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Battery problems

old guys rule

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My battery trips off my battery charger. Voltage reads 12.1 from sitting. Checked for current draw got nothing. Resistance across the battery unhooked is open. When I hook up the charger the positive lead gets hot. With positive lead hooked up I get a lot of spark hooking up the negative lead. Normally I would get a small single Spark from the msd radio frequency capacitor discharging, but now I get lots of spark like when you hook up the positive lead. Any help would be appreciated. The car has been setting so I don't see what has changed.
 
Short inside the battery?
 
It’s causing your charger to trip out and it’s causing sparked when you connect it. Positive is to be connected first to eliminate sparks when you connect the negative, if it’s still doing it then the battery has to be the issue. Have you disconnected the battery from the car?
 
Plates in a cell has shorted due to plates sulfating and warping.
Time for a new battery
 
It’s causing your charger to trip out and it’s causing sparked when you connect it. Positive is to be connected first to eliminate sparks when you connect the negative, if it’s still doing it then the battery has to be the issue. Have you disconnected the battery from the car?
Yes. I have been letting the car sit with the positive cable on but the negative cable off figuring if there is no ground then the positive cable is not hot
 
Yes. I have been letting the car sit with the positive cable on but the negative cable off figuring if there is no ground then the positive cable is not hot
I would disconnect the positive cable and then hook up the charger and see what happens.
 
thanks, appreciate it. New battery is a lot better than troubleshooting the whole electrical system. Thanks again
Think I said it was a short in the battery????
 
I take the Guess work out. I dont like the hand held testers like Midtronics, I have proven them inaccurate. Give me good old U.S.A. tech. VAT 60 for the battery Scope for alternator wave form.

IMG_0594.JPG IMG_0323.JPG
 
I guess the only easy way to see what's different is to charge a known good battery and see what happens. If the good battery doesn't need charging, stick it in the car and go from there. Not the best way imo but it usually tells ya something....
 
My battery trips off my battery charger. Voltage reads 12.1 from sitting. Checked for current draw got nothing. Resistance across the battery unhooked is open. When I hook up the charger the positive lead gets hot. With positive lead hooked up I get a lot of spark hooking up the negative lead. Normally I would get a small single Spark from the msd radio frequency capacitor discharging, but now I get lots of spark like when you hook up the positive lead. Any help would be appreciated. The car has been setting so I don't see what has changed.

IF POSSIBLE, consider measuring the specific gravity of the electrolyte in each cell, using a hydrometer. A good specific gravity for a fully charged battery is: 1.260 - 1.270. As the battery discharges, the specific gravity will drop, such as 1.100. If you observe that one cell has a lower specific gravity, that cell is sulfated, likely due to plate deterrioration. The fix is replace the battery. If the battery is a maintenance free type or of AGM construction, they can be tested using the device previously noted. Just my opinion of course.
BOB RENTON
 
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