Re: 49 touring sedan charging issue???

Posted by Mark Buckley On 2014/4/7 21:28:41
I just solved a charging puzzle that I thought I'd mention because it was an easy fix. I have a 1950 Standard Eight that I use as a daily driver. In it is a 6V battery I bought at the local CarQuest store in October, 2011. I usually get ~3 years with these batteries.

The other day I walked away from the car and left the fog lights burning for a couple hours. On my return I was pleased the engine fired right up and that the relatively short drive home seemed to be sufficient to bring the battery charge back to "full."

Yesterday, however, the ammeter needle swung hard over to the "charge" position and stayed there all day. I ran errands in Seattle and then headed 45 miles south to Tacoma to have dinner with a friend. The needle stayed hard over all the way down and all the way home--more than 90 miles at freeway speeds. I wondered if the battery was somehow having a delayed reaction to the "lights on" event of a few days ago (unlikely), if the battery wasn't charging because it was on its last legs (reasonable guess), or if some more expensive problem was lurking (heart-stopping terror).

Today I grabbed an almost-empty jug of distilled water I had lying around. I pried off the battery's three filler caps. The fluid levels looked a little low, but not terribly so. I topped off the battery chambers, using no more than a shot glass of water per chamber. I replaced the caps and fired up the car.

The ammeter needle swung over to the right and stayed there for a moment. But over the next few minutes it drifted back to its normal position: just a shade to the right of dead center. It stayed there while I took the car for a test drive to the liquor store and back.

Problem solved--with about six fluid ounces of water I already owned! And the best part was that I could now go back to using my shot glass for the purpose God intended it for!

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