--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1100011 Date: 12/31/97 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 11:06am \/To: JAY EMRIE (Read 1 times) Subj: Battery sizes JAY EMRIE wrote in a message to ROY J. TELLASON: RJT>Jack Nelson wrote in a message to Roy Witt: RJT>RW> If you clean those connectors where they've been soldered and then RJT>RW> coat with something like nail polish, they won't oxidize as fast RJT>RW> as if they were left uncleaned and left to the elements. RJT> JN> Even better would be to coat them with grease or an electronics RJT> JN> contact cleaner/protectant because their surface won't break RJT> JN> and let in air, and they can be applied to the battery posts RJT> JN> and terminals before assembly. RJT>No! RJT>You wanna apply that stuff, or any other anticorrosion stuff, *AFTER* RJT>you the connection. You don't want grease or whatever in RJT>between two surfaces are supposed to be making a connection to RJT>each other, you want a nice clean metal-to-metal connection RJT>there... JE> In the case of silicone grease, for it to be effective it MUST JE> be applied to CLEAN battery posts and cables BEFORE they are JE> connected. Well, I won't do it that way... JE> Then when being connected and TIGHTENED the silicone grease is JE> easily forced from between the terminal and post allowing a JE> positive electrical connection but still preventing the air JE> (oxygen) from getting to the metals thus prevents corrosion. JE> Believe me, IT WORKS EXACTLY LIKE THAT. Only if you're dealing with real flat surfaces in both the terminal and the post... email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1100012 Date: 12/31/97 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 11:08am \/To: JAY EMRIE (Read 1 times) Subj: Electrical loads, battery JAY EMRIE wrote in a message to ROY J. TELLASON: RJT> JE> Also, I have a 550 CCA @ 0 degrees battery/750 CCA at 32 RJT> JE> degrees. RJT>That second number might be "CA", but it _ain't_ CCA, which by RJT>definition RJT>t zero degrees. JE> I do NOT know anything except right on the battery it says JE> "550CCA @ 0 degrees, 750 CCA @ 32 degrees". Then that battery is marked in a misleading fashion. What brand was that again? email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1100013 Date: 12/31/97 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 11:17am \/To: ALAN MORRISON (Read 0 times) Subj: Battery sizes Alan Morrison wrote in a message to JAY EMRIE: JE> The other case, the hood being opened, turned on the hood light, which JE> most likely was activated by a mercury switch (which is enclosed). JE> That's the other why. AM> I could see the light hydrogen gas rising to the top of the AM> engine compartment and being ignited by a poor (arcing) AM> connection. The other one would require a lot of gas on a GM AM> type starter near the bottom, perhaps less on the Ford ones, AM> mounted near the battery. What you guys aren't considering is an arc inside the battery itself... When I started at that battery store, around January '93, much of what I found that was "bad" was either a battery that was just plain worn out (no capacity even when fully charged) or one that had a shorted cell. Over the next couple of years I ran into more and more cases of batteries that had a bad connection inside of them. These were insidious, in that you could get good performance at one point, and then nothing at all. Sometimes you'd be able to turn lights on and they'd work but as soon as you'd start to crank the engine you'd have nothing at all. This often showed up during a load test as a "boiler", a cell that would get so hot when you tried to pull power through it that the electrolyte would quite literally start to boil in one cell. Or in a pair of adjacent cells, if the bad connection was between two of them. Typical behavior on a load tester was it'd start to deliver good power and then one or both of the meters would drop off rapidly... email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1100014 Date: 12/31/97 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 11:23am \/To: JAY EMRIE (Read 0 times) Subj: Radiator Leak JAY EMRIE wrote in a message to ROY WITT: RW> RW>> No, but they do give you a 1-800 number to call so you can get RW> RW>> that information. That is, if you have a telephone...:) RW> RT> With a line that is live :) RW> Or a quarter for the pay phone. JE> Quarter, heck! It's 35 cents now!! And it doesn't cost you anyhow when you're dialing an 800 number... :-) email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1100015 Date: 12/31/97 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 11:27am \/To: SEAN DUNBAR (Read 0 times) Subj: Heater core. Sean Dunbar wrote in a message to All: SD> Okay.. anyone care to tell me what I face in changing my SD> heater core? The thing finally started leaking into the SD> cab and fogging the windows up completely (and giving a SD> nasty coolant smell)... not to mention staining the carpet SD> under the heater box. Going to change it soon. SD> What do I face in doing this...? Sorta depends on what the vehicle is that you're talking about here... email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1100016 Date: 12/31/97 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 11:30am \/To: TOM WALKER (Read 0 times) Subj: Battery sizes TOM WALKER wrote in a message to ROY J. TELLASON: -> TW> campers that allowed the standard Vehicle Alternator. With -> TW> an External regulator, to Put out 110 Volts DC for whatever -> TW> you needed it for. Lights and Universal Drill Motors, and -> TW> other AC/DC rated appliances. The Diodes stood up quite well -> TW> so I assume the Inverse Voltage rating is something MORE -> TW> than 110 Volts. -> -> I'd guess that this kit you're talking about was involving the use of -> transformer in there someplace (I've heard of people tapping into -> alternators _before_ the diodes for just that purpose) but in any -> case if you have info on it I'd sure like to know more about it... TW> The kit I am thinking of only worked with an External Regulator TW> Alternator. And didn't go inside the alternator at all. Besides TW> that would produce Variable Frequency three phase AC. Very TW> difficult to work with. The switch in Secondary regulator just TW> changed the regulation point from a nominal 14.5 volts to 110 TW> volts. I don't understand how they did that. TW> And the 110 DC worked great fro incandescent lighting for camp TW> sites and fro running "Universal Motor" Tools like drills etc. Sounds good to me... TW> Played havoc on things like Irons and electric skillets though TW> as the Arcing of the contacts designed for AC on DC ruined them TW> in a short time. I remember one guy that had a walk-in truck with a mess of electronics in the back of it, sorta a mobile lab... He had tapped into the alternator before the diodes and used that fed through a transformer to generate ac for his stuff. The setup would switch to an inverter running off the battery when the motor wasn't running. Got any more info on that kit? I wouldn't mind finding out more about it... email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1100017 Date: 12/31/97 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 11:37am \/To: SEAN DUNBAR (Read 0 times) Subj: Battery Sean Dunbar wrote in a message to All: SD> Well.. roommate suspects I may have a bad cell in my SD> battery. Anyone agree? When it sits overnight, it barely SD> has enough power to turn the engine over in the morning, SD> even on a warm day (today it was almost 60 when I went out SD> to start it). Lights are also very dim. Haven't taken a SD> voltage reading yet, but plan to.. If you see 10 volts and change instead of 12 volts and change, then it would seem to point to a shorted cell. Is this battery one that you can open the caps? If so, see what happens in all of those cells when you're cranking -- one that boils is a sure sign of a bad connection. If that doesn't happen, try putting a charger on it. One cell not bubbling also shows you where a problem is. email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1100018 Date: 12/31/97 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 11:41am \/To: JOHN FAERBER (Read 0 times) Subj: Battery John Faerber wrote in a message to Sean Dunbar: SD> Well.. roommate suspects I may have a bad cell in my battery. SD> Anyone agree? When it sits overnight, it barely has enough SD> power to turn the engine over in the morning, even on a warm SD> day (today it was almost 60 when I went out to start it). SD> Lights are also very dim. Haven't taken a voltage reading yet, JF> Are the lights dim when the engine is running? If so, I would JF> say it might be alternator, Yep. JF> of course Cheapo Auto Parts or one of the other parts stores JF> can do a load test on it. A load test is only going to show if the battery is capable of kicking out starting current. JF> I use a thing looks like an eye dropper with little balls in JF> it, draw up fluid from the cell, the # of balls floating tells JF> you how much charge is in each cell. Yep, the old cheapo hydrometer, which we used to sell for around a buck or two. Works as well as the big ones when you don't need absolute numbers, but just a general indication. This assumes that one can get into the battery in the first place, which is too often not the case these days. (One of the reasons I don't like Delco batteries.) email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1100019 Date: 12/31/97 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 11:49am \/To: BILL MITCHELL (Read 0 times) Subj: REVERSE QUESTION Bill Mitchell wrote in a message to Marc Gerges: BM> I recently went through the New Jersey DMV's official testing BM> procedure (got my jeep inspected at a state run station). Ain't they something? :-) BM> The parking brake is tested twice. They accelerate for about 25 BM> feet and the parking brake must then stop the vehicle. They BM> then rev the engine to a moderate speed in drive for an BM> automatic transmission, parking brake on, and the brake MUST BM> hold the car. A failure on the brake tests can, in the BM> inspector's judgement, result in the vehicle being declared BM> unsafe rather than just the ordinary failed inspection sticker BM> used for other test failures, though except in the case of BM> complete brake failure I doubt they'd declare a car with a BM> parking brake that needs adjustment unsafe. BM> An unsafe vehicle cannot be driven until declared safe and BM> signed off by a mechanic or state inspector, and subsequent BM> reinspection by a state inspector can, in extreme cases, be BM> required. I didn't know about the two kinds of failure there in NJ. We had gone through that bit with a VW Beetle some years ago, and it got one of those "failed" stickers that still allowed you to drive it for up to 30 days. Sure would be nice if some other states would follow that lead, letting you get stuff fixed... BM> Believe it or not, though, the state inspectors do not examine BM> brake linings, only test performance. While I'm ordinarily *not* an advocate of government doing things where private enterprise could do it, there's certainly something to be said for a setup like that one where those who are doing the inspection don't have any stake in the outcome, and aren't going to be selling you parts to fix the problem. *sigh* At least PA went from twice-yearly to once a year. email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1100020 Date: 12/31/97 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 11:53am \/To: MARK LOGSDON (Read 0 times) Subj: Battery sizes Mark Logsdon wrote in a message to Roy J. Tellason: RJ> with oil heating, ferinstance. Where do you think that "acid rain" RJ> comes from? ML> Algore? email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615)