battery connections

B

brianogilchrist

Junior Member
I'm new to Ford Barn and also a recent new owner of a 1930 A Tudor. I am not a skilled mechanic. When I took delivery last week the car seemed to turn over slowly but it did start. At the time when I parked it in the garage I didn't know I probably should have disconnected the battery since it would be sitting for a few days. When I tried to restart (three days later) it wouldn't turn over. I checked the cells with a hydrometer and they are all in the 1275 to 1300 range. At the same time I noticed the ground cable was loose so I tightened it. Finally while looking at the top of the battery I noticed the Positive terminal is connected to the starter and the negative to ground. Isn't that backwards?
Brian-Palm Harbor FL
 
Brian, The connections should be positive to ground & negative to the strarter if everything else is original. Make sure that the ground is connected to a clean surface.
Hope this helps. Poor ground connection will cause the starter to turn sluggish.
Keep us posted on this & let us know how your project is coming along. Welcome to Ford Barn. Hope you enjoy the Model A as much as I do.
 
I think we need a little more info. What system are you using ? 12v or 6v ? Alternator or generator ? If a generator, what type of cut-out ?
Originally it came with 6v positive ground. The connections need to clean and tight. With your battery readings, it sounds like it should be good. The battery shouldn't drain over a few days.
 
check the size of the cable sometimes there are 12 volt cables installed which are too small they should be thick 6 volt cables
 
If you are running an original generator on the car, and if you plan on switching the battery cables so that it is positive ground as original, you will need to repolarize the generator after you switch the cables. Do this by briefly touching a jumper wire between the two terminals on the cutout (which is the canister that is on top of the generator). Just touch the wire for a second.
 
If your running a 6v alternator then the polarity probably/may be correct. They are available either way. Again, the connection need to be clean, tight and of the correct size. They should 0 size, no smaller than 2. To check for a draw, disconnect one battery terminal and put a test light or volt meter between the post and cable and see if there is a draw. There shouldn't be [ your alternator may draw slightly] any. Just keep disconnecting stuff until the draw stops and you've found the problem. A common draw is a stuck brake light switch.
 
If you have an alternator setup for negative ground and you reverse the battery cables now, you will damage the alternator. If the car is set up for negative ground, leave it that way until you get more familiar with it and what is involved to switch it.

Hoestly, you could leave it negative ground forever if you wish. No worries. Just make sure the ignition coil is connected correctly for the negative ground setup.
 
Do the lights turn on OK?
If they do then leave them on and try the starter, and let us know what happens to the lights.

If the alternator isn't marked for polarity, then it's hard to know if the battery is in backwards or not.
 
Brian, I agree with P.S. and Patrick L. and don't change the polarity of the battery. You said the battery is fully charged due to your hydrometer reading, so your starting problems are most likely due to a bad connection between the battery and the starter. I would clean the battery terminals and cables, make sure the connection to the frame is clean (ie: bare metal) and check the manual starter switch to be sure it is clean and it's making good contact.

As a side note there is a way to verify the polarity of the alternator. Use this link: http://alternatorparts.com/6-volt-alternators-kits-parts.html
 
If I were You, I would contact the Person whom You bought the Car from, and ask Him. Probably you also have other questions to ask him or ask him to tell you what you should Know about the car, before you cause your self $ problems, until you know about the car.

Most times 1st time buyers are so excited about the car itself, or any other piece of machinery, they don't hear what the seller has told them about Operation Specifics.
 
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