6 Volt Charging System Specs

[rockerarm]

Hey all, I have a customer who is into vintage cars. Recently he bought a '65 bug that still has the 6 volt electrical system. All his cars sit in a warehouse on battery tenders. Its been too many years since I've played with 6v electrics. He has a new Interstate 19L group battery installed. My question is, what is the minimum and maximum voltage that this 6v car can get away with? The following is a few of the specs if documented.
Battey voltage while the battery tender has charged to: 6.2 volts
Parrasitic drain: 0.1 volt
Full field the generator (w/o regulator): 18 volts
Voltage and amperage at B+ on regulator: 7.0 volts @ 10-15 amps

In comparing this data with the dark blue '61-'65 Bentley, I'm probably ok, but I really think I'd like to voltage at the B+ terminal to be about 7.5 volts. The car has a replacement Brazilian Bosch 45amp regulator.

Appreciate all input, but would like to hear from others in same category where original 6v car is used periodically and have addressed the charging system.

Thanks in advance, Bill

[EverettB]

[Hammarlund]

I agree with Everett. In my light blue Bentley, the Test Data table says that anything between 6.4 and 7.3 is considered normal, and 7.0 is right in the middle of that range. My car shows 7.2.

7.5 volts would thus be considered excessive. I would imagine the data in your table agree with this.

Incidentally, if your customer has been having battery trouble, tell him to try a six-volt Optima and see how he likes it. The overwhelming majority of us who use them consider them a superior battery even to the Interstate, although of course there are dissenters.
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Trying to diagnose electrical problems without paying attention to what the red light is telling you is like trying to play the piano without using your hands.

[rockerarm]

Wow, thanks for the reply EverttB. I am honored you gave me some input. Love this site! Back when I was a kid and just started at a dealer here in So Cal, the VWoA schools were weaning its techs from being true technicians to parts replacers. Gone were the days of repairing components at the dealership. VWoA wanted us to exchange with their rebuilt component. So, with that, was lost the art of being a true bumper to bumper tech. Where I am going with this is that nobody nowdays would adjust a voltage regulator to possibly help a scenario as this. I do have some old manuals and an air-cooled Porsche shop in town. Think I'll do some homework and chat with this Porsche guru and see what I can do to get a few more tenths of a volt. One thing I forgot to check was a voltage drop from volt reg B+ to the positive on the battery. Might find a couple tenths. Will probably also give the customer the option of trying a new regulator.

Hammerlund: thanks for the input. I did not know Optima made a 6v battery. Customer already paid $93 for the group 19L Interstate.

To put some icing on the cake, this guy has 3 GM and 1 Ford trailer queen cars plus this '65 bug. He's afraid to drive the previous 4 cars and I'm attempting to get the bug, which looks bitchen amongst these classics, as reliable as when it was new!

Thanks gents, Bill

[EverettB]

I re-read your post a little closer and was reading my shop manual and I am wondering if 7.0v might be normal at a load of 10-15 amps.

I don't see the specs. in there for that load.

I read it as 7.4v being the minimum but that is the no-load reading.

I haven't ever tried it as a load test on my own engines.

On the subject of the wiring:
On my own '63 (Bus in this case) I was able to squeeze a little more voltage out when read at the battery by cleaning up all the connections. I don't remember the exact readings. I also have new factory-style battery cables from Wolfsburg West but part of that is because it had some crappy hack-job looking cables on there when I bought it.
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