• From: Colorado Springs, CO
  • Registered: 2004-03-27
  • Posts: 3,622

Topic: Dead Battery....New Cause! Any Guesses...Hmmmmn?

Well, I went out to my car ('65 Bug) after work and the battery was dead...and I mean DEAD! Lights/radio/wipers had not been left on by accident....so what gives? Usually when the temps hover below freezing for several days I put the batteries (see below) on a charger every 3 or 4 days.....Fortunately, at this time of the year I usually carry a battery charger with me and in the public garage in which I park, there's an electrical outlet that I can plug into.

But why the DEAD battery? (Actually I have two, 6 volt batteries with a series-parallel switch). So was it the series-parallel switch? Nope. It was a bad horn. I found this out when I charged the batteries and tried to start the engine....HORN blared loudly when I turned the key to the "on" position. So apparently something went bad in my horn and it drained the batteries even with the key off. I guess these horns just don't last much past 40 years or so! Anyway, I disconnected the wires from the horn and just thought I'd share the lesson.

Clancy

  • Registered: 2007-06-16
  • Posts: 188

Re: Dead Battery....New Cause! Any Guesses...Hmmmmn?

it just kept blaring the whole time?  this means that the wire inside the steering column has grounded to somewhere it shouldnt

  • From: Washington, Indiana
  • Registered: 2004-03-27
  • Posts: 1,425

Re: Dead Battery....New Cause! Any Guesses...Hmmmmn?

Clancy, If the horn dont work with the key off, then that wasnt the problem, if the horn wasnt the problem, I would suspect a sticking voltage regulator...I also have found that a low battery will do screwy things with the series/parallel switch....as you say: just my two cents worth...lol

                                                                                         Yancey

Yancey's Website

  • From: somewhere over the rainbow USA
  • Registered: 2006-07-26
  • Posts: 1,889

Re: Dead Battery....New Cause! Any Guesses...Hmmmmn?

clancy,
I agree with yancey on the horn, if wired correctly it wouldn't honk with key off. How old are the batteries? 6 volt are not as durable as 12 volt. And if one is bad it will bring the good one to its level, such as a bad cell.
burrhead

burrhead

A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion.
  • From: B.C.Canada
  • Registered: 2005-01-26
  • Posts: 2,610

Re: Dead Battery....New Cause! Any Guesses...Hmmmmn?

Well, there's an example of what an ammeter will do that a voltmeter won't.

We wire voltmeters to be off with the key because they use voltage and they don't tell you if a small load is left on anyway. An ammeter is wired between the battery and reg. so it's always "on" and if something was left on, you would see a discharge on your ammeter. If you notice!

By simply unplugging and replugging two wires you can change your key-in buzzer to a headlights (actually running lights) "on" warning buzzer. Thats saved my battery a few times now.

'71 SB(DD only 79K(now 84K miles) & '78 FI Westy (project)
PO of '65 Beetle in '69, '70 Crewcab & '70 Ghia in '77
'71 Super inside rear vents now available
http://www.openroad.ca/volkswebbin/view … p?id=85915
  • From: Northern Illinois
  • Registered: 2004-03-27
  • Posts: 1,105

Re: Dead Battery....New Cause! Any Guesses...Hmmmmn?

jamesdagg wrote:

By simply unplugging and replugging two wires you can change your key-in buzzer to a headlights (actually running lights) "on" warning buzzer. Thats saved my battery a few times now.

'Cept Clancy's car is too old for that.

Clancy, I've had a bad headlight switch in a '65 that I owned a few years ago cause a huge drain as the car sat for a few hours. Crud or something caused an internal arc to ground. Luckily I smelled something amiss and traced it to a damn near red hot headlight switch.

Last edited by DrDarby (2008-01-23 22:13:15)

-Darby
  • From: B.C.Canada
  • Registered: 2005-01-26
  • Posts: 2,610

Re: Dead Battery....New Cause! Any Guesses...Hmmmmn?

DrDarby wrote:

Clancy, I've had a bad headlight switch in a '65 that I owned a few years ago cause a huge drain as the car sat for a few hours. Crud or something caused an internal arc to ground. Luckily I smelled something amiss and traced it to a damn near red hot headlight switch.

Do you think a drain that small would be noticeable on a 0 - 30 amp ammeter?

'71 SB(DD only 79K(now 84K miles) & '78 FI Westy (project)
PO of '65 Beetle in '69, '70 Crewcab & '70 Ghia in '77
'71 Super inside rear vents now available
http://www.openroad.ca/volkswebbin/view … p?id=85915
  • From: Valdosta, GA
  • Registered: 2005-04-25
  • Posts: 162

Re: Dead Battery....New Cause! Any Guesses...Hmmmmn?

You just might see the needle jump from the "0" position when the load is placed on, no matter how small the drain.

I remember hooking one up in my '72 Ford Galaxie to find such issues.

Ought to put it in my old bug. Still have it after all these years (the ammeter, not the Ford wink.

  • From: Colorado Springs, CO
  • Registered: 2004-03-27
  • Posts: 3,622

Re: Dead Battery....New Cause! Any Guesses...Hmmmmn?

Thanks, Guys. Actually, I probably spoke too quickly in blaming the poor old Bosch horn. It is probably a wire in the horn circuit. Anyway, by disconnecting the horn I removed the link from that circuit and isolated the drain. I will give the entire sytem a good once over this weekend to see if I can localize the culprit a bit more. I'll also check the regulator and other items while I'm at it. Thanks for the suggestions.

Clancy

  • From: somewhere over the rainbow USA
  • Registered: 2006-07-26
  • Posts: 1,889

Re: Dead Battery....New Cause! Any Guesses...Hmmmmn?

clancy,
While your horn is disconnected, I have a bumper sticker you can borrow--HORN BROKE, WATCH FOR FINGER.  LOL   We blame them poor old 6 volt Bosch horns way to much. Good luck on finding problem.
  burrhead

burrhead

A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion.
  • From: B.C.Canada
  • Registered: 2005-01-26
  • Posts: 2,610

Re: Dead Battery....New Cause! Any Guesses...Hmmmmn?

6V? Oh. Forget the buzzer.

By the way I was talking to the owner of our local private VW shop and asked him what kind of old aircooled stuff he had. He wasn't specific but he said he opened in '82 and stocked a lot of older aircooled stuff including 6V stuff and there was some left. I sort of hinted at him letting me go in the back and look on his shelves but no response. So I'm left having to ask for what I want. So far he's had a tranny mount for my '73 and the usual tune up stuff in stock. Didn't have a regulator. So if there are any real hard to get 6V NOS items tell me and I'll ask if he has it. His prices are good to. He doesn't believe these cars are classics. (he's German)

'71 SB(DD only 79K(now 84K miles) & '78 FI Westy (project)
PO of '65 Beetle in '69, '70 Crewcab & '70 Ghia in '77
'71 Super inside rear vents now available
http://www.openroad.ca/volkswebbin/view … p?id=85915