As springtime arrives and you have been waiting weeks if not months to drive your classic car. You turn the key and instead of a V-8’s roar, the only sound your car makes is click-click-click-click. Venturing into your garage for an early morning drive only to hear the sickening whine of a dying starter motor puts an anticlimactic end to any driving adventure before it begins. Battery maintenance of your lead-acid battery is not vintage motoring’s most exciting aspect.
Unfortunately, though, it is necessary for classic cars that might sit dormant for long periods of time between excursions. Weeks and months of downtime can result in battery discharge. The good news is that maintaining a battery is easy and inexpensive.
The wet cell lead-acid battery has not changed all that much since its introduction in the 1800s and neither has the maintenance of adding distilled water, cleaning up corrosion and charging. Lead plates inside the battery react with electrolyte or battery acid to store and discharge electricity. Sulfuric acid vapor and hydrogen gas can exit the battery vents as a byproduct of charging. Resulting battery terminal and post corrosion can interrupt incoming and outgoing current flow. Cleaning up the terminals and posts can help keep corrosion at bay. Corrosion, time, cold temperatures, mystery shorts or a recalcitrant map light can discharge a battery between drives.
Modern lead-acid automotive batteries offer more cranking power, longer life, and less maintenance – thanks to sealed cases – than traditional batteries. But even Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) and Gel batteries, both of which stabilize the electrolyte and eliminate adding water, still require periodic post and terminal cleanup. Classic car purists often stick with the traditional-appearing, basic black lead-acid battery for aesthetic reasons. Spending time and money on a period-correct restoration and bolting in a red topped battery under the hood just is not right. Original-appearance or restoration-specific AGM and Gel batteries are available, but chances are great that a wet cell lead-acid battery provides your classic car’s spark.
Assuming your classic car’s charging system is in working order, avoiding a dead battery in the dawn before cars and coffee or at sunset after a long and winding drive is simple. Maintain and clean the battery terminals and posts. Add distilled water to the cells as needed. Charge the battery using a 2–10-amp charger after a load or voltage test. If your classic car or motorcycle sits under cover or in the garage for extended time periods, nothing beats the slow or trickle charger – a determined device that not only keeps the battery charged but also helps prevent battery-killing sulfation. Exercise through charging and occasional rest is a good cycle. With proper care and maintenance your lead-acid battery can provide years of faithful service.
BATTERY MAINTENANCE
Flooded batteries require more maintenance, but all batteries have needs. Lead acid batteries must be charged constantly to maintain that charge. Leaving a battery on the shelf for 6 months will degrade the battery, especially if it is in cold weather. You must protect your batteries from freezing. In severe cold weather a battery can freeze, which will short out the plates and the battery will no longer charge. When a battery freezes, the sides of the box will bulge.
Long-term storage or even a couple of days in frigid temperatures can weaken a batteries charge. A trickle charger can stabilize your battery’s power.
- Charging – When storing a battery long term, you should consider a trickle or maintenance charger. These low-amp chargers keep the battery from discharging over time without boiling the electrolyte, which can ruin the battery. There is another side to that coin though. A dead flooded (this does not work for gel or AGM types) battery that will not hold a charge can sometimes be “jump-started” by boiling the electrolyte with a heavy high-amperage charge. This is because over time and charge/discharge cycles, the electrolyte crystallizes (Sulfation) on the plates. Boiling the electrolyte can re-absorb those crystals, making the battery useful again. This does not work for batteries that have shorted cells. The process for reviving AGM batteries is a little more complex, involving multiple batteries chained together. AGM batteries need a better-quality charger than a standard flooded battery, Optima batteries offers an AGM-specific charger that doubles as a conditioner for long-term storage. Otherwise, a good, constant potential, voltage-regulated charger with the following rates- Charge / Absorption / Equalize between 13.8 – 14.6 volts @ 77°F (25°C), Float / Standby between 13.4 – 13.6 volts @ 77°F (25°C).
- Corrosion – Corrosion is a problem with all batteries, moisture, metal and electricity cause electrolysis, the same process at work inside the battery, but in an uncontrolled manner. That fuzzy stuff on your battery terminals is bad. It is the by-product of electrolysis, which is like rust for lead. Preventing it is simple and there are some methods that work better than others. You can buy the felt pads and anti-corrosion spray work, but not for awfully long. The key here is keeping moisture out while promoting a solid connection to the cables. A little Vaseline on the terminals goes a long way to protect against corrosion. Another solution is liquid electrical tape, which creates an airtight seal, but it must be cut off before removing the battery cable. When needed you can clean the terminals with a wire brush or a specialty terminal cleaner.
- Water Level – Flooded batteries require water to function, over time, the water level decreases. While many flooded batteries are labeled “maintenance free”, not all are. You should periodically check the water level in your battery. If the water is below the top of the water holes, add some distilled water. You must be careful, the water in the battery is highly-corrosive. AGM and Gel batteries do not require water maintenance.
- Cables and Terminals – The battery can only do its job when the connections are good. Corroded cables and terminals, loose fitting terminals, etc. limit the alternator’s ability to charge the battery and provide juice to the car. All terminals must fit tight, if you can wiggle it by hand, it is not tight enough. You must be careful with side-post terminals, as you can strip the threads and break into the case, causing electrolyte to leak out.
Regardless of the type of battery you choose, there will be some decision to be made. A daily-driven econobox does not need a high-performance lithium-ion battery, while a show car needs a battery that can sustain long periods of use without charging. Find the right battery for your needs and it will serve up the juice you need for a long time.
Replacing your battery should begin with removing the ground terminal. This helps reduce the chances of arcing to the body when removing the positive terminal.
Now is the time to access your battery wires and terminals. The bolt for the ground terminal on this car was rounded off.
A pair of pliers works great for removing the bolt from the molded wire end.
The new bolt is a perfect fit and will tighten up nicely. A loose terminal can mimic a bad battery, so always check your terminals first.
When installing the new battery, start with the positive terminal.
Monitoring and maintaining your classic car battery is a very simple process, and one that will make your regular cruising a bit more trouble free.
I had no idea that modern lead-acid vehicle batteries, with their sealed containers, outperform older batteries in terms of cranking power, lifespan, and maintenance requirements. I was parking my car in my driveway last night when the battery failed. Fortunately, it didn’t get me trapped in the middle of the road, but I urgently need a replacement so I need to get a car battery installation service in here ASAP because I need it for work. I appreciate the maintenance advice and will bear it in mind.
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