I need to buy a 6v battery for my 1951 Pontiac Chieftain. Would NAPA carry one I though Tractor Supply had them but its been awhile since I've been there and its along drive just to go to one for me. The Chieftain uses along slim 6v battery. It had a square 6v battery that was shot when I got it.
thats were I got my Father in laws for his 47 torpedo ( same style of battery ) we had to order it it only took a few days to get it . and way cheaper than batteries plus.com ( who said it had to be special ordered and custom made ( bullshit alert !!!) all you have to do is call TSC to see if they have them in stock ( they should as a lot of tractors used them ) its a group 2E battery . orielys and advanced auto can get them also
Ok well I bought a battery from NAPA because there isn't a Tractor Supply close to me. I ran the battery down because I'm not familiar with a 6v charging system. I didn't know that at idle the battery does not charge but if you turn the light on the interior lights and the radio on you will run the battery down. Well long story short I'm on my second charger and can't seem to find one that will charge the battery. The one from Advance doesn't seem to do the job it sat for six hours and the gauge never moved. Where can I find a good 6v battery charger?
we use a Schumacher (http://www.batterychargers.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductName=94026381AL ) charger for his 6 volt , the amperage is real low on 6 volts so it might take overnight , as it will get hot and warp the plates if you try to charge it too quick . if you ran the old tube style radio and light you probably ran it to zero. check the voltage with a volt meter not the gauge on the front of the charger , we ussually pull them off charge let them sit a hour and then check it so that way you do not get a ghost reading from the charger ( a battery will act like a capacitor for a while after charging and give false readings ) . if you ran it down all the way its going to take a while to charge it sometimes overnight as its more of a trickle compared to the 12 v amp ratings .
also be sure you have the charger hooked up correctly . Pontiac was NEG ground and black on charger should go to - bat ternimal.
It's a misconception that a 6 volt charging system won't charge at idle. If everything is working and adjusted correctly, (generator, regulator, battery and wiring) there won't even be any dimming of the headlights at idle.
Sorry I do beg to differ with you on this. After 50+ years and a fair number of 6 volt cars some indeed do NOT charge at idle. It has to do with load ,idle speed and generator rpm at idle. Some will charge at idle with only iginion load and some won't . My 54 Chevy most def did not charge at idle and everything was working correctly.
I hear ya John, but I've run about 1/2 dozen basically stock early cars as daily drivers over the years...'51 Chevy, '51 Buick, '46 Buick, '47 Hudson, '46 Ford, etc...all with 6 volt systems. I have a good generator/alternator/starter guy, and he got all of my cars to charge at idle with the headlights on. He told me that no 6 volt system that's up to snuff, should ever have headlights that dim, even at idle...and he proved it with my cars. A good battery, good wiring, good rebuilt generator and a new regulator that he'd adjust for me, installed on the car with the engine running. Did the trick every time.
I will say that they won't charge much at idle, even in tip-top shape. But my guess is the OP has some other electrical issues if you're draining a brand new battery that quickly with just interior lights. Dead short somewhere in the system?
Thats what I was thinking but since my battery charger is foreign made junk I haven't been able to find it. I have a Schumacher 6/12v battery charger the biggest piece of crap I have ever seen. I have even went back to NAPA and had the battery tested and it was low just needed to be charged.
How long does it normally take to charge a 6v battery at 10amps? I'm borrowing my uncles old school battery charger that is alot better made and that is way older than I am.
Well I'm on my third battery from NAPA and it will barely spin the engine over. I called the closet Tractor Supply and they had no clue what I was talking about I guess they have never heard of a group 2E battery. I guess Advance and Oriellys is the next place to go.
Well 6V don't spin like 12V ,but what do you have for battey cables? Regular parts house stuff ain't heavy enough. Stock was 2 gauge and O or OO is much better. All connections clean and tight? What condition is the starter in? Bushings and brushes good ? Some of those replacement 2Es do not have a enough amp capacity to do the job, you might need to adapt a Optima or regular 6 volter. Don't try to use a VW battery as they don't have the needed amps.
I cranked it Monday no problem and yes 6v systems do crank slow. It makes two revolutions then stops and clicks. It has heavy gauge battery cables. The starter is in good condition when I went to look at the car I made sure it would start and stop. I was able to decode the build date on the sticker the code is C2 which is means it was built in March 2012.
Sounds to me the battery just flat don't have enough amp capacity ,new or not. You have access to another 6V battery? If hook it up parrell with a GOOd set of jumpers to get you more amp capacity and see how it does. If that works you get to buy a real battery with lots of amps and make it fit.40 years ago when I was selling car parts the choice was limited in 2 E availabilty. Not a big fan of Optima's but their 6 V is nice and narrow so should it pretty easy.
The system has to be in good shape for 6V to work (not much margin for error). Are the cables the right size, not all corroded, ends clean and tight? Starter in good condition? I would start with cleaning connections and move on to replacing old cable and having the starter checked by an auto electric shop. If everything is right the car will start easy and the system will be reliable, you should not need a new battery in less than 3 to 5 years if you use it regularly. If the car sits around it can get discharged and sulphated and go bad in a year or less.
Just bought one 6v yesterday from Fleet farm.. $46.00 bucks. Turns over the flathead no problem.....now if I can only get spark..lol
I guess this is the battery you are talking about? http://www.optimabatteries.com/us/e...atteries-8010-044-6v-redtop-starting-battery/ The NAPA battery has 750 CA and 620 CCA The Optima has 800 CCA and 1000 CA I have already cleaned and checked all the connections.
The Jalopy Journal
