Losing patience with 8 Volts

[JerryinTx]

Had a thread a couple of weeks ago about converting to 8 volts and shortly afterwards the ammeter would not show a positive charge. Replacing the voltage regulator solved the problem only temporarily, as the 2nd voltage regulator apparently blew last night after only 1 day of driving. Mechanic blamed the 1st one on low quality replacement part with only a tab adjustment instead of a screw. Didn't charge me to replace it.

I'm about ready to go back to 6 volts and maybe get some "00" battery cables. I think I'm running "0" now. Having the car crank like a new one sure was nice, but this is getting old. Anybody know why this would keep happening?

[JerryinTx]

Just went out and tapped on the VR cover a few times, got in and started the car. The ammeter is now showing a charge! We'll see how long this lasts.

[TodFitch]

Mechanic blamed the 1st one on low quality replacement part with only a tab adjustment instead of a screw.

I guess all of the original factory ones were then "low quality replacement" parts.

If you replace the cables between the generator, starter motor, battery and clean up the grounds for the same components then you should start well on a stock 6v system. 8v is a "band-aid", just fix it and then you can follow the stock service manual for repairs.

Or, if you want to run 12v accessories, go to 12v. I really don't see a reason for 8v.

[JerryinTx]

So the tabs were it back then? Ha! Thanks Tod.

All of my cables are brand new and contacts are clean. The one from the starter to the solenoid is a 1ga. and the wiring to the genny is whatever Rhode Island supplied with the new harness. Only kicker may be the "0" battery cables. It just never has turned over that well, even in warm weather.

I'm still getting charge at this point.

[JerryinTx]

So I need to beef up the one to the starter too?

[Niel Hoback]

Yes. The whole circuit needs heavy guage wire. Ground cable also.

[JerryinTx]

Thanks guys, I'm going to get the beefed up cables regardless of when or whether I go back to 6 volt.

[Norm's Coupe]

0 gage cable should be all you need. I've been running 0 gage in mine since I bought it in 1995. Never had a problem starting the car with the 6 volts, even in the dead of our "Wisconsin" winters. Gets a little colder up here than in Texas, I think. Like Tod said, switching to 8 volts is only a band aid masking the real problem (whatever that may be). That said, a 6 volt car won't turn over as fast as a car with a 12 volt system. Maybe it's turning over the way it's supposed to, and you just think it's not fast enough when compared to your newer cars with 12 volts. As long as the car starts easily, it doesn't matter how fast it's turning over.

Now, if you have 0 cables, and you feel every thing else is good, such as coil, etc., I'd look at the wiring. You did say you had a new wiring harness. Maybe something in the harness is causing you a problem. Just because it's new doesn't mean you can't have a problem with it.

[Rodney Bullock]

Around here they will not give you a warrenty with a 8 volt battery. Tod is right you are using a band aid with that battery. There is something wrong and you need to find out what it is, The first thing to do is to change to the right thickness on your cables. 00 welders cable helped me. I had the battery guy make my cables and the ground cables. I take it you have ground cables with good thickness as well. My car turns over like a new 1940 not a new modern era car. If you are looking for that you will be looking a long time. These cars are different, their technloogly is different. I bey after you address these things your car will be very dependable. The VR was designed to supply a 6 volt.

[grey beard]

If your charging system is six volts, how on earth could you expect it to keep an eight-volt battery charged? The only way this could possibly happen is if someone who knew what they were doing used a voltmeter and increased the voltage setting on the regulator to more than eight volts. This discussion has bounced around many times over the years, and someone always says it works fine for them.

I'm from Missosuri. Show me how a six volt system can possibly charge an eighrt volt battery unless it is modified. :)

[Don Coatney]

If you go with 8 volts (and I do not understand why you would want to do

so) do it right and get an 8 volt alternator.

[greg g]

The voltage regulator's job it to assure the battery is charged by the generator, ist other perhaps even more important job is to keep the battery from being over charged. With a new fully charged battery, the VT is doing its jub by keeping the carge rate low or even negligible, so the ammeter need not show a positive charge at all times. My ammeter only shows a significant charge for about 5 miles after starting the engine. When the battery recovers the energy it expended starting the car, the VR senses this and puts the carging system in neutral so to speak, until another load, brakes lights, signals, highbeams, require that the system click back on to the charge side. So a ammeter showin no or minimal charge while a car is idling or driving sown the road is "Normal".

Check the amp gauge in this clip at the very end. There is a sun flash but clearly visible the needle (lower left) is clearly centered in the gauge.

http://www.jumpcut.com/view?id=C5905E3A934E11DDB3D2000423CF037A

[JerryinTx]

You guys are all making a lot of sense here. And after hanging out here for the past 7-8 years, I respect what you have to say more than a local mechanic. Think I'll go back to 6 volts and beef up the wiring.

[Young Ed]

1ga cables are OEM spec. I replaced all 3 of my cables with 1ga and my car starts fine. I say something else is wrong and not that battery cable

[Captain Neon]

Maybe a little OT, but I couldn't figure out for the life of me why in 2001 I had such a hard time getting my P15 to start. I almost always had to run 12v to the coil through the little power port my father rigged. One day I came out and I couldn't get so much as a groan out of the starter. Frustrated, I looked under the hood. Somewhere along the line, I had developed a crack in my lead battery connector (probably from twisting and yanking without a battery puller for at least 10 years). The connector had finally melted apart from all of the heat in trying to get power through an ever-decreasing connection. After replacing all of the old cables with 0 gauge cables, the car has never started better.

This was the first spring that I ever had a fully charged 6 volt battery and freshly cleaned battery connections. However, out of habit I still jumped her over with 12v after spraying the carburetor with a little carb cleaner. Easiest spring start-up in the 22 years the car's been in the family.

[Norm's Coupe]

I've always used a pair of pliers to pull the cables off the battery when I need to.