Battery Running Flat

[Smitizen]

My 33 has been retired for weekend duties since buying a bike and gets limited usage which is making the battery constantly run flat.

I've a car alarm which i think is a large contributor to this and to combat it i've got a little car charger i plug into the mains to charge her up but this useless if i crash away from home which i found out first hand at the weekend!

Thank god for roll starts & the hill i used!

So anyone got any tips on how to combat this? Unplugging the battery or anything else?

CHEERS!

[blind_elk]

How is the alternator? Is it charging correctly? If it is overcharging (crook regulator), it will fry the battery to the point where it basically is incapable of retaining any charge.

And how old is the battery?

[Smitizen]

It's a year old after my last one died a got a brand new one put in.

Not sure about my alterator how would i check for issues with it?

Since the battery has run completely flat i've only been able to start the cat after a full 24 hour charge up.

[br3ndan]

is it in a secure garage?

if so just unplug the battery.. problem fixed!

[Smitizen]

Yeah it is BUT if i wanna crash somewhere it doesn't las the night.

Would a larger battery do anything at all? What do others do with their weekenders?

[br3ndan]

o

i would put my money on the battery being rooted. IF a battery goes really flat it makes it so it cant hold its charge anymore..

What type of battery is it? (Brand etc)

[Jmaac]

check the circuit for a poor earth (leak) or get a battery terminal switch

[Smitizen]

check the circuit for a poor earth (leak) or get a battery terminal switch

Battery terminal switch? Now we're talking. Is that a common thing? As in will it be hard for me to track someone down to do it for me?

[shaunvlc]

mine had similar issues. there was nothing wrong with the alternator etc. but when i changed battery the problem immediately went away. just wasnt holding any charge and would die after listening to 5 minutes of music. my new one is exactly the same battery. has lasted me 6 months so far.

[shanusr33]

upgrade i say - get an optima battery, as well as all the suggestions above

i've put a kill switch in mine for all my equipment. You could easily put one in for the battery itself but then you'd have to reset your head unit and clock every time you jump back in.

don't know if it'll help, but heres some optima and kill switch info on my setup: http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/Op...ug-t228221.html

[Smitizen]

upgrade i say - get an optima battery, as well as all the suggestions above

i've put a kill switch in mine for all my equipment. You could easily put one in for the battery itself but then you'd have to reset your head unit and clock every time you jump back in.

don't know if it'll help, but heres some optima and kill switch info on my setup: http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/Op...ug-t228221.html

Top work cheers!

[Jmaac]

Battery terminal switch? Now we're talking. Is that a common thing? As in will it be hard for me to track someone down to do it for me?

You can do it yourself, its just replacing a battery terminal. Supercheap have them for about 10$ or so (cant remember exactly what they're called but they allow you to disconnect the battery for working on the car without having to remove terminals)

Take your battery to supercheap they can test the battery condition also for you (they test all stock going out). You'll find its probably ok and just a wiring fault

[W0rp3D]

mine is having pretty much the same problems, changed the alternator and battery, now have a red top optima, during the hot weather it wasnt really a problem, now that its cold i cant keep it charged, i now have to use the old odysey battery that i replaced to jump start the car every morning and when i leave work every night, its pissing me off.

[GTR-N1]

^^^can't stop looking at Brett's Avatar...

oh yeah... back to the thread...

If the battery has gone, it might still have a warranty on it (whilst you still have a receipt). Usually 1-2 yrs Wty

^^^back to the Avatar...

[NZM.031]

battery going flat after 1 year?? that doesnt sound right mate.. what brand is it?? with batteries they have a pro rata type warranty for 4 years... ive had many a weekend warriors and not had a drama with them going flat...

check your alternator charge rate.. have the car running and put a multimeter across the terminals, if its 14.2v.. happy days... under 13... alternator stuffed

check the levels of your battery, the electrolyte level should be just at the bottom of the plugs.. or atleast, completly covering the cells.. if thats ok...

check for voltage leak... put a multimeter on the terminals with the car off... check the voltage (should be 12v or so) and watch to see if it slowly goes down.. so maybe come back and check it every 10-15 min for a few hours) if its still 12v, then volts are not escaping via something using them..

if everything above is fine... get someone to start the car while you are checking the volts... if its showing 12v at the battery then drops to lower than 5v when trying to start... the battery is farked.. it has a surface charge, which can run your dash lights and everything, but doesnt have the guts to actually crank the engine..

if you said the battery was original and untouched... then id point at the battery straight away... but if its only a year old... im pointing at a gremlin somewhere.

if your car is a monthly warrior... then you can get trickle chargers... which supply a low current and low voltage, just to keep the battery topped up... you can use them 24/7 as they shut off when not needed.

cheers

Linton

[NZM.031]

im amazed by that avatar aswell... not because she fell into the water... but because of old mates reaction... or lack of... he doesnt even flinch. haha.. models... hes either too stoopid to realise whats happened... or has too little brain capacity to walk in a straight line and be aware of whats going on a round him.

[blind_elk]

Something I learned last night - my nephew's car stopped on him recently. When we got it home, it managed to fire up, but only had 11.5V at the battery. Immediately suspected pooped alternator.

Anyway, went to fit the replacement alternator last night, noticed the belt seemed a bit loose, and the -ve battery terminal was loose. Tightened them both up - va-voom 13.5V with headlights on.

So, the point of this story - is the fan belt tensioned correctly, and the battery terminals done up tight?