Hey Fellas quick questions, hope somone can steer me in the right direction. So here goes!! I have a 1948 Chevy Fleetmaster I bought about a month ago, the guy I purchased it from said it had a new battery in it from o'reillys auto parts. I noticed it's a 8V battery but I was under the impression these cars use 6V batteries? Will I have any problems running that battery? I could use some recommendations/experience etc.. Will it cause any problems long term? Thanks!!
You'll see less service from your bulbs but otherwise nothing much. 8V batteries are tractor stuff used as a patch for a badly grounded and failing electric system.
That used to be a fix for ailing 6 volt systems or cars that started a little hard. The voltage regulator usually needed tweaked up a little too.
It's going to create more problems for you than it will solve. A good 6V battery, properly adjusted regulator, good 6V cables (they are much heavier than those used on 12V vehicles) good grounds, etc. and that little stovebolt will be happy.
OK thank you so much for the info! Now i need to hunt down a 6v battery. I called the parts store to find out how much they are going for and they quoted me 195.00
Can you give the part number- hard to believe they would sell an 8v battery..maybe a misprint. Call the pats store again and ask for a group 1 battery.
Nothing wrong with using an 8 volt battery. If the regulator has been adjusted to keep it charged your car will start easier and will have brighter lights... plus you'll have a stronger spark and the engine will run better. And the gauges will not be hurt, either. An 8 volt is a good deal... I have used many of them.
I agree. ^^ Sometimes it was a cur for bad grounds but other times it just had to do with better cranking, especially in a colder climate. The question becomes is it running now? if it is then there is an old adage if it aint broke don't fix it.
I humbly disagree. 6V system is designed for 6V supply. Others are right that too much voltage will tax lights, etc. because of the increased voltage over design voltage. While you have had good luck with it, I would say that most people would have issues with it. Some to consider. Running a 8V battery with a 6V charging system will always leave the battery in a state of discharge, reducing battery life. Bumping up your charging system to 8V on a 6V system will reduce the life of your electrical devices (lights, clock, anything electrical) that were designed to operate on 6V. a 30% increase in power on things not designed for it will result in reduced life of the thing. If you are using an 8V battery to compensate for bad wiring, etc... you are doing it wrong. Fix the wiring and run 6V as intended or upgrade to 12V and make the necessary changes to accomodate it. 12V will allow for better starts and running a resistor for the ignition and a handful of runtz and bulb changes would go a long way to a happy relationship with your otto motion machine. FYI, 6V systems worked great for a good long time. If you're as attentive to your machines as I am, 6V will do just fine.
Actually 8V was also used to compensate for added compression as well as extreme cold. I picked up a 6V GM here that had been convertded the first winter that the original owner bought it, it was doing just fine in thre mid '70s. The gauges still worked as did the original AM radio, etc. Yes they say that with an electric motor or heating element it is +/-10% but it didn't really seem to hurt the old chevrolets much. Been there done that and left it behind me.
Great info!! Yes the car is currently running but like you mentioned the battery seems to be constantly discharged. This is the reason why I started to wonder about the battery Voltage/Faulty Wiring combination. I've owned the car for a few weeks so I'm still finding Easter Eggs and Gremlins here and there! lol
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