P.E. zinc is spelled zinc, as long as we're splitting hairs.

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ZINK :
http://www.s-hamilton.k12.ia.us/antiqua/zink.htm

Chris,

You are correct but zinc should be spelled with a K as should all words with a K sound. The letter C has to many different pronunciations.

P E H

When I said filling up with gas I guess I should have said "getting fuel" or filling up with "diesel". I didn't realize the shorthand would cause such a stir.

Anyway, I'll fill you all in, as you wait in suspense, as to what the problem is when I find out. The automatic door locks stopped working as well, maybe thats related, who knows. A lot of little things are starting to act up lately, its about time for drydock. I got my settlement from the city after the water company van fender bendered me. Pretty quick, less than one month all together, and less than ten days after faxing in the estimate.

Nope, its actually zinc plated lead sincs that make batteries do their thing..... and when zinc wears thin, the batteries go to hell - so it should probably be spelled "szinc", as in zinc plated sincs.

The less resistance in the starter circuit, the more voltage is applied to the coils of the starter motor, and thus the more torque, power, and rpm.

Each contact is a source of resistance. Possible contacts in the starter circuit are: Battery positive terminal, starter positive terminal, starter solenoid contact, starter brushes and commutator bars, starter negative terminal, contact of the starter housing to the motor, motor chassis grounding contact, battery chassis ground and battery negative terminal. Some starting circuits will vary...

Each wire in the circuit has resistance. When new, wire resistance is low enough to satisfy the Mercedes engineers. As wire ages, hidden corrosion may cause strands to break, leaving less copper to conduct the current, which thus raises its resistance. Mating surfaces of connectors can also corrode, leading to a similar rise in resistance as the surface area decreases.

The internal 'resistance' of a battery rises as it ages, due to chemical changes on the plates that decrease the effective area to exhange ions and conduct current. An old battery will thus produce less current through a given resistance in the external circuit.

Hope this is accurate, and hope it helps.

Best Regards,
Jim

Any zinc (k?) in a lead - acid battery would quickly be consumed by the sulphuric acid electrolyte.
IIRC, the lead plates in a lead - acid battery are pasted with lead compounds PbO, and PbSO4 (3?)
My chem is not that good, but I do know that spilling battery acid on galvanised iron removed the zinc from the steel.
just my 2c worth

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Tony from West Oz.
Fatmobile 3 84 300D 295kkm Silver grey/Blue int. 2 tank WVO - Recipient of TurboDesel engine.
Josephine '82 300D 390kkm White/Palamino int.
Elizabeth '81 280E, sporting a '79 300D engine.
Lucille '87 W124 300D non-turbo 6 cylinder OM603, Pearl Grey with light grey interior


Various parts cars including 280E, 230C & 300D in various states of disassembly.

Tony,

Tony, I agree there is no sinC in lead acid batteries. I use to recycle the lead from batteries and I never found any zinC in them.

It is not recommended to recycle lead at home from batteries anymore. The chemical that is put in the batteries to make them use less water makes a dangerous poison if the lead is melted.

P E H

i understand that. what i was saying is it doesnt need electricity to run. it uses heat.

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K,

Then the logical question would be: why didn't you say it ignites spontaneously from the heat caused by compression.

Actually MB Diesels use electricity to start by heating the GP and powering the starter motor. They just don't use a spark fro ignition.

P E H

Actually MB Diesels use electricity to start by heating the GP. They just don't use a spark

The Glow Plugs only assist the initial combustion by raising the temperature of the combustion chamber. They are not required if the engine is already hot. The Diesel fuel will self-ignite under the extreme compression from the piston. It needs no help from electricity to to this unless the engine is stone cold.

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1991 M-B 560SEL Arctic White/Grey 99,000 Miles
1987 M-B 300SDL Ivory/Palomino 229,000 Miles (sold but never forgotten)
2006 Volvo XC70 Blue/Beige
1999 Porsche Boxster Arena Red/Savanna Beige
1986 Porsche 928S Goldweiss/Brown

Well, I said I would get back to you and I will. I had to go out of town, about three hours each way, to a wedding, so I was naturall,y concerned about the cars ability to start.

Everything was fine until I was leaving the hotel to go to the wedding when the car wouldn't start. Taking your advice after being frustrated, I popped the hood, grabbed a full plastic bottled water, and knocked the starter upside the head. Hasn't had a problem since, and the locks still doen't work all the time, but work more often.

So, until the next time, I'm considering the case closed, at least until I need a new starter or solenoid.

JimH,

Your description of resistance circuits was accurate. One thing I would add is that the internal resistance of batteries also increases as a battery discharges. That is why the voltage gets lower when the battery discharges.

E=IR also works inside a battery. As the internal resistance increases, the voltage drop inside the battery increases and the output voltage decreases.

P E H