Battery Issue for a new owner

kursed30

kursed30

Member
So two weeks ago I was lucky enough to inherit a 1930 Model A that has been sitting in a garage for the last 50 years. Slowly going through it trying to get it to run. Last week I bought a new battery and four days later it was dead. I am assuming there is a drain some place. Any tips for someone who has had to youtube everything about this car? lol
 
Welcome - and I am new myself and doing a similar run down. I am sure someone with way more experience will chime in but my $0.02 would lead me to chase the ignition/popout switch. If this remained on either by key or by failure- it will be continuously energizing the coil. This could drain the battery.
 
Check the generator cut-out located on top of the generator. The contacts may be stuck closed. That will certainly drain the battery through the generator.

Tom Endy
 
Disconnect one lead from the battery, preferably the ground. From cable end to battery terminal attach a test light or volt meter. If there is a draw the light will light or the meter will show battery voltage.

Just start disconnecting electrical stuff until the light goes out or the meter shows zero volts. Thats your draw. Whatever it is needs to be fixed.

Many things can cause a draw, Stuck stop light switch, stuck cut-out as mentioned, bad key switch as mentioned, a ground from key switch to fuel tank, etc.

This is one reason why many fellas install a master shut-off.
 
It is the 4 door coupe I think it is called. I will be honest, I don't know jack about this car. My mom inherited it and was just going to sell it. I said I would take it so it says in the family.
 
Put your location in your profile; a member who lives near you may be able to dedicate a Saturday to assessing the car and helping you prioritize.
 
Alex, I have actually had some really nice people from the local club stop by already. If all else fails I will bother them again. lol
 
Besides the cutout, one of the most common battery drain items on a A is the brake light switch staying on.
 
Patrick has the right idea. Use a test light or just a bulb. If you use a volt meter, but it into the ammeter mode so that you can see how much current is being drawn. If there is a big current draw you will get a spark when you scratch the chassis with the ground strap. Charge the battery with a battery charger before you do this, of course. Keep the charger on the battery until you figure out the current draw. The battery should not be left in the discharged state.

I thought about what Patrick said about measuring the voltage between the ground strap and ground. He is right, there should not be any voltage if there is no current draw.
 
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Like Bob said, is the stop/brake light on ?

Check for power at the switch and thru the switch. Or, remove a wire from it and see if the light go out.

If the light is always on and the pedal linkage is working properly, then switch is bad. It can be changed easily or most times it can be fixed. If you buy a new one from one of the 'A' vendors get the expensive one.

The switch keeping the light on is a fairly common problem.
 
Go in the garage at night without turning on your electricity and see if you find the culprit. Just don’t fall.
 
Twice recently I have been asked to help out with a Model A that the battery went dead. Both times it was found that someone did not push in the popout switch, or make sure that it stayed in, and that drained the battery. Once it even caused the coil to swell up and then burn out. many folks who have not studied a Model A ignition do not know that a popout must be pushed in to open the switch contacts.
 
Might familiarize yourself with the headlight switch also, lights could have been left on in the daylight and not noticed, especially if kids ( or curious adults) have been playing in the car. If I remember correctly, the handle straight down is off.

Just throwing it out there, personally, I do not park anything inside over night with the battery connected, old car, new car doesn't matter, but definitely not something with a questionable electrical system.

Welcome to the Model A world!

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk
 
Someone tell me if I'm wrong, but there is current to the coil regardless of the position of the ignition switch. Everything is HOT on the care except to the distributor which is controlled by the ignition switch. I don't have a pop-up so I don't know if that is different. Check to see if you have a master cutoff switch on the drivers side engine wall, inside near the clutch or under the hood. If you have one, charge the battery and then turn the switch off and check your battery the next day. Don't forget to turn the switch back on like I have done.
 
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