check the inverter

[Beverly II]

We have a 1972 Ambassador and the battery keeps dying. How do you check the inverter to see if it is working or bad.

[Rebee]

Disconnect one side of the battery. With a multimeter, check the voltage across the battery leads. The two cables that connect to battery. Should be about 13 to 14 volts dc.
The battery can be taken to most any automotive store and they can check it for you, in case you have a bad battery.

[Mexray]

I think you're referring to the 'Converter/Charger' unit - converts AC current to DC to charge the batteries...

1. With the AC OFF - check the voltage using a voltmeter at the battery terminals....

2. Turn the AC back ON to the converter and again check the voltage at the battery terminals - if the converter is working properly, you will see a noticeable rise in the voltage, close to 14 volts...

3. If no rise in the voltage at the battery terminals, check to make sure the heavy fuses in the fuse panel are good, and making contact - you can use your voltmeter on both sides of the fuses to see if the voltage is the same, showing that the fuses are good...

4. If converter is bad, check out the products at Bestconverter.com for a replacement - you can get a modern 3-stage type converter/charger that will help get longer service life out of your batteries...you can call Best Converter, and they will recommend what's best for your AS - they are experts at this stuff, I've bought two units from them, for our TC and the AS!

Ray

[bryanl]

If you are using the original converter, replace it.

The best thing you can do to get the most out of your battery is to get a converter that will properly charge the battery and properly maintain it during storage. Battery maintenance means keeping a full charge on the battery plus doing something to keep the electrolyte stirred up and inhibit sulfation.