Checked voltage before I left 11.3v engine off, 14.8v engine on which settled to 13.8v after a run and the battery was showing 12.2v

Went to the shop, they tested it (off the car) and 1st test showed 33%, way below standard. The second after 10 minutes showed 52% and "good" which was baffling. They then did a drop test which showed it was "OK" so I was confused. The lad saw me test the battery with my own tester which gave the settled results so he knew the alternator is working.

Anyway, he spoke to the boss who did a goodwill gesture of swapping out the battery.

WOW! :eek:

What a difference! I sat and reset all the windows & radio stations, then drove off and no more antics. No hunting from LPG, no kick down hilarity (before it was kicking down then back up a gear so it had to be foot hard to the floor.

This time, the kick down worked with a reasonable amount of pedal and when I put my foot all the way down she was off like a racehorse and kicked down all the way immediately and held the gear until I was up to speed.

The performance from the LPG is back to normal, instant response and linear delivery, smooth and progressive acceleration.

ABS & TC off & stayed off, no more interior light disco either.

And the AC seems to be quicker at coming into play, almost instant cold and stays cold! o_O

I wonder if this will have fixed my non operating cruise control :p
 
Doo said:
Checked voltage before I left 11.3v engine off, 14.8v engine on which settled to 13.8v after a run and the battery was showing 12.2v

Went to the shop, they tested it (off the car) and 1st test showed 33%, way below standard. The second after 10 minutes showed 52% and "good" which was baffling. They then did a drop test which showed it was "OK" so I was confused. The lad saw me test the battery with my own tester which gave the settled results so he knew the alternator is working.

Anyway, he spoke to the boss who did a goodwill gesture of swapping out the battery.

WOW! :eek:

What a difference! I sat and reset all the windows & radio stations, then drove off and no more antics. No hunting from LPG, no kick down hilarity (before it was kicking down then back up a gear so it had to be foot hard to the floor.

This time, the kick down worked with a reasonable amount of pedal and when I put my foot all the way down she was off like a racehorse and kicked down all the way immediately and held the gear until I was up to speed.

The performance from the LPG is back to normal, instant response and linear delivery, smooth and progressive acceleration.

ABS & TC off & stayed off, no more interior light disco either.

And the AC seems to be quicker at coming into play, almost instant cold and stays cold! o_O

I wonder if this will have fixed my non operating cruise control :p
Click to expand...
The voltage engine on should not drop to 13.8 volts and the battery should be showing more than 12,2 volts, more like 13.8 just after switching the engine off dropping to 12.8 volts after a short period.
 
Datatek said:
The voltage engine on should not drop to 13.8 volts and the battery should be showing more than 12,2 volts, more like 13.8 just after switching the engine off dropping to 12.8 volts after a short period.
Click to expand...

But surely if the battery was down at 11.3v then the alternator would put out maximum charge to get the battery up to speed asap?!

It settled back to 13.8v once the battery started to accept a charge.

Now it's perfect reading 12.8v engine off and aprox 13.8v engine on....
 
Doo said:
But surely if the battery was down at 11.3v then the alternator would put out maximum charge to get the battery up to speed asap?!

It settled back to 13.8v once the battery started to accept a charge.

Now it's perfect reading 12.8v engine off and aprox 13.8v engine on....
Click to expand...
13.8 volts is not enough to fully charge a modern lead calcium battery, the need a minimum of 14.2 volts, preferably 14.5 to 14.7 volts. I suspect your alternator is an early one with a 13.8 volt set point. I deally you should change the regulator for a new one with a 14.7 volt set point (cost less the £30) or the battery life will be short, especially if you do a lot of short runns.
 
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Batteries can do do things if they are a bit poorly, testing them is never 100% reliable. The only test is to replace with a new one.

Col
 
Ha ha thanks guys
How do I know what my present one is set to?
Old car (1995) but new alternator
 
oakey said:
Ha ha thanks guys
How do I know what my present one is set to?
Old car (1995) but new alternator
Click to expand...
Engine at 2K rpm, monitor the voltage across the battery terminals, it will rise quite rapidly to the alternator regulator set point.
 
I may have found a coincidence! o_O

While I didn't find any more issues since the new battery was installed, I did notice something yesterday...

I was installing the double dash cams on my bike, so seeing as how it was sunny I was parked next to the Range Rover so I could listen to the radio.

An hour later, sun beaming down, I was done so I went to button up the car and put the bike away (so I could go home and have a meal of pain killers & water...).

I closed the drivers window and was surprised to see a film of water all over the glass! It was clearly from the inside of the door so I rather wonder of the car wash dafty had managed to force a fair old amount into the door causing the micro switches to short out flicking the lights on & off??

I can see a door car removal in the offing so I can spray a little WD40 to dispel the remaining water or in winter I'll have a lot of hilarity :confused:

I'm off out very soon to check what alternator I have so I can order up a new rectifier pack to up the voltage as I believe that is what killed the battery. Clearly didn't get a full charge if the alternator set is 13.7v o_O

Thanks again Data (said in a Cap'n Picard voice :D).
 
Doo said:
I may have found a coincidence! o_O

While I didn't find any more issues since the new battery was installed, I did notice something yesterday...

I was installing the double dash cams on my bike, so seeing as how it was sunny I was parked next to the Range Rover so I could listen to the radio.

An hour later, sun beaming down, I was done so I went to button up the car and put the bike away (so I could go home and have a meal of pain killers & water...).

I closed the drivers window and was surprised to see a film of water all over the glass! It was clearly from the inside of the door so I rather wonder of the car wash dafty had managed to force a fair old amount into the door causing the micro switches to short out flicking the lights on & off??

I can see a door car removal in the offing so I can spray a little WD40 to dispel the remaining water or in winter I'll have a lot of hilarity :confused:

I'm off out very soon to check what alternator I have so I can order up a new rectifier pack to up the voltage as I believe that is what killed the battery. Clearly didn't get a full charge if the alternator set is 13.7v o_O

Thanks again Data (said in a Cap'n Picard voice :D).
Click to expand...
You need a regulator assembly, NOT a rectifier pack. Also I suggest you check the drain holes in the bottom of the door.
 
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