Not Charging?

[Robbie 2B]

The wife took the 2B out on Saturday to show it off with her mate. Five minutes later I got a phone call saying that it had justed died. :boohoo: Super hero arrived with son to push start it as no juice in the battery to turn it over. Got it home sounding very sick (poss on only two cyinders) at the end.

 

After charging the battery it started and run OK. The same thing happen, but with son driving, again lost all the charge in the battery after a couple of miles. Push started but it completely died before we got home and resorted to towing it. :angry:

 

Charging light goes off on starting the engine, running with the standard 2 litre Seirra set up with ECU and single Webber carb.

 

Anybody got any ideas??

 

Robbie

[Guest Battery Bill]

Possibly your battery might be burgered If you charge a battery up fully it should run the car for ages even with no charge coming in But I dont think that would actually stop the car.

Also there might be a short somewhere draining the battery to earth

Good luck

(I hate electrics thats why I put it behind me)

[Guest rizla]

i think bill could be right sounds like a duff battery

[Guest battery joe]

or your alternator isn't working?

[Guest Cantbearsed]

Get your 'leccy meter out and read the charging voltage from the alternator. Should be (about) 14.8V. Next take one lead OFF the battery and read the voltage coming in there. Give or take a gnat's, it should be the same.

If your charge light goes out when you fire up, it DOESN'T ALWAYS mean your battery is getting juice,just that the regulator (remember dynamo set ups...?) is switching over.

Try getting nother lead and connecting the Alternator pivot bolt to the battery -ve side, sounds like you're not grounding and as such no charge is getting back to the battery.

 

HTH.

[Longboarder]

Try cleaning battery posts and connectors plus engine to chassis earth, batt to chassis earth and batt to engine earth.

 

Nigel

[Guest daveg]

Robbie

 

or your alternator isn't working?

this is most likely...as if the battery was duff then it wouldn't start in the morning but wouldn't die while driving

 

So either its what Nigel says about dodgy earths or alternator, connectors or wire from alternator to battery. Be careful with the connector to the alternator as its live even with key removed

 

Also check fan belt isn't slipping (although you should hear it if it is)

 

Dave

PS I've also seen this problem if the battery is too far away, like in the butt, due to excessive voltage drop...

[Guest Battery Bill]

PS I've also seen this problem if the battery is too far away, like in the butt, due to excessive voltage drop...

Funny smell round here has anyone stepped in something

[colivent]

Robbie i have also just had this problem, changed the alernator,still losing power from battery, took a while,found that i was losing 3 volts when the car was not moving. coming from that battery,it was arcing in the battery tray, try putting a volt meter from chassis, to + on battery, i have decided to buy another battery. hope this helps.

 

 

colin

[Robbie 2B]

Thanks for all your helpfull and not so helpfull replies - I take it that a the 'smell joke' has spilt over from another post.

 

Phase two

 

I fully charged the battery - 12.6 volts when connected in the car

 

With the engine running at a fast idle - 11.5 volts (yes the plug was in the back of the alternator)

 

As I have not done anything since it was running perfectly it would appear to be the alternator. Is there a way to check the alternator? My available tools are limited to; mutimeter, terminal screwdrivers and a Richard Stewart torque wrench.

 

Heres hoping

 

Robbie

[Guest daveg]

Robbie

 

11.5volts is too low...

 

Best buy a new alternator and try that!

 

The wire goes direct from alternator to battery. One other test is to connect your meter to the battery -ve terminal and with engine running make sure you read 0v when the +ve meter lead is touched to engine, chassis and alternator body, this will check earths.

 

If you get anything above 0.1v you have dodgy earths...

 

Dave

[Longboarder]

Does the ignition light come on when you turn on the ignition and then go out with the engine running. Blown ignition light bulb could stop the alternator charging.

 

Nigel

[Guest daveg]

Nigel

 

Blown ignition light bulb would stop the alternator charging

how?

 

The field coils are not energised through a little bulb

 

The scientific way to check the earths is what I described above with the volt drop between earth points...this is yet another reason NOT to hide the battery in the back

 

Dave

[Longboarder]

There is a lot of sound info above none of which I disagree with but before spending money I would check the continuity of the charging circuit.

The quote should be 'could' and I was under the belief that on many alternators that was precisely how the field coils were energised.

 

Nigel

[Guest Daniel Aldridge]

Robbie

 

Providing the battery (alternator) light comes on & goes off with engine running,Try volt dropping the lives & earths to the alternator.By connecting a volt meter between the +post of the battery & the + post of the alternator with the engine running & head lights on,you should get a reading of less than 0.5 of a volt.Any greater than this probably means a poor connection. Doing the same test with the earth. If both readings OK I'd suspect the alternator!

 

Hope this helps

 

Danny (Daniels dad)