Today I started up my 70 Skylark sedan and I let it run for about 45 seconds until I heard a loud pop, so I quickly shut it off and opened the hood and found that the cap on the battery had come off, so I put it back on and it seemed tight, started the car and moved it out of the garage. About an hour later, I started up the car to move it again and after about a minute or so, it the cap popped off once again. What could be the cause of this?
It might be that the battery is producing internal pressure. Check and see of the battery's case is swelled on the ends. It sounds like you have a bad battery or the battery may be getting overcharged by a defective component in the charging curcuit like an alternator or regulator. Be careful as batteries that are "gassing" like this emit flammable gas that can ignite and explode.
have your alternator and voltage regulator checked to make sure they're not over charging your battery. are you getting smoke out of the cell that popped off the cap? if you are replace the battery. of course, check the water level in the cells.
ditto what Jason said. Check your charging system and see how much voltage is going to the battery with it running. May be overcharging. I have seen a battery explode, and it is not a good thing so be careful.
Your alternator should be putting out 14 to 14.5 volts. Start it then disconnect the battery and measure the voltage on the back of the alt. That's what I'd do.
A battery is only good for 4-5 years.I know guys like you get more than that,but they really arent dependable or safe much past that. Toss a voltmeter across the terminals & you should be in the 13.5-14.8 range when running.Please wear safety glasses around that battery!:TU: Be carefull or yours could end up like this wall mart specialou:
First, let me say that disconnecting the battery with the engine running can quickly damage a good alternator. Use a multi-meter when checking charging or electrical issues. It is likely that one cell- now shorted due to age is drawing excessive current from the system leading to the excess gassing. From a battery standpoint, you need to have a known good battery before checking charging issues. A 13 year old battery should probably be replaced before any testing is done. Ray
depends on your version of inexpensive. our shop sells interstate batteries. different prices for different cars. we used to sell napa batteries but they would last a couple years and crap out.
Well thats sort of an oxy-moron. Inexpensive and reliable usually don't go hand in hand with batteries unfortunatley. I have used all the brands of batteries mentioned over the years and they are all decent but Delco batteries have overwhelmingly lasted the longest and were maybe 20% more cost than say a Walmart battery. Deka would be my second choice. I cost is of the most importance go to Walmart and buy a cheap battery but make sure you put a battery tender on it all the time if the car sits.
I took the battery from the 70 GS and hooked up my volt meter and the voltage climbed close to 19 volts.
