The Ford Barn

josh1331 · 05-19-2013, 05:30 PM

Used battery a bunch trying to fix car. Car now ok but amp meter still on heavy charge how should I check for short best way. Using battery cable and look for spark? Forgot which cable to use. Or could this b bad amp meter? This josh

BRENT in 10-uh-C · 05-19-2013, 05:40 PM

Wow, you are all over the place in your description but let me take a stab at this;

To charge a battery such as the optima to 100%, you really need a charger that is specifically made to charge AGM batteries. I have one and it makes all the world of difference.

You can use a test light to test from voltage draw by placing the probe onto the battery post and the alligator clip onto the battery cable. When you connect a circuit, if there is continuity or a draw, the bulb will light up.

Bruce Adams · 05-19-2013, 06:04 PM

To expand on Brent's suggestion, go to Optima's web site for instruction on charging a dead Optima battery. You can not just hook it to a charger. I believe you must put it in parallel with a good battery then hook it up but their web site tells you step by step.

josh1331 · 05-19-2013, 06:14 PM

Have meter but not very good at electrical. I will check for voltage on battery. On shorts. I get confused a little. Someone told me to disconnect battery cable and touch post? Not sure. If spark then there is draw. Is that right. And which cable is the one to use not sure about this.

josh1331 · 05-19-2013, 06:17 PM

Was told to buy ctek charger by optima tech. But don't seem to work . Do I have to hook up to battery post? I tried to hook up to red to ground black to starter?

Patrick L. · 05-19-2013, 07:20 PM

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The way you connected the charger should work as long as the battery and cable connections are clean and tight.
To check for a draw, it really doesn't make a difference which battery post connecter you pull. One connection of the test light[or meter] goes to the battery and the other to the cable end. A battery voltage reading or the light lighting means there is a draw. Just keep unhooking things until the draw stops, that'll be the problem.

Bruce Adams · 05-19-2013, 08:32 PM

FROM OPTIMA'S WEB SITE on charging a deeply discharged Optima

How do I charge a deeply discharged battery?

If an OPTIMA battery is deeply discharged (below 10.5 volts), most basic chargers will not supply a charge. Also keep in mind that an OPTIMA battery will not recharge properly if treated as a regular flooded or gel battery. To charge the battery, you can wire a second fully charged automotive battery (12+volts) to the discharged AGM in parallel (+ to + and – to –). Then hook up the charger to the deeply discharged battery, setting the charger at 10 amps. Leave for two hours, monitoring frequently. During this process, if the discharged battery gets very hot or if it is venting (hissing sound from vents), then stop this process immediately. When the discharged battery reaches 10.5 volts or more, remove the standard battery and continue charging the AGM until fully charged.

For normal charging, a relatively low current, such as one or two amps, can work well, but when the battery has been deeply discharged, some sulfation of the battery plates may have occurred. If you charge at 10 amps, the higher current will help to break up this sulfation.

If you have an automatic charger, let it run until the charger indicates charging is complete. If you have a manual charger, you can get a rough estimate of the charging time in hours of a completely discharged battery (11.2 volts) by multiplying the capacity (amp hours or Ah) of the battery by 1.2. If your battery is not completely discharged, the time would be less.

In most cases these steps will recover an AGM battery. It’s OK for the AGM battery to get slightly warm during the charging process. If it’s hot to the touch, it means there’s a short and the process should be discontinued.

jmeckel · 05-19-2013, 08:34 PM

I need to clear up this statement made:
To check for a draw, it really doesn't make a difference which battery post connecter you pull. One connection of the test light[or meter] goes to the battery and the other to the cable end. A battery voltage reading or the light lighting means there is a draw.

Voltage is not an indicator of any current draw or as some state "a short". Voltage measures the difference in electrical potential across two points. Amperage is how you measure battery drain. So you would need to set your meter to AMP (or amperage) and connect in SERIES (meaning in line, so the current has to flow THROUGH the meter) with one of the battery leads to be able to detect any current flow. Be careful to NOT try and run the start as that would overload any "normal" small meter.

BRENT in 10-uh-C · 05-19-2013, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmeckel

I need to clear up this statement made:
To check for a draw, it really doesn't make a difference which battery post connecter you pull. One connection of the test light[or meter] goes to the battery and the other to the cable end. A battery voltage reading or the light lighting means there is a draw.

Voltage is not an indicator of any current draw or as some state "a short". Voltage measures the difference in electrical potential across two points. Amperage is how you measure battery drain. So you would need to set your meter to AMP (or amperage) and connect in SERIES (meaning in line, so the current has to flow THROUGH the meter) with one of the battery leads to be able to detect any current flow. Be careful to NOT try and run the start as that would overload any "normal" small meter.

That you kindly for that clarification!

.

BILL WILLIAMSON · 05-19-2013, 10:41 PM

My multimeter will only handle 10 Amps load, but it has a fuse for protection. Bill W.

Patrick L. · 05-20-2013, 05:48 AM

Actually voltage is an indicator of a draw. Thats why test light lights were used for this purpose for years. The test light is connected in series which I probably didn't explain very well. You explained that better than I did. To determine accurately the amount of draw then an ammeter is better. There shouldn't be any indication of a draw on a Model A as Ford intended it to be.

05-19-2013, 05:30 PM	#1
josh1331 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Charlestown,R.I. Posts: 465	Battery optima still not fully charged Used battery a bunch trying to fix car. Car now ok but amp meter still on heavy charge how should I check for short best way. Using battery cable and look for spark? Forgot which cable to use. Or could this b bad amp meter? This josh

05-19-2013, 05:40 PM	#2
BRENT in 10-uh-C Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Eastern Tennessee Posts: 11,513	Re: Battery optima still not fully charged Wow, you are all over the place in your description but let me take a stab at this; To charge a battery such as the optima to 100%, you really need a charger that is specifically made to charge AGM batteries. I have one and it makes all the world of difference. You can use a test light to test from voltage draw by placing the probe onto the battery post and the alligator clip onto the battery cable. When you connect a circuit, if there is continuity or a draw, the bulb will light up. __________________ . BRENT in 10-uh-C . www.model-a-ford.com ...(...Finally Updated!! ) .

05-19-2013, 06:04 PM	#3
Bruce Adams Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Northport, NY Posts: 1,597	Re: Battery optima still not fully charged To expand on Brent's suggestion, go to Optima's web site for instruction on charging a dead Optima battery. You can not just hook it to a charger. I believe you must put it in parallel with a good battery then hook it up but their web site tells you step by step.

05-19-2013, 06:14 PM	#4
josh1331 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Charlestown,R.I. Posts: 465	Re: Battery optima still not fully charged Have meter but not very good at electrical. I will check for voltage on battery. On shorts. I get confused a little. Someone told me to disconnect battery cable and touch post? Not sure. If spark then there is draw. Is that right. And which cable is the one to use not sure about this.

05-19-2013, 06:17 PM	#5
josh1331 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Charlestown,R.I. Posts: 465	Re: Battery optima still not fully charged Was told to buy ctek charger by optima tech. But don't seem to work . Do I have to hook up to battery post? I tried to hook up to red to ground black to starter?

05-19-2013, 07:20 PM	#6
Patrick L. Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Largo Florida Posts: 7,225	Re: Battery optima still not fully charged Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) The way you connected the charger should work as long as the battery and cable connections are clean and tight. To check for a draw, it really doesn't make a difference which battery post connecter you pull. One connection of the test light[or meter] goes to the battery and the other to the cable end. A battery voltage reading or the light lighting means there is a draw. Just keep unhooking things until the draw stops, that'll be the problem.

05-19-2013, 08:32 PM	#7
Bruce Adams Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Northport, NY Posts: 1,597	Re: Battery optima still not fully charged FROM OPTIMA'S WEB SITE on charging a deeply discharged Optima How do I charge a deeply discharged battery? If an OPTIMA battery is deeply discharged (below 10.5 volts), most basic chargers will not supply a charge. Also keep in mind that an OPTIMA battery will not recharge properly if treated as a regular flooded or gel battery. To charge the battery, you can wire a second fully charged automotive battery (12+volts) to the discharged AGM in parallel (+ to + and – to –). Then hook up the charger to the deeply discharged battery, setting the charger at 10 amps. Leave for two hours, monitoring frequently. During this process, if the discharged battery gets very hot or if it is venting (hissing sound from vents), then stop this process immediately. When the discharged battery reaches 10.5 volts or more, remove the standard battery and continue charging the AGM until fully charged. For normal charging, a relatively low current, such as one or two amps, can work well, but when the battery has been deeply discharged, some sulfation of the battery plates may have occurred. If you charge at 10 amps, the higher current will help to break up this sulfation. If you have an automatic charger, let it run until the charger indicates charging is complete. If you have a manual charger, you can get a rough estimate of the charging time in hours of a completely discharged battery (11.2 volts) by multiplying the capacity (amp hours or Ah) of the battery by 1.2. If your battery is not completely discharged, the time would be less. In most cases these steps will recover an AGM battery. It’s OK for the AGM battery to get slightly warm during the charging process. If it’s hot to the touch, it means there’s a short and the process should be discontinued. Last edited by Bruce Adams; 05-19-2013 at 08:35 PM. Reason: typo

05-19-2013, 08:34 PM	#8
jmeckel Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Luck WI Posts: 550	Re: Battery optima still not fully charged I need to clear up this statement made: To check for a draw, it really doesn't make a difference which battery post connecter you pull. One connection of the test light[or meter] goes to the battery and the other to the cable end. A battery voltage reading or the light lighting means there is a draw. Voltage is not an indicator of any current draw or as some state "a short". Voltage measures the difference in electrical potential across two points. Amperage is how you measure battery drain. So you would need to set your meter to AMP (or amperage) and connect in SERIES (meaning in line, so the current has to flow THROUGH the meter) with one of the battery leads to be able to detect any current flow. Be careful to NOT try and run the start as that would overload any "normal" small meter. __________________ Jon "If you choose to not decide, you still have made a choice!" RUSH Don't tell me what you know..... Tell me what you have done. Last edited by jmeckel; 05-19-2013 at 08:40 PM.

05-19-2013, 10:41 PM	#10
BILL WILLIAMSON Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: FRESNO, CA Posts: 12,560	Re: Battery optima still not fully charged My multimeter will only handle 10 Amps load, but it has a fuse for protection. Bill W. __________________ "THE ASSISTANT GURU OF STUFF"

05-20-2013, 05:48 AM	#11
Patrick L. Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Largo Florida Posts: 7,225	Re: Battery optima still not fully charged Actually voltage is an indicator of a draw. Thats why test light lights were used for this purpose for years. The test light is connected in series which I probably didn't explain very well. You explained that better than I did. To determine accurately the amount of draw then an ammeter is better. There shouldn't be any indication of a draw on a Model A as Ford intended it to be.