Odd battery issue

[29ModelA]

I have had 0 luck with Optima's since Johnson Controls took them over, I will not buy another. Too many friends have also had issues the last 10 years.

Go to Optima's web site and you will find they do not charge the same as flooded batteries when dead. They need to be initially hooked up to a working 12 volt battery to give them a kick prior to accepting the charge.
There MIGHT have been a short in the headlight that drained it completely.
DO read Optima's instructions on charging a dead Optima.
Good Luck !

Many of the new chargers have a specific mode for charging Optima's and other similar batteries as well.

I'm not a fan of battery maintainers and have never used one on my cars. I get extremely long life out of my 6 volt batteries, and have let them set for 6 or 7 months over the winter with no charge. The past couple years I have started to put the 6 amp battery charger on my 28 for an hour every 3 months, just to top it off.

My neighbor has gone through those yellow start packs at the rate of one a year because the trickle charger actually overcharges the battery and cooks the water out of the cells.

And another reason I don't use trickle chargers is I don't like to leave a battery on a charger unattended. I even cut the power to two of my storage garages when I'm not in them. Seeing burned antique cars is just too sad to risk having it happen to mine.

Those yellow start packs say right in the instruction manual not to leave them on the charger all the time, at least mine did. It is now 5 years old and I still use it for various things.

 

[Tom Wesenberg]

" I have a 35A Ford generator charging at a rate of 7.4V and an ammeter reading of 9A. I'll see how that works."

I assume you have the 3 unit voltage regulator. The voltage is correct. The amp reading will depend on the amount of charge the battery needs. Once the battery is charged fully the amps should go back to near zero. After a 3 second crank on my 28, the amps goes back to near zero within about 3 minutes.

 

[Y-Blockhead]

Those yellow start packs say right in the instruction manual not to leave them on the charger all the time, at least mine did. It is now 5 years old and I still use it for various things.

I have had one of those "Yellow Start Packs" for several years and have had zero problems. It has saved myself and many others in my neighborhood and especially when at a campsite where campers use their vehicle batteries all weekend without a thought of starting up Sunday Eve.

As 29ModelA says don't leave it on the charger all the time. Most have a built in volt meter to tell you battery level.

 

[Growley bear]

I just received a reply from Optima concerning my question Gen/Alt and the only answer is that Optima says that the demand on the battery is more than a generator could handle.

Chet

An update on my optima issue.
The Optima company says that the system demand is more than a generator can handle.
1) 35A generator w/3pole regulator would charge at a steady and continuous rate of 30A and 7.4V with the 6V optima fully charged with the optima charger. There was no amount of adjusting that would bring the rate of charge to a normal state. This in a short amount of time (500 miles) caused the cut out points to burn enough that they stuck closed.
2) I installed a new regulator and the charge with the optima was the same as before.
3) I removed the Optima and installed a lead acid battery and the charging system operated as Ford intended.
4) My conclusion is that the spiral cell battery needs much more of a charge input than at least a 35A generator can supply, there by the generator treats it as a dead or very low battery.
5) A friend with a Model A equipped with 6V Optima and alternator has had no problems with his system. He just became the proud owner of another Optima.
6) I like the idea of the Optima not making a mess of the battery compartment by not leaking.
7) I like the 35A generator as I have sealed beam headlamps and they are much brighter than with the Model A generator.
8) In my quest to not reinvent the Model A by keeping it as stock as I possibly can, I opted to stay with the 35A generator and 3 pole regulator and use the type of battery that Henry intended.
9) I keep a close watch on the system as it is now and be more diligent as to care and maintenance of the battery and the box. After all that is part of the fun of owning and driving a Model A Ford.

 

[BlueSunoco]

I'm following Tom Wesenberg's lead on trickle chargers from now on. Have used 6 and 12 Volt Battery Tenders for several years no problems. Wondered what the worry was.

Until last week.

12V Deltran Battery Tender on a 100 month Motorcraft battery in a Mustang. Battery 48 months old, car seldom driven. I was in the garage where it's stored when I noticed the 'red' charging light on steady not the 'green' lite. Charger was SUPER hot to touch, about to melt down and catch fire. Battery had one cell that went south, charger trying to bring it back I guess. Took battery to Ford garage got a new one paid the pro-rate fee,,,,,, all Battery Tenders are now un-hooked and on the shelf. I will only do the John Deere charger we have for a couple hours a month to keep them topped off.

Good thing I caught it I was getting ready to leave town for a week and a half. No doubt in my mind that garage and the cars would have been toast.

 

[Patrick L.]

I too do not use any form of battery tender, had to too many problems.
I just charge when put them up for the winter with a low amp charger and then again in the spring.
On the more modern car when we're gone for the winter I still use a normal low amp charger set on a timer.

 

[Farrell In Vancouver]

"But-- with the lights on it stalled every time I came to a stop"

Just a thought, any chance the brake pedal has worn a hole through the insulation of the cable going to the starter? This would give a dead short wearing down the battery. Relieved when you used your foot to restart, the brake pedal would return and disconnect the short. Next stop the engine dies again. Brake off,restart, and no matter what the charge rate it would pull the charge out pretty quickly.
Worth a look?