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Tue Sep 08, 2009 7:27 am

I was about to swap out my old battery with a newer one with better cranking amps and my buddy was concerned that it might be too much and I might fry wires?

Tue Sep 08, 2009 7:40 am

storage capacity is usually measured in amp hours (AH) the more ah the longer you can run crap off it. So really the more the merrier. As long as your batteries are 12v and wired in properly you won't have any issues.

Tue Sep 08, 2009 7:48 am

No, it will not fry wires. The amount of power going through the wires Amperage is determined by the voltage divided by resistance. The battery will be the same voltage and the starter (or whatever) will be the same resistance. What will change is the battery's ability to supply more power to more things at the same time e.g. headlights stereo and power amp plus starter. So no, it will not hurt anything.

ken

Tue Sep 08, 2009 7:48 am

thanks for the reply chazz

Tue Sep 08, 2009 8:17 am

Do yourself a favor here and if the battery cables are not close to 100% just replace them all (including the chassis ground strap) with new ones for about $20.

http://www.busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=113971235C

http://www.busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=111971225

http://www.busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=211971237B

Also you want the connections at the batery, alternator, voltage regualtor and the starter to be 100% clean and tight.

Tue Sep 08, 2009 10:06 am

Could there be a problem with the battery not getting full charge with a bigger battery? I'll be changing mine out soon as well.

Tue Sep 08, 2009 10:14 am

There is no problem at all with a bigger battery. Your starter and other things will work better than ever. Your alternator or generator will have no problem charging it.

The only possible problem is the size and weight of the battery, if you take it to the point of being ridiculous and put in a dump truck battery or something. But your electrical system won't care.

If you want a better battery that is no bigger than the original try an Optima. They are expensive but work excellent.

Tue Sep 08, 2009 10:43 am

I replaced the negative cable and the battery had it running for about 20 seconds, WHOOO!. and then it died again... time for a new thread

Tue Sep 08, 2009 10:58 am

Sort of set the timng by eye to be about TDC or slightly after. It will start, it won't run well, but it will run long enough to set the timing using the timing light to get it closer.

Use your handy dandy volt meter on the fuel pump to see if it is getting 12 volts of juice after the engine starts. If it is not, make sure the little door inside the AFM unit is free to swing as that is what runs the fuel pump 8 seconds after the engine starts.

If it still doesn't work, it is time to troubleshoot the double relay.

http://itinerant-air-cooled.com/viewtopic.php?t=54...highlight=

Tue Sep 08, 2009 11:07 am

The guy i bought my bus from worked for Caterpillar. Since it didn't have a battery he threw in a CAT battery that they used for their tractors and other heavy equipment. He said the thing will be able to handle anything i threw at it and should last a very long time. And he gave it to me for free, everyone loves free new batteries! ;)

I never checked the specifics of the battery so i can't prove his statements. And i know, never believe a word the seller says, but he was talking about CAT, not the bus.

Either way i like having that giant logo to the side of my engine, it's very simple looking. I hate things covered in stickers and other eyesores. And most people who see it think "Good God where the hell did you get that?!" haha, very satisfying.

Your motor will pull what it needs, a bigger battery will just be able to supply energy longer. Changing all the battery cables is a good idea. I should do that :? ...

Tue Sep 08, 2009 2:24 pm

Have you checked to see if you have water in the exhaust? Water would be an indication that the battery isn't sized right for your bus. The voltage produced by your alternator will at times combine with free flowing electrons in the air and the result is H2O. I'd go check that asap.

Tue Sep 08, 2009 2:28 pm

i run an rv/marine battery in my 77. its pretty big and i have no problems. charges fine and fries nothing.

Tue Sep 08, 2009 3:37 pm

We have run Optima batteries in every car we own for as long as I can remember. Including high compression big block American iron. The best story I can tell you is that two years ago my wife and I took my son's '71 bus from Ormond Beach, FL to Atlanta. About an hour out of Atlanta the generator light came on. I stopped and the belts etc were fine. I had the generator tested when we pulled into town and it was toast. Of course no one could get a gennie in less than a day or two (I could probably do it in a few hours now but we were still new VW folks then). I drove around Atlanta for a couple days, never used the radio and the driving was in the daytime. I bought a spare Optima for the drive home. We left Atlanta at 0:DARK:30 and drove almost to the Florida border with headlights on and had to pull over and put the new battery in. These batteries are great. I charged the "dead" Optima and it is still in my daughteers car.

Tue Sep 08, 2009 4:06 pm

dirtydan wrote: i run an rv/marine battery in my 77. its pretty big and i have no problems. charges fine and fries nothing.

Is that for your 'primary' battery? or for your aux?

I would not suggest a deep cycle battery for a 'primary' use. But what the hell.....it's about the CCA!

You can never have 'too much cowbell'...

Tue Sep 08, 2009 4:15 pm

aeromech wrote: Have you checked to see if you have water in the exhaust? Water would be an indication that the battery isn't sized right for your bus. The voltage produced by your alternator will at times combine with free flowing electrons in the air and the result is H2O. I'd go check that asap.
Huh?! :? I thought you had to have hydrogen and oxygen atoms to get water. Now I know it's voltage plus electrons! :wink: All that science edumakayshun down the drain :lol:

Tue Sep 08, 2009 4:18 pm

aeromech wrote: Have you checked to see if you have water in the exhaust? Water would be an indication that the battery isn't sized right for your bus. The voltage produced by your alternator will at times combine with free flowing electrons in the air and the result is H2O. I'd go check that asap.

:lol: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha :lol:

(In case you didn't get the joke.... water from your exhaust is normal when cold, and has nothing to do with your electrical system)

Tue Sep 08, 2009 4:25 pm

aeromech wrote: Have you checked to see if you have water in the exhaust? Water would be an indication that the battery isn't sized right for your bus. The voltage produced by your alternator will at times combine with free flowing electrons in the air and the result is H2O. I'd go check that asap.

Hell, I missed this non-sense......post that idiocy over at jref....if you can prove that BS you might get $1,000,000! :D

http://forums.randi.org

Tue Sep 08, 2009 4:55 pm

I think Mech is just messin' with us..... Or maybe he's breathed in too much JP4 fumes. 8)

Tue Sep 08, 2009 5:14 pm

I had made a couple of posts earlier concerning water in the exhaust Im sure he was making fun of me. Sorry

Tue Sep 08, 2009 6:39 pm

Meanwhile back to the original thread idea. Here is my Batteries.