Just bought her today. Ran her pretty hard for an hour on the way home and she ran cool and strong. Quick question, it wasn't driven too much so we had to charge the battery for a little bit to get it to start. I took the battery to get it tested and it was at 93%. Do these drain if it sits for a little bit? What else might cause the lag on starting? Thanks, George Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
how old is the battery? is it charging properly? i have found that if a battery is 4 years old or older, and has needed a charge more than once, they don't hold a charge well and will fail. check that first, then check if it is charging, then check all the battery/starter connections for corrosion and tightness.
it was driven too much so we had to charge the battery for a little bit to get it to start. This makes no sense. The more you drive it the more it should charge. You need a new battery or you have something draining the old one. First try another battery if you can. Nice looking GF.
Take the battery to a shop or parts house that can check the battery for cold cranking amp,,,I recently had a battery that we charged to full capacity and was dead in three days. It would take a charge but had zero cold cranking amps with a full charge. HRP
Any local parts store - I use Autozone for batteries as their Duralast brand came top in Consumer Reports magazine test for conventional batteries and they have test stations set up but make sure you fully charge the battery before you take it in to them....
That's who I took it too and they said it was at 93% and a good battery. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
The lead plates in the battery will sulphate up in time and then they loose the ability to do their job - its already started in your battery with it being at 93%. There are some good products that will stop/slow this down however I do not know their names in the USA. A lack of use or leaving them flat will escalate the downward drop in performance. You may still have a good battery for some time to come and only time will tell how good. Its worth persevering with it.
To a 12v? What are the pros of doing the change over? I thought I would just leave it. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
nice looking 53, i love the dashes in those. id try replacing the battery, my friends buick had the same problem, bought a new battery and fixed the problem, but ended up switching to 12v right after so it was kinda a waste
cause 6 volt is crap, 12 volt is easy to change too and is way better, its just stronger and more reliable, i converted my 56 ford and never looked back , if your a miser you can put the battery on a desulphation charger and it will buy ya a bit more time, (thats just a long slow charge that breaks any corrostion off the battery plates so that they can pass electrons more effectively) neat car have fun.
Nice ride. Check the battery out and replace it if needed. 6 volts systems are just fine. Make sure all the connections + and - are clean and tight. For brighter headlights use H6006. H6006 is a 6 volt halogen. I used a 6 to 12 volt to run a 12 volt stereo. This 53 has run to FL from NH and back twice. 6 volts no problem.
Awesome, thanks!! What is like the estimated cost for the change? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
yeah what this guy seez. i find about 80% of electrical issues are caused by bad connection because of a dodgy terminal sometimes a broken wire and least of all faulty hardware.
So even thought it tested good I should swap it? I see if it has any trouble starting tomorrow and go from there. Those 6v's are like $100 so I think it would be better to just change everything over for that cost. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I don't want to be that guy that does nothing to help the OP BUT... What's up with the blue liquid in your driveway?
if everything is working ok id probly hesatate to change it like 41fordpickup seez, he runs 6 just fine, i changed to 12volt cause i was doing an engine swap and rewire (thanks to rats) at the time and the newer engine came with a brand new 12volt alternator allready mounted. so it was easy to convert, new battery should see ya right. but its up to you at the end of the day, i always had no end of trouble with 6volt DC systems on motorcycles but it seems to work ok in cars. Ive also found that if you leave the leads attached to the genny you can use them to swing it over your head to throw it futher away!!
Cool, id rather spend the money for blocks and Aerostar springs and get her to lay down a little bit. I'll fill you guys in within the next couple days. I appreciate the wisdom. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
More often the sulfates in batteries sluff off and build up in the bottom of the battery case. Eventually they can begin to short out cells, so a battery will take a charge, but wont hold it with this buildup discharging between cells. It also makes the battery less efficient during starting, and the only cure is to replace it. Some battery testers wont show battery condition well, while other electronic types will show these buildups when testing, even if recently charged. I have a Tiff-2500 battery tester, which I think is the finest battery tester ever built. Unfortunately they stopped making them, and have never come out with an updated version for whatever reason.
So this morning she started right up!! I did find another slight issue, I think. The car kept stalling when trying to take off in first this morning. I had to step on the gas pedal all the way to keep it from stalling when letting out the clutch. Once the motor warmed up I didn't really need to push the gas pedal in all the way but still lagged it felt like. Any idea what may cause that? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
could be just cold and be a choke issue, or the carb could need quick clean, have a look at how your choke works.
The Jalopy Journal
