Trany, starter or neutral switch???

Just to clear a few things up,...A fully charged battery will read 12.6 volts or more. If it reads more, it has what is called a surface charge. When batteries are load tested, the surface charge should be bled off (by putting a load across the battery for about 15 - 20 seconds) to get the unloaded voltage down to 12.6 volts before testing begins. Many techs who test batteries skip this step. A fully discharged battery (unloaded) reads approx. 11.6 - 11.8 volts, not 6 volts as previously mentioned (unless it has a dead cell - in which case the battery is no good and will not be able to hold a charge). When a battery is charged, the electrolyte is Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) That's 2 parts Hydrogen, 1 part Sulfur and 4 parts Oxygen. The plates are made of sponge lead. As the battery discharges, a chemical reaction takes place and the sulfur combines with the sponge lead to create lead sulfate. The electrolyte changes properties and becomes a higher percentage of water (H2O). A fully discharged battery has the highest percentage of water vs. Sulfuric acid. This is why it freezes at a higher temperature. There is no chemical reaction going on in the battery to produce any heat unless it is being charged or discharged. Sulfuric acid has a lower freezing point than water. It should also be mentioned that the longer a battery remains in a discharged state, the harder it becomes to break the sulfur loose from the lead. Some of the sulfur will remain attached and the battery looses some of its capacity. This is what is referred to as "the battery is sulfated".   So when storing your battery for the winter, make sure it is fully charged.

Yes, 79, you are right! I was talking about lead acid batteries in the above post. I haven't studied the newer battery technology yet, it was covered when I went to school at Florida Community College of Jacksonville yet. I only wanted to point out that a 12 volt battery that is reading only 6 volts (unloaded) has a far worse condition than only being 1/2 charged. It would have to have dead cells (more than one). It would be completely unrecoverable and no amount of charging will bring it back.


You are dead on with the charging system. In fact most alternators built today have their internal voltage regulators set between 13.8 and 14.2 volts. I've even seen a few put out up to 14.5.

Hmmmm?? water/sulfer mix very old, today not the same?????????? no current flow no heat no energy loss,no reaction,still stored as????, poticial(SP) energy not transfer to kenetic, still potencial (sp) energy no load no lose stays same????????????? no reaction occurs, already at maximum potencial(sp)??????????????? waiting for kenetic release,,,, current, amps, draw, load?????? where it come from???? key turn????????????



Man it's late