Charging issues - revisited

[Brando]

So here I sit in the parking lot at my work. The car without enough of a charge to start. This morning was 'close', cranked a few times, slowly, then finally caught and ran. I took a much-longer route to work to maybe charge the battery a bit more. I'm experiencing this more frequently. Abiut a month ago i replaced my alternator, which was actually binding. I checked voltage output at the battery, between 13.9 and 14.1 volts.

I know the battery should still be good, little over a year old. Optima red top. If I use a battery charger on it, retains a charge for a good few days. My concern is, of course, what the funk is draining the battery? I drive with the stereo off as I have two big amps up front. I believe last time I checked "off" current draw it was a miniscule number.

I'm running out of patience for this thing, before I just rip out all of the wiring and just go with a simple push-start setup with brake lights.

What am I missing?

[DRACO A5OG]

Try cleaning the contacts on the starter and ground at trans. Even if it looks clean, clean & polish anyways. It will not hurt.

How old is the starter? Maybe you need to service it. I removed mine and cleaned lubed due to some slow starts and screeching but what really did the trick was a new OEM style battery from a FLAPS she starts immediately and quietly now.

[Joe Bob]

Others have had issues with Optimas dying early.

I would suggest a load test. Most of the local parts stores can do one, or if you can come by a buddies shop...

If the battery tests clear, I would look at resistance at the cables.....

Do you know if you have a drain on the system when the car is not running?

[stlrj]

Do you have an ammeter that reads mA's?

[Brando]

Originally Posted by DRACO A5OG

Try cleaning the contacts on the starter and ground at trans. Even if it looks clean, clean & polish anyways. It will not hurt.

How old is the starter? Maybe you need to service it. I removed mine and cleaned lubed due to some slow starts and screeching but what really did the trick was a new OEM style battery from a FLAPS she starts immediately and quietly now.

I will have to do that again. I cleaned them about a year ago when I put in the mini hi-torque starter. The starter is a little over a year old.

Originally Posted by Joe Bob

Others have had issues with Optimas dying early.

I would suggest a load test. Most of the local parts stores can do one, or if you can come by a buddies shop...

If the battery tests clear, I would look at resistance at the cables.....

Do you know if you have a drain on the system when the car is not running?

Mike, I'm taking the battery to a FLAPS today and going to ask them to check the battery. If it's dead, I'll take it to the Kragen/Orielly I bought it from (less than 2 years ago) for replacement.

Originally Posted by stlrj

Do you have an ammeter that reads mV's?

I do -- Well, my multi-meter does. I'll have to check the 'idle' voltage draw when the car is off, again. I'm worried it may be the alarm. I already have Central Locking, so maybe I should just pull the old Clifford system. I have seen it do the same to other 80s Carerras.

[stlrj]

Originally Posted by Brando

I do -- Well, my multi-meter does. I'll have to check the 'idle' voltage draw when the car is off, again. I'm worried it may be the alarm. I already have Central Locking, so maybe I should just pull the old Clifford system. I have seen it do the same to other 80s Carerras.

I wouldn't pull the Clifford just yet until you metered the amp draw on your battery, otherwise, you may never know if that was the problem.

[DRACO A5OG]

Heck, if you have AAA, they will come out and anaylize the whole system and give you a print out of what is going on with your charging system.

[T77911S]

have the battery tested as stated.

you need to check current (milli amps). not voltage with the car off.

do this by setting your meter to read amps (I, mA). remove neg cable on battery and connect meter between battery and neg cable.

you also need to clean both battery terminals, the ground cable that attaches to the body and the ground strap that connects the body to the engine. (under car, body to tranny).

you could also rebuild your starter. go here: SOLENOID and STARTER rebuild......finally
to see how to do it.

car alarms suck BTW. as a former auto electrican (a long time ago and for a short while), they were a big cause for problems.

i like your car status, can i steal your idea? it is very fitting for my situation.

[stlrj]

Brainfart on my part, yes, I meant mA.

[Brando]

So I got the report...

Max voltage (while cranking): 10.8V
Min voltage (at idle): 13.6V
Max voltage (4000rpm): 14.1V
Idle (car off) draw: 56mA.

Their question: "How much do you drive the car?"
Me: "I put about a mile on it every day."

[Joe Bob]

Take the fiance out and go see the submarine races....

[DRACO A5OG]

From what I recall to charge properly on the car, you need at a minimum 20+ minutes constant speed 50+ MPH, like on the freeway.

[Brando]

Originally Posted by DRACO A5OG

From what I recall to charge properly on the car, you need at a minimum 20+ minutes constant speed 50+ MPH, like on the freeway.

So, like Joe Bob, you're telling me I'm fat, lazy and should ride a bike to work. Then take the car for long drives on the weekend.

[DRACO A5OG]

RFLOL, Oh no Brother just take the long route to work.

My buddy, can't even get his car up to 194 degrees when he goes to work. the problem for him is he may cause condensation in the oil due to constant low engine temps.

[Brando]

I'm going to start taking the long route to work. I've also hooked up a solar battery 'tender'. it's nothing spectacular but will help keep the battery up during the 8-10 hours i'm at work during the day.

The problem is when I drive home at night, it seems with the headlights on all that had been charged on the drive home is gone. Maybe I need a garage and to just hook it up to a tender at night. Ugh. 2 more months...

[T77911S]

you still have a problem.

clean all your connections. they also effect charging.

check for a drain on the battery

[Brando]

So I've checked the idle (car off) current draw, 54-58mA with the alarm off. I'm starting to think that because I'm unable to drive the car enough to bring the battery up fully it is discharging overnight. I'm going to take Joe Bob's suggestion and get an Optima Yellow top. I'm also going to pull out the alarm system once the weather is warmer (or I have a full unhindered weekend).

This red top is still good for the daily driver who puts a decent amount of miles on it. Any takers? I'd like to recoup a few dollars so the fiancee doesn't go crazy over me spending $200-$300 on a battery.

[Lorenfb]

So, given that the draw is about 60 ma (54-58) and that the typical
Porsche type battery has a capacity of about 72 amp-hrs and for
good cranking the capacity should be no less than half capacity, then:

Time (for good starting) = 72 amp-hrs / 2 / 60ma / 24 hrs per day = 25 days

If left without any charging, e.g. a trickle charge, a normal good battery
with a 60ma draw should last about 25 days and provide a good start.

[DRACO A5OG]

Originally Posted by Lorenfb

So, given that the draw is about 60 ma (54-58) and that the typical
Porsche type battery has a capacity of about 72 amp-hrs and for
good cranking the capacity should be no less than half capacity, then:

Time (for good starting) = 72 amp-hrs / 2 / 60ma / 24 hrs per day = 25 days

If left without any charging, e.g. a trickle charge, a normal good battery
with a 60ma draw should last about 25 days and provide a good start.

Nice, Thanks LFB

[Brando]

Just installed the yellow top. Hopefully this will be better suited for the way the car is driven. I'm offering up my red top. Stamped 2/10. Its great when fully charged but I just don't drive the car enough to keep it full up, nor can I hook a battery tender up in my current parking arrangement. Depending on weather over the coming weeks I will pull the alarm.