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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / 1946 Ford V8 6 vs 8 volt battery

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Posted By Discussion Topic: 1946 Ford V8 6 vs 8 volt battery     JoanRebholz 07-21-2013 @ 6:38 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 12 Joined: Jul 2013 Another question from my friend, please: Could I have your opinion about replacing the 6 volt battery with an 8 volt. Some say it's easier to start, but I'm concerned that it could harm any of the components or gauges. Thanks to all who responded to the question about the coil and in advance for any help on this. fla48 07-21-2013 @ 8:07 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 128 Joined: Nov 2011 A 6 volt battery is ample. Be sure to use the heavier 6 volt battery cables and not the lighter duty 12 volt cables. Also make sure the grounding lug on the firewall is good and clean and run another short cable from the firewall lug to a bolt on the intake manifold or head bolt. With 6 volts, a good ground is vital and 8 volts will not be that much better if not properly set up. ford38v8 07-21-2013 @ 8:38 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2758 Joined: Oct 2009 In additoion to the good advice from fla48, clean all terminal ends, both positive and negative, and on reinstallation, use dialectric grease to prevent oxidation, which is the cause of electrical resistance in the system. To answer your question about damage to components, yes, an eight volt battery will burn out your light bulbs shortly after you rave abvout how nice and bright they are. If you have a radio, that too will suffer from the increased voltage. The gauges themselves will be ok, but they won't have lights behind them for very long. Alan TomO 07-22-2013 @ 10:42 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7252 Joined: Oct 2009 Alan, di-electric grease is an insulator and should not be used on battery cables. Corrosion inhibiting grease will prevent corrosion without insulating the contact surfaces from each other. Joan, If your starter is turning over slow with a 6 volt battery, there is a problem with the car. An 8 volt battery will hide the problem for a short time, but is not a cure. As fla48 said, you need 6 volt cables between the battery and the starter solenoid, between the starter solenoid and the starter, between the POS post of the battery and ground post on the body and the strap from the body to the engine. They are readily available at most auto parts store or from any of the vendors listed on the home page of this site. If you have a freshly rebuilt engine, there may be too much paint between the starter and the engine. Tom ford38v8 07-22-2013 @ 11:56 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2758 Joined: Oct 2009 Tom, regarding the dielectric grease, it is my understanding that it should not be used on electrical contacts in electronic equipment due to the low pressure applied at the connectors, but not so in high contact pressure connections such as battery cables, as it is readily displaced by that pressure, allowing full contact of the two mating surfaces. Another grease, silicone, is not reccomended for use inside a distributor due to the possibility of diverting the spark, the silicone itself becoming a conductor through chemical conversion to silicone carbide. All that aside, can you reccomend a specific product in a corrosion inhibiting grease? Might as well get it right and go with the best product for the purpose! Alan joe b 07-22-2013 @ 12:35 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 389 Joined: Oct 2010 If you are not too concerned about authenticity try battery post anti corrosion washers. They are a treated felt washer,one red,one green, that slip over the battery terminals before the cable is attached. They are available at NAPA and others for a few dollars. I have used them on my '41 for 16 years and have never had any corrosion problem. Replace them when you replace your battery or if you feel it is time. supereal 07-22-2013 @ 3:18 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Most electrical equipment suppliers sell a special grease for use on connections. As for battery posts, good old Vaseline will inhibit corrosion. Eight volt batteries are kind of like putting a Band Aid on a broken bone. It is a lazy way of addressing poor electrical systems. This message was edited by supereal on 7-22-13 @ 3:21 PM 42guy 07-22-2013 @ 4:53 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 108 Joined: Oct 2009 I have also used the felt washers and no corrosion in 10years. I never had a problem using 6 volts, just make sure you have good grounds as every one states. TomO 07-23-2013 @ 8:14 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7252 Joined: Oct 2009 Alan, I have used Vaseline for many years to keep the battery corrosion in check. There are many brands of corrosion inhibiting grease, Eastwood sells one called CopperSheild. The washers are a better choice as they create less of a mess. The dielectric greases do create some resistance in the connections and with 6 volts, any resistance can cause a significant drop in the voltage available to the starter and lights. My preference is to clean the cables and posts, and use the washers under the cable. If you do not want the washers showing, as on a Concourse Car, apply a film of grease around the bottom of the post and clean the area of the post where the cable makes a connection. This will seal the fume leaks around the post and give you a good connection. With an Optima battery you do not have to do any thing except clean the post and cables. Tom

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