Charging and starting issue

[wilf]

If your battery has been totally flattened a few times, it is toast anyway.

[C.Rogers]

Originally Posted by Clive

You will need to find the cause of the problem otherwise you will have problems if you are away from home for any length of time such as a weekend away. You will end up paranoid!
Try connecting an ammeter between the battery positive terminal and the lead, then if it is showing a discharge, disconnect each electrical componnent in turn until the ammeter reads zero and you have found the problem.
(It might not be a wiring fault, there might be a faulty component)

That is the next step. I will enlist the help of my son and we will have to go through everything systematically. I do not want to just leave it because something is not right, so i want to fix it. I do not want me or my son to be driving it, leave it parked up for a day at show and then have to ojump start it to get home.

Ideally i do not want to put the switch back in because it didn't look all that, plus it is not securely immobilised.

Originally Posted by wilf

If your battery has been totally flattened a few times, it is toast anyway.

I am pretty sure it has never been totally flat because the clock and immobiliser still work and the fuel pump always primes, there's just not enough to turn her over.

[lutman]

Originally Posted by C.Rogers

That is the next step. I will enlist the help of my son and we will have to go through everything systematically. I do not want to just leave it because something is not right, so i want to fix it. I do not want me or my son to be driving it, leave it parked up for a day at show and then have to ojump start it to get home.

Ideally i do not want to put the switch back in because it didn't look all that, plus it is not securely immobilised.



I am pretty sure it has never been totally flat because the clock and immobiliser still work and the fuel pump always primes, there's just not enough to turn her over.

So unlikley to refit the cut off switch, battery is draining enough to not permit starting after a day or so. If battery drain is due the immobiliser and clock next step would be to buy a higher ampere/hour rating battery or perhaps upgrade to a race quality unit ?

[C.Rogers]

Originally Posted by lutman

So unlikley to refit the cut off switch, battery is draining enough to not permit starting after a day or so. If battery drain is due the immobiliser and clock next step would be to buy a higher ampere/hour rating battery or perhaps upgrade to a race quality unit ?

i don't think the immobiliser and the clock are draining the battery that much? Shall have to go through it stage by stage to try and work it out.

The trouble with the Dax loom is you don't get a wiring diagram, you just get the colour codes and where they should go.

[C.Rogers]

Bit of an update:

We disconnected the battery and after not trying to start her for over three weeks, she fired up on the button after connecting the battery back up.

That definitely means there is a power drain somewhere.

Weather permitting we're gonna be getting the ammeter out tomorrow to try and find the little bugger!!!

I'll keep you posted...

[Clive]

How can you not start it for three weeks? It must have been like Cold Turkey!

[alfiebeard]

Pound to a penny your alternator has a leaky diode to earth causing your drain. quick way to check,switch everything off then lift off + batt lead then just touch it back on is there a sizeable spark?? then pull the plug out of the alternator or disconnect the heaviest lead from it then see if the spark is smaller or non existant, very crude check but works. if you want to be really clever but cant read a meter get a 12v bulb and remove the + battery connection put one end on the batt + and the other on the lead you,ve just removed. take note of the brightness of the bulb whilst disconnecting various accessories, until the light either goes out or dimmer.

HTH
Alfie B

[C.Rogers]

Originally Posted by alfiebeard

Pound to a penny your alternator has a leaky diode to earth causing your drain. quick way to check,switch everything off then lift off + batt lead then just touch it back on is there a sizeable spark?? then pull the plug out of the alternator or disconnect the heaviest lead from it then see if the spark is smaller or non existant, very crude check but works. if you want to be really clever but cant read a meter get a 12v bulb and remove the + battery connection put one end on the batt + and the other on the lead you,ve just removed. take note of the brightness of the bulb whilst disconnecting various accessories, until the light either goes out or dimmer.

HTH
Alfie B

Funny you should say that Alfie.

We managed to narrow it down to the alternator today. It is drawing about 1/4 amp.

The next step is to see if we can sort it out. We're making head way, slowly but surely!!!

Clive, i know. It is a nightmare, what with working and the weather not being great, it is proving a bit difficult to enjoy her as much as i would like.

[wilf]

Keep that battery disconnected until the alternator is fixed, they have been known to cause fires.

Is why I use a battery disconnect when the car is not in use.

[Clive]

Take the alternator to your local branch of LSUK LSUK - Home They will recondition it or supply you with a new one. I replaced mine a couple of months ago for £60 and it came with 12 months warranty. (Not a lot for peace of mind)