The Unofficial "Ask a Stupid Question" Thread

[rampagingsloth]

If the car came from the factory with an AGM, get an AGM.

If the car came from the factory with a wet-cell, don't get an AGM.

It really is that simple.

That's interesting, why is that? I mean, at Costco returning the wiped out Optima battery for core I noticed some signage on the wall talking about how important it is for a modern car that comes with an AGM battery to get another AGM battery as a replacement. I went with a regular wet-cell battery to replace that Optima battery (more CCA, more CA) but does that mean that a car's electrical system is somehow optimized or designed for a particular type of battery? I had assumed that a charge was a charge, wouldn't matter where it originated from.

Big stereo's eat agm batteries. Liquid is better than gel.

I hadn't heard that though I wouldn't doubt it, all I'd heard (years ago) was that Optima batteries were powerful and useful for older cars that needed more juice. How do big stereos eat AGM batteries?

Regardless, as I said I went back to traditional battery for the replacement. I've noticed, by the way, that the car still shows a slightly lower charging on the Volts meter at idle (the needle usually now sits between the N and O of NORM), though not nearly as low as before, and it pops back to its usual place once the RPMs increase when I start driving (now between the R and M of NORM). I guess having a mauled battery that doesn't want to hold a charge for more than a day will reflect that in how the Volts meter is reading.

 

[Grog6]

It's a power density issue. When you draw a shitload of power from the battery it causes heat. A liquid electrolyte will eventually boil, and when that happens in an agm battery, it makes a bubble in the gel, and the low mobility of the electrolyte means the bubble doesn't go away quickly, if at all. Now it's trying to supply the same power from less area, so eventually have a dead cell, and a battery that won't charge.
Liquid batteries have much fewer gotchas like that.
forget the meter in the car, they're cheap as fuck. use a voltmeter.
Disconnect the battery, from the car; hook it to a good battery charger. charge it ~ 8-10 hours.
These are decent sites:

BU-804: How to Prolong Lead-acid Batteries

Battery University™ is a free educational website offering hands-on battery information.

batteryuniversity.com

https://impact-handling.com/knowledge-hub/impact-handlings-top-10-tips-lead-acid-battery-maintenance/

Doing that is an equalizing charge, all cells should be fully charged. cells are 2.25V, so a 12v batt, fully charged is 2.25x6 or 13.5v
I do the equalizing charge and add water at each oil change. The original battery in Lazarus lasted 14 years doing this.

 

[Derphound01]

but does that mean that a car's electrical system is somehow optimized or designed for a particular type of battery?

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: AGM was designed to deal with the draw of modern computer electronics and stop-start technology. They charge more like a deep cycle battery than a wet-cell. That's why cars with start-stop have AGMs since they have a starter load on them far more often than an older car. Their charging systems are computerized to charge it the best way possible at any given time.

Putting a modern AGM into an older car with a more traditional charging system won't kill it, but you won't be getting the optimal lifespan from the battery. BMW didn't switch to AGMs until nearly 2010. When I had my E46, it still had a wet-cell and the factory one lasted me eight years. Those I knew who switched to AGM barely got 3-4 years out of them.

Optimas are different in that they were designed with this in mind. They ate designed to charge in a way similar to a wet-cell. Red Tops are for your big engines and off-roaders that need extra starting power to crank the engine or starter crawl out of a ditch. Yellow Tops are for heavy electrical loads like stereos or lighting systems.

 

[Grog6]

Our charging system will charge a dead battery at 130A if its really low, and if it does that to an agm battery, it's wasted. Or it burns out your alt. I have boiled many batteries.
Also, never let one fall on its side or end. all the shit that sheds off the plates ends up in the bottom, and it will short the plates if it doesn't stay there. Agm batteries are great for off-road bikes, but none except my first had a batt at all.

 

[XR7-4.6]

You know I always wondered this but I definitively should know now that I spent four figures on a set…What’s the right way to pronounce Kooks???

eg like “cook” as in someone who makes lunch? Or like “kook” as in someone out to lunch?

 

[Grog6]

Idk either, but I use the second one; I've heard it that way. But this is tn,lol.
! 4 figures! damn, Last time I looked, it was "only" 800.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Idk either, but I use the second one; I've heard it that way. But this is tn,lol.
! 4 figures! damn, Last time I looked, it was "only" 800.

The SOHC ones are under a grand but not by that much

In fairness if you’re buying brand new headers these days even the cheaper ones like Pypes for Mustangs are almost $800. Hell Kooks Mustang headers cost a couple hundred bucks more than SCP!

1-3/4" Stainless Headers. 2005-2010 Mustang GT 4.6L 3V. Requires Kooks X-Pipe. | Kooks Headers & Exhaust

1-3/4" x 3" Stainless Steel Long Tube Headers. 2005-2010 Ford Mustang GT 4.6L 3V with Manual Transmission 16GA 304 Stainless Steel Construction Headers are one of the top performance parts added to vehicles. Kooks Headers improves your vehicles exhaust performance instantly.

kooksheaders.com

'93-95 4.6L DOHC SCP/Kooks 3/4 Length Torque Headers - 304 STAINLESS

<p>1 5/8" Primaries flow into a 2 1/2" Collector. Made from mandrel bent 304 STAINLESS Steel material. This purchase is for a PAIR of headers (right/left).</p>

www.supercoupeperformance.com

 

[Grog6]

I have a set for 2v. $300 on the old site.
They'll go on lazarus. I found 4v flanges, and the muffler shop said they'd weld on the flanges for 100.
Those are the ones I have, not the long ones.

 

[XR7-4.6]

I have a set for 2v. $300 on the old site.
They'll go on lazarus. I found 4v flanges, and the muffler shop said they'd weld on the flanges for 100.

They’re going to have to substantially reshape the primary tubes to fit the 4V flanges, they’re expanded on the Kooks to fit the wider shape

 

[CDsDontBurn]

Have any of you guys ever found out a (good) surprise that was intended for you, but was able to find out what it was before the surprise was supposed to be delivered / given to you?

If so, how did you guys react to the actual delivery of said surprise?

 

[Grog6]

Don't overthink it, and act surprised. I personally don't like surprises; I react badly to idiots jumping out to scare me ,lol. I was with my boss one day in'03,and this twit learned that lesson,lol. I found myself pinning him to the wall, and my boss was calmly telling him"haven't we talked about this? He told me later that he hoped it cured him. He later got fired for making a dry ice bomb.

 

[White Lincoln]

Have any of you guys ever found out a (good) surprise that was intended for you, but was able to find out what it was before the surprise was supposed to be delivered / given to you?

If so, how did you guys react to the actual delivery of said surprise?

If its from you wife or girlfriend, you had better act doubly suprised.

 

[White Lincoln]

Don't overthink it, and act surprised. I personally don't like surprises; I react badly to idiots jumping out to scare me ,lol. I was with my boss one day in'03,and this twit learned that lesson,lol. I found myself pinning him to the wall, and my boss was calmly telling him"haven't we talked about this? He told me later that he hoped it cured him. He later got fired for making a dry ice bomb.

Dang. I would not want to be standing behind you when someone yells "happy birthday!".

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

I don't remember which thread it was...but somewhere a little while ago, I was asking for information about Mark VIII wiring for the electronic shift indicator. The purpose was to figure out wiring for the 1996-only Taurus indicator, which would physically fit into the 1997 Thunderbird instrument cluster.

Here's an update:

I never located full Mark VIII (97/98) diagrams; however, I did locate the Taurus diagram which showed that the electronic indicator got its info directly from the neutral safety switch (which has 11 pins total). That got me to think.

I went on Rockauto and compared Mark VIII neutral safety switches with mine. Sure enough, it has 11 pins whereas mime only has 8 (only 6 of which are used).

Ergo, to make this indicator work, I would need a 97/98 Mark VIII neutral safety switch. Which is a bit too much...

 

[MadMikeyL]

It is more complicated than that. The MN12 switch is just a switch with multiple contacts. The later MarkVIII one used different resistances depending on the position, so the ECM won’t know what to do with the signal.

 

[Grog6]

i I had one of ours come apart, and it's a line of surface mount 1206 sized resistors. I think 10k each. It cracked,water got in, and they weren't 10k anymore. so it didn't work anymore. We had the same problem at my old job, in a PET/MR system. The detector was water-cooled, and up against the vacuum shell,around the magnet, in the bore where the patient goes. We used the MR for the body location info, and overlaid our PET info over that. we got very detailed 3d images of cancer. The detector acted as a 'cold sink', and attracted water, and quit working.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

If its from you wife or girlfriend, you had better act doubly suprised.

Damn. I need to take some acting classes between now and Christmas then...