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]

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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

.