The Ford Barn

Old Redneck · 02-20-2017, 04:44 PM

I know I have the battery hook up correct red to pos. black to neg. 6 volt battery out of car. Why is it blinking red? I have another 6 volt trickle charger and it does the same thing.

TagMan · 02-20-2017, 05:01 PM

As I recall, my Battery Tender instructions says it blinks during the last 20% of the charge cycle. You might want to check the instructions for your charger.

Old Redneck · 02-20-2017, 05:31 PM

This blinks Red when you first hook it up. It could be a problem with the battery I just wonder if anyone else had this problem.

petehoovie · 02-20-2017, 05:38 PM

Battery might not be rechargeable - it might have an internal short....

If you short the leads of the charger together, does it blink red? > Unplug the charger, short its leads together and then plug it back in. Does the charger blink red when you do this?

waterboychuck · 02-20-2017, 05:42 PM

Does your charger have a sticker on it indicating what your problem is?

Old Redneck · 02-20-2017, 06:12 PM

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Yes its reads not hook up proper. I put the red on pos. and black on neg.

V8COOPMAN · 02-20-2017, 06:24 PM

Is the battery DEAD, or really LOW-charge? If so, maybe you need to hook-up a second healthy battery to the bad one in parallel (POS to POS, and NEG to NEG) to charge the pair. Sometimes, these chargers need to see some "sense voltage" for a reference. DD

BUBBAS IGNITION · 02-20-2017, 06:27 PM

My old charger blinks red when it is hooked up backward. Have ya tryed that ??

Ross F-1 · 02-20-2017, 06:39 PM

Just happened to a friend of mine. Turns out there is a fuse in the harness connected to the battery for quick hook-ups (this was on a motorcycle). The fuse was blown.

Old Redneck · 02-20-2017, 06:45 PM

Yes I hook the RED to POS. Black to NEG. I tried it both ways and still does the same thing. It works great on another 6 volt battery. It must be the battery? If you buy a battery from 3 A.s they give you a 6 year warranty 3 full years and 3 years pro rated. That the best I have found. Now I have not tried on a 6 volt battery but I soon will. Plus they bring the battery to your house and install it. The battery was cheaper then Auto ZONE. Now that was a 12 volt battery for our Chrysler.

Old Redneck · 02-20-2017, 06:53 PM

One more question do you leave your Battery Tender hook up to the battery all the time? Will it hurt the battery to leave it hook up all the time?

cmbrucew · 02-20-2017, 07:07 PM

Redneck
Check your battery with a VOM. Possible reverse charge on battery
Bruce

Old Redneck · 02-20-2017, 07:11 PM

Never though of that but the battery was in the car correct. PoS. post to ground and Neg. post to starter. The battery was in the car when I got it.

Old Redneck · 02-20-2017, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BUBBAS IGNITION

My old charger blinks red when it is hooked up backward. Have ya tryed that ??

It blinks RED both ways hook up. If I hook it up backwards it blinks RED also

OLD AS I · 02-20-2017, 08:14 PM

Thats happened to me a few times, seems battery was to low to use my normal charger so I connected a mini charger, trickle charger for a few hrs then went back to my normal charger and it worked

Marcus · 02-20-2017, 08:50 PM

Redneck - As you know, I have a whole fleet of vehicles, ranch equipment, etc: I have 10 or 12 of the Schaumacher battery maintainers, and rotate them from vehicle to vehicle, sometimes leaving them on for weeks at a time with no issues. You need to make sure yours is the type that turns off automatically when the battery reaches a certain charge (usually 90%). If it is a regular charger, it will continue to charge and ruin the battery. Now to your specific questions: if the charger does not "see" any charge, it will automatically "blink red" indicating a bad battery. You can determine if this is the case by simply putting a regular charger on the battery for 30 minutes, then reattach your trickle charger - if it continues to blink red, then in all probability the battery needs replacing. If it now shows charging - continue to charge until you are ready to put it back n the car and try it. If you want another method (and this is how to recharge a deeply discharged Optima) - do as V8Coopman suggests with a good battery. I have Optima batteries in virtually everything on the ranch, most of them many years of age and this is how I recharge one when Mr. Dummy (me!) allows one to become excessively discharged. Hope this helps!

Bored&Stroked · 02-20-2017, 09:12 PM

I have a trickle charger - it ALWAYS blinks red when first hooked up (means it is charging). Then it switches to solid green when it is charged

waterboychuck · 02-21-2017, 09:22 AM

Yes you should use a battery maintainer. I have a 2004 Lund boat that has 3 batteries in it. When I bought the boat I put the maintainers in it and the batteries are still good to this day.

woodiewagon46 · 02-21-2017, 09:29 AM

Redneck, I'm just "grasping at straws", here but perhaps the positive ground has something to do with it? What happens if you disconnect everything and try to charge it alone?

V12Bill · 02-21-2017, 11:11 AM

I have a battery tender for my PU and use it when ever the truck is in the garage, including from Nov. until Apr. When I first plug it in it is usually red, and after 10 to 30 minutes it turns to green. I had called the manufacturer and they said that this is normal and not to be concerned. My light is a steady red or a steady green, it does not blink.

02-20-2017, 04:44 PM	#1
Old Redneck Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Waynesburg,Pa. Posts: 1,910	My Trickle charger blinks red? I know I have the battery hook up correct red to pos. black to neg. 6 volt battery out of car. Why is it blinking red? I have another 6 volt trickle charger and it does the same thing.

02-20-2017, 05:01 PM	#2
TagMan Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Alvaton, Kentucky, USA Posts: 955	Re: My Trickle charger blinks red? As I recall, my Battery Tender instructions says it blinks during the last 20% of the charge cycle. You might want to check the instructions for your charger.

02-20-2017, 05:31 PM	#3
Old Redneck Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Waynesburg,Pa. Posts: 1,910	Re: My Trickle charger blinks red? This blinks Red when you first hook it up. It could be a problem with the battery I just wonder if anyone else had this problem.

02-20-2017, 05:38 PM	#4
petehoovie Senior Member Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 8,137	Re: My Trickle charger blinks red? Battery might not be rechargeable - it might have an internal short.... If you short the leads of the charger together, does it blink red? > Unplug the charger, short its leads together and then plug it back in. Does the charger blink red when you do this? __________________ The only thing nice about being imperfect is the joy it brings to others.... *"Silver rings, your butt! Them's washers!"* "We shot our way out of that town for a dollar's worth of steel holes!" - from 'The Wild Bunch' - 1969 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NReUd2_0u0 Last edited by petehoovie; 02-20-2017 at 06:09 PM.

02-20-2017, 05:42 PM	#5
waterboychuck Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Nine Mile Falls,WA Posts: 900	Re: My Trickle charger blinks red? Does your charger have a sticker on it indicating what your problem is? __________________ The sign of a good craftsman is how well they cover up their mistakes.

02-20-2017, 06:12 PM	#6
Old Redneck Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Waynesburg,Pa. Posts: 1,910	Re: My Trickle charger blinks red? Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Yes its reads not hook up proper. I put the red on pos. and black on neg.

02-20-2017, 06:24 PM	#7
V8COOPMAN Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: East Shore of LAKE HOUSTON Posts: 11,113	Re: My Trickle charger blinks red? Is the battery DEAD, or really LOW-charge? If so, maybe you need to hook-up a second healthy battery to the bad one in parallel (POS to POS, and NEG to NEG) to charge the pair. Sometimes, these chargers need to see some "sense voltage" for a reference. DD __________________ *Click Links Below* __ ▼ *'35-'36 W/8BA & MECHANICAL FAN* *T5 W/TORQUE TUBE*

02-20-2017, 06:27 PM	#8
BUBBAS IGNITION Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: SPEEDWAY INDIANA Posts: 4,148	Re: My Trickle charger blinks red? My old charger blinks red when it is hooked up backward. Have ya tryed that ?? __________________ If it Makes Spark, we do it !!!! www.bubbasignition.com [email protected]

02-20-2017, 06:39 PM	#9
Ross F-1 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: NM Posts: 2,438	Re: My Trickle charger blinks red? Just happened to a friend of mine. Turns out there is a fuse in the harness connected to the battery for quick hook-ups (this was on a motorcycle). The fuse was blown. __________________ '52 F-1, EAB flathead

02-20-2017, 06:45 PM	#10
Old Redneck Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Waynesburg,Pa. Posts: 1,910	Re: My Trickle charger blinks red? Yes I hook the RED to POS. Black to NEG. I tried it both ways and still does the same thing. It works great on another 6 volt battery. It must be the battery? If you buy a battery from 3 A.s they give you a 6 year warranty 3 full years and 3 years pro rated. That the best I have found. Now I have not tried on a 6 volt battery but I soon will. Plus they bring the battery to your house and install it. The battery was cheaper then Auto ZONE. Now that was a 12 volt battery for our Chrysler.

02-20-2017, 06:53 PM	#11
Old Redneck Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Waynesburg,Pa. Posts: 1,910	Re: My Trickle charger blinks red? One more question do you leave your Battery Tender hook up to the battery all the time? Will it hurt the battery to leave it hook up all the time?

02-20-2017, 07:07 PM	#12
cmbrucew Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: North of sandy ago, CA. Posts: 2,064	Re: My Trickle charger blinks red? Redneck Check your battery with a VOM. Possible reverse charge on battery Bruce __________________ Works good Lasts long time

02-20-2017, 07:11 PM	#13
Old Redneck Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Waynesburg,Pa. Posts: 1,910	Re: My Trickle charger blinks red? Never though of that but the battery was in the car correct. PoS. post to ground and Neg. post to starter. The battery was in the car when I got it.

02-20-2017, 08:14 PM	#15
OLD AS I Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Oakwood, ON Canada Posts: 251	Re: My Trickle charger blinks red? Thats happened to me a few times, seems battery was to low to use my normal charger so I connected a mini charger, trickle charger for a few hrs then went back to my normal charger and it worked

02-20-2017, 08:50 PM	#16
Marcus Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Walnut Grove, Mississippi Posts: 606	Re: My Trickle charger blinks red? Redneck - As you know, I have a whole fleet of vehicles, ranch equipment, etc: I have 10 or 12 of the Schaumacher battery maintainers, and rotate them from vehicle to vehicle, sometimes leaving them on for weeks at a time with no issues. You need to make sure yours is the type that turns off automatically when the battery reaches a certain charge (usually 90%). If it is a regular charger, it will continue to charge and ruin the battery. Now to your specific questions: if the charger does not "see" any charge, it will automatically "blink red" indicating a bad battery. You can determine if this is the case by simply putting a regular charger on the battery for 30 minutes, then reattach your trickle charger - if it continues to blink red, then in all probability the battery needs replacing. If it now shows charging - continue to charge until you are ready to put it back n the car and try it. If you want another method (and this is how to recharge a deeply discharged Optima) - do as V8Coopman suggests with a good battery. I have Optima batteries in virtually everything on the ranch, most of them many years of age and this is how I recharge one when Mr. Dummy (me!) allows one to become excessively discharged. Hope this helps! __________________ WARM REGARDS, MARCUS

02-20-2017, 09:12 PM	#17
Bored&Stroked Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Central Ohio Posts: 5,067	Re: My Trickle charger blinks red? I have a trickle charger - it ALWAYS blinks red when first hooked up (means it is charging). Then it switches to solid green when it is charged

02-21-2017, 09:22 AM	#18
waterboychuck Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Nine Mile Falls,WA Posts: 900	Re: My Trickle charger blinks red? Yes you should use a battery maintainer. I have a 2004 Lund boat that has 3 batteries in it. When I bought the boat I put the maintainers in it and the batteries are still good to this day. __________________ The sign of a good craftsman is how well they cover up their mistakes.

02-21-2017, 09:29 AM	#19
woodiewagon46 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Long Island,NY Posts: 1,555	Re: My Trickle charger blinks red? Redneck, I'm just "grasping at straws", here but perhaps the positive ground has something to do with it? What happens if you disconnect everything and try to charge it alone?

02-21-2017, 11:11 AM	#20
V12Bill Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mt. Holly,NJ Posts: 1,822	Re: My Trickle charger blinks red? I have a battery tender for my PU and use it when ever the truck is in the garage, including from Nov. until Apr. When I first plug it in it is usually red, and after 10 to 30 minutes it turns to green. I had called the manufacturer and they said that this is normal and not to be concerned. My light is a steady red or a steady green, it does not blink.