Electrical problem
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 978
Likes: 1
From: Scranton Pennsylvania
Electrical problem
I was changing the plugs in my 63 last week and the plug wrench touched the battery and arced. I have absolutely no power anywhere.
A friend came over with some type of fancy tester. After about an hour he felt that it was the starter. He then changed his mind and said it was the ignition switch. He got some weird readings while testing. He was getting power from the frame and the battery was putting out 16 volts.
I installed the ignition switch today and initially I had power. When I turned the key I got a click and then back to no power. All fuses look ok.
Please help.
A friend came over with some type of fancy tester. After about an hour he felt that it was the starter. He then changed his mind and said it was the ignition switch. He got some weird readings while testing. He was getting power from the frame and the battery was putting out 16 volts.
I installed the ignition switch today and initially I had power. When I turned the key I got a click and then back to no power. All fuses look ok.
Please help.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 978
Likes: 1
From: Scranton Pennsylvania
I thought that too. After the winter, the battery was totally dead. This was my first winter with a working clock. I figured that is what drained it. I charged it and kept it on a float charger ever since.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 978
Likes: 1
From: Scranton Pennsylvania
It has been a bad month with the car After the battery was charged, I started/ran the car five or six times. All was fine. Then one day the car ran real rough. I thought a float might have stuck in the carb. After some tinkering,(tapping it with a hammer) I got it running. After all of the cranking, I thought I could smell gas in the oil and the plugs
were a little black. That;s why I changed the plugs. In answer to your question, the battery seems fine. It's a ten year old Optima. Once I get thru this mess, I will look at replacing it
were a little black. That;s why I changed the plugs. In answer to your question, the battery seems fine. It's a ten year old Optima. Once I get thru this mess, I will look at replacing it
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 58,061
Likes: 7,147
Army
Correct me if I'm wrong but if you've killed that Optima then you can't just throw the garden-variety charger on it you... You have to trick it to charge it by putting another battery in parallel with it or some such nonsense.. Others will know more.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 978
Likes: 1
From: Scranton Pennsylvania
After it was charged, it seemed to work fine. Car cranked as normal, after running for a few minutes, amp stayed straight up. I must have started it 8-10 times. If it starts OK and amp is OK, I thought that the battery was OK
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Many low-amp trickle chargers or maintainers will not commence to charge a fully discharged non-flooded cell batteries unless put in parallel with another at least partially charged battery to "start the juices flowing" so to speak. It's the charger that needs the tricking.
Dan
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 58,061
Likes: 7,147
Army
If you have no lights, horn, radio, etc. (forget starting the car for now) then you have bad battery connections, a bad battery or you've burnt up a wire somewhere...its that simple. So. let us know if the horn blows..that's one connection that doesn't go through the bulkhead connector.
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; May 1, 2016 at 09:24 PM.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 978
Likes: 1
From: Scranton Pennsylvania
When the guy was probing with the tester the horn and radio would work when he played with the key. That why he thought it was the switch. I can't see any visable flaws in the harness.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 58,061
Likes: 7,147
Army
It does... I was trying to determine if your battery is healthy and see if the bulkhead connector is involved in the issue - if your wiring is non-stock then I can't be of much help.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 58,061
Likes: 7,147
Army
Just for grins I'd charge that battery overnight and take another stab at starting the car in the morning -- nothing to lose
