Battery? |
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WorkInProgress
Member Joined: 13 Nov. 2013 Location: Kennewick, WA Status: Offline Points: 829 |
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Posted: 29 Oct. 2017 at 3:08am |
I have a 1948 CJ2A with a 6 V charging system with original generator and I am having an issue that I cannot seem to figure out normally my Jeep cranks great right now is cranking slowly so thinking the battery might be low I put it on the charger and the charger seems to cycle on and off repetitively every couple seconds maxes out the apps and then drops to 0 and repeats over and over every few seconds at 1st I thought my old charger that's really old might have an issue so I bought a new charger and it's a new Schumacher brand was over a $100 it's doing the same thing so I started thinking maybe who is the battery like it had a bad cell or something so I went today and bought a new battery at Napa that was made 3 months ago and the new charger is doing the same thing on the new battery I'm not sure what is going on here the battery is connected correctly these switch is set to 6 bolts it seems to charge fine when I said to manual charge but any time I put it on automatic it switches on and off over and over is this just I can't use an automatic setting on a 6 V battery or is something else going on has anyone had this issue
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1948 CJ2A 1959 CJ5 1952 M100 TRAILER |
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minnow1193
Member Joined: 11 June 2014 Location: Tampa FL Status: Offline Points: 209 |
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Most modern chargers that I've seen don't have an auto setting for 6v. At least mine doesn't and when I was shopping for a charger, I couldn't find one that did.
It should mention that on your charger or in the instructions. |
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WorkInProgress
Member Joined: 13 Nov. 2013 Location: Kennewick, WA Status: Offline Points: 829 |
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the instructions don't say anything about not being able to use auto setting on 6v. Charger only has 2 switches. 1 switch is 6v or 12v. The other switch is manual/automatic conventional/auto deep cycle
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My toys
1948 CJ2A 1959 CJ5 1952 M100 TRAILER |
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Rus Curtis
Member Joined: 25 Mar. 2010 Location: Alabama Status: Offline Points: 1733 |
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WIP,
Have you verified your battery is
discharged?? When you hook 2 different chargers to your battery and then hook
a new battery to the charger and get the same results, not knowing what is going
on, I make the assumption that you're fully charged and the chargers are
cycling in a "maintenance" or trickle charge. Since your charger has a 6V setting, we can
rule out incompatibility. You should have a volt meter and a hydrometer (allows you to check fluid in each cell)! I've often observed bubbling in one cell only
(or all bubble and one doesn't) when charging to identify a bad cell. This isn't fool proof and can be dangerous as
all acid batteries produce Hydrogen and can explode and spray acid all over the
place (I've had 2 batteries explode on me -both times it was a short inside the
case). It's painful and unhealthy. So, using a hydrometer to check the specific
gravity is much, much safer. Google for info
including a stock number for one at your local auto parts store. The voltmeter will tell you if you have a
discharged battery. Remember that a
fully charged battery will read higher than its rated voltage, i.e. 6.3-6.5 for
a 6V battery. If your battery is fully charged, the
chargers are very possibly functioning correctly. If your battery is low, i.e. below 6.25, then
one of two things is happening: Both chargers
are simultaneously not working or your battery and the new battery won't take a charge. Since you've used 2 different chargers, I'd
assume they work. Since you've hooked up
a new battery, I can also assume (at least for the new battery) that the
batteries are probably ok. Testing the
battery will confirm or rule out bad. And now, just in case.... The most overlooked problem (IMHO) I've seen are the cables. When's the last time you inspected and cleaned? Have your cable ends ever been replaced? It's easier to inspect those as you can actually see the wire. You're looking for a white powdery build up that literally acts as an insulator. I use a wire bristle post cleaner but you can use a knife or even a screw driver - anything to scrape off the contact surfaces of both the posts and terminals. If there is swelling or visible powder under the insulation on the wires, you may need to replace them. Remember that 6V needs a larger gauge than 12V wires (1/0 IIRC). You can sometimes repair cable ends by dunking in a saturated solution of water/baking soda and let it fizz. If it's under the insulation, you'll have to slit it open far enough to see clean wire and neutralize all the corrosion. I always try to disassemble when cleaning like this - lets the solution get into all the nooks/crannies. If it goes deep, you may be looking at all the cables from battery down to your starter (that's at the extreme end). A word of caution. I've seen batteries destroyed by sprinkling
baking soda on top to control the acid buildup.
Likewise, pouring the baking soda solution over a battery will do the
same. If there's a buildup on the
battery case, I dip, squeeze (a paper towel) and then carefully wipe the battery down. This is way too much information but hopefully it helps. |
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Rus Curtis
Alabama 1954 CJ3B Bantam T3-C |
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WorkInProgress
Member Joined: 13 Nov. 2013 Location: Kennewick, WA Status: Offline Points: 829 |
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The cables replace 2 years ago when I did a full frame off restoration on this Jeep using USA made cables for walks 4 wheel drive and they are a very heavy thick gauge made just like the originals I have cleaned the terminals on the battery and cable terminal at the top at the battery I guess my next step is to measure voltage at the battery and it probly won't hurt to clean the ground at the starter and other ground places
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My toys
1948 CJ2A 1959 CJ5 1952 M100 TRAILER |
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WorkInProgress
Member Joined: 13 Nov. 2013 Location: Kennewick, WA Status: Offline Points: 829 |
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The old battery is 6.3 V the new battery is 6.4 V
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My toys
1948 CJ2A 1959 CJ5 1952 M100 TRAILER |
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WorkInProgress
Member Joined: 13 Nov. 2013 Location: Kennewick, WA Status: Offline Points: 829 |
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The old battery at 6.3 V has not been charged in a couple weeks and it still sounds weak when cranking so maybe I just have dirty connections somewhere
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My toys
1948 CJ2A 1959 CJ5 1952 M100 TRAILER |
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WorkInProgress
Member Joined: 13 Nov. 2013 Location: Kennewick, WA Status: Offline Points: 829 |
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So I just went out and I check the connections I started with the battery connections clean the posts in the cables at the top no change then I moved down to the starter removed and clean their positive cable next to the starter and then tried again and it cranks much better so my cranking issues must have just been dirty connections my battery must have been fine so apparently I just bought a new battery for no reason I will try and return it i never even connected it to the jeep but I don't know if you can even return a battery at Napa.
And for my original question about the charger cycling on and off and on and off over and over again I'm thinking I just can't use the automatic setting on 6 volt but the instructions didn't say anything about that 1 way or the other But the chargers must be fine
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My toys
1948 CJ2A 1959 CJ5 1952 M100 TRAILER |
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Rus Curtis
Member Joined: 25 Mar. 2010 Location: Alabama Status: Offline Points: 1733 |
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Excellent job chasing down your connections! What you did is what I would've done - go down the line checking each connection. Be sure to check the negative where it attaches and the engine ground strap if you have one for the same thing.
Good luck on returning the battery. Hopefully they'll take it back (or give you store credit). A starter can also wear out and begin pulling more amps than it's supposed to (sometimes referred to as dragging) and may feel like a bad battery. I've always taken my starter/generator into a reputable electrical store to have them checked and repaired. Nowadays you can pretty much find anything on the 'net. Using Make/Model you may be able to either find a manual or at least a description of what the chargers are doing during a charging cycle. Worse case maybe contact the manufacturer. Hopefully, you'll find you have a trickle or maintenance stage.
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Rus Curtis
Alabama 1954 CJ3B Bantam T3-C |
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Gil
Member Joined: 29 July 2016 Location: N.B.Canada. Status: Offline Points: 975 |
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Scott I have bought the same cables from Walks and mines were loose at the connector,I had to resolder the ends to have a good connection .You can check your ends to see if they are tight .
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1946 cj2a 59108
1998 Jeep Cherokee 2 doors 2016 Jeep Cherokee TrailHawk |
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