What should the ampere meter read during driving on a 1958 Super?

It is OK to borrow a known good battery from another car to test this out.

 

Ok, with 32F during the day and an unheated garage, I did not feel like doing more than taking my battery to a battery shop. I had it charged just last weekend (with the usual "sweating" of the battery acid) and when measured now, it read 12.47V. So far so good. Then he hooked up a battery tester and the cold crank amps were down to 168A (supposedly per battery sticker 400A). A few tests later, the device announced "battery defect".
So I told the guy behind the counter about my high ampere reading and he answered that a new battery will take care of this. $111 later I have a new battery (since the old one was shut anyway) and I will wait until Wednesday when the temperature will rise over 60F again to start up the engine. I hope this time it will start without a booster.

Chris

 

I would put the new battery on a trickle charger for 24 hours if you aren't going to start the car right off. BTW: Is there something special about 1958 Buick batteries? As much as I hate dealing with Wal-Mart, I do buy my batteries there. They work fine, and are usually substantially ($40-$50) less then you paid. They are not made in China.

 

Hello John,

The 58 battery is different in the way that it is long and narrow (see picture). Those batteries are used in some tractors and are usually not found in car parts stores or Wal-Mart. I shopped around on the internet and the cheapest place was BatteriesPlus.
I have seen 58's with a standard battery installed but since the battery tray has this long shape, the battery will not sit inside the tray, just on top of it - unless you weld in a new one.

Chris

 

An old trick you learn in the frosty places is to turn on the headlights for a few minutes, if you aren't near a battery charger, to get the battery warmed up enough to start your car. Of course, this relies on having a good battery. Personally, having to rely on a tester that has an LCD readout that finally reads "Battery bad" just raises my hackles. Just call me cynical, but that thing is programmed, and who is to say how? I am used to the old testers that you could see the current and voltage drop, and be pretty sure that the battery was toast. I don't like buying things unnecessarily, and did my best, in my mechanic days, to avoid making a customer spend money unnecessarily, as well. It's just wrong. The battery may very well be toast, in your case. Just sayin'.

Seems to me it's getting to the point where you need a degree in electronics to even fix a transmission. Crazy.

 

Ok, it was 74F today and I fired up the old gal with the new battery - what a difference! The engine actually cranked like it should. So that tells me that my battery was definitely shot.
The bad part is, at high idle the needle of the amp meter is now completely peged out on the charge side. I definitely don't want to drive around like this and risk my new battery. When I rev the engine up the voltage reading at the battery climbs up to almost 16V.
I will buy me a resistor and a rheostat to perform the tests as outlined in the manual. I assume the next part to replace is the voltage regulator.

Did I mention I hate electrical problems?

Chris

 

My experience is (not much experience, but this is it)
it is not enough to simply bolt on a new regulator. ...
The new regulator will also need adjusting...
A few weeks ago I put a new regulator on to solve overcharging. Now, it's under-charging....

Since then I've not had bad weather and bad health or both. So, I haven't gotten any further....

I'm very interested in your outcome..

Good Luck:TU:

 

Yep,, Bulldog,,,, and,,, the regulator, has to be warmed up before you set it or the setting will change when it it does warm up..... a lot of people overlook this....

 

And it must be polarized.

 

Actualy you polarize the generator not the reg.

 

a-ha!! Thanks for that tid-bit!!

Yep. I followed the instructions for polarizing. On intial crank up, the ammeter will swing over to charge and work it's way back to zero.
But, if I run the power windows up or down, burn the headlights, or mash the brakes, anything making it swing to discharge. It fails to re-charge again. Unless I rev it up pretty good...

So, the regulator needs adjusting?

 

Careful with the polarizing; - the guy who rebuilt my generator and regulator on my 46 said that the proceedure in the book tends to blow the regulator; I had the regulator polarity go wrong, and all I did was shut the car off and restart it, then the needle swung the right way.

 

Be sure the drive belt is tight....a loose belt can make it do the same thing.....:Brow: but,, I think the reg is off.....

 

Update: I tried to install a used voltage regulator that I had received with my 58 Cadillac (per Hollander they are interchangeable) and had the same result. So I purchased a new voltage regulator specifically for a 58 Buick with A/C from CARS. I addition I bought a 25 ohm/25 Watt rheostat, a 0.25 ohm/25 watt resistor and an ampere gauge.
I installed the new regulator, polarized it according to to the instructions that came with it and went through all the tests recommended in the manual. With the new regulator all settings were right there where they need to be.
When I start the car now, the in-dash ammeter goes initially all the way up, then comes down and settles halfway between the "0" and the "C" mark. It stays there independent of the rpm. The voltage at the battery does not go beyond 14V anymore (een when reved up).
The only thing left doing now is take her out for a spin and check the battery when I come back.

Chris

 

I believe you've got it!! :TU:

 

Ok, last update for this thread:
I took her out on a ride today and it proved what I had seen in the garage already: at start up ammeter pegs out until the voltage regulator warms up (about 30 sec), then goes down to about 1/3 between "0" and "C". There it stays no matter if the engine revs are low or high.
After I got home I checked the battery and no fluid had come out this time and battery felt cold.
That is good enough in my books.

Thanks for all your help,
Chris

 

Glad you got that fixed. I feel for y'all playing with those generators.

I've never been a fan of those charging indicators either. I'd just rather know the current battery voltage.

 

My Buick is on it's third voltage regulator and second generator (including the originally installed units).
Not bad for 58 years

Alternators are not immune to failure, nor are their regulators.


An ampere meter indicates electric current to and from the battery.

A volt meter indicates the battery voltage.

Both give very useful but different information.

Comparing the two is akin to comparing an fuel tank gauge to an fuel pressure gauge.

In the best world we would have both gauges.

---------- Post added at 07:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:46 PM ----------

Nice Work !! :TU:

 

Feels good to diagnose and fix, doesn't it? Electrical is the worst, it hides inside the wires.