Waldren Posted March 7, 2016 Share Posted March 7, 2016 What do I need to do to use 8 volt battery in my 42 Lincoln Continental? I used them back in the 60's but I forget if I had to change the regulator or anything else. The rebuilt 12 starts but wneh it is hot I have to let it kool off for a short time. Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted March 7, 2016 Share Posted March 7, 2016 Before you resort to changing the voltage of your car, try bigger battery cables, cleaning the grounds, and making sure your ignition system is in top condition. I might also recommend a second ground strap between the engine and the chassis. It started well even when it was hot back in 1942, it should be able to do so today. 8V batteries are a band-aid, not a cure. What's happening is that resistance goes up as temperature goes up, so the hotter it gets under the hood, the harder it is for current to flow to the starter. Add in undersized cables and dirty grounds and you have hard starting when hot. People have seen miraculous improvements just by making sure everything was up to spec. I bet you'll be surprised by what you'll find under your ground contacts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFranklin Posted March 7, 2016 Share Posted March 7, 2016 (edited) I agree with Matt. All my 6 volt cars (8) work great when kept in good clean condition to manufacturers specs.. Many of the older lightbulbs were rated as 6-8 Volt but the new 6volt bulbs are not. Edited March 7, 2016 by JFranklin (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&J Posted March 7, 2016 Share Posted March 7, 2016 I doubt I would choose the 8v battery. The old Ford 8N tractors needed them in zero weather, but they rarely needed lightbulbs. Bulbs will be a problem with an 8v with the regulator adjusted up enough to charge the 8v battery. Your total charging volts would be set to at least 8.5v if you never drive at night. Night driving would be better set at minimum 9v...which destroys bulbs even quicker. Have the starter checked out by a decent rebuilder for field swelling or bushing wear, and then go big cables like said. Even some cheap starter solenoids have very small contacts in them, which allows less amps. This can be checked by feeling the posts on both sides of the solenoid, after straining to restart. If you feel heat, that is sign of poor contacts. Too bad that the car has the firewall mounted battery, because Tractor Supply carries a huge powerful 6v battery, but it's 13+ inches long. Those work great on older cars with battery hidden under floors, if the battery tray can be enlarged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted March 7, 2016 Share Posted March 7, 2016 The Optima type battery has extra oomph over the old lead box. It may solve your problems with no modifications. But, if you insist. The 8 volt battery requires you to adjust the voltage regulator higher, to about 9.5 volts. No other mods necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldren Posted March 8, 2016 Author Share Posted March 8, 2016 Thank you. I'll talk to my mechanic tomorrow and let you know how I go. Thanks. Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlCapone Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 My neighbor has an 8 volt tractor battery in his 30 Chevrolet. He routinely blows out brake and tail lights and headlights. In addition to what Matt says I also run a second ground cable. I have many ( 19 ) 6 volt Cars and the 6 volt battery does just fine. Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stude Light Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 I switched to an 8 volt battery in my 1939 Allis Chalmers tractor a number of years ago to improve cranking performance, especially in the winter. It worked better but was difficult to crank up my generator much above 9 volts. There was also no way to charge the battery with an off the shelf charger. I also was not impressed with the battery life.After reading the advice from the fine folks on this forum, I increased the wire size on my battery cables and went back to 6 volts and am happy I did. It has been about 3 years and the tractor still cranks well, even on a cold winter day. Just sharing my experience.Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friartuck Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 I Too recommend examining the cables. I submit that a good working 6 volt electrical system does not need a 8 volt battery. An important point is that the cable to lug connections are soldered. Just crimping a lug may loose 10-15 percent of the current. On a side note, my experience with Optima batteries has not been grand. They did not have the endurance as a wet cell and we'll leave it at that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlCapone Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 I also had double ought ground cables made up at the welding shop. Made a big difference. Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cahartley Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 As mentioned above finding an 8 volt battery that's any good is impossible.You have far more options with GOOD quality 6 volt batteries.If you buy cheap you get cheap....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danleblanc Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 A lot of times, I read on the Cadillac Lasalle forum about folks having the same troubles you are having. 00 cables as mentioned are a must. Good, clean grounds and connections, an absolute must. Some guys have had fantastic results with the above and even better results combining the above with adding a ground strap from the starter end plate to the starter bolt on the block. I'll see if I can find a copy of the article with pictures and post it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danleblanc Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 Post # 12 in this thread shows the ground strap I previously mentioned. http://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org/index.php?topic=139491.msg325296#msg325296 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 I switched our '30 Packard, '41 Cadillac, and '37 Buick to Triple-Aught (000) cables, soldered connectors, and extra ground straps with clean contacts between Optima Battery, Chassis, and Engine. No more problems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 (edited) I would change/clean/repair anything that is not working except a good 6 Volt Battery. The last 6 Volt Battery I had in my 1915 Buick lasted 7 years and was never once on a charger. Dandy Dave! Edited March 9, 2016 by Dandy Dave (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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