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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / melted battery terminal - 48 Mercury

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Posted By Discussion Topic: melted battery terminal - 48 Mercury -- page: 1 2     supereal 05-25-2010 @ 10:27 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 This almost always due to a stuck cutout relay in the regulator. When that happens, the battery remains connected to the generator when the engine is off, and quickly runs the battery down trying to "motor" the generator. You were lucky only the regulator was damaged, as this problem can destroy the generator by melting the solder joints on the armature. The regulator points handle a lot of current, and can fuse together when the surface gets pitted on the contacts and forms a high resistance. Finding that kind of problem is why I recommended the bypass trick with a voltmeter to measure current. tbirdhandyman 05-25-2010 @ 10:20 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 51 Joined: Oct 2009 I drove my '41 about 50 miles on a club tour. About 3 hours later when I tried to start the car, the battery was dead. While checking under the hood, I touched the voltage regulator, and it was too hot to hold onto. It did not melt the battery post, but might be something you would want to check for the current draw. A new regulator solved that problem. Tbirdhandyman supereal 05-25-2010 @ 8:39 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Yes, I do understand. I offer these "inside" tips to help those who either have the equipment, or plan to obtain same. Volt-Ohm meters are readily available and cheap, with some analog types now less than $10. I carry one of those in my "road kit". I have no quarrel with using a test light. Sometime ago, here on the Forum, it was posted that a meter fuse was blown trying to measure current. My suggestion was to show how to do it safely. Using a meter to diagnose problems is often necessary, even on our old cars, and the time to learn how is before you have trouble on the road. Modern vehicles require a whole lot more than a VOM. "Old school" is OK, but there are those who want more info. 37RAGTOPMAN 05-24-2010 @ 5:36 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1958 Joined: Oct 2009 hi superreal we were talking about a 48 FORD not a 2005 CADILLAC or something,,with a very COMPLEX ELECTRIC SYSTEM, I would also use a meter on a modern car, I have had drains on VOLVOS.and other cars. Not everybody want to buy a bunch of test eguipment,for just one job, I was just trying to get the man back on the road,and a test light will FIND THE PROBLEM in the old FORD. it might be one wire at a time, but it will find the problem,and you can see if the light goes out from a distance,and he will learn for the next time someone has a similar problem. and not EVERYBODY can use a electric VOLT OHM meter, if you hook it up wrong what will happen ? what would you do on the road with out a meter,? I just explained it the old school way, to get the job done, NELSONFORD. let hear how you made out, KEEP ON TRUCKIN 37RAGTOPMAN This message was edited by 37RAGTOPMAN on 5-25-10 @ 4:49 AM supereal 05-24-2010 @ 8:38 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Using a test light on modern cars isn' always helpful, as the current drain can be small. A few days ago, we had a Cadillac Escalade brought in by a dealer when the battery kept dying. It turned out to be the dimming unit on the far back dome light, which wouldn't light the bulb, but didn't shut down completely. It was on a common fuse with other lights, so we needed to detect a very small current which wouldn't illuminate a test light, either. On the subject of melting cables, it should also be noted that many times the problem is that the cable has developed a high resistance where it is cast into the terminal. It can be poor construction, or the action of acid on the battery top seeping into the joint. Either way, it develops high resistance and heat. 37RAGTOPMAN 05-23-2010 @ 4:14 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1958 Joined: Oct 2009 hi a test light will tell you from a distance to what is going on the more the drain the brighter the light, this is a inexpensive way of the testing,for a drain, I was wondering how come it took 2 hours for the battery to go dead, if it does not have a drain,??? a meter is great if you own one, but if you don't the test light will do the job, if the terminal was loose or dirty the starter should have turned over slow, a heavy starter draw will also heat up the terminals.a 12 volt starter cables. are also not the way to go, make sure you have heavy gauge 6 volt cables, and also be sure to check you have good CLEAN grounds, from the body to the frame and to the engine, this is a must, KEEP ON TRUCKIN 37RAGTOPMAN 42ford 05-23-2010 @ 3:15 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 104 Joined: Oct 2009 You dont need to spend much $$. What you need is a small red cross looking tool. It has 2 spring steel cutters for the bat post and a tapered reamer for the wires. It should be about $10.00 The one I have has a Mac Tool number BR-6 nelsonford 05-23-2010 @ 2:34 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 52 Joined: Nov 2009 That is interesting and it does make sense. I never liked the way terminals fit onto batteries but I never thought about reaming the terminals. I would imagine you could buy a reamer for that purpose. Thanks again. supereal 05-23-2010 @ 11:44 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 You are welcome. Melting a battery terminal takes more amperage than any other wiring can carry. Usually, there will be smoke and burned wiring. A terminal may seem tight, but if it was not reamed, and the battery post polished before installation, it will be damaged. We have seen it too often when a car is towed to our shop. nelsonford 05-23-2010 @ 11:25 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 52 Joined: Nov 2009 SUPEREAL I am pretty sure I did tighten the terminal on the battery and there was some other electrical problems going on. I will give the test light a shot but also try your method. Thanks for your advice.

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