Re: [Chrysler300] To Kill A Battery

["Tim Tomlinson" <tomlin@xxxxxxxxx>]

To all,
1.  In my previous life in the military, one of my specialties was
environmental controls (humidity, Uninterrupted Power Source, etc) for fixed
communications systems.  That included specifically the large banks of
batteries used to provide the UPS with stored, uniterruptable power until
the auto start generators came on line.
2.  The rule of thumb that was used was that a lead/acid battery looses half
its remaining charge every 24 hours.  What little current a clock in our
beasts would draw is insignificant compared to the above rule.  Batteries
are way "over engineered" to allow for this halving of available power each
24 hours.  This can accelerate in extreme heat or cold.  Alaska soldiers
used battery warmers that plugged in much like a frost plug heater to
maintain a greater available charge for starting in winter.  I have heard
tales in the old days of Alaskans turning on parking lights for a few
minutes before starting their car to try and slightly warm the battery by
electro chemical action and thus gain more cold cranking amps, but
personally think that may actually cost you avail. amps.  Understand they
don't do that anymore as the new cars start so easy compared to older times.
3.  Anyway, that is why if a battery is left in or out of a car, it will
discharge over time.  The very slight draw when using a 24 or 27 series
battery is nearly non detectable.  I start my cars nearly each month, and
batteries usually last 6 to 7 years.  By the way, NiCad batteries only lose
a quarter of their remaining charge each 24 hours, but form crystals and
develop a "memory".  The Army learned that lesson the hard way on the float
batteries on their large, tactical switchboard.  Had to reengineer to much
heavier and bulky lead-acid.
4.  Our clunking, old clocks won't make enough difference in several months
if the battery is adequately sized and in good condition to start with, such
as adequate electrolyte.  I hate the new "maintenance free" sealed batteries
in which electrolyte can neither be checked nore replaced.  The truly sealed
style with the electrolyte in a bag seems to work out so far, tho.
Tim Tomlinson
West Central Illinois
----- Original Message -----
From: Rich Barber <barber@xxxxxxxxx>
To: John Hertog <crossram@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <pennsy300@xxxxxxx>; <chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, September 13, 2004 10:20 PM
Subject: [Chrysler300] To Kill A Battery


> I must agree with John.  I bought an inoperable 6V clock on eBay for my
> 1955 C-300 and then bought a lantern battery to power it as I nursed it
> back to health.  I lubed the clock using a grandfather clock oiler kit
> that has a long hollow needle attached to a clear squeezable tube of
> clock oil.  The points were like new and worked perfectly from the start
> and I quickly got the clock going, but I couldn't get it to run quite
> fast enough using the manual adjustment on this clock.  I let it run a
> couple of weeks, then relubed everything that looked like a bearing or
> relative motion point.  I must have got the last zerk as it then started
> running too fast and was easily regulated.  I monitored the battery
> voltage with a digital meter and it never dropped even 0.01 volt in
> several weeks use.
>
> Some car and boat batteries can discharge when totally removed from the
> car or boat during a long period of non-use.  Others hold up quite
> well.  I think a battery in pretty good shape with a full charge has a
> better chance of staying alive without being recharged, but I also feel
> it is worthwhile bringing any battery to a place where they can be
> monitored and trickle charged or recharged occasionally during periods
> of non-use.  Discharged lead-acid batteries can sulfate off and never
> perform properly again.  Why buy a new battery every year?
>
> The clock I bought is stamped "THE NEW HAVEN CLOCK AND WATCH CO.
> U.S.A."  We don't see that last part on cars much any more.  The clock
> is also nicely date-stamped "APR 8, 1955", nearly a month after  my car
> was born.  There is a slot on the IBM build card for my car to indicate
> if it was originally equipped with "ELEC. CLOCK".  It was not.  But it's
> gonna be!  I like that old tic-tic-tic, kchunk--it reminds me of 50's
> music like Shhh-Boom (1955).
>
> By the way, has anyone found a source of dayglo orange paint to touch up
> the faded hands of a 1955 clock?
>
> Thanks and MoPa'r to ya from
>
> Rich Barber
> Brentwood, CA
> C-300  (Got the Remington L78's mounted and balanced on wire wheels
> today--wheels and tires also non factory issue for this car, but wheels
> were a dealer-installed option.  The Goodyear guy gets glazed eyeballs
> when I ask about 8.00:15 Bluestreaks with 3" WSW.  One tire took 10.5
> ounces to balance, others took 3-5 ounces.  All mounted on inside rim
> for esthetics.  The tire guy that did the job is a big MoPar fan and
> gave me a real break on labor and new tubes.  Had to wrap the repro
> hubcaps with weatherstrip to avoid rattling.  Bornstein's caps look
> great, but the attaching springs are mislocated by about 1/8".  This car
> really draws car guys young and old and I love to show it and tell about
> it.)
>
>
>
> John Hertog wrote:
>
> >Hi Terry,
> >
> >I beg to differ.  I always leave the battery connected in my 300G rag
over
> >the winter; probably because I am too lazy to disconnect it. After 3,4,
or 5
> >months of sitting, the battery is still good, the clock is still going
> >"Tchunk - tic - tic - tic " , and, since the "G" has an electric fuel
pump,
> >it starts right up even after a long period of time . I also believe
(maybe
> >wrongly) that keeping the clock running may help to preserve its
mechanical
> >integrity. It can't draw much power, the clock...
> >
> >Of course, one could easily hook up a trickle charger to the car, even
with
> >battery disconnected, and that would be enough to keep the clock
operating
> >thru the long (ugh) winter months.
> >
> >Buy you a beer in Maine...
> >
> >John Hertog
> >Sag Harbor NY
> >
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: <pennsy300@xxxxxxx>
> >To: <chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >Sent: Monday, September 13, 2004 8:05 PM
> >Subject: [Chrysler300] Clocks
> >
> >
> >Interesting reading on the clocks in our Brutes.  One comment:   for
those
> >of
> >us who use our cars primarily for intertainment, and may have them  set
for
> >two or three weeks at a time without starting, the constant winding of
the
> >clock can run down the battery.  I think that the quartz clock
mechanisms
> >use so
> >little current that that should never be a problem.   Terry McTaggart,
some
> >seven days before heading off to  Maine.
> >
> >
> >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
> >
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