Most often over-charging is caused by the regulator. Use a volt meter
to check the voltage at the battery while the car is running. It should
be between 13 and 14.5 volts. It will normally take a while for the
'rotten egg' smell to start and the battery to boil over, that's why you
don't see it on short trips. The headlamps will easily pull between 15
to 20 amps so I don't think that your amp has done any damage. A '79
has an internal regulator so it is unlikely that a short in the wiring
has caused your alternator to 'full-field'. If its not taken care of
soon you can kiss the battery and the alternator good-bye. And be sure
to use the previous suggestion about the baking soda, because you could
end up replacing the battery box as well. If you don't feel comfortable
doing things yourself, check your local yellow pages for an auto
electric shop. They should be able to diagnose the problem and rebuild
the alternator if necessary.
Good luck!
Paul Mostrom
'77 spit
10 years NIASE Master Mechanic
-----Original Message-----
From: jak0pab@jak10.med.navy.mil [mailto:jak0pab@jak10.med.navy.mil]
Sent: Thursday, October 01, 1998 4:14 AM
To: Jjcousins@ra.rockwell.com; spitfires@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Help! Cooking Battery
John, I don't know about what is causing the problem but I do know this.
The battery acid that is spilling over will seriously damage your paint
and
burn you every time you bump into it. Take some Baking Soda and pour
over
it and this will neutralize the acid. Just my .02 worth.
At 08:16 AM 10/1/98 -0400, Jjcousins@ra.rockwell.com wrote:
>Fellow listers,
>
>On my last two trips home from work (~30-35 miles - backroads 90 mins),
I
>started smelling...rotten eggs! The first time, I couldn't locate the
>smell after I got her home. Last night, it happened again and I
tracked it
>to the battery. Yeah, it contains Sulfuric Acid. It was also hissing
>pretty good by the time I got it home. After about 2 hours it stopped,
and
>I noticed that it must have bubbled over the edge a little bit, too.
>
>So...what is this; OVERCHARGING? It doesn't seem to happen unless the
car
>is running for over an hour continuously - well, I guess it doesn't get
bad
>enough until that time. FWIW, I do have one accessory that may be
drawing
>~19 amps (may be peak, though), at least that's what the specs say (an
>amplifier that mysteriously seems to cut in and out a lot - it runs
fine
>when the car is off, though).
>
>Would the amp drawing too much current cause the overcharging? I doubt
it.
>Or...what else? Is it just the voltage regulator - and did I ruin it
by
>drawing too much current????
>
>Any help would be appreciated.
>
>John Cousins
>
>
>
Patrick Bowen
'79 Spitfire
Jacksonville FL
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