Guest roadmistress Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 (edited) Hi. I am a new owner of a 48 roadmaster and am putting a new battery in after many botched attempts with non workin 6 volts, delivery of 12 volt instead of 6 volt etc.Now my mechanic is asking me if the original system required a negative ground 6 volt or a positive ground 6 volt. I have been assuming it was a positive ground, but he is wondering if perhaps it is actually a negative ground as some cars did have that back in 48. Please help!! Thanks Edited August 18, 2010 by roadmistress (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest roadmistress Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 i found a manual and downloaded it. It seems that it is a negative ground system. I'm going with that unless I hear otherwise! :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph P. Indusi Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 1948 Buick is definitely negative ground 6 volts. Uses Battery type 2E, long thin with a post at either end.Joe, BCA 33493 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lockhouse Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 I've switched both our cars to the Optima Spiral Cell Red Top batteries. They don't look authentic but they turn our cars over every time with none of that slow initial wind-up that's typical of the Straight 8's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 roadmistress, welcome. Do you have pictures of your Roadmaster? May I be the first to invite you to join the Buick Club of America? Buick Club of America - BCA - Welcome . Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d2_willys Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 Dunno about the newer Optimas, but if they are as good as the one's from 10 years ago, then by all means use one. I know one thing they last and do give good cranking power, even on stubborn engines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest roadmistress Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 roadmistress, welcome. Do you have pictures of your Roadmaster? May I be the first to invite you to join the Buick Club of America? Buick Club of America - BCA - Welcome . BenHI Ben,Thanks for the warm welcome and all the good advice. Yup, we figured out that the last mechanic had provided us with a 12 volt instead of a 6 volt and then my dad it in backwards. I then drove it and it did some damage. Luckily we have her in good hands now, with a guy who realized right off the bat that it was a 12 volt and that he was pretty sure it was a negative ground car. Here is a photo,( not a very good one ) of the Roadmaster, with a friend and my dad putting the battery in backwards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
49cadde Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 I just purchased a new 6v Optima from amazon.com for $121 shipped. I was quoted $100 from the Interstate battery distributer and $198 at auto zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malo48 Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 My '48 has two Optima Red Tops connected in parallel - they fit very nicely on the tray and the original hold-down keeps them in place! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 IF the prior battery installation was "backwards" . . . AND the car still has a generator (not an alternator or a generator case with alternator guts) . . . THEN the generator will need to be re-polarized for the appropriate negative ground situation.Having the generator polarized, by installation of the battery for + ground rather than - ground, will cause ignition coil output to be decreased, which can cause some spark plug fouling situations, which can mean deteriorated engine performance. The decreased spark plug firing voltage can give similar symptoms as a flooded carburetor, or a carburetor that is running very rich (mixture-wise).Welcome and enjoy!Please keep us posted.NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrspeedyt Posted September 3, 2010 Share Posted September 3, 2010 is this saying that properly observing polarity and voltage (after wrong voltage and polarity) and then polarizing the gen/regulator may fix the problem with no other damage?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now