When I was in the trade, most auto electricians used to provide an 'on vehicle' alternator & battery test free of charge. It only took 5 minutes to complete.
New battery flat after 8 days sittng
- Thread starter redsquash
- Start date
When I was in the trade, most auto electricians used to provide an 'on vehicle' alternator & battery test free of charge. It only took 5 minutes to complete.
Simple way would be just go in too a battery replacement company,they will pre-test the charging system,and battery then you know upfront,does any of the dashboard fault lights come on?,if not it will be the battery they always seem to burn out on the 2-3 year range when winter starts..imho..
10 minutes would be enough depending upon how low the battery is and if your charging system is good.
If it's that low, that you can't start the vehicle without a jump start then 10 minutes would not be long enough to bring the battery up so you could start it in a few days time.
Idling the car will not charge the battery sufficiently if its going to be a few days to a week until next restart. The vehicle needs to be at a minimum of 1500 rpm for the alternator's exciter diodes to kick in & regulator to work efficiently.
Yes the colder months put the battery's condition to the test, mainly due to a couple reasons -
1. Heavier load upon the charging system brought about headlights & windscreen wipers being used more often...
2. Colder temperatures greatly reduces the battery's specific gravity reading. This is also why you should not leave a battery sitting on a concrete floor while either storing or trickle recharging. If you have to sit it on the floor always sit in on cardboard to insulate it from the ground.
Btw....if you want to find out how old your battery is, and the sticker on top cant be read or has disappeared, it's usually stamped on or around one the terminals in the form of one number & one letter. Number represents year & letter (A-L) being the month.
I hope this helps.
great. thanks
Not in a postion to charge the vehicle or go on a long drive to charge car,
for the time being. I must assume i have a discharge/leak somewhere as the battery appeared fine from autoelectricain test.
So i have disconnectd the battery while not in use.
My question is:
What will happen to the battery if it isnt fully charged , ie it has a surface charge , (auto electrican comment) and keeps gong flat.
The main problem is I am very time poor for the next 6 weeks, I will then go back and get the auto elctrican to try to isolate the fault.
Once home in 2 months, i can put the battery on charge everynight very easily.
If I ignore the leak will this dramatically affect battery life given I would have the battery on charge eveyday once back in Brisbane.
Is it realistic to think they could spend 2 or3 hours easily trying to locate the fault throught the fuse box and still not find it.?
for the time being. I must assume i have a discharge/leak somewhere as the battery appeared fine from autoelectricain test.
So i have disconnectd the battery while not in use.
My question is:
What will happen to the battery if it isnt fully charged , ie it has a surface charge , (auto electrican comment) and keeps gong flat.
The main problem is I am very time poor for the next 6 weeks, I will then go back and get the auto elctrican to try to isolate the fault.
Once home in 2 months, i can put the battery on charge everynight very easily.
If I ignore the leak will this dramatically affect battery life given I would have the battery on charge eveyday once back in Brisbane.
Is it realistic to think they could spend 2 or3 hours easily trying to locate the fault throught the fuse box and still not find it.?
Get yourself to Supercheapauto or other website and get a battery charger. Use overnight as required (dad's ute used to do about 500 km annually. Battery was often flat. Charge it the night before you need the car or jump start it if it's a manual.
Car is automatic . I have a ctek charger but dont need 2 in brisbane,1100km away , but need 60 m of cable to get to nearest power outlet . getting battery out is a 15 min job btw rather than 2mins it normally takes
am in a public carspace . doesnt really get rid of the problem .
Most places will test the alternator and battery for free.
Dont necessarily trust them though.
My car is slow to crank sometimes and the RACQ have told me on several occasions that the battery is shot but I wasnt so sure so didnt do it.
I just returned from a few months away expecting the battery to be dead but the car started straight away, surely if the battery was shot as RACQ told me, a few months with no charge would have been the end of it.
slow to crank, can be corrosion build up on the starter terminal, 90 seconds with a shifter to undo it, a brush, and some wd40 after its done back up
head slap moment::
that can/may be the problem with the alternator
a 12 volt 50amp circuit must have less than 0.24 ohm to get 50 amps
e=IR >> R=e/i i=e/r where e is 12 and I is 50
an extra half ohm resistance due to corrosion at any terminal
i=12/.74 = 16a not enough to supply engine and lights and keep the battery charged
undo the alternator cable bolt, brush it, bolt it up, and waterproof it
worth the time anyway, well worth it if it works
No, not that either.
I'm getting a bit sick with this era of mechanics who cant be bothered finding a fault but instead want to just replace everything until the problem eventually goes away.
I'll wait for something to die, then I'll know.
So if its not the battery shot, its either your starter motor or worse still, engine's the problem.
Engine is fine, could be starter, could be lots of things according to various mechanics who want to replace everything in an expensive process of elimination.
I am happy to wait the several extra seconds longer that it takes to start and wait for something to die, then I will know.
This statement - as it relates to most mechanical workshops - is BS.
Most workshops are in the business of return customers and ongoing clientele...it is not in their interest to rip off a customer, just so the customer can then go out and tell 2,000 of their closest friends and strangers what a rip-off joint they went to....and they do.
And in spite of their best intentions, the mechanics still get slagged at every turn.
The reality is that when confronted with a problem which can have a range of possible causes, the mechanic will try to start with the cheapest and easiest to fix possible cause in an attempt to keep costs down for the customer.
If that doesn't work, then you move on to the next cheapest and easiest possibility.
Despite what the public thinks (and I know what their perceptions are), not all problems are clear-cut to diagnose, and there is no such thing as a 10 minute job (maybe a light globe change).
Is it really, you yourself said that they do exactly that
Sounds like replacing every part in a process of elimination to me.
I would have thought the cheapest method may be to do a test to find where there is resistance in the circuit but all anyone want to to is replace batteries, starter motors etc
I said they do exactly what? All gouge folks?
Hardly; I work in the industry and support the majority. There are of course dodgies - just like in every industry.
And, sometimes they diagnose wrong. Simple as that. Everyone is human, and faults can be tough to get to the bottom of quickly.
Yes; as I said.
This will hopefully get to the cause cheaply for the customer. If the first possibility doesn't work; then you move to the next possibility. That's all you can do.
Many issues with cars can show a symptom with multiple causes of the symptom.
Noone likes to spend money on their cars, and most good mechanics realise this, so try to work from the bottom up in terms of cost and time (also cost).
For eg; a car that is misfiring - can be a blocked fuel filter (which also leads to a weak/failing fuel pump), a dodgy spark plug and/or spark plug leads, leaking valve gasket into the spark plugs, even blocked/disintegrating interior of catalytic converters, broken crankshaft, and so on etc.
In the case of cars with iridium spark plugs; often it takes at least half an hour just to check one, and/or the lead that is attached to it/them, and/or the valve gasket leak..
Where do you start?
If the fuel pump tests ok, then the obvious start is the fuel filter (if it is external) - cheap and easy. If it doesn't work; possibly fuel pump or move to the spark plugs/leads.
The first test for any mechanic would be to test the battery, then the alternator.
The starter motor would display a similar symptom to a dead battery - no crank at all....but it is usually more expensive than a battery, and the battery test would indicate the likely option; most times a no crank with a good battery would l;ead you to assume a possible starter motor.
Hence; start with battery and alternator test. If these are ok, then it could be starter motor, or some internal wiring/drain issue - time for an auto-electrician.
But, it can also depend on the age of the battery, the usage pattern of the car - short, infrequent trips will shorten the life of a battery.
The battery may be the wrong one for the car - sometimes when folks are stranded and need to get going asap, the roadside crew will install the closest compatible battery if they don't have the right one. They have no choice; the customer wants to get going NOW.
This will add to the complications and shorten the life of the battery, the alternator and possibly other things.
Mechanics can't win; start with the dearest option and get slammed for a gouge, or start with the cheapest and easiest option and slammed for a gouge of a different nature.
Please don't bring your car to my workshop.
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I have same problem. FOr health reasons I don't drive often. Just had a new battery in and had a charger attached to it so that I can plug into charge when I am not using it.
Not sure how this will go. Have spent a lot on batteries. My father got me a great battery that seemed to last longer between trips but he is not he to tell me which type it was. I really hope I can keep this battery going by using the charger.
I think the RAC sell them also.
Obviously you need to be able to park near a power point.
It is possible that you got a dud battery. I have had that happen.
Not sure how this will go. Have spent a lot on batteries. My father got me a great battery that seemed to last longer between trips but he is not he to tell me which type it was. I really hope I can keep this battery going by using the charger.
I think the RAC sell them also.
Obviously you need to be able to park near a power point.
It is possible that you got a dud battery. I have had that happen.
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I have a Holden V8 Statesman. I had this problem continually. Holden said it was all the electronic gadgetry Suggestion was to attach flick switch for when I was not using the car. It simply disconnects the battery. I am overseas a lot for decent periods of time, so I disconnect the battery and flick the switch when I get back.
I have not had a fiat battery since I am talking 6 years now. So it works!
Chris
I have not had a fiat battery since I am talking 6 years now. So it works!
Chris
