Car electrical issues: calcium battery

[pzkpfw]

Phooey. So about 2 months back I started having trouble with my battery and the dealer suggested "stuffed" and I stuck a new one in. 500 CCA, calcium.

Didn't use the car for a few weeks (was away from home), then last week while driving it, started getting odd warning lights come on (ABS, ECT, TRC). Then they'd go off again.

Yesterday, the battery/charge light came on, then pretty much all the dash went off (including speedo and rev counter) then on the Hutt motorway the speed started dropping and I went into the shoulder (to get out of the way) and turned off the first side road I came across. State roadside rescue got me a towie, who for a few extra $ got my car all the way home.

So I gave the new battery a good charge with a good charger that does calcium batteries. Stuck it in the car, and it started up fine, all good and drove 'round the block.

But ... the charge light is still on in the dash, and my multimeter sees 12.47 volts across the battery, with the engine idling.

I'd like to confirm a few things the towie said:

A: I should see more like 14 volts across the battery, if the alternator is "good". (Though at idle, with a full battery, it might be less).

B: The strain of trying to charge a "too low" calcium battery can be the cause of an alternator failing.

And lastly:

C: Is there likely to be anything I can do/check? The tight squeeze to the alternator makes me think "screw that" when I even slightly consider pulling it out. Is this just a $$$ job for the dealer?

Thanks.


Grrr.

[Akzle]

def sounds fucked alternator.
next question is, is your time worth more than the mechanics?

could be something simple, like brushes. rec, reg, or something fuckeder. either way it's cheaper if you take it off and put it on. even if someone else diagfnoses and repairs.


o. wait.

install linux on it bro!

[unstuck]

Alternator sounds routed, pull it off and get the auto sparky to give it the once over. Save yourself a heap that way.

[spanner spinner]

yep deftly stuffed charge circuit but before you pull the alternator check the fuse box under the bonnet as many new cars have a separate charge fuse that only isolates the alternator output. If your alternator was running at full charge rate (many are now capable of 120 amps) trying to recharge a discharged battery it may have popped the fuse. If the fuse is fine time to rip that alternator out. As for the warning lights ABS etc don't like low voltage and may be looking for charge voltage or may have been tripped into fault mode by the flat battery, if they don't reset once you have the car charging again it's a computer reset to turn them off.

[spanner spinner]

Phooey. So about 2 months back I started having trouble with my battery and the dealer suggested "stuffed" and I stuck a new one in. 500 CCA, calcium.

Didn't use the car for a few weeks (was away from home), then last week while driving it, started getting odd warning lights come on (ABS, ECT, TRC). Then they'd go off again.

Yesterday, the battery/charge light came on, then pretty much all the dash went off (including speedo and rev counter) then on the Hutt motorway the speed started dropping and I went into the shoulder (to get out of the way) and turned off the first side road I came across. State roadside rescue got me a towie, who for a few extra $ got my car all the way home.

So I gave the new battery a good charge with a good charger that does calcium batteries. Stuck it in the car, and it started up fine, all good and drove 'round the block.

But ... the charge light is still on in the dash, and my multimeter sees 12.47 volts across the battery, with the engine idling.

I'd like to confirm a few things the towie said:

A: I should see more like 14 volts across the battery, if the alternator is "good". (Though at idle, with a full battery, it might be less).

B: The strain of trying to charge a "too low" calcium battery can be the cause of an alternator failing.

And lastly:

C: Is there likely to be anything I can do/check? The tight squeeze to the alternator makes me think "screw that" when I even slightly consider pulling it out. Is this just a $$$ job for the dealer?

Thanks.


Grrr.

sorry forgot to say yep your looking for 14 to 14.5 volts charge voltage and a low battery can take out the regulator circuit on a alternator leading to no charge. As for removing the alternator jack the car up and check for underneath as that was the way the alternator had to be removed for my last intergra, dam near impossible from the top easy from under the car.

[pzkpfw]

Thanks everyone.

Good to know about the possibility of a blown fuse - will check that now.

(
The alternator is very close to the top of the engine, but in turn has unrelated cables routed over the top of it. Doesn't look easy either way. (You watch programs about cars being assembled and you can see how the way they go together has very little to do with how to get them apart for servicing. Soooo much easier working under the bonnets of my old cars ('73 Corona, VF Valiant and MKIV Cortina). The car before the current one was an '88 Corona, and that was already getting a bit beyond my ability to do even "simple" stuff.)
)

[pzkpfw]

The only "charge" fuse I could find in the manual was a 7.5 amp one. (It was fine).

Does that sound right? (Googled up a story of someone replacing one of the much "larger" fuses to fix a charging issue.)

[unstuck]

The only "charge" fuse I could find in the manual was a 7.5 amp one. (It was fine).

Does that sound right? (Googled up a story of someone replacing one of the much "larger" fuses to fix a charging issue.)

Would of thought it would be higher than that, 30 or so anyway.

[SMOKEU]

install linux on it bro!

I wouldn't be surprised if the ECU is running some sort of *NIX derivative. Oh, and do a skid.

[spanner spinner]

alternator fuse will be what they call a fuseable link which will look like just a section of wiring loom see link for better information, http://www.madelectrical.com/catalog/fusible-link.shtml

these are some times located in the main fuse box or in the wiring loom close to the alternator output, you will have to go hunting for it as they can be anywhere in the loom. you can test by checking for battery voltage at the alternator output terminal if there is voltage there the link is still intact. The 7.5 amp fuse you found is the control circuit for the alternator this is linked to the ignition to turn the alternator on and off.