Finally
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 118
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From: Twin Lake Mi
Finally
I may have finally solved my starting problems. I never knew when the car was going to die when I tried to start it. I replaced the battery a couple of weeks ago. I figured since it was 5 years old & sits in the garage about 7 months of the year, maybe the battery was a goner. After I changed the battery, the amp gauge still didn't show a charge. I had some time on my hands last night, so I checked the repair manual again & started with the simple stuff. I didn't really want to dig into the alternator, so I pulled the wire connection plug from the back of it with 2 wires in it. One look at the pins & the connectors & there was hope. I took some fine sand paper to the pins as best I could & then popped the connectors from the plug & cleaned them. Plugged it back together & magic. I now have a charge showing on the gauge. I hope that solves it. I think I still want to put a battery tender on it though to keep it up all the time. 
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,342
Likes: 7
From: Connecticut
Originally Posted by Amature
I may have finally solved my starting problems. I never knew when the car was going to die when I tried to start it. I replaced the battery a couple of weeks ago. I figured since it was 5 years old & sits in the garage about 7 months of the year, maybe the battery was a goner. After I changed the battery, the amp gauge still didn't show a charge. I had some time on my hands last night, so I checked the repair manual again & started with the simple stuff. I didn't really want to dig into the alternator, so I pulled the wire connection plug from the back of it with 2 wires in it. One look at the pins & the connectors & there was hope. I took some fine sand paper to the pins as best I could & then popped the connectors from the plug & cleaned them. Plugged it back together & magic. I now have a charge showing on the gauge. I hope that solves it. I think I still want to put a battery tender on it though to keep it up all the time.
I have posted this same fix more than once as it had me scratching my head at times
It may be uncommon but it does exist.
It's usually one of the first places I look when this type of problem occours
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,126
Likes: 0
From: Hudson Falls, N.Y. 76 Vette Modified L-48
Personally, if you are showing a charge on the gauge, a battery tender would be a waste of money....a new bat with a good charge from the alt should keep ya going fine....you should see the gauge peg to the charge side after a start, then back to a little over zero amps after a short while....this would indicate the battery is good and taking a charge, and it will start like a normal car without external charging...just my 2 cents...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
Battery tenders are a good thing IF you get a good one and not a cheap wall mart one. The cheap ones are a fire hazard And really you only need it if your car site long periods without getting started. If its in your home garage just start it up now and then in the off season and let it warm up a bit and you should be ok.
Good catch on the alternator connections. These cars are old and some electrical parts like those flag type contacts they used pretty cheap parts. You might put a bit of di-electric grease on them, that will stop the corrosion, you probly brushed off the tin coating that is supposed to protect the pins.
Good catch on the alternator connections. These cars are old and some electrical parts like those flag type contacts they used pretty cheap parts. You might put a bit of di-electric grease on them, that will stop the corrosion, you probly brushed off the tin coating that is supposed to protect the pins.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Originally Posted by bobs77vet
i dislike the idea of any battery tender.....use a quick disconnect if necessary
A battery tender is not specifically for the battery's charge, but for it's health, with a full charge. The battery may not ever drain when it sits, but the chemical reactions inside the battery cause the overall capasity to diminish. A tender, using the tiniest bits of voltage, excite eveything inside the battery, slowing the decay and degradation. A good tender is a way to not only keep a battery charged, but to keep it healthy so that you have allt he cranking amps you can handle.
I've had a battery that had gotten so bad it wouldn't start the car. It showed 12.5V, but it wouldn't even start a lawnmower. The problem was the capasity of the battery had degraded to the point where it had no 'oomph' while still carrying 12V.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 11,874
Likes: 263
From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod
my objection is in keeping a draining system energized. too many people use this as the fix for poor wiring and think they have found a quick fix when inreality they are creating a fire hazard
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Originally Posted by bobs77vet
my objection is in keeping a draining system energized. too many people use this as the fix for poor wiring and think they have found a quick fix when inreality they are creating a fire hazard
I know, and that's a bad deal to have a hard to find drain on the system. A dissconnect does work for that, and while they to van be a fire hazzard, a good tender will save the battery from an early doom where a dissconnect won't.
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Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 118
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From: Twin Lake Mi
My reason for the post was just to alert others not to make the same mistake I did. Now that I have the alternator contacts clean & I'm getting a good charge, I probably didn't need to replace the battery. At the same time it was 5 years old and I don't go out to the garage in the winter time & start the cars up & let them idle for a half hour like I used to do. This being said, I don't think it is good for any battery to sit idle for 7 months out of the year. As has been read before, a battery has to have the particles moving in it in order to keep it from going flat. It seems that the tender would be the easiest way to do this. I also had put a meter between the pos. battery post & cable & found no discernable draw on the battery. These are designed to shut down when full charge is reached & come back on after a certain drop in battery voltage. That seems harmless enough to me. It's not as apt to cause a problem as putting a 10 amp charger on for an hour & walking away from it. Just my thoughts.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
I'm gonna have two very expensive Optimas in my car, so I'm building in a Tender. It'll hopefully be able to handle the two batteries, and I will make the plug easy accessable so when I pull in for a few weeks I just plug it in and go inside.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,342
Likes: 7
From: Connecticut
Originally Posted by Durango_boy
I'm gonna have two very expensive Optimas in my car, so I'm building in a Tender. It'll hopefully be able to handle the two batteries,
A Cummins Diesel 855 CID @ 23.3:1 Compression ratio will turn over no problem with two 800 CCA batteries
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Originally Posted by Bob Onit
Two batteries?
A Cummins Diesel @ 855 CID with 23.3:1 Compression ratio will turn over no problem with two 800 CCA batteries
A Cummins Diesel @ 855 CID with 23.3:1 Compression ratio will turn over no problem with two 800 CCA batteries
I know, but I have a lot of electrical load between the lights, aux lights, and stereo. I don't want to take any chances. I've done dual batteries in several cars and trucks and I really like the benefits.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,342
Likes: 7
From: Connecticut
Originally Posted by Durango_boy
I know, but I have a lot of electrical load between the lights, aux lights, and stereo. I don't want to take any chances. I've done dual batteries in several cars and trucks and I really like the benefits.
The Cummins uses a 180 Amp to keep the Batteries charged. and thats enough to charge 4 batteries
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 11,874
Likes: 263
From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod
well if your stereo is big enough two batteries will be better then a big alternator...but i hope i'm never around that stereo though cause i'm too old for that crap theses days
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Originally Posted by bobs77vet
well if your stereo is big enough two batteries will be better then a big alternator...but i hope i'm never around that stereo though cause i'm too old for that crap theses days
I respect that...to each there own. I like it this way, so I design my Vette accordingly.
Also, I'm double dipping, and designing a dual battery, dual alt system. I will not have system voltage problems at all...
