Battery Not Charging... Any ideas?

[TheKoP]

Hello all!

I've been having a bit of an issue recently. It started back in November, when my car just wouldn't start. Checked the battery, found it to be fully discharged and since it was the one that was in the car when I bought it (april 2006) I just decided to get a new one since I wasn't sure of the age. About a month later, my car wouldn't start again. Same problem. Recharged the battery and things have been going fine until yesterday when the same thing happened.
Now, I've checked the charging system and it seems OK (Checked myself and had my friend's garage do it also). I was thinking there might be something that is drawing current when the car is off but I've yet to find anything. All wires and connections are good. Also, the car is driven daily for a decent distance (at least 15 miles to work) so it's not like it just sits for weeks and won't start.
I'm hoping someone here has had similar charging "gremlins" and has found a solution. Any suggestions are welcome as I'd like to avoid being stranded a 4th time. Thanks in advance for any help!

[Ricochet]

Go to autozone and get the alternator tested for free..

[TheKoP]

Did that too, checked out OK. Thanks for the suggestion though.
I'm really hoping I'm just overlooking something fairly obvious, so even this is helpful.

[Trevor]

Originally Posted by TheKoP

Did that too, checked out OK. Thanks for the suggestion though.
I'm really hoping I'm just overlooking something fairly obvious, so even this is helpful.

Provided the alternator was reliably tested, everything points towards something continuing to draw current and discharging the battery when the car is stationery.

Disconnect the ground lead from the battery and connect an ammeter from the lead to ground, so as to check for any stray current. Make sure all accessories etc are turned off and the doors are shut.

P.S. If you do not have a meter, use a 3 volt torch bulb. If it lights up or burns out, you know that you have found the problem.

[michael]

Try opening the trunk and pulling down the plastic piece that covers the rear speakers. Left of center you will find the module for the power seatbelts. Try unplugging it overnight and see if that helps.

[elvis]

I have the same problem. In fact, this is my 2nd SVX and the first (purchased new in '92) had the problem also. I replaced the (1 year old at the time) battery in the first one the problem did not return until I sold the car (1 year after that.

Now, the 2nd car is doing it.

It's worse this time though. I jumped the car to get it running - so far so good. While idling I plugged a tire inflator into the cig lighter to fill up, and few minutes later the cig pump died - I assume the fuse, but I can't get under the dash yet to check it out.

I stoped the engine, and I could not restart it - not even with the battery-jumper attached. Nothing electrical works, not even the clock, seatbelts, security button, anything at all. Could the cig lighter fuse control the whole electrical system like that? The under-hood fuses and link look ok.

WTF?

[Trevor]

Everything indicates that your battery is flat. To exactly indicate why requires further information. Meantime you must ascertain if the battery is in fact serviceable.

[Darren]

Hiya

Try the negative earth strap, my friend had the same problem & 2 new batteries in 4 months on his Audi, it may look fine but be broken inside the insulation. It was fine for ages then would just die without warning.

Darren

[rallyingrob]

my battery died one day so i took it to THE local expert on auto electrical systems.....a thorough test/examination revealed that it was good
hmmmmmmmmm
ok then
so i recharged the battery overnight and the car started right up
then i let it run "to make sure it was ok"
well, after about 1/2 an hour it died again....
WTF?!?

ok then......a quick check with the expert gave me this sage advice(how silly of me not to think of it!!)

"remember...the alternator NEEDS power to make power"

hmmmmmmmm

a quick exam of my alternator wirng loom showed it is REALLY bad.....intact looking, but with insulation dried up and broken off the wires and corroded wires exposed to the atmosphere........

i checked my parts car and its loom is in little better shape.......

i havent gone any further to repair it yet, since i havent needed the car (i WAS sposed to be going away for work) and its been too cold to work on a car i dont need right now....

the next step is to check to see if the alternator is GETTING a signal....if it isnt, then the wiring is likely your and my problem!!


rob"electrics arent my thing"m.

then again....electrics are my thing more than auto trannys and computerized engines are !!

ps.......i tried the old trick of pulling a battery cable off to see if the car would keep running(ie alternator is working)
the car immediately died........AHA !! bad alternator right?!?

but ive had a few folks tell me that some cars WILL die with the battery disconnected even if the car has nothing wrong.......

is the svx one of those cars??

[Trevor]

If the alternator is not charging, the battery fault light should be illuminated. As a precaution, first check that it comes on at start up, as is provided as a test function for all fault lights.

[ItsPeteReally]

Originally Posted by rallyingrob

ps.......i tried the old trick of pulling a battery cable off to see if the car would keep running(ie alternator is working)
the car immediately died........AHA !! bad alternator right?!?

You should NEVER do this.

The battery forms a vital part of the charging circuit, providing both output voltage stabilisation and a current sink for its output.. Without the battery connected the alternator output is uncontrolled and will rise until one or more of the internal diodes blow.

In the dim and distant past, when all cars had dc dynamos and electomechanical voltage regulators, you would have got away with such a test but it's too risky to try that now.

I do not know what is wrong with your car, and, from the evidence you have given us, nobody else does either. Ten minutes with a test meter would have localised your problem(s).

Chinese multimeters are really inexpensive these days - in the U.K they cost the equivalent of three pints of beer in a pub, and are undoubtedly a better investment....... and I like beer

[Conn SVX]

This is a good one. Since i got a new Job and a Truck to drive the SVX sits in the garage on a Battery tender. I put 375 miles on her since June. Well the storm we hav on Valentines day the wife deciced she wanted to leave the new Acura in the garage. She takes the SVX to work. The next day is nice so she no longer needed it ( I'm getting to the real story now.) I go to start the car ( the car has a new battery in it) it is DEAD DEAD DEAD . I put a jumper battery on it still nothing I try to charge it it pops the breaker on a 5 amp charger. I said to the wife what did u do to my baby. NOTHING . Well turns out she used the rear wiper and it go stuck in the snow and never self parked. Did you guys know that until it parks it is using battery. I unstuck it from the window and as soon as I hooked up the jumper battery. (Car is shut off doors closed) the rear wipper self parked. All is back to normal now.

[rallyingrob]

ummmmmm

i can accept the idea of the battery as a current sink...but since the alternator is internally regulated, i dont see how disconnecting the battery while running can harm anything..........?

its like unscrewing a lightbulb while the switch is thrown....the light goes out (broken circuit) but nothing else happens.....the current simply stops at the socket.......

silly me.........
i just read what i wrote..........of COURSE the car will die if the circuit is broken....the computer is no-longer receiving its energy to operate from the battery!!



i'll have to check the rear wiper.i may have used it when i last drove the car.....

as for the seatbelt..when i swapped out the drivers belt for a "normal" one, perhaps simply un-plugging the harness isnt enough?
perhaps it needs a jumper to complete a circuit?

rob"still too cold to go outside and investigate"m.


ps..........1 UK p/s = 2.27$ cdn approx

3 pints here is about 4.50$ cdn so that means you pay about 30p per pint?!?!?

wowee!! im movin to the UK !!

so what IS the price of a pint in the UK right now?

i have 2 multimeters.one "good" one i paid about 30$ for yrs ago.......and a more recent chinese one that cost about 10$......so far they have given equal readings in any side-by-side comparisons i've done...so at least i can be reasonably confident in their accuracy(good or bad!

sorry for the lack of any real research to further my investigation.....as i said, i dont need the car right now, and its too cold to go out and work on...

[ItsPeteReally]

Originally Posted by rallyingrob

ummmmmm

i can accept the idea of the battery as a current sink...but since the alternator is internally regulated, i dont see how disconnecting the battery while running can harm anything..........?

If you disconnect the battery then no battery voltage can be sent back to the field current regulator in the alternator. The field current will therefore be at a maximum, as will the voltage output. There are no Zener diodes or any other voltage references within the alternator itself. Without feedback from the battery, the output voltage will be uncontrolled and entirely dependent on engine speed, and you can easily get hundreds of volts out of your alternator if you rev the engine. Whether the alternator, or indeed anything else in the car, can stand that degree of stress is a matter of luck. Don't do it!

Originally Posted by rallyingrob

its like unscrewing a lightbulb while the switch is thrown....the light goes out (broken circuit) but nothing else happens.....the current simply stops at the socket.......

But your power company hasn't disconnected their voltage regulator

Originally Posted by rallyingrob

ps..........1 UK p/s = 2.27$ cdn approx

3 pints here is about 4.50$ cdn so that means you pay about 30p per pint?!?!?

wowee!! im movin to the UK !!

so what IS the price of a pint in the UK right now?

If only we did pay 30p a pint it's more like £2.50 here so its about £7.50 for a multimeter. Everything is more expensive in the UK.

[rallyingrob]

ouch !! 2.50 ?!? (on a side-note........where the heck is the "lb" sign on a n american keyboard? i know it must be here somewhere.........?)

now that i am understanding how the charging system is designed.it all makes perfect sense!!




rob"i hope i didnt hurt anything"m.