A starter question for 10 (pun intended)!

[guest24]

I parked my car (Previa) the other day and some idiot  left the side lights on. 2hrs 3 mins later when I went back to it there was insufficient power in the battery to even get the starter solenoid to try and engage (you know that rapid clicking noise that tells you that the battery is flat). Now, the battery is a 40AH (or even 50AH) and I was surprised it went that flat that quickly. 

My gut feeling is the battery is showing its age. With the rapidly approaching winter season I think I am going to have to prise open my wallet and deprive my wee bairns of Christmas pressies    so I can buy the car a new battery. 

Am I just paranoid, or is my assumption correct on the battery?

[Steve H]

Assumming sidelights and tail light total around 35W then thats around 2.5 amps, so in theory a 40Ah battery should last about 40/2.5 - 16 hours. So 2.5 seems short. However the starter needs a huge current (especially on a diesel), so if the battery is marginal it will drag the voltage down quickly and the relay turns off, hence the clicking.

[002]

Charge it up and see what happens !
And dont forget to TURN THE LIGHTS OFF !




Jethro

[guest7]

You think that's bad...

Today I found my mobile phone in a pot of water that I'd been using to keep some paint brushes moist. My wife said, "Oh, I thought it was just a pot of brushes".

Er... why put my phone in a pot of brushes anyway?

Result - one completely f***ed phone 

GC

[Steve Lake]

It might just be...that your charging circuit is not performing too well....also worth checking the battery terminals and connections are good (really good)

I kept a battery going on my old citroen, way past it's sell by date, just by sticking it on the charger every weekend.

Don't envy you buying a new battery......now all the churches have lost their roofing.....prices are soaring.....£100 + for one now i'm told!!

[guest24]

I have used the car for a week and it seems to have been OK. This morning it was very cold and the car was covered with ice. OMG I thought, get the jump leads out. No need. It span over and started like there was nothing wrong! Yesterday it got used on a longer journey than usual and so probably ran long enough to put back the charge it had taken out to get itself started.

I think my main problem is too many wretched short journeys so the old battery is not getting charged for long enough.

However, I am still not 100% convinced all is OK in the battery department. I will check the fan belt for tension and do some voltage checks when I get a moment - so that means about 9pm in the dark!! I can hear my wallet creaking in the background...

Talking of lights, my stupid horrid Espace that I had prior to the Previa had a warning buzzer if you left the lights on. Why my fancy Jap car doesn't have the same sort of thing I will never know. grr.

[guest295]

I've found it profitable to check the electrolyte levels frequently. It's a lot easier on cars than bikes.

[guest24]

Oh dear, it won. 

The car was used on Sunday, come Monday night with 28 minutes to get to the Civic offices it has a flat battery, and I mean flat. Mercifully, my neighbour lent me his little French car and I bimbled over there with 7 mins to spare. 

Today, invested in a new battery (the car actually uses a 70 Ah one and this is a petrol version) for a measly £63 from my local tyre shop. Apparently ordered (2 days ago) for another customer who refused to pay that amount of money. I was rather pleased with that price.

Stuck it in and away it went! I have never heard the starter spin so fast and strongly as it did with the new battery. The car even sounded better, if that is possible?

Methinks I have been on borrowed battery time: all 18 months worth since I bought it.

One however though, if this one goes flat then there may well be something else wrong... he says