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Hello, there is a rumor that the red six volt Optima batteries are out of production for some reason……lots of rumors are going around. If you need one they are definitely out of stock almost everywhere. Please keep an eye and ear out with what is happening with them. Thanks, Ed
I talked to Battery’s + today and they said they only had “the new style” Optima available, but didn’t have one in stock. I wonder if that is why they are out of stock many places.
Gents,
I just got off the phone with my Optima Guy and he said that he “Loves Rumors.”
He told me that they have to fill OE orders first, like with VW and the Military, then they produce for the general retail market.
He agreed that there is currently a 6v drought, but he told me NOT TO WORRY and that come Spring there will likely be a SMOKING OPTIMA DEAL available for the PAS.
Peter
I was going to wait until the batteries were offered next year to mention this, but I did find a very simple solution to having two Optima batteries in parallel to give you a little more cranking power.
Lawson Products (www.lawsonproducts.com) offers 2/0 gauge battery cables which have a regular terminal on one end, and a terminal with a standard battery post on top of the terminal on the other end. This allows you to hook up your batteries in parallel and connect them right to the cables in your car.
Part Nos. are 84816 for positive and 84817 for negative. Cost is about $25. each
I’ll just mention this in case the time comes when we can’t get six volt batteries. . . .
I’m sure you know that any battery, six or twelve volt, is just several 2.2 volt cells wired in series. Three cells for six volt, six cells for twelve volt.
I wonder if it’s possible to pry the top off an Optima twelve volt, cut the bridge between numbers 3 and 4 (positive to negative), and rewire so that cell 1 connects to cell 4 (positive to positive) and cell 3 connects to cell 6 (negative to negative). Now you’ve got two six volt batteries in parallel.
Scott…….are you willing to do that, diagram it, and write up an article on it for the rest of us to read ?
That would be a nice fix……..
A report from Optima says they will have the batteries back in production in 60 days or less. Just a manufacturing bottleneck, they are going to be available, you just have to wait a little bit. This is from the company directly. Ed
>> Scott…….are you willing to do that, diagram it, and write up an article on it for the rest of us to read ?
That would be a nice fix…….
I would be very happy to write up something for the PAS but I don’t have a spare Optima, and would prefer to take apart an old, dead 12 v first to learn how it’s put together.
What I propose is theoretical — if you look at batteries from back in the vintage of our cars, the are clearly constructed that way, with three cells connected in series. From what I know, modern batteries are the same just packaged up into a neat but somewhat inaccessible box.
Should I come across a dead battery, I will do a postmortem and report on how to convert a 12-v into two six volts.
Ed & Gents,
GEEZE, you should have read what I wrote above.
My Optima Guy works for Optima and speaks Ex Cathedra Optima.
Cheers,
Peter
Peter…..I most often check in on my phone, and sometimes I miss the postings…….getting blind in my old age!