bits of auto battery, and related info

[grumpyvette]

as most of us eventually find out car battery's tend to last several years if the cars used regularly so the batterys keep charged but tend to go bad in less time if the cars only driven infrequently.
you obviously want a dependable battery and a good warranty,
WALMART has a decent 3 year warranty on their best battery's and they are reasonably priced,
NAPA sells several battery's with good warranty s.
It should be pointed out that the newer GEL battery designs like the OPTIMAS are a bit more durable, and less likely to leak their contents if subjected to vibration or minor impact on the car, than the old lead/acid battery's were all familiar with and they are a bit less likely to cause spills and acid leaks, that rust battery trays and frames on older cars..
keep in mind that many times its the electrical connections or the alternator that's the problem, so don,t just assume a car that won,t start is the battery or starters fault.
and it helps a good deal to keep the battery fully charged
read the links below and theres a good deal more info on both batteries and testing

http://www.corvettefever.com/techarticl ... index.html

http://www.optimabatteries.com/optima_p ... /index.php

http://www.optimabatteries.com/optima_p ... /index.php

http://www.autotap.com/techlibrary/diag ... system.asp

http://autorepair.about.com/library/faqs/bl743d.htm

http://oljeep.com/AltTheory17/Alternato ... onnections

http://autorepair.about.com/library/wee ... 01604d.htm

viewtopic.php?f=36&t=1169&p=5267&hilit=corvette+alternator#p5267

viewtopic.php?f=36&t=3222&p=8575&hilit=testing+alternator#p8575

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/measuring-amps.15548/

viewtopic.php?f=70&t=299&p=364&hilit=+starter+ford#p364

viewtopic.php?f=70&t=2133

http://www.batterystuff.com/tutorial_battery.html

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/ho ... ns/4221215

http://www.ehow.com/how_2210578_test-ca ... meter.html

Here are the easy steps in testing your car battery with a multimeter.
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions

1.
1

Open up your hood and locate your car's battery. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's directions and properly disconnect the cables from the battery.
2.
2

Turn your multimeter off, then set your multimeter to 50 volt scale. This will reset the meter and give a more accurate reading.
3.
3

Connect the red lead to the positive battery terminal. Be sure to put the lead on the post of the battery and not just on the cable to get the most accurate voltage reading.
4.
4

Attach the black multimeter lead to the negative battery terminal. Again, be sure to put the lead directly on the post of the battery for the most accurate reading.
5.
5

Read your multimeter gauge after 15 seconds. If it has a digital readout and you have a 12 volt battery, it should read at least 9.6 volts running through the multimeter for it to take a charge. If it's less than that, you need a new battery.

Multimeterwww.tek.com


http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive ... 91129.html

THESE LOAD TESTERS COME WITH BATTERY TEST INSTRUCTIONS

viewtopic.php?f=50&t=3110&p=8302&hilit=+multi+meter#p8302

 

[grumpyvette]

hey grumpy? does upgrading to a 200 amp alternator from the stock 120 amp corvette alternator help or hurt, I heard the larger alternators harder to spin and sucks up a bit of hp.?

its been my experience that the GAINS due to the more consistent power and higher average amps and voltage tend to make the ignition and electrical accessories like cooling fans run better, enough better that any minimal extra power needed to spin the alternator is MORE than offset.
Ive YET TO SEE a car that did not run better with an upgraded alternator.

viewtopic.php?f=36&t=3222&p=8575&hilit=testing+alternator#p8575

viewtopic.php?f=36&t=1169&p=5267&hilit=corvette+alternator#p5267

viewtopic.php?f=57&t=7150&p=23981&hilit=corvette+alternator#p23981

http://www.jegs.com/p/Powermaster/Powermaster-GM-CS144-Style-Alternators/1534945/10002/-1

https://www.powermastermotorsports.com/PMappGuideEbook.pdf

REPLACING A C4 CORVETTE BATTERY VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... 03-roWP2A#!

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...that-some-guys-don-t-look-at-the-clues.11176/


If your car has a hard time starting or it won,t start it may be a simple corrosion /connection issue or it may be something more complex, a few tests and visual inspection won,t hurt in determining the source, get out your multi meter and set it to D,C, VOLTS 0-20
you need to logically isolate the problems source.
a lose electrical cable , or a defective starter or a connection or ignition switch may be suspect.

place the black common lead on the bat neg,POST NOT CABLE the red lead on the bat positive,POST NOT CABLE, it should read near 12-12.7 volts
now start or try to start the car if the voltage drops a few volts , the NEW battery may be defective, but its much more likely the battery cable connections too the battery or the ground cable may be faulty, now move both meter leads to the battery cables and repeat the test if the battery voltage drops noticeably more one or both cables are loose or defective,
http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-Battery-Corrosion-and-Build-Up

a cup of warm water with two table spoons of baking soda dissolved in it and two drops of DAWN dish washer detergent with a stiff tooth brush helps remove corrosion from terminals before you use the cleaning tools
if your dome light dims as you stated when you try to start the car, chances are very good the battery cable or ground connections need to be carefully cleaned, and re-tightened!
AFTER SPRAYING THE CLEANED SURFACES WITH THE SPRAY BELOW

once the car starts it should have the alternator kick in and the meter should read near 13.9-14.7 volts at idle.
btw the most common electrically related problem I see on a consistent basis is corroded or badly rusted or defective battery connections and grounds so before you go crazy its a good idea to replace those as a first step in any electrical problem diagnoses


as always you simply isolate and test in a logical manor to find the cause, random guessing and parts replacement without testing gets damn expensive and your unlikely to randomly guess correctly before it costs you more than it should to correct! ,Id start with having a local auto parts store load test the battery after getting the multi meter out you have , and cleaning all the cable connections carefully and ohms test them
and yes you need a multi meter and if the battery checks out Id be looking at the connections on the starter and the starter itself

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/won-t-spin-or-start.11154/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/how-altenators-work.355/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...k-clunk-clunk-start-problem.11422/#post-52439

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/bits-of-auto-battery-and-related-info.3901/

 

[Hap]

Some related info for those that use the popular Delco 10/12SI one or three wire alternators that have been upgraded for high amp output up to 160 amps. Believe the higest output from a stock 12SI was 94 amps.
There are many sellers of these alternators; most who basically use hopped up rectifier diode trios, which will work but probably not for long. The better sellers also upgrage the stator and rotor to higher windings to handle the higher amperage output and a better case design to help with cooling.
As grumpyvette notes via one of the links, the biggest issue with these alternators is heat management.
I want to add that doing some research one the seller and/or manufacturer before you spend your hard earned bucks for one of these is probably a good idea.
Even the big name brands may not be the best.
There are excellent manufacturers here in the US that sell a great product; but this is NOT one of them.
The photos are of a 10SI alternator purchased from eBay; seller billh6800 claiming these were 100% brand new, made in the USA.
As you can clearly see, many of the internal parts are used, assembled poorly with some parts make in China!
The threads on the rotor is cut crooked so the pulley and fan will not seat square and sure to cause bearing failure sooner than later.
So reading through the links and doing research as grumpyvette suggests is great words of wisdom!
Buyer beware...

 

[grumpyvette]

THANK YOU! for posting those great pictures and good info!
If you do find any good manufacturers of a 180-220 amp alternator, that fits chevy cars and hopefully the early muscle cars and corvettes up thru at least 1996, please post links , especially if theres part numbers and years the alternators fit.
a great deal of the problem most of the members face is a lack of knowledge about what parts fit and function with which applications.
and posting pictures and info helps here!
as Ive found upgrading the alternator capacity to be a very noticeable improvement, Ive yet to see one fail , but Ive only installed them in a dozen or so cars, most of which are weekend toys that frankly get driven rather sporadically and don,t get a great deal of mileage put on them, so the parts don,t have the same long term wear that they would see as a daily driver.

 

[Indycars]

Great pictures Hap!

If you do find a good place to purchase electrical components, be sure and post a link.

 

[Hap]

Great pictures Hap!

If you do find a good place to purchase electrical components, be sure and post a link.

Okay,
Per your suggestion:

https://secure.mysuperpageshosting.com/ ... php?p=home

This busines is called Alterstart located in Texas. They do direct sales as well as sell on eBay.
I've purchased several Delco 10/12SI 135amp high output alternators from these guys for almost 10 years now with very good results.
Don't ask me why I took a chance with the other guy; billh6800....hindsight is 20/20!
The 4-5 Delco 10/12Si 135amp alternators I've purchased from Alterstart have heavy duty windings, rotors, rectifier bridge vlotage regulator, and cooling fan; unlike the other seller, these guys do use 100% new internal parts.
They also include a detailed bench test report for every alternator too.
I have no affiliation with this company.

My specific application for the alternator is a weekend driver too; maybe about 1,500 miles per year...Amperage draw for the car is pertty high; 15A constant draw cooling fans, MSD, A/C, fuel pump, multi amplifier stereo, etc. Engine compartmet is very tight with SBC, so heat dissipation is a big issue.
The life span for the alternators I bought from Alterstart are about 5 years.
I also tried a Powermaster brand alternator at over twice the price and that one lasted only about 2 years.

 

[Indycars]

Thanks for link, and they are pretty close to me in OKC.

Have any pics of your weekend driver? Have any plans for future upgrades?