loading the battery

[ggerdez]

Is there a possibility to load the battery quicker when you are driving

the original dynamo loads 6 volts DC and the modern cars AC.

Our should I install a new dynamo,

and where can I get one

I concerns a 1950 Buick Special

Thanks

[Guest]

i've had a '50 buick for 18 years, and I don't know what you mean by "loading the battery"?

You want to explain?

[jscheib]

While I am not certain, I think he is talking about the charging rate, to perhaps make up more quickly as we normally draw quite some power on starting, and only driving relative short trips, there is not enough time to fully recharge the battery. I would think a battery tender while parked would be better then altering the electric system, but I am just speculating as to the problem in the Netherlands.

John

[ggerdez]

I mean the charging rate of the battery,it takes so much longer to charge

a old timer in compare with a newer car.

So the best thing is to let everything as it is

and buy a battery tender?

[Fred Rawling]

If your generator (dynamo) is not charging the battery, the problem may be the voltage regulator. There are tests that can be run on the voltage regulator described in the owners manuel. If you do not have the manual, send me your e-mail address and I will scan the pages and send them to you.

Another problem may be that the battery is getting old.

As for finding a new generator, I have found that it is better to have the one that I already have rebuilt, rather than search for another used one that may have problems. fredrawling@verizon.net

[Guest]

Ok, now i understand our common laugage.

A battery likes to be charged and discharged, the more activity, the longer it will last.

A 6v will last five years if not allowed to go dead. 6v will slowly die over the last year by not holding a charge, were a 12v will stay at full power and then just die at the end. I don't know why.

You battery gauge on your dash will tell you when your battery is full again.

When you crank to start, and you start running, you will see your amp gauge swing to the right, and charge your battery when you are driving over 25mph. Usually it only takes about 5 miles because your genorator will push out 30 amps to charge it back.

When you are driving and your amp gauge is straight up, then the battery is full and you can park the car.

Over the winter I do not start the car, unless I plan on driving it. I usually push it around the garage. Also, I do put a battery charger on with a 2amp rate, for a few hours every month when the cars sits.

[ggerdez]

The generator does load the battery,

but it takes more time to load full then loading the battery during driving of a new car

I thought that perhaps there was a different method to load the battery quicker.

[Guest]

A 6v genorator "DC" will burn up your wiring if the regulator goes bad. (Ask me how I know this?)

A 12v Alternator "AC" has more advantages, but really not worth converting over to.

If you need a trunk full of speakers and a mega bass, to boom-boom down the road, then yes, convert over.

But, we always say, "the cars always started and ran when they were new", why go thru the trouble on something you drive on weekends?

We have a 1950's group, linked below, free to join.

[ggerdez]

I do not want to change from 6 to 12 volt

I am convinced that it will work as it should.

(someone over here told me that it was better to convert to 12 v

but I didn't like it to much so I leave the car just the way it is)

and I have joined the buick 1950 group at yahoo

[NTX5467]

The generators might have had straight DC output, but so do the newer alternators. It's the diodes that change the output to DC from AC with the alternator, by blocking one half of the "sine wave" output of the alternating current so that current only flows in one direction rather than "alternate" flow directions.

It's generally better to fully charge the battery with a slow charge, self-regulating battery charger. Driving the vehicle can replicate such a situation, but the cost of fuel could well be more than the extra electricity the battery charager would consume. Be sure to remove and clean the battery teminals and the battery cable ends where they touch the battery terminals. Even if they look "good" from the outside, there could be a thin coating of corrosion that can impede current flow hiding between the cable end and the battery terminal.

Before charging, make sure that the electrolyte level in the battery cells is where it needs to be in EACH cell. Then recheck the level after charging too.

Enjoy!

NTX5467