11DCV too much for automotive 12 volt starter 10

[frankiee]

I have heard that 12VDC auto starter batteries put in cars are designed to operate at 9 to 10 volts and that if a person puts too much battery in the car, the starter can go and not be covered under warranty. He said that the company said that cranking voltage of 11 volts was too high and his warranty was void. He then put the smaller recomended battery back in and he did not have any broken starters after that.
Is there any body that could confirm that starter motors are designed around 9 to 10 volts DC

Thanks

 

[dpc]

The starter may normally see something less than 12V, but I'm pretty sure it is rated to operate up to at least 12V if not above.

The thing about a starter motor is that it is not designed to run for very long - intermittent duty only.

But this story sounds like an urban legend to me. But I don't design starter motors, so maybe I'm wrong.

 

[jraef]

Yes frankiee, and I also have a bridge in New York City that I'd like to sell you, along with some prime swamp land in Florida!

Seriously, if anything the LOWER voltage would be a problem because the current draw would be higher than normal, however 11V is well within the normal range for a 12VDC motor. Typical motor design specs are + or - 10% of nominal, but I believe that automotive starters have an even larger range, i.e. 9 - 14V. Go look at a battery tester that includes a voltage scale and you will see a green bar that signifies "normal" that typically ranges from 9 - 15VDC. Car battery FAQ link

If I had to guess, I'd say you had a bad ground connection, and the guy took advantage of the situation to sell you a new battery, knowing that in the process of changing the battery he could fix the connection problem without your noticing. It's a common trick in the auto repair industry that I learned as a teenager working in a service station.

You might also consider posting this question in the Automotive forum (click here to go there -> forum108 ). There are some great folks in there and they have a lot more experience in that specialty.

Eng-Tips: Help for your job, not for your homework Read faq731-376

 

[TheBlacksmith]

Not to mention voiding your tire warranty by driving in the summer with the winter air still in them. Get real! This guy got snookered twice; once for no warranty on the starter and then for a new battery he didn't need.

Blacksmith

 

[waross]

Can I have the old battery? I'd love to have a 12 volt battery strong enough to damage a starter and I'm willing to take a chance on the starter.
yours

 

[Skogsgurra]

LOL ;-)

Gunnar Englund

http://www.gke.org

 

[stardelta]

Oh thats a good one, in fact its brightened up my week! Funnier than the guy who once insisted to me that by putting Helium in your car tyres you could go twice as fast. And its almost as funny as the time I saw a guy pour boiling hot water from a metal kettle onto a frozen car-wash pump in the middle of winter in an attempt to free it off. I thought it was a good idea at first, but then quickly realised it would have been an even better idea if he had isolated it first!! fortunatly he was ok, but man.....my ribs still hurt like mad when I picture him jumping and dancing about.
Frankiee? There is no truth in the statement at all. Standard car batteries all deliver 12v, what differs is the capacity, termed and measured in amp/hours. Fitting a higher capacity battery will do no harm to the starter-motor or car electrical system as they only draw what current they need to operate at 12v.

 

[frankiee]

Ok
I get the idea.
Just thought I would ask in case there was any truth to it.
Is that prime swamp land in Florida residential or commercial swamp land?
By the way, did anyone hear that it was so cold up in some of the lakes in Canada that the fish were growing hair on thier b..................... Well, I guess that story is one for the fishing forum.
Thanks people.

 

[aolalde]

That could be an old 6 Volt battery car design.

 

[jraef]

Well, 9 - 10V would still not be normal for a 6V battery, so I doubt it.

Residential swamp land frankiee. All the commercial swamp has been bought by Disney for a new theme park called KatrinaLand. They're building a ride that flings you at 105MPH into a swamp infested with real alligators and snakes, then strands you there. Your only hope of survival is dependant on FEMA. It's scarier than the Haunted House.

Eng-Tips: Help for your job, not for your homework Read faq731-376

 

[danw2]

"That could be an old 6 Volt battery car design."

Not really. I drove a 1963 1200cc VW bug for 3 years with its original 6V starter motor, but with the rest of the electrical system converted to 12V.

With the increased voltage, that starter turned over really fast, resulting in a very fast starting engine, and very short and intermittent useage. I doubt I turned the key to the start position for a even full second.

I also converted a 1955 Dodge Power wagon for a volunteer fire department with the 6v starter motor running at 12V. The starter motor ran fine for the 5 years that I lived in that town without any other service.

Dan

 

[fsmyth]

Dang youngsters. Nobody here old enough to remember 8 volt
batteries? T'was the only solution for slow/difficult
starting in early big V8's. Just tweak up the voltage
regulator a bit (you DO remember generators, don't you?),
and add a dropping resistor for the radio's vibrator.
Added benefit of better lighting.
I have, in the past, added batteries in parallel, run a
12v/24v starting system, and converted many 6V systems
to run on 12v, 12v systems to 24v, and NEVER changed the
starter unless it was faulty to begin with.
<als>

 

[itsmoked]

My Renault 10 had a whoopee! 10A generator. I changed it to a 32A alternator in a Crescent City motel parking lot.. While on my honeymoon....

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[bklauba]

Itsmoked:

Surely you could have thought of other things to occupy your time?

BK

 

[itsmoked]

LOL

That was a trip to remember..




R10 broke down 5 times. Five unrelated, different things.

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[UKpete]

Keith, pity there wasn't an Eng-Tips Renault forum in those days.

 

[bklauba]

Keith,

I wouldn't take that from UKpete, if I were you!

But, by the way, how is your ex-wife doing?

BK

 

[itsmoked]

You guys crack me up. lolo

We drove from Santa Cruz, CA up to Spokane to my Dads.

1) The oil line to the oil gauge broke and in 30 seconds
drained the oil pan all over the engine compartment(in back), in the middle of miles of orchards.

2) Then a ticking started that came and went.

3) The crank pulley sheared in half 40 miles from Spokane out in the middle of nowhere. We had to hike 20 minutes to a wheat farmers house thru Mt. St Helen's ash to call my Dad. He had to tow us to an ignoble greeting in town.

4) On the way out of town in Mosses Lake the knock came back so loud that we pulled into a Motel and spent an entire day pulling the top end off the engine. Never found the problem... Put it back together.. No knock.

5) Got back down to 30 miles from Crescent City in the middle of the thick Redwoods and the generator seized.. at dusk. Luckily my new bride figured out how to sting three sealed bearings on a bolt to replace the generator(4 the water pump) long enough to make it into town at 1 AM.. We took the only room we could find. There was the biggest healthiest 8" shelf fungus growing out of the shower wall.. But that's another story.

We are still happily married. Where else could she find so much entertainment?


Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.- <

http://www.flaminsystems.com>

 

[bklauba]

I wonder.

BK

 

[UKpete]

When I married we went on a tour of Scotland by train, nothing much happened though it did rain.

That sums me up really.