battery woes

[lubber]

New battery won't hold a charge? I susspect a draw on the battery - don't know how to isolate that??!! After a short drive, with the ammeter showing a charge; battery was dead after sitting for two hours. Also - after a full charge in the evening, the battery was dead the next morning!
Have trouble shot the ignition system, and have 6-plus volts thoughout. Yet the starter won't turn the engine over??? HELP PLEASE
Thanks,
Scotty

[Kurt in NJ]

Try charging the battery with the cables removed, then check to see if it holds a charge.

A bad connection can show voltage ---until there is a load on the circuit.

Check the voltage at the starter ---then engage the switch, compare that voltage to the voltage at the battery treminals (put the probe on the top of the battery post, not the terminal)

Are the bolts , nuts,and washers for the wire connections new or rusty.

Are you using good soldered terminal heavy gauge battery wires, or the cheap 12v light gauge wires with the steel ends (test with magnet)

[Russ/40]

Sounds like ignition is always on, resulting in a constant drain. Check your ignition switch/pop out.

[Tom Wesenberg]

First put a charger on the battery to bring it back to full charge. It's very hard on a battery to run it low or leave it low on charge. A 3 to 6 amp charger will be best. You don't want a fast high charge.

You need to remove and touch the power wire to each circuit to isolate the drain. First remove the light/horn wire from the cutout and see if it sparks. A drain that's enough to kill the battery in 2 hours should make a good spark. It that sparks, then remove the horn cover and remove the power wire to see if it sparks at the horn terminal. You can also remove the power wire at the coil to see if it sparks. Some of the repro brake light switches are known to short to ground, and this will make a considerable draw. Do you have a fuse? This much draw should blow the fuse.

Are you using an alternator?

[real550A]

Bad battery?
Otherwise, that's a major short...be very careful where you park it! With the battery draining that fast, I can't believe something isn't smoking.

[1931 flamingo]

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Take it back and get another one, or at least have them check it. JMO
Paul in CT

[lubber]

The car is nearing finnished restoration so all wiring (harness and connections) are new as well as battery. I've brought the battery back to full charge and have disconnected the main light switch harness as I suspect a draw there. The horn, cowl lights are not wired and those wires are isolated with elect. tape. The starter is fused. There is no sparking at red coil wire . I will see if battery has ability to start the car in a couple of hrs. Also I understand I might have a defective cutout ,is there a test for that?

[Patrick L.]

Does the ammeter show a discharge when everything is shut off ?? If it does, just start unhooking things until you find the draw.. Or, unhook a battery terminal and check the draw across/between the battery post and cable,, unhook stuff until the draw stops.. When the draw stops, thats the circuit with the problem..

[30Ford]

I used a disconnect switch on my car ..if nothing else for safety..but i had an amp meter going to ground,,

[700rpm]

Are you sure the battery is being discharged/ I just went through this on my coupe, and the problem wasn't a bad battery, it was a bad ground for the battery. It acted like it was dead, but when I cleaned up my ground connection, things worked fine. You say you're nearing your finished restoration; did you scrape some paint off the frame where the battery grounds to the crossmember?

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

To check for draws, I cut a jumper lead in half, mounted a buzzer from an old smoke alarm in the lead. Disconnect ground cable and hook the lead from the post to the cable, it'll scream like a Banshee! Then wiggle wires, disconnect stuff, or whatever it takes to find the problem. You'll know INSTANTLY when you've found it, 'cause that DAMNED THING will stop screamin' Bill W.

[Bruce,Upstate NY]

I saw a battery charged with the polarity reversed at an upholstery shop. It never held a charge well after that. They bought a new battery.

[lubber]

O K five hours later starts like a champ one time then five min. later nothing. It seems like one workout for the battery and then squat!! I''ve sanded the frame clean for the ground strap and added a ground to the trans housing as I know ground is very important for 6 volt. Battery reads 6.5 no load ,drops to 2.0 with load??

[VWJoe]

WTF! Go get a new battery. The load test klinches it

[VWJoe]

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

To check for draws, I cut a jumper lead in half, mounted a buzzer from an old smoke alarm in the lead. Disconnect ground cable and hook the lead from the post to the cable, it'll scream like a Banshee! Then wiggle wires, disconnect stuff, or whatever it takes to find the problem. You'll know INSTANTLY when you've found it, 'cause that DAMNED THING will stop screamin' Bill W.

Damn Bill, you really are an old car mechanic. I thought I was the only one.

[lubber]

I'd like to think it's the battery but, this is the 2nd one in one month . Heck I drove a 1964 VW (6 volt) for 14 years and never had battery problems that were not generator or ground related. Thanks for all your responses guys, I'm still digging.

[Tom Wesenberg]

What was the load?

If it was the starter, maybe the starter is bad. Two bad batteries in a month would be very unlikely. I've seen where the battery cables go bad where the wire is inserted into the lead end.

[Tony S,Fl.]

You mentioned the starter is fused. Explain Tony

[lubber]

I was thinking bad starter but don't know how to check for that. As for the fuse, it's between the starter and the terminal block, Thanks Steamboat

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by lubber

I was thinking bad starter but don't know how to check for that. As for the fuse, it's between the starter and the terminal block.

You need to lay an inductive ammeter on the starter cable to check the draw. It should be about 100 amps for a stock engine and 6 volt battery. Do you hear any strange noises coming from the starter, like the armature dragging on the field pole shoes, due to a worn bushing?

What is the battery voltage while the starter is cranking the engine? Key off for this check.