John boy

Good shout. I'm adding some dielectric grease to my shopping list.

Loving the replies. From the genuine, the doubters, the knockers, the helpful, the "told you so". Ahh, the rich tapestry of life. I'm going to run a book on whether: a) the battery ever starts the car b) I earn myself a Darwin award in doing so Anyway, not had much time today to get back to it, too much work to do 😞 However, the battery is on it's slow charge, and now registers 1 amp, which I think is about twice as much as yesterday. Maybe this is progress. For what its worth, I'm with the doubters...I'll probably be buying a new battery in a couple of days.

Hi Terry, thanks for that. Last run 8 years ago. Started OK then! I've been advised to change the brake fluid, oil, fuel and fuel filter. About which I will probably have questions. I tried to get a new low pressure fuel filter today at my local autoparts store, but they didn't have any. Advised me to go online from summit racing? Anyway, I thought I'd start by getting some air in the tyres and the battery charged. Any further thoughts are welcome, or perhaps wait for my questions!

Hi. Battery gate continues. It's topped up with distilled water, to the bottom of the vents. It was about 5mm to 10mm down. I've popped it on charge, I cannot really see if there is charging current or not. Certainly, the needle flicked a small amount when I switched the charger on. But, on the scale, it's less than half an amp (if there is a current at all). Is this normal, for the 2 amp charge? Rocketrader: It's a 1956 Jag. battery at floor level on a compartment behind the right hand side front wheel. You can reach into the compartment to undo the nuts with a spanner, but that's about your limit!

Appreciate all the advice. Can't do this in position. Clearly a battery out job and off to get some distilled water (or is that optional?) and I'll get it on charge overnight and see what happens. Thanks

Hi Jack. It's 1956. Yes, 12v definitely. I've had the jack out a few times and don't wish to do it unnecessarily 🙂 No disappointment here, just excitement and keen to learn a bit. I've already got a few jobs lined up on it, I'm uncomfortable with all of them as I'm not that experienced. This is just the first one. Thanks

Joe. Thanks for the advice. I wasn't sure there were vents, and I was under the impression that it was a sealed unit. Perhaps it's that rectangular area of raised plastic underneath the carrying strap? Do they just lever off with a screwdriver? Is the "right level" of water simply topping the battery up to the top? I presume I need to use distilled water to top batteries up? Sorry for the newbie questions.... Thanks

Hi. I'm new to this game - apologies in advance for some quite basic questions. I have a battery - Die Hard 33334 as below and Sears charger. The battery is probably 10 years old. It will not have seen much use, but it has sat there for at least 8 years. Removing the battery from the vehicle is a pain (you have to remove a wheel to access the battery compartment!) My questions 1) I am hoping I can charge the battery without taking the battery out (the car is 70 years old, so no fancy electronics to damage). Can I just pop the charging leads on without disconnecting the terminals from the car? 2) My battery charger has a 2A and 10A setting. Presumably the 10A is much faster - why wouldn't I use the 10A setting? What is the lower 2A setting for? 3) If a car is going to be left for a while before it's used again - whats the best way to preserve the battery? 4) I know batteries can explode etc. How is this avoided? Thanks John