charging problems

[MTec007]

so i just got a phone call and the car wouldnt start. she said the head lights were off, been sitting from about 7am till maybe 20 minutes ago. could a escort dome light drain the battery to dead in that amount of time? maybe the door didnt close all the way, but theres no way to check that now.

so heres the problem;

she says also when she hits the brakes the radio turns off and comes back on.. i havnt had a problem with it and she got down there no problem this morning. will have the battery tested when she gets home.. its been drained 3 or 4 times now to the point of needing a jump, it might be dead now. does that sound like a symptom of a dead battery? or something worse?

and heres a shot in the dark.. i recently adjusted the idle screw and it idles just around 700 without headlights and 2000 with headlights. could that be a possible problem? not idleing enough?

[1993 festiva]

it may be the battery, some cables that you need to check around, and check your alternator and starter. common thing on a festiva is the alternator and alternator belt getting messed up quick

[MTec007]

it seems to charge fine, she stopped to get gas and had to get a jump again, so the battery isnt charging at all, the alt is keeping the car running.. thats how i see it any way. will have the car tested when she gets home.

edit: sorry, i just realized this is in the wrong place.. i was disheartened when she told me that it died and the lights were off.. its got me frazzled.

[wybnrml]

Check the cables, even if they look good and the appear tight take them off and clean them and the posts and tighten them.

[1993 festiva]

yea it may be some cables, happened to me , had to switch some cables and replace some and also had to buy a new battery.

[MTec007]

it starts no problem, advance says the starter alt and battery are perfectly good. i guess it didnt charge enough when she stopped for gas

[batstiva]

Not saying this is your problem, but the wife and I recently picked up a 2000 VW Bug. Very low miles, the only person to drive it was my wife when she went to visit her mother. When it was decided that we were taking the car, her mother took the car and had the battery changed, just because the old one needed a jump every time, due to not being run. The guy who changed the battery used some sort of goop to prevent corrosion at the terminals, and he gooped so much of it on there, it was preventing the electrical connection between the cables and the battery. Ultimately, the car died on the side of the road, and had to be towed. But, before it completely died, the radio would cut on and off when the brakes were hit. I don't know how they test the battery at Autozone/Advance. Don't know if they test just for continuity, or if they are able to check voltage output. I lean towards double/triple checking the cable connections at the battery. Just my two cents, tho. But I do suspect the problem will ultimately be in either the battery itself, or the cable connections.

[JohnGunn]

I don't know about your model, but my fuel injected '90 L idles at 700 rpm and when the headlights are turned on the load on the engine causes the rpm to drop momentarily before the Idle Speed Controller immediately brings it back up to exactly 700. That tells me the alternator turning at 700 rpm produces sufficient current to keep the battery charged even with the headlights on. 2000 sounds to me way off the chart.

You can monitor the condition of your battery with nothing more than a volt meter. For example I just went down to check my electrical system with my digital volt/ohm meter.

The car had been setting for about three hours since I used it for a short trip of about 15 minutes.

All the following tests are made with the car in neutral, manual transmission.

1. Voltage of battery before starting, without any load on the system. 12.58 Volts
2. Voltage of battery before starting, with headlights on. 12.05 Volts
3. Starting car with headlights shining on wall in front of car. Lights dim a good deal but less than 50%, and without slowing the speed of the starter. Car starts immediately.
4. Voltage at battery while running without headlights. 14.28 Volts (This is good. Charging voltage should be 14.1 to 14.7 Volts.)
5. Voltage at battery while running with headlights. 14.30 Volts
6. Voltage at battery while running without headlights. Remains at 14.28 for all rpm. (Well regulated by alternator voltage regulator.)
7. Voltage of battery, engine off and no lights, after this short test. 13.25 Volts
8. My guess is that the voltage will slowly fall to the 12.58 Voltage after three hours.

The age and quality of your battery will give you an indication of how much life it probably has left in it. For example, my battery is the best from AutoZone with an eight year warranty which I bought about 10 years ago. Thanks to my tach cluster it has never been completely discharged and since my Festiva starts first time every time, the load placed on it has been minimal.

My guess would be your battery is failing. But these tests should help you make that determination. Next time you're at the junk yard look for a tach cluster, orange if possible because they can be reset without breaking anything. One purchase you won't regret.

John Gunn
Coronado, CA