Charging Problems???

[55 Fargo]

Hi all, after going for a long ride yesterday, went again today, but on my return the battery seemed very weak and rundown. I did notice it was slow starting today, and very slow after my 30 to 40 minute drive.

Put the battery on my 6 volt 6 amp charger for an hour or so, went out to start the car, it fired right up, turned it off, it again fired right up, first crack. Now I have been noticing my engine has been a little hard starting lately. What might be causing this, I do show the genny is charging on my ammeter, but I suppose that doesn't tell all. If the genny is no good, or the reg is not working right, I will go with a custom made 6 volt + grnd GM single wire alt for a $110.00.

Any ideas guys, this is not real critical to get done quik, as I am at the end of season here and it will be winter up here by mid November..............Fred

[Norm's Coupe]

Fred, I assume you've cleaned the battery cables to get a good connection.

It's possible your battery is just bad. You haven't been driving the car very much because you've been working on it. When a battery sits for long periods win little or no use, the cells go bad and they will not hold a charge. Before I started running my coupe on a regular basis the batteries would only last a year or two tops. The last I one I had lasted about 4 years because I used it several times a month. The battery I had before that only lasted about a year. Would do the same thing yours is doing. Took it in to buy a new one and the guy said the battery tested good. Told him that was ok, take it anyway and sell me a new one. After that the car has always started right up.

[Normspeed]

It will take more than just an occasional short drive to keep a battery up. Might just need to be charged fully with the charger between long rides.

[55 Fargo]

Thanx Norm and Norm, the battery is on warranty, so I probably could get another, as you both have mentioned, not enough continuos sue would help mitigate this condition.

When I did charge the battery, it started right up very easily, so I most likely will charge it up as needed. I still can't get over how easy the engine started with a charged battery............Thanx Fred

[55 Fargo]

After charging the battery, the engine starts great, but when I go fro a ride for a few miles and the engine warms up, it starts to crank very slow again, whats up with this. Is it beacuse the engine is warm, and the compression causes the slower cranking, is it because of what?????. I don't think the battery would wear down on a 10 minute ride would it.

[Norm's Coupe]

Fred,

If the battery has a weak cell in it, it could go down that fast or faster with just one cranking, even after a good charging on the charger. A weak battery with a bad cell will not hold a charge very long.

[55 Fargo]

Sounds like that could be it, this battery is on it's last 6 months of a 30 month warranty, not sure what they will give me for it on a pro-rated basis...............Fred

[55 Fargo]

Just tested battery with a new hdryometer, after it sat in garage for 24 hours, it was reading as a good battery. The engine started, it seemd to need a lot of cranking, but once started was fine, shut it off and restarted twice, it would start first crack on the 2 subsequent tries. So either it's another problem, ie coil, or bad starter bushings, spoke with the starter place, that just repaired the starter, he assured me the bushing,brushes and armature were in very good shape. So any other ideas. I know once I go for a cruise, the engine warms up, then it starts to crank slow................Fred

[Normspeed]

Does it crank slow steadily or sort of kick back then speed up?

[55 Fargo]

Norm, it is cranking slowly, then sometimes it will pick up speed when you next hit the button........Fred

[Normspeed]

Mikemaker's P15 was cranking so slowly you would not believe it was going to start. Then, it would fire up. We were ready to swap in a different starter when we found a loose connection where the negative battery cable meets the solenoid. Tightened it up, no more slow starting.

Also, I don't recall how you've set your timing, but if it is advanced too far, and the engine is warm, it can kick back against the starter making it turn over slowly.

Or, it might just be a tired battery.

[busycoupe]

One possibility is that as the starter gets hot as the engine warms up the resistance of the windings increases. If the starter condition is kind of marginal, this can cause it to crank slow when warm. If you have access to an induction ammeter you could check the draw on the battery when starting the car cold and starting it again when it is hot.

[jimwheeldon]

I'd be curious what if any difference the amperage the genny is putting out when it's "cold" as opposed to when it's "hot"... The engine needs the battery to run not just start it correct? Sounds like you may be sucking the life out of the battery. The regulator would seem suspect in that case.

[Normspeed]

Busycoupe, could be the heat thing like on some Ford motors but the area where that flathead starter is, it doesn't get a huge amount of heat. Shel's ice method could track that down. Fred, see my post to Bob in Joplin about the inductive ammeter. Doesn't matter to me how many visits it makes before it comes back to Norm's Speed Shop:)

[Rodney Bullock]

When I first built my plymouth it turned so slow it was #$## I then started to look at the size of my cables they must be 00 or welders wire size, then I put the proper ground in the car. Motor to frame, frame to fire wall. My starter spins like a 12volt system also if the ground area is not clen naked metal it will start slow. You must have good ground for 6volt pos.

[55 Fargo]

Thanx Rodney, I will look into this.....Fred

[55 Fargo]

Rodney, what tpye of wire,connectors and size of wire did you use to make the extra ground connections......Thanx Fred

[Frank Blackstone]

My 72 Pontiac was he first experience I had with a hard starting engine that had become hot. I guess this was common because I found several cures for sale. An insulated blanket to wrap around the starter. A remote solenoid to replace the one on the starter. Another cause for your issue may be a loose connection that heats up with engine heat which increases resistance and slows down the start. As stated, batteries used less do deteriorate. A trick I learned is to put a drain on the battery with a single instrument bulb as drain and a trickle charger as power. It keeps the system active through the long periods of idleness. Power to the people, Frank