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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Battery boil today

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Discussion Topic: Battery boil today

02-15-2011 @ 5:49 PM

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Posts: 1261
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"never mind" - I found out that it was my own stupidity! - I over-filled the battery the day before the trip. When filling the battery I did not allow for expansion of the fluid- I filled it to the bottom of the fill holes. Rule of thumb is to fill the battery just 1/8" above the plates. Anyway, the battery checked out OK with a hydrometer test. The cutout is functioning as it should and the 3rd brush is adjusted to spec's. Nothing irritates me more than my own stupdity. I hate me!!!

37RAGTOPMAN

02-14-2011 @ 5:46 PM

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with a trickle charger on it for 3 months the battery should have fully charged when you left the garage and 15 amps is too much with a fully charged battery,
I suspect the battery is cooked,
I would check the water in and take a voltage test on it, and see if it fully charged, it should be just over 7 volts if fully charged,
the optima battery will not fix your problem,
if you overchage one of them you will be throwing money away, a regular good 6 volt battery is all you need,
.you have to set the correct charging rate for the way you drive the car,
if only drive during the day, 3-4 amps should keep it charged,if drive a lot at night set the charging rate with the lights on so the amp meter just shows a slight
charge,3-5 amps
a 37 FORD Owners manual will expain how to do it,
I would also check the generator to make sure it is not cooked, a field that might have grounded, will overcharge the system , this happened on my 37,
let hear how you made out,
37RAGTOPMAN, and KEEP on FORDIN,,,,!!!!!

This message was edited by 37RAGTOPMAN on 2-14-11 @ 5:51 PM

drkbp

02-14-2011 @ 11:05 AM

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The third brush will increase output if you rotate it "with" the direction of the generator and decrease the output if you rotate it "against" the turn of the generator. I keep mine about 4-5 amps on the gage on the dash. I also turn the lights on if I think it has had enough and I don't want to stop and set it lower. I move the brush and then start the car and check my dash gage at a fast idle.

Cutout doesn't regulate. It opens the voltage going to the generator when the engine is stoped. It probably won't fry the generator but is not good for it for sure and it will drain your battery. Not very troublesome to me as the one on my '35 I put on over 30 years ago. They either work or they don't and I would not try to "fix" one. I had one on a Model A I had to tap. Time to go get another one.

Don't disconnect the battery while running as the battery acts as the "regulator." The generator will then try to fry the lights, etc. as I have been told.

I was driving a '25 T last night and the car was showing negative amps with the lights on. That's OK because I drove that car about fifty miles Saturday with no lights on. With a cutout system the driver is part of the charging system.

Hope this helps,

Ken

Stroker

02-13-2011 @ 5:43 PM

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I'm sure there will be some good advice regarding 3-brush generators forthcoming. In the meantime,
I would suggest that you have the battery checked for a shorted cell. Most of the batteries I've
had that decided to boil-over have been long-term on trickle chargers and have developed an internal short as a result of sulfation, resulting in shorted plates at the bottom of the battery.

Your suggested choice of an Optima would indicate that you don't want to restore your firewall
battery box a second time. I have a 38, and I'm planning on installing a Optima when I get it roadworthy. I've spent a lot of time restoring my battery box, (which is now pristine), so I'm not going to risk it again. As for the lack of a "low-type" version, which both our cars are designed for, I welded extensions on my hold-down bolts years ago to accept a "High-Type" battery.

Perhaps someday, the good Optima folk will build a shorter version that we can hid in the shorter script cases to make the judges and the general spectating public happier.

02-13-2011 @ 2:51 PM

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The battery boiled in my '37 today. I will trouble shoot it tomorrow after the baking soda solution dries. I suspect the cutout points are stuck closed or maybe the 3rd brush is adjusted incorrectly. The cars been sitting for the past three months with a trickle charger on it. It started right up. I did note that the ammeter show a strong charge (15 amps) for the duration of this 60 mile highway trip today. Could the problem be both the cutout and the third brush adjustment? What is the procedure for adjusting the 3rd brush. I wish I coud find a Group 2L Optima. Any tips on trouble shooting this will be appreciated.

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