![]() Group 1 is an extremely common tractor battery. Group 2 is slightly bigger, and sometimes used as an extra capacity option, or in larger cars. The overwhelming majority of 6v cars use a Group 1. Go to a battery store, or someplace that does tractors. Depending on the car and how it is used, it may make more sense to buy the cheap one. ![]() On the other hand, if you let it go completely flat dead the Optima will be just as shot as any other battery. You have to shop around for the best price. That Optima was stolen when it was 18 years old. I bought a 12v one for an Alfa Romeo in the summer of 1995. ![]() Hopefully, the extra capacity of the Optima will make these minor alterations worthwhile, since the original battery could be discharged by using the radio for a short time.Optimas are nice because they don't leak, and they don't corrode up your battery terminals. The battery cover is slightly higher than the cargo floor due to the extra height of the Optima battery, I've already determined it is due to the thick insulation installed under the battery cover since the door can be pressed down to it's proper position, so I may redo the insulation with a thinner piece, If anyone interested, I'll post pics of the finished job and the old and new batteries side by side. Also, the top cover of the battery compartment was not flush with the rest of the cargo floor once I got everything installed (the cargo box, the cover to the cargo box, and the piece of carpet that covers the entire rear of car. The hold down bracket is easily overtightened with this scenario, and one must strike a fine balance between too much battery movement and the possibility of the case cracking on the new battery resulting from excessive torque when reinstalling the hold down bracket. My solution was the purchase of the same size fine threaded bolt 11/4" long, along with a 1/2"-3/4" stack of flat washers for the hold down to rest on (the bracket needed a solid footing to rest on or it could be bent while traveling on our lovely roads here in Louisiana), and a lock washer to ensure that the bold would not vibrate loose. The original bolt was too short (1/2-3/4" long) to reuse and the hold down was 3/4" too short to reach the cargo floor, where it was located previously. The front of the bracket crosses the battery in the front and bends 90 degrees and bolts to the floor of the cargo area between battery and brake booster unit (the black box in front of battery - about the size of a cigar box). The length is just long enough without any extra to play with. The rear stud for the hold down is built in and bracket is secured to stud with a nut, which is also the adjustment. ![]() The battery hold down bracket was not able to be reinstalled as-is, so I had to devise a fix for the problem. One might be inclined to say that this shouldn't make that much of a difference, but the fit is VERY tight, esp. 1/2 inch wider and 1/2 inch taller than the OEM battery I had just removed. The downside? The Optima battery was approx. The unit was brought to my door packaged VERY carefully in a sturdy box which had special padding on all 6 surfaces> This battery also had the small terminals, so no adapter kit was needed. I used Amazon once again aand was charged $155.00 and some change, including 2 day shipping. I replaced the OEM Toyota battery about two months ago with the above-mentioned Optima Yellowtop- my family has used these batteries as Starting/trolling motor batteries in boats and RV's, and they can be tipped any position and still work without spilling electrolyte.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |