rivolution Posted April 29, 2022 Share Posted April 29, 2022 Hey friends, The battery in my '64 has been temperamental. With engine off and light use of accessories, it doesn't take long before the battery will barely turn the motor. It's a good quality NAPA battery, about 4+ years old. I've tried to take care of it, connecting my Battery Tender whenever I don't plan to drive it and doing my best to avoid deep discharge/recharge cycles, but it's had a few occasions of significant drainage that required a jump. As a load test, I charged it full, turned on the headlights for 10 minutes, then cranked it. It gave one weak turn and then wouldn't crank anymore. This seems like far less reserve capacity than it should have, so I took it to NAPA and they hooked it up to their tester. It tested fine in all ways (volts, CCA, load) What's your take? Is this all normal, and the 425 just has heavy cranking requirements that are easy for a battery to fall below? Or is this abnormal, and NAPA's testing device is just not able to detect the bad cell or whatever is causing the low reserve? Side note: I measured the current draw of different accessories, lights, stereo, etc. Simply turning the key to the ACC position draws about 3 amps, which is the same as when all interior lights are on from opening the door. I still can't figure out where this current is going. The only thing I can see that's using electricity is the AMP lamp in the dash... maybe the gas gauge? I can't figure it out. thanks for any advice, -Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 Check your battery cables' resistance and make sure all attaching points are CLEAN. Wire brush all terminals and use battery cleaner or baking soda paste on them, then wire brush again. In all honesty any battery produced in last 15 years isn't far from end of life at 4 years old. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 Test for a bad diode (or two) in the alternator. Test the voltage regulator Take the starter and solenoid out and have them tested. If the solenoid has poor contact connections, there will be a lot of voltage drop. If the brushes are worn, making a poor connection, there will be a high current draw. "Key on" will draw current through the coil. See if anything else is drawing by pulling fuses and see if the current draw goes away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 What @rocketraidersaid isn’t far off. I just replaced a 4+ year old Interstate that was a 48 month old battery. 😕 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jframe Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 As Tom Mooney has told me a couple times about electrical issues I had: clean, tight, and bright. You could also check for parasitic draw by hooking a test light between the negative battery post and a disconnected negative cable. Start pulling fuses, and if the light goes out when you pull one, there's your circuit. Did mine that way, and there was no fuse circuit issue, so I unplugged the voltage regulatir, and the light went out. Got an internally regulated alternator, a harness to adapt it, and bypassed the regulator plug. No more issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965rivgs Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 Put a battery in it. Tom Mooney 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 On 4/29/2022 at 7:53 PM, rivolution said: As a load test, I charged it full, turned on the headlights for 10 minutes, then cranked it. What did the headlights do when you cranked it? If they went dim, buy a new battery. If they remained bright, check cables and connections, then the starter. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOldMan Posted May 2, 2022 Share Posted May 2, 2022 Had same issue when I first purchased my '63. Problem like Jim said, Bad diode in alternator. I would do and check all the above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafoam65 Posted May 2, 2022 Share Posted May 2, 2022 You have a BAD battery! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliRivin Posted May 2, 2022 Share Posted May 2, 2022 Hey, I slang batteries for Interstate and I always recommend the easy fix first... Start with the battery. Sounds like surface charge is there but it's failing internally/specific gravity and such. And I know these guys all rock the 27F...but I like a group 65, either lead acid or AGM... or a 34 in an Optima. Reason being is they're squaty instead of tall, and you pull 850 CCA/1000+CA. Posts will still have the positive away from the body metal. And weight is all the same within 5 to 7 lbs. AGM, like a deep cycle(same tech) may be less CCA to start, but is meant to hold its true CCA longer. As with lead, you usually find that the CCA over time diminish. AGM/Gel should not really. But I do like that lead acid you can beat up a lil and get them back and their charge spicy. If ya look in the chassis manual, it's got a really good section on lead acid battery care/maintenance. Check it out. Good luck and I hope your troubles end with the battery. P.S. could buy a blem/used battery from a local Interstate for 45$ and up to check first if need be ever. Just an option. Jeremy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted May 2, 2022 Share Posted May 2, 2022 1 hour ago, CaliRivin said: P.S. could buy a blem/used battery from a local Interstate for 45$ and up to check first if need be ever. Just an option. You still can. 25 years ago the blems were $30 exchange. I try to have one Group 27 on hand and call to see if they have any in stock. Actually I have two spares now. Last year my '60 Electra failed to start in the garage. I replaced the positive cable because it didn't look to good but it was the battery. It took me longer to dig the spare battery out from the other end of the garage than it did to drive to the other end of town, purchase the cable, and install it. Gotta do something about that. One other thing to consider is the amazing expectations some have for connectivity of the terminals. When I buy a top post battery at least one of the lugs is clamped down tight and the nut buried in the lead. All white and fuzzy, the bolts are frequently rotted half way through. I usually take the bolts out and spread the lug. I have a 10" flat file I use to open the clearance. Then replace the bolt with a new one. I clean up the hammer marks from the last guy tightening it. I haven't seen nails tightening them recently, used to be a standard. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted May 2, 2022 Share Posted May 2, 2022 3 hours ago, 60FlatTop said: One other thing to consider is the amazing expectations some have for connectivity of the terminals. I like replacing side terminal batteries where the previous installation was handled by someone who only owned a pipe wrench or pair of water pump pliers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted May 3, 2022 Share Posted May 3, 2022 If you see an old car guy who hasn't succumb to his smoking habit he will probably be using his trusty battered Zippo. Those new tangled plastic BICs just won't take the beating of tightening battery cables. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted May 3, 2022 Share Posted May 3, 2022 18 hours ago, 60FlatTop said: One other thing to consider is the amazing expectations some have for connectivity of the terminals. When I buy a top post battery at least one of the lugs is clamped down tight and the nut buried in the lead. All white and fuzzy, the bolts are frequently rotted half way through. I usually take the bolts out and spread the lug. I have a 10" flat file I use to open the clearance. Then replace the bolt with a new one. I clean up the hammer marks from the last guy tightening it. I haven't seen nails tightening them recently, used to be a standard. Nails? Everyone KNOWS screws work better! Geeezzze. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted May 3, 2022 Share Posted May 3, 2022 Jeff, if you have doubts, remove the battery cables for a few days. Then check the performance of the battery. Ben 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rivolution Posted May 4, 2022 Author Share Posted May 4, 2022 Thanks everyone for all the suggestions. The car always starts fine after lengthy drives, and the amp light never comes on, so I think the charging system is healthy. I followed EmTee's recommendation -- I turned the lights on for 10 minutes and then cranked, and the lights dimmed HEAVILY. So it seems the battery is the weak spot, not the connections to the starter. Thanks EmTee! I'm just surprised that a battery in this condition doesn't flag something on the testing device at NAPA. It can hold voltage and deliver amps, just not for very long. I guess there's no test that exposes that problem. Off to buy a new battery! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965rivgs Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 There are several possible explanations for the lights to dim when the starter is engaged, ie, a shorted starter, a mechanical issue, or any other reason for excessive draw which brings the system voltage down. I've even experienced a locked up alternator do it in a diesel application. But your symptoms are classic bad battery. You are wise to install a new battery before the old battery takes out another charging system component ie, the alternator. a 4 year change interval for the battery is an industry standard. A "load test" is the standard test to check battery health. The battery is loaded based on the CC rating of the battery for a specified period of time while voltage level is observed. If voltage level drops and stabilizes while the load is maintained the battery passes. If voltage level drops and continues to drop the battery is junk. I'm not sure if the hand held testers are capable of properly loading a powerful battery but the shop type, pro testers surely are and would reveal your battery to be defective. Then again, the individual doing the testing needs to be qualified to interpret the results. Maybe both elements were lacking when your battery was load tested. Tom Mooney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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