VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Electrical Problem

I have been having problems with my 1931 five window coupe. I kept the battery charged throughout the winter, however when I tested the battery, I decided to replace it. I installed the new battery and the next day discovered that the battery was dead. I disconnected the battery and charged it again. Then I started the car and drove for about thirty minutes. I then put the charger back on the battery and it was almost out of juice. The gauge shows that the battery is charging and never goes into the negative when I am driving. I am wondering if somehow a short has developed. I wonder if anyone would have some advice for me as to where to look first?

Thank you,

An easy first check is to see if the contacts in the generator cut-out are stuck. With everything turned off, a 6 volt test light in series with the battery terminal and the wire terminal will tell you if there is a short circuit.

Thank you for your comments. I intend to try to trouble shoot it this weekend.

If you had a real short circuit it would blow the fuse or burn some wiring. What you may have is a partial electrical load, something is on that shouldn't be. The test light tell you. If there's no indication of a short circuit or partial load and you are sure the battery is fully charged, I would suspect a starter problem.

Quick Test. Pull the Neg. cable. Looking real carefully just Tap the Neg.post with the cable. Look for a slight arcing. If it arcs you trouble shoot the system,if it doesn't, go ahead and charge the Battery. At full charge using a Digital Volt Meter check the level of Voltage over a few days. If it continues to drop, replace the Battery. Al W.