,

I put an optima red-top in my 914 back in 1993. Still works well after 11 years. Starts the car every time--though I do disconnect it when the car is put away for the winter.

Hope this helps!

Steve A-

Do not know Optima batteries. However I'm pretty sure a marine battery (deep cycle) is probably not a good choice for an automotive application. Not only can deep cycle batteries be discharged a long way down with out damage, they are designed to provide a stable, but lower, current for a longer time. As in run an electric trolling motor for 8 hours. This is not at all the same application as starting a car where it may have to dump 200-300 amps for 30 seconds or so to turn the engine over on a 20 below day. Any battery designed as a deep cycle battery will have a higher internal resistance that will limit the really high current dumps required to start a car on a cold day.

My experience over 40 years or so of driving various automobiles in weather ranging from 30 below to 120 above has led me to the conclusion that the Sears DiHard is as close to bullet proof for an automotive application as there is.

When ever I get a new(read different, I never buy new)car I drive it until the installed battery dies, usually within a year or two. Then I install the largest DiHard (physically largest and highest cold cranking amps)that will fit in the battery box. From that point forward I never change a battery and have almost no charging system troubles no matter how long I own the vehicle. I have had batteries, I installed, that were still working after 10 years when the vehicle went to the wrecking yard.

I have no idea who actually makes the Sears DiHard. I do not work for Sears, and I do not own Sears stock. The main attraction, from my point of view, is that the batteries are available everywhere and warranty replacement if needed is easy. And, they are competitively priced with anything else in the same power range.

If you take your Volvo to a Sears store, they will try to sell you a European version of the battery for about twice the price. The difference is that the (+/-)posts are physically reversed with respect to a standard US battery. The european battery is also a bit smaller physicially and has a lower cold cranking amp limit. A US series 30 battery will fit in my 91_240 battery box. I rerouted the battery cables to hit the correct posts. About $50.00.


91_240

I've had a red top in the 240 over a year, never had a problem, even after sitting for two months during the body and paint phase.
--
don hodgdon '89 744ti, '81 242t, '71 D-35

I've got two, both about four years old. Great batteries, no failures, no problems at all. I live in Iowa. One battery gets used for lots of short trips, the other is in my kid's car which is stored all winter.

I used one for a few years in my 83 242T. It failed and I went back to a standard battery. This would have been from about 96 to 99. They were not so common then. I am not sure there was an 8 year warranty then. And since I bought it mail order, taking advantage of any warranty would not have been worthwhile due to shipping costs. It performed no better than a good standard battery.

Consumer Reports rates batteries every now and then. There is no one best brand. Different brands are best for different sizes. This makes finding the best Volvo battery more challenging, since I am pretty sure the Volvo does not use a size tested by CR.

Marine batteries are meant for deep cycling. In other words, they can be discharged fully and recover. Do that to auto batteries and their life is shortened. Marine batteries can be used in cars, but the charging system should be in working order. If it is in working order, the battery will not be overcharged. If necessary, and adjustable voltage regulator can be purchased from IPD or OJ Rallye or other sources and the charging voltage adjusted up or down. Boats charge their batteries also.

I am now trying an Odyssey battery. These are similar to Odyssey in that they are glass mat and leak proof. However, they seem to be more of a hybrid between a starting and a deep cycle battery since they provide excellent starting amperage yet can be deep cycled hundreds of times. Hawker Genesis appears to be the company making these, which are marketed under a few different names at quite a range of prices. I used the PCM 925, though it has limited reserve capacity. My car is a daily driver and I have used it for only a year, so I cannot comment on how it holds up long term. There is a larger Odyssey that is more competitive with a good standard battery in terms of reserve capacity. I wanted to drop some weight, but not go as far as the PCM 680, which is very small and has little reserve capacity. My PCM 925 weighs about 25 lbs. A standard battery is probably about 40 lbs.

Philip Bradley

I got a red optma for my jeep and it was great. During a moment or mental laps i jumped it the wrong way and fried it, so i returned it and got the blue one. Here is where it gets interesting. When I called Optma the tech guy said that any battery is good for any car or boat, so I put the blue battery in my 245 no problem right, wrong. While driving down the highway the battery started to boil, in a panic i removed the cables with the car still running, word to the wise DONT DO THAT. That is my Optma experiance.