Occasional Hard Starting

[Tom Wesenberg]

Buy the correct cable from Bratton's and use the kill switch on the battery ground side.


Some kill switches are problems. I don't use one.

[29Cabriolet]

Bump. . .

Well sometimes you hear the old adage ". . .things are often not like they seem. . . " Not so here! Turns out the trouble was the battery! I did not suspect that since the battery was only 18 mos old. Tested it idle and was getting 6.15V. Finally I retested WITH LOAD, instantly dropped down to 2-3V! And this is the 2nd battery to replace in 4 years. The first lasted little over 2 years. Both came from Advance Auto. And the replacement for this time too is from Advance, but only because I was allowed 20% discount even though the 1 yr warranty had expired.

So I wonder what others are using and what the life expectancy is? A new battery every couple of years seems unreasonable. No real comparison I guess, but modern 12V batteries are warranted up to 5 years. I would think that today a 6V could be built that would last more than 1 or 2 yrs!

[Marshall V. Daut]

In the "old days" when Model A restorations caught hold (late 1950's - early 1990's), the LAST thing to be suspicious of when discussing electrical problems was the battery because one that lasted less than five years was deemed defective. In today's throw away society, however, the FIRST thing to consider anymore is the horsesh*t batteries we are obliged to buy. If we get two years out of them anymore, we should consider ourselves lucky. I have had one bad battery (short life) after another in our antique cars and modern vehicles, including the so-called "superior" expensive sealed cell types. 'Been burned left and right in the last five years. What are they making the internals out of these days - cardboard?
My troubleshooting now revolves around checking for a possible weak/bad battery FIRST instead of last. That's been the source of trouble more often than not.
Marshall

[Tom Wesenberg]

My 6 volt batteries have gone 13 years, and I don't always treat them as well as I should. During the long winter months I should put my 6 amp charger on them for about an hour a month, but most months I don't even go near the battery. Something is definitely wrong to only get a couple years from the battery. Sounds like it's being drained, overcharged, or undercharged. You'll need to check the cause and repair it. Most of my batteries come from Fleet Farm and used to cost $30, but now cost about $60. Even my junk yard battery lasted just over 13 years.

[29Cabriolet]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

My 6 volt batteries have gone 13 years, and I don't always treat them as well as I should. During the long winter months I should put my 6 amp charger on them for about an hour a month, but most months I don't even go near the battery. Something is definitely wrong to only get a couple years from the battery. Sounds like it's being drained, overcharged, or undercharged. You'll need to check the cause and repair it. Most of my batteries come from Fleet Farm and used to cost $30, but now cost about $60. Even my junk yard battery lasted just over 13 years.

13 years? Wow! The batteries I bought from Advance only warranted for 1 (One!) year. Never heard of Fleet Farm (I'm on the east coast) But I checked their web site and found a 24 Month 6V for $49.