need a new 6 volt battery for my 1933

[FrankWest]

What types can you recommend? I had an Optima red top but these are increasingly difficult to find. Amazon used to sell these but not anymore. Autozone has them but not in my area and they don't deliver.

[Fritz]

They do seem more difficult to get right now. Six years ago, NAPA ordered one for me. I believe that battery has reached its end, and I have a new one waiting for me at Advance Auto Parts. Not sure where your area is, but they may ship it free to your house.

[FrankWest]

Originally Posted by Fritz

They do seem more difficult to get right now. Six years ago, NAPA ordered one for me. I believe that battery has reached its end, and I have a new one waiting for me at Advance Auto Parts. Not sure where your area is, but they may ship it free to your house.

Thanks for the info, NAPA has a lead-acid 6 volt with a 6-month guarantee!
I had better stick with the optima

[Ziggster]

A couple of auto parts stores told me a few weeks ago when I was looking for a new battery for my daily driver that there are only two manufacturers left in the USA that manufacture batteries. One was Johnson Controls. Is this true? For my off-road truck I use Odyssey batteries which are supposed to be 100% pure lead. They typically last 7-10 years, but are spendy.

[FrankWest]

Originally Posted by Fritz

They do seem more difficult to get right now. Six years ago, NAPA ordered one for me. I believe that battery has reached its end, and I have a new one waiting for me at Advance Auto Parts. Not sure where your area is, but they may ship it free to your house.

I like your biblical quote Fritz!

I have 2 optima batteries both 5 or 7 years old. When I put them on the charger it says they are charged, but when I pull the plug and again turn on the charger it says they are charging. And I can repeat this forever. If they were really charged would not the charge say fully charged when I first attached it? I imagine that old batteries can be charged but can't hold the charge when removed from the charger? Maybe a leak/breakdown insulation that quickly bleeds the charge off??? or the electrolyte has outlived its usefulness?
I think the batteries are going bad. what do you think? They come with a 3-year guarantee so I guess they have outlived themselves.

[tubman]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I have had two in my '51. The first lasted 13 years, and the current one is going on ten and still strong. In my experience, five and seven years is relatively young in Optima terms.

[supereal]

I just replaced a seven year old Optima. It would still crank the engine, but was low enough after its "winter nap" to get one more start. I ordered my new Optima through Interstate battery. The cost was about half I had previously paid. Took three weeks to get it.

[ford38v8]

Originally Posted by FrankWest

I have 2 optima batteries both 5 or 7 years old. When I put them on the charger it says they are charged, but when I pull the plug and again turn on the charger it says they are charging. And I can repeat this forever. If they were really charged would not the charge say fully charged when I first attached it? I imagine that old batteries can be charged but can't hold the charge when removed from the charger? Maybe a leak/breakdown insulation that quickly bleeds the charge off??? or the electrolyte has outlived its usefulness?
I think the batteries are going bad. what do you think? They come with a 3-year guarantee so I guess they have outlived themselves.

Frank, That's how the charger works. They have to boot up before taking a reading of your charge. Your batteries are too young to die unless you have damaged them with a fast charge.

[koates]

Frank, check the voltagge of your 6 volt optima battery with a multimeter set on DC VOLTS. A fully charged optima 6 volt battery should read 6.3 volts across the terminals.or maybe a little more. Frank, where have you been, thought the Indiians must have got you. You have not posted for a while.. LOL. Regards, Kevin.

[Fritz]

Thanks Frank! Optima told me a fully charged battery should hold 6.4 volts. Their website says 6.3-6.4. You can try to find a place that will test 6 volt batteries. I hope my new one lasts longer in a more moderate climate and with better care.

[koates]

Originally Posted by Ziggster

For my off-road truck I use Odyssey batteries which are supposed to be 100% pure lead. They typically last 7-10 years, but are spendy.

Frank was inquiring about 6 volt batteries. Odyssey seem to only make 12 volt batteries, I cant find any 6 volt batteries in their listings. Regards, Kevin.

[FortyNiner]

Originally Posted by Ziggster

A couple of auto parts stores told me a few weeks ago when I was looking for a new battery for my daily driver that there are only two manufacturers left in the USA that manufacture batteries. One was Johnson Controls. Is this true?

Johnson Controls was indeed a USA based manufacturer of acid lead batteries for a number of years. That business was sold off in 2019 and ultimately spun out by the new owners as Clairos, a subsidiary of Canada based Brookfield Partners.

[1931 flamingo]

Frank: Do you have the "proper" charger for the Optima??
Paul in CT I've read you can't use a regular charger. Do a search here.

[koates]

Originally Posted by 1931 flamingo

Frank: Do you have the "proper" charger for the Optima??
Paul in CT I've read you can't use a regular charger. Do a search here.

Not true. An Optima battery is a lead acid battery just its construction is different to a normal flooded battery. Any normal battery charger is OK with an Optima, but like any battery they dont like to be overcharged. Regards, Kevin.

[tubman]

I have never used anything but "regular" chargers and maintainers on my Optima's, and they have all lasted more than 10 years.

[1931 flamingo]

I stand corrected.
Paul

[FrankWest]

Not available?

[koates]

I had one 12 volt Optima battery in my old Toyota HI-LUX ute for 18 years before it died. All other Optimas have lasted me more than 10 years which would be their normal life span. I dont leave my Optimas on a battery charge maiintainer all the time but rather only have them on a low charge for one day about once every 6 weeks or so. All my old cars have Optimas fitted and the charge rate for that one day (24 hours) is about two amps. Another important item is to have a battery cut off switch in all our old cars to stop any drain on the battery and works also as an anti theft device as well. Some early Optima batteries gave trouble especially if left on charge all the time which caused internal gassing which corroded the lead cell connecting links to the battery terminals. That fault has been fixed but you dont want them gassing by being on charge all the time. Their shelf life just sitting is much longer than a normal flooded type lead acid battery. In my opinion the Optima is the best you can buy. Regards, Kevin.

[JayChicago]

Curiosity question:
What is the AGM battery in my reproduction Ford script battery from Battery Central? What does "AGM" mean? Same technology as an Optima?

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by JayChicago

Curiosity question:
What is the AGM battery in my reproduction Ford script battery from Battery Central? What does "AGM" mean? Same technology as an Optima?

It stands for "Absorbed Glass Mat."

Coop

.

[tubman]

Which is the technology that Optima uses.

[Tinker]

What Coop said. They are glass matt (fiberglass) batteries. No acid or lead levels to worry about. Closed cell. Why you can install them upside down. Yes you can just charge them like a regular battery. Use the maintenance free setting. On newer chargers there are settings for other types of solid state gel batteries. Know what condition your condition is in.


The acronym "AGM" stands for "Absorbed Glass Mat," which in the case of a lead-acid battery, means the electrolyte in the battery is absorbed into fiberglass matting in between the plates in the cells. All OPTIMA batteries are AGM batteries, but no OPTIMA batteries are gel batteries.


Batteries and companies change over time. But Optima is/was AMG batteries.

[Zax40]

The Optima websites indicates they are still making them. https://www.optimabatteries.com/experience/blog/6-volt/

[FrankWest]

Originally Posted by JayChicago

Curiosity question:
What is the AGM battery in my reproduction Ford script battery from Battery Central? What does "AGM" mean? Same technology as an Optima?

wow $365.00 hope it lasts.
I had an old ford script lead acid battery that last 1 year. I hollowed out the case to fit my optima battery inside. I remember paying 150, for the optima.
Today it is $240. Does Battery Central offer a 3 or 4 year guarrantee.

[Zax40]

Yeah, the Optimas have gone up in price and down in quality over the years.

[JayChicago]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Originally Posted by FrankWest

Does Battery Central offer a 3 or 4 year guarrantee.

Paperwork that came with the Ford script battery reads: "Your battery comes with a 4 year warranty, 1st year is full replacement, then pro-rated the last 3 years." Hope I never have to call on that warrantee; boxing and shipping a battery won't be cheap.

However, I'm hoping to get 10+ years from it. Read post #6 above. Hopefully this Absorbed Glass Mat battery will last as long as an Optima. We shall see. That is, if I'm still around in ten years.

[tubman]

Originally Posted by Zax40

The Optima websites indicates they are still making them. https://www.optimabatteries.com/experience/blog/6-volt/

I went a little deeper into the website, and when I got to where you can place an order, it says they are out of stock, but available soon.

[FrankWest]

battery central classic is a great looking battery, no doubt. I am tempted to buy one myself, but I already have to shell from the junk lead acid script battery I bought when I first got my car.....The optima fits inside and the battery top holds the optima in place. I remember the chore I had grinding the inside of the rubber case to fit the optima in. Never do that again.

[Zax40]

Originally Posted by tubman

I went a little deeper into the website, and when I got to where you can place an order, it says they are out of stock, but available soon.

I guess that is better than discontinued. But it's not like a battery is something you can wait around months for if yours is bad and needs a replacement.

[FrankWest]

eventually, we all may have to convert to 12 volts because 6 volt batteries will no longer be available

[d.]

I've got an Optima 6v dated 2014 that reads 6.8v on my HF digital charger/ maintainer ($26) and the battery cranks just fine.
I also have a 2016 date Optima 6v that reads 6.8, no issues.
I leave it on a week and then skip 3 weeks. The Optima is one tough battery.

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by FrankWest

eventually, we all may have to convert to 12 volts because 6 volt batteries will no longer be available

Frank....WATCH his lips! 6v batteries are about to be the least of your worries when there is no more gasoline. Coop

.

[FrankWest]

I put the optima battery I was having trouble charging in the freezer overnight.
Then I put it back on my smart charger and it charged up to full! WE used to do this at GE aerospace division to extend the life of NiCad spacecraft batteries.

[joe 1950]

I totally agree johnson controls and east penn where some of the best battery builders around in my model a and 50 i always went to my local fleet farm stores since the local farmers still had plenty of 6 volt tractors you could pretty much be guaranteed a fresh one

[HDowse]

I buy the NAPA Group 1 or Group 2 battery depending on the car. During the winter I hook up my 6 amp charger on each car about once a month until the charger shows that the battery is fully charged. That usually takes only 3 or 4 hours. I get anywhere from 7 to 10 years from each battery. I also have master disconnects to make sure there’s no drain. Nothing fancy but it’s worked for me for 20 years or so.

[Bored&Stroked]

If you're willing to run a flooded lead-acid battery, you might check out Batteries Plus. I have been using their 6Volt batteries for my flatheads for the last 9 years - without any issues. They are only about $100 or so and have worked well for me (high horsepower flathead that I crank a lot to get fuel into the engine before I hit the 'mag' switch).

I keep mine on a battery tender - always works just perfectly and shows about 6.5 or so volts when coming off the charger.

[Tinker]

Originally Posted by V8COOPMAN

Frank....WATCH his lips! 6v batteries are about to be the least of your worries when there is no more gasoline. Coop

.

Hahaha Some how you turned this in to gas. Plenty of gas as we are one the top 3 providers. There is maybe a discussion if it will be sold here and not exported. But.... get ready. Next year they are projected to double another record yr. earnings. Think about that when you pay 5,6,7 at the pump. Guess what? It's not whom is in office.


Little something... why should anyone care about a country somewhere that's not here. Why? Maybe left unchecked you might be an island and powerless. American power is not determent by some guy in iowa with a thought or flag. It's global and backed by a lot of guys in iowa or where ever.


Put yourself on the opitma 6v list and if you get one. Great!

[FrankWest]

Originally Posted by V8COOPMAN

Frank....WATCH his lips! 6v batteries are about to be the least of your worries when there is no more gasoline. Coop

.

So true..We will all have stationary museum pieces. I met a guy the other day that had a large pickup truck all-electric powered. I don't think he ever considered how he will get the energy to charge his massive batteries....

[tubman]

Originally Posted by V8COOPMAN

Frank....WATCH his lips! 6v batteries are about to be the least of your worries when there is no more gasoline. Coop

.

My take on this is completely different; as electric vehicles become more ubiquitous, there will be less and less demand for gasoline. With the petroleum industry infrastructure we currently have, the supply of gasoline will eventually exceed the demand by a large margin. Although I'll probably never see it, I predict gas at less than $1 a gallon down the road.

Also, with the development of battery technology, they'll probably be able to come up with a superior substitute to what we have now.

[FrankWest]

Originally Posted by tubman

My take on this is completely different; as electric vehicles become more ubiquitous, there will be less and less demand for gasoline. With the petroleum industry infrastructure we currently have, the supply of gasoline will eventually exceed the demand by a large margin. Although I'll probably never see it, I predict gas at less than $1 a gallon down the road.

Also, with the development of battery technology, they'll probably be able to come up with a superior substitute to what we have now.

so true, if less and less people are buying gas the price has got to come down.

Originally Posted by tubman

My take on this is completely different; as electric vehicles become more ubiquitous, there will be less and less demand for gasoline. With the petroleum industry infrastructure we currently have, the supply of gasoline will eventually exceed the demand by a large margin. Although I'll probably never see it, I predict gas at less than $1 a gallon down the road.

Also, with the development of battery technology, they'll probably be able to come up with a superior substitute to what we have now.

so true, if less and less people are buying gas the price should come down, except consider the diamond gem market...There are a flood of newly discovered gems not to mention synthetic gemstones but the people that control distribution choose to limit supplies to keep the prices high. In fact, 20 years ago when oil prices were very low the Arab states said they would rather just leave their oil in the ground than sell if a very low prices... like future money in the bank.
I heat my home with oil. hope that comes down before the fall otherwise it cost a fortune to heat my home.

[Tinker]

Originally Posted by tubman

My take on this is completely different; as electric vehicles become more ubiquitous, there will be less and less demand for gasoline. With the petroleum industry infrastructure we currently have, the supply of gasoline will eventually exceed the demand by a large margin. Although I'll probably never see it, I predict gas at less than $1 a gallon down the road.

Also, with the development of battery technology, they'll probably be able to come up with a superior substitute to what we have now.

Somewhat Tubman. As demand lowers due to electric cars, production of gas lowers. It becomes less in demand. Now if the rest of the world is using gas and we aren't, then maybe yes.

But this is only hypothetical. Gas isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Just know oil doesn't care if you can feed your family or afford it. It's not an industry that will never give it away. You need it. Unfortunately the elephant in the room is nuclear power. Really the only way to a "green" idea.


In my weird little pea brain thinking. If every one had a few solar panels it might make a difference. It's apposed to the idea of a central power station, but a network of individual producers. Electric companies will still have to maintain the grid. Will always need more... So maybe a reduction in price but money still.



It's just my stupid opinion... still think optima makes a great battery.




...

[tubman]

What else do the middle eastern states have to sell? Agricultural products? Manufactured goods? Maybe sand? I bet they'll do just about anything to maintain the lifestyle they've gotten used to.

[Tinker]

Originally Posted by tubman

What else do the middle eastern states have to sell? Agricultural products? Manufactured goods? Maybe sand? I bet they'll do just about anything to maintain the lifestyle they've gotten used to.

Well that might borderline conspiracy. But we use oil so... what does that make us, buyers. But we buy the same amount as we export. Relationships are important. Its a world market, that can be used to influence and control others. Same as food.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMpvS2ejLec


Hey love it or hate it. old news

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45OzTIHPkEA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZjo7aSFYn8


But it never effected the flow of drugs and but maybe lettuce produce. Just a stunt to slow things down. People are going to do drugs. If it's prescribed or they huff carb cleaner. Sad but true.



Hey the midwest does most of those things and with the great lakes we have a large supply of fresh water. But it's really cold here, so no reason to move.


Guess that's geo politics run by commodities.


Speaking of good products, I like optima batteries.


.

[fordv8]

I purchased mine through Battery Systems Inc. They have multiple locations and ship direct.
https://www.batterysystems.net/
Charlie

[tubman]

Originally Posted by fordv8

I purchased mine through Battery Systems Inc. They have multiple locations and ship direct.
https://www.batterysystems.net/
Charlie

When did you get one? Here is what is on their website now :

"Due to the global battery constraints, this product may not be in stock. Please Call to verify availability."

[fordv8]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

It was last summer, sorry I should have checked availability. Good luck!

[highbeams]

Originally Posted by Bored&Stroked

If you're willing to run a flooded lead-acid battery, you might check out Batteries Plus. I have been using their 6Volt batteries for my flatheads for the last 9 years - without any issues. They are only about $100 or so and have worked well for me (high horsepower flathead that I crank a lot to get fuel into the engine before I hit the 'mag' switch).

I keep mine on a battery tender - always works just perfectly and shows about 6.5 or so volts when coming off the charger.

Those tenders are the lifeline for garage museum pieces. My '33 is always grinning.

[ronn]

Rural king out by carlisle. 6 volt tractor batts are 55. And exchange.

[tubman]

Originally Posted by ronn

Rural king out by carlisle. 6 volt tractor batts are 55. And exchange.

I'll bet they're group 1. I always had problems starting with those on very hot days. The only way I could be sure the car would start then was if I left the hood up. That problem went away when I switched to an Optima.

They're OK for tractors and 6 cylinder Plymouths, but I found them lacking for a flathead Ford.