Hot Battery? Overcharging?

...I would put a VoltMeter on the Battery and See just how many Volts are being crammed into it. I believe 14.5 Volts should be the Maximum, with the Engine Revved Up! Any Reading Higher; and Yes! You're Overcharging!...

P.S. Welcome to the Wonderful World of Pride In Pantera Ownership!

Hello Marlin and thanks for the warm welcome! I forgot to mention that I did put a volt meter and revved up the engine and it stayed in the 12-14 volt range. I am not sure if the amp gauge being pegged at 75+ is telling something or if the battery got hot from the hot air behind the radiator heating the front trunk compartment? The guy at auto zone said I may want to return the new battery and have them swap it out? I just don't think that's the problem

As Marlin mentioned, check the voltage at the battery when revving a little, when I had a similar problem, I was getting 18V at 3500rpm - the battery boiled over severely.

I replaced both my Voltage Regulator, and my Ammeter - replaced it with a Volt Meter. Now the charge voltage doesn't go over 14.5v.

The Ammeter is a weak point in these cars as all of the current from the Alternator goes through it on the way to the battery, even the slightest loose nut will cause arcing and you could end up with a small fire on your hands.

1) Check the charging voltage
2) Read the article on Pantera Place regarding the Ammeter. Consider either replacing it, or putting in a shunt.
3) Get a plastic battery box (the type they sell at auto stores usually for RVs) - put your battery in it, cut notches for the hold down bar, and if the battery boils over, it will catch the acid rather than it ruining your carpeting up front (you can neutralize a any spilled acid with baking soda then rise it out and it's ready to use again)

Sounds good, I do have a battery box and I am going to check the ammeter out today.

I would also not automatically trust the Auto Zone diagnosis. I had Auto Zone diagnose a bad battery (I saw it read "bad"), that was a nearly new battery and a week or so later my same problem developed, that ultimately was a bad diode in the alternator. Different issue, just making the point that their diagnostic tools are not entirely reliable, and I would imagine testing a VR correctly would be way harder than testing a battery (though I can't say I could do any better). Keep us posted on what you find.

Check the current (amps) going into the battery. Could be your voltage regulator or maybe someone has installed a high output alternator.

Julian

Louie,

Carefully check the wiring between the voltage regulator and the alternator. Look for any loose or corroded connections, and frayed or broken wires, especially the field wire. Make sure that the voltage regulator is properly grounded.

John

I want to thank everyone for their suggestions today. Autozone swapped out the battery for free, I went ahead and changed the voltage regulator, changed the negative ground cable, put a new end on the positive side, put the battery in a plastic box but could not use the lid due to the hood. I put a volt meter on the battery and it stayed between 12-14 volts when revved. Then I started the car again and disconnected the negative cable and the car kept running so I new it was getting power so with the car still running I checked the volts coming from the regulator and they remained between 12-14 volts. I think since I do not have hood vents that the trunk temp from the radiator heat caused the battery to appear to be overcharging.
Perhaps I need to line the trunk with a product to help keep the trunk cooler?

If the battery was starting to ground out internally, it will give the exact symptoms you described, seen it before. Very glad you got the Battery swapped out, I've actually seen them blow acid all over the place, not pretty.

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I do not have hood vents that the trunk temp from the radiator heat caused the battery to appear to be overcharging.
Perhaps I need line the trunk with a product to help keep the trunk cooler?

There are plenty of cars out there without the vents, and discussions about whether they are effective or not. Before investing in a liner, you could put a thermometer up there, take a drive and see what happens (a wireless one would let you see the readout in the cabin so you know how warm it gets when you're stopped in traffic vs. driving on the freeway).

quote:

Originally posted by #5754:

quote:

I do not have hood vents that the trunk temp from the radiator heat caused the battery to appear to be overcharging.
Perhaps I need line the trunk with a product to help keep the trunk cooler?

There are plenty of cars out there without the vents, and discussions about whether they are effective or not. Before investing in a liner, you could put a thermometer up there, take a drive and see what happens (a wireless one would let you see the readout in the cabin so you know how warm it gets when you're stopped in traffic vs. driving on the freeway).

The thermometer is a great ideal! I will want to try that. I took the car out today and now it seems fine. The ammeter stays at 0 amps when the radiator fans are off and when the fans are on it reads between 60-75 amps. I also installed a new radiator fan rely because the passenger side fan was not working. I used a 30amp relay meant for fog lights since I could not find the original. I think it should be okay.