is this possible ? my engine is a 287 pontiac v-8, original distributor with points, and an a/c delco generator. last summer, the engine always turned over slow, but the generator was charging fine. (i have since had the starter and generator re-built). the engine seemed to have a slight miss @ 2000 rps while driving. i went to start my car a few weeks ago, and it turned over really slow, like the battery was dead. i put the battery on the charger for a few hours, but it would not take a charge. i brought the battery to work and tested it. the results were 10.25 volts, 1 bad cell. (i tested it after i charged if again for about 1/2 hour). i replaced the battery and now the engine miss @2000 rpms is gone. the engine turns over faster than it ever has now. is it possible that my battery has been bad longer than i thought ? could i have bought the battery with a dead cell ? could the low voltage have been causing the engine miss ? i fought this miss all summer last year, and i pretty much replaced the entire igntion system except for the dist. itself. the battery that was in the car, has been in it for 2 years, and it was an a/c delco battery. yes, i took the battery out for winter storage since my garage isn't heated. but i never put a charger on it during winter months since it was inside the house. i've done it like this for years with no problems until now. what would make a 2 year old battery get a dead cell ?? they did pro-rate my old battery when i took it back, so i got the new one a little cheaper....but i still had to lay out more bread for another battery. another thing is that i know that you never really know how long a battery sits on a shelf before you buy it. i did check the new battery that i got, and the date on it is 3-15-08. i don't know if that's a shipped date, or the mfg. date. i have no idea what the date was on my old battery...i didn't look at it because i didn't know about it until after i got the new one home.
I know one thing, AC Delco batteries are not very good. Had two of them and both didn't last long. Put a two year Autozone battery in and had it for over two years without any problems. I think someone told me that the Delco batteries are just exide batteries in a delco disguise.
The battery doesnt do much more then just get the car started, after that it runs mostly on the generator/alternator. I had a problem with my 55 caddy where the battery kept going dead, turned out the generator brushes were worn and the car would try to run off the battery. I simply replaced the generator brushes and it ran alot better, i replaced the battery too, thats didnt hurt either.
I am a mechanic in the automotive field since 1970, batteries can cause all sorts of driveability problems,as can alternators.
as for a/c delco batteries being exide batteries... you're right. i looked at my new"a/c delco" battery, and "exide" is stamped under the delco sticker. that doesn't really bother me too much because the new battery that i got is 900 cca...the old one was only 650 cca. the new battery cost me $30.00 (on top of the $60.00 i paid for the original one.) heck, a few more bucks, and i just could have bought an optima gel battery. now i have a new battery, new cables, new dist, cap, rotor, condensor, points, plugs, wires rebuilt starter , rebuilt generator and a new voltage regulator. i should be good for another year or 2....lol
Yes a bad battery can cause all sorts of irritating gremlins. If bad long enuff the lack of proper voltage to other items can put the hurts to them as well like wiper motors, heater motors, radios, etc. Just like a starter getting hot from low voltage. Overheated condensors cause arcing in the contact points. The coil can't produce full voltage (it can only multiply what's available). Good grounds on our old friends are among the most important things to have, otherwise ground goes though things you don't want them to. Parts that ground through their mounts should be mounted with star washers where it;s possible. Glad you found your problem.
I vote 100% for Optimas, have a 6V optima for 54 Lincoln, only battery that can crank that thing fast. 10 years old and still strong, No WAWA to put in it either. GREAT!
Your right about 99% of the time, but that 1% will have battery shorting going on and sulfation happening. This will cause the alternators (and possibly generators, but they have current regulators and alternators only depend on the diodes to limit current) to run hot and eventually burn out, both electrically and mechanically. So if this happens to an alternator what do you think will happen to the rest of the electrical system, misses? Would'nt doubt it.
Willys, I dig that 4cv,,usta run all over the place in one of those in the early 60's,,It'd be fun to have another one. Had anybody try to put gas in the radiator ?
I had to take my battery out at a NAPA dealer Friday morning ( in the rain) on the way to the roundup. They checked it out and said that it was a good battery.... it had replaced a bad one two weeks ago that was only 4 months old. I pulled the alternator and got it checked. They said that is was bad. When i put the new alternator on it ran way better....sounded like it was supposed. I wondered why.... need to rewire my truck.
No one has put gas in the radiator. I put the gas in myself. I am looking for another that has bad or no engine/trans.
yeah, i have seriously thought about going to an optima. my dad has had the same optima for about 10 years now. every time he sells a car, he pulls out the optima and throws in a regular battery. this optima has been in his 48 chevy, 40 ford, 34 chevy sedan, and now his 46 ford coupe. it was money well spent in my opinion, and he's never had a problem with that battery.
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