Importance of good battery/electrical connections

[swedishsteel]

I know this has been talked about several times, but just wanted to share my experience concerning good connections on a 6 volt system. Been driving my '36 sedan for six or seven years, only two or three times a month during the warm months here in Minnesota. It always starts good, but I thought maybe the starter was turning a little slow--with a dozen or so other vehicles/machines my memory gets foggy about past performance, especially last year. So, last night I got here up in the air and proceeded to loosen and retighten all the battery connections. None were loose, but they all stood a little more torque. I disconnected the ground connection on the frame and shined up the washer and nut with the wire wheel. With everything hooked up again I hit the starter and wow, what a difference. The starter turns considerably faster. None of the connections were dirty or corroded, but I think oxidation seeps in every so slightly and gradually inhibits the connection. I have the biggest automotive 6 volt battery Fleet Farm has mounted in the trunk with big welding cable for cables so the connections are the potential weak link in the entire system. Just thought I'd reinforce previous advice about keeping 6 volt connections up to snuff. Cheers, Rod

[koates]

Hi there, Having the battery in the trunk with that long run of cable can be a disadvantage on a 6 volt system especially. Original Ford cars always have the batteries mounted fairly close to the starter motor so that any voltage drop/loss is kept to a minimum. 6 Volt systems require "OO B&S" large battery cable to be fully effective. Good/perfect connections are essential otherwise there will be problems. The obvious layman answer to 6volt problems is "lets convert it to 12 volts" , but that's not fixing it, its the easy way out for those who don't want to understand the system. The 6 volt cars were good when new so can always be made good again. Regards, Kevin.

[Tom Walker]

Kevin, is there any merit in the di-electric stuff in a tube, marketed to do wonders for electrical connections? I use it all the time now, but am I just a victim of good advertising?
Cheers, Tom.

[V8 Bob]

Running the battery ground directly to the engine is much better than using the frame as a ground, as steel is not the best conductor. A copper ground strap can then be run from the block to the frame and block to body.

[Ralph Moore]

Originally Posted by Tom Walker

Kevin, is there any merit in the di-electric stuff in a tube, marketed to do wonders for electrical connections? I use it all the time now, but am I just a victim of good advertising?
Cheers, Tom.

I use it on all the connections I deal with at work, but most are Duetz, or modern style pin connectors . I do not use it on say, a battery terminal or frame ground connection. It is very helpful in keeping moisture out of connectors.
On the other type connections , bat etc. I use a sealing spray that Napa sells.
Most of the vehicles I work on are OTR trucks.

[JSeery]

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This is NOT a 6V Ford example, but I work on newer electrical systems a lot. Had a Dodge Caravan that was having all kinds of strange electrical issues. Different lights dimming or not working, tail light issues, sometimes didn't want to start, gauges not working. Nothing obvious was wrong so I did some reading up on this model car and it was a common problem. Lots of stories of dealers changing everything under the sun at high expense with nothing fixed. So, a couple of folks claim that all it needs is the ground to the engine cleaned. I take the ground connector off and it looks very clean, no major crude at all. But, I have it off so I scuffed it and the mounting surface up, lubed it and tightened it back down. All problems solved! I was amazed that such a small film on a ground could cause this much havoc. Now, this was a car with a lot of electronic controls which are far more sensitive to this type of thing, but still a good lesson on the importance of good grounds. And good grounds are even more important with 6V than with 12V.

[koates]

Tom, What Ralph More says I agree. Should not need that stuff on a vintage car. Just clean bright dry connections and good grounds are most important. Regards, Kevin.

[fordy_nine]

I have used chassis grease or something more like chain lube in latter years on the battery terminals to keep out the sources of corrosion between the cable terminal and the battery post, being sure to get plenty of grease on the underside of terminal - not pretty but quite effective. I usually re-do the terminal cleaning/greasing every year or two. I have used dielectric grease on bulb terminals for may years also. When you live in the rust belt, you have to be pro-active to maintain electrical systems......Bob L