Morning coffee

[Edd505]

Hey some of us still need this to work on these vehicle that are over a half century old. 

[RICH MUISE]

I just learned of the passing of Bozo from Santa Rosa, NM. The "Bozo and the crew fun run" has been cancelled. There is a group that is starting a new annual "Tribute" car show, I think on the 12th. Bozo was a great guy, super talented. I had 4 or 5 conversations with him over the years. Santa Rosa will never be the same.

[CobraJoe]

Craziest thing happened today, my neighbor had left his chickens out and I heard them screaming in the yard; when I walked out of the shop, a bald eagle was attacking them.
First time I have ever seen a bald eagle around here, crazy.

[RICH MUISE]

That IS crazy. It must have flown in for the foliage change. Wildlife was almost non-existent when I lived there. I know a lot of it has been coming back from my visits. Very cool.

[mustang6984]

Guess I know where one of mine went. I have been down to only two lately...usually have 4 of them.
Tell him to get his backside back home and take car of these doggone mice!

[RICH MUISE]

Picked up my '57 from Tulsa yesterday and drove it home (400 miles). Ran great, but I noticed my voltmeter is down to 12 volts. I'll get the alternator checked out.

[gasman826]

We just got home from one of our annual Lake Michigan cruises.  The '57 was flawless except for one little scare.  We had just finished the scenic Tunnel of Trees (M-119) drive and finished a leisurely lunch at the Legs Inn restaurant in Cross Village, Michigan.  The restaurant and a gift shop were about the only business in this little one-block town...AKA middle of nowhere.  We jumped into the car and I noticed cranking was off just a bit but it started right up.  As my eyes passed over the gauges, the voltmeter was showing 13.4 volts.  Now 12.6-12.8 is enough but 14.0 volts is normal on this car.  I'm all set to panic when I realized I had left the headlights on...for two hours!  For safety, I had turned the lights on in the Tunnel of Trees and in the daylight I had walked away forgetting.  I've become so conditioned to late model vehicles with completely automatic lights that I am always forgetting to turn the lights off.  I have two aftermarket alarm kits to install in both my old cars but that upgrade just never makes the top of my to-do list.  I have been religious about replacing batteries with AGM Optima Red Tops and converting all the bulbs to LED.  I think the AGM battery and low draw LEDs saved our vacation.
PIC is a welcoming car possie in from of the infamous Doherty Hotel in Clare Michigan.

[RICH MUISE]

This is going to sound like a really dumb question, something I should already know, but it's just not clicking in this old brain......" What exactly is the voltmeter telling us?" I am thinking it's alternator/generator current output as a result of the draw.   

[CobraJoe]

It's measuring the voltage of your charging/electrical system. It will read the voltage of your "12" volt battery with the key on and the charging system voltage with the engine running. With out a daw or at a higher rpm, something in the 13V+ range.

[RICH MUISE]

Simple enough. Thanks.

[CobraJoe]

 

[RICH MUISE]

haha.re-reading this, I can't tell you how many times I've opened the hood and used my battery charger to see what the % of charge was. I never knew the voltmeter tells
you with the key on.

[djfordmanjack]

Gene Winfield used to say: Everyday's a school day. you are never too old to learn something new.

[RICH MUISE]

I have 3 of my small gages reading low. I'm suspecting a ground problem. If that's the problem, it'll be my first wiring issue. I thought I was having an alternator problem, but when I brought it to our local battery/generator guru, he hooked up his meter and asked what my gage was reading. I told him a tad over 12, and he showed me his gage at 14.2.
I feel like I sold a part of me last night. My "tools of my trade" machinist chest. Sold it off Craigslist. I was expecting some negotiation, but when he got to the house, he handed me the cash before he even looked at the tools!

[Edd505]

Gene Winfield used to say: Everyday's a school day. you are never too old to learn something new.

Dad said if you didn't learn something every day you wasted the day.