Got a wee problem with my car. Once i get it started it'll go no problem, can turn it off and start it all day long if i wanted but if i leave it overnight it wont start in the morning. I'm semi-sure the alternator is working as i charged the battery just enough to crank it over and left it running for 10 mins with radio, lights, heater on full, heated window etc on, turned it off and back on again with all the crap still switched on and it started no probs.

I've taken the three connectors off the alternator, turned ignition on and tested the voltage between them all. Apparently they should all read battery voltage i.e. 12volts.. although one of them only reads 7volts?! Is there a problem there?

Any other ideas apart from a short somewhere although i've had a good look and can't find anything. I'm going to clean up all my ground wires and battery connection, alternator connection and starter connections tomorrow jsut in case it's that.

Other than that i'm totally stuck poeple! i've got to bump the car in the morning and let it run for atleast 10 mins before i turn it off. no use!

(i've also tried 2 other batteries but no worky)

 

erm, crap battery? lol

 

or fucked alternator :P

 

or a crap batery AND a fucked alternator

 

turn ya lights on and rev the car. Does the lights get brighter? If yeah alternators ok. Suspect battery...whats the date on it for starters??

 

tried 3 batteries in total so that would narrow it down to the alternator!

haynes manual is a tad confusing in the part where it tells you how to test the damn thing though.. anybody got any good tips on testing the alternator apart from trying another one

 

Lee, i think the lights do get brighter yes! the bloody fuel pumps gets louder anyway lmao (another prob needing fixed) so alternator must be working to some extent?

Not sure about the date on the battery but it was working fine just a few days ago when i was running the 1.8 engine in it!

 

put a multimeter across the battery when engine running, what is voltage

also do this revving engine hard... voltage should NOT keep rising above a certain point (iirc 14volts)

i had a fooked voltage regulator once on mine and it overcharged everything and fooked up all the elctrics

 

measure the voltage across battery terminals whilst engine running. should at least 13.5 volts really, less that 13v is not good enough. also do the same with engine running and all lights/heaters on etc.

if alternator is ok, disconnect a battery lead and measure the current between the battery terminal and the disconnected lead. too high a current drain could be the problem!

 

cheers jim i'll try that tomorrow too once i get it started

I'm thinking it may be dodgy connections somewhere.

 

i ahd this on my od saph, turned out that the cells in the battery had broken down

 

ok had to bump it again today, nearly cranked over but just didn't have enough! DOH.

Checked the voltage across the battery, initially a constant of 13.6volts and it stayed the same whilst revving the engine. I turned all the blowers, radio, heated window and lights on and it still stayed the same. When i turned all the stuff off again the voltage raised to 14volts and stayed there- didn't climb any higher.

Alternator is said to be fine then?

I fully charged another battery i've got and put that in and it seems to be holding a good charge at the moment so i'll try cranking it over tomorrow.

Cleaned up all my battery connections and grounds, starter motor connections, alternator connections etc just to be sure.

THe battery i've got in it now though seems to have more grunt than the previous one so i'll let yous know.. otherwise i'm stumped!

 

few words of advice!........

had this problem with my run around car....battery was lasting 3 days MAX before dying....brought a new battery AND Alternator and still had the problem...

ended up being the EARTHS on the engine/chassis they had all come loose hence making a shat connection... out came the socket n rachet for a tighten up n haven't had a problem like it since except being 150 quid down for something that could have been fixed by spending nothing.

HTH

 

thanks smit.. that's what i was worried about, buyin a new alternator and it still being naff!

i didn't check the ground connections on the chassis today but i'll do that tomorrow as well- it can't hurt.

 

because me engine mount was broken it was moving about quite a lot and had stretched the earths a bit....and loosened one loads

a few symptoms was going along and the lights/headlight/stereo illuiminations would flicker when the battery was about to die...if u could start it it would run all day if u had too....just if u stalled it like fuck it's starting again!

 

up

any luck?

 

yup yup.. been going good for a few days now! even left it for a whole 24 hours and messed about on the car for a while, i.e. ignition on/off/on testing the fuel pump as moved it to the tank.

i cleaned all my grounds and battert connections, and fully charged another battery and put it in. Think it was probably just the battery! 4th time lucky i guess.

 

glad it sorted and u didn't buy the stuff ya didn't need