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  #16  
Old 07-03-2005, 07:54 PM
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Different situation same story 3 weeks ago at Lake George , NY we were on a motorcycle ride, the guy in front of me ran out of gas 200 feet from the pump. We got off our bikes and pushes it up hill to the gas station. My friend got back on his bike it was DEAD as a DOOR nail. sealed battery, 3 years old. We jumped it and he drove it 60 miles home. Getting home he turned it off, turned it back on and the head light would not even go on. We replaced it with a brand new K Mart battery and he has driven it 1,000 miles since. It was just its time.
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  #17  
Old 07-04-2005, 12:58 AM
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To determine the voltage drop in a circuit a voltmeter lead is placed at each end of the circuit while the circuit is energized (under load.) An acceptable drop is normally 0-.2v, and ~.5v on a battery to starter circuit. This can be used on both power and ground circuits.
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  #18  
Old 07-05-2005, 07:56 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by longassname
I hope you were pithy. Did they bloviate while you were there?
You lost me...

dcb
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  #19  
Old 07-05-2005, 09:35 AM
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ensteele ensteele is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dcarrb
I bought a mid-priced Brand-X at my local O'Reilly Auto Parts, thankful they were still open and that they had one on the shelf. In 30+ years of driving, I doubt I've ever bought a particular brand of battery more than once.

dcb
I guess you don't watch the No Spin Zone with Bill O'Reilly.

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  #20  
Old 07-05-2005, 10:06 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ensteele
I guess you don't watch the No Spin Zone with Bill O'Reilly.

Nope.

dcb
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  #21  
Old 07-05-2005, 06:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by longassname
The lighter plug is the worst voltage in the car....makes me want to cry, how very inconvenient.
That may be true but at least it will still show whether the alternator is doing it's job.

I get .5V lower at the lighter than I do at the battery.
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  #22  
Old 07-05-2005, 07:32 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Earthworm
That may be true but at least it will still show whether the alternator is doing it's job.

I get .5V lower at the lighter than I do at the battery.
Not necessarily. You can get a low voltage reading at the lighter plug even if the alternator is doing it's job. A half a volt drop on a completely unloaded circuit is pretty bad and still that's a lot better than mine. I don't remember for sure but I seem to recall measuring more like a 1.5 volt drop everywhere past the ignition switch. On an unloaded circuit there should be no voltage drop at all as there are no other paths to completion reducing the potential through the path you are measuring.
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  #23  
Old 07-06-2005, 12:00 PM
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I understand that but once you know what a normal reading at the lighter is (even if it's only 12V), once it's not normal you know there's a problem.
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  #24  
Old 07-06-2005, 04:01 PM
nysvxryder nysvxryder is offline
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same type of deal...

i'm having a similar type of issue with my 92 svx. about a week ago i'm leaving the gas station after filling the car up and i start the car and my stop light, parking break light, and ABS light all come on at once. it just so happend that someone who i know whose a mechanic stopped and we popped the hood and one of the caps on my battery had popped off and some battery acid had leaked out. when i got the thing home i had my step dad check it and he said that my alternator was overcharging my battery so i call up my mechanic friend (who can get parts at cost) to get a new alternator. he says it'll be about $155-$160 after tax. anybody have any information on pther possible problems that may be associated with this or has anytbody had anytthing similar happen? also, how does that price sound for "at cost"? (i know that from subaru they are $300, OUCH!!!)

Thanks a million,

Mike
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  #25  
Old 07-06-2005, 04:23 PM
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The alternator may overcharge if there's a loose connection to the battery.

[rhetorical]Why is it NOT that when the alternator is dying that just the battery/charging light comes on?[/rhetorical]
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  #26  
Old 07-06-2005, 07:28 PM
oab_au oab_au is offline
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Won't start!,,,,Is it the battery or not.

This is probably the most least understood part of trobleshooting. Whenever the car won't start, it is usually the battery that is blamed, then replaced.
So how do we tell what is the real cause? We can divide the faults into three classes.

1. The starter struggles to turn the engine over, the starter keeps trying, but only turns slowly. Sometimes if it is left to rest for a while, it will start. This is a battery that is low or flat. It is this way from either a leak in the electrical system, the drain is too large(BIG stereos) or the charge rate is too low.

2. Every thing has been going good, till one day you turn the key on, all the dash lights come, every thing is normal till you hit the starter. Everything goes off, no starter, no dash lights, no nothing. This is usually a dirty battery terminal. It has been getting worst over time, but will still pass enough current. Eventually the area that is passing current gets too small for the large starter current and the small area burns off to leave no contact area at all. You can tell if this is the cause by turning the lights on, then useing a coin or screwdriver to bridge between the battery post and the terminal clamp, if it is the cause the lights will come on. it will usually be the positive terminal that will go bad. Just clean the terminals.

3. You notice that the starter does not spin the engine as fast as usually, it starts ok though. Then one day after starting the car, you drive down to the shop turn it off, come back, hit the starter and is does not turn over. The dash lights come on ok, but when you hit the starter, the lights dim out, but come back on when you let the key go, you may hear the starter try to turn, or just click. This is caused by a cell in the battery that has gone bad. The cell has gradually lost storage capacity,or has a bad internal connection. You can tell if this the problem, by removing the cell caps, and watching the cells while somebody turns the starter. A bad cell will bubble and fume, it will also emit a punget smell. If the specific gravity of the cells is tested with a hydrometer, it will show the bad cell. If the battery is sealed, a volt meter will show the voltage drop from 12 volts to 10 volts as the cell drops out.

There are many other symptions and causes, but in my experence, it will be one of the three.

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