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battery problem or something else

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raflad67

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hi all, \after some advice as i am sh!te with cars....

i have an 12 yr old vw poo as a runaround car, it only normaly goes short distances and has been ok up until recently when the battery died. i jump started it and went for a long drive and it was ok but now it's done it again. I put battery on an optimate and it charged it and reported it as good so have put it back on and it starts ok again for now!.

i am just waiting for it to happen again though!! I have checked no lights remain on and even took the fascia off the cd/radio as this hasnt been working properly for a while.

i have read it could be something draining the power and just doing short journeys are not the best for a car battery but not sure .

any guyz/girlz any other idea? most grateful thanks
 
This time of year is the worst for car batteries. Short runs, heavy usage of lights, heater fan, rear window heater all take a heavy load, and you aren't covering the mileage to charge it back up.
Either give it a 20 mile run at the weekend, or get yourself a battery charger.

Most car centres will give you a free battery check, but they really want to sell you a new battery.

Good luck with it.:PDT_Xtremez_14:
 
One of the possibility is a knacked alternator, I am sure a dog lover will be along shortly to give you an accurate prognosis...
 
Use a multi-meter, in series with the battery on the amps scale, switch every thing off and see if there is a current draw.

It is more likely to be a battery with a defective cell, weakened by low temperatures,

I used an optimate on my bike battery which also showed OK, same problem as you, new battery solved it
 
Woof!:PDT_Xtremez_28:

Cheaper than a new alternator, stick a gallon of fuel in it, and give it a run in daylight, see if it charges.
If the alt was fuc..............knac..........erm.......faulty you should have the red failure light on.
 
John Lloyd said:
Use a multi-meter, in series with the battery on the amps scale, switch every thing off and see if there is a current draw.

It is more likely to be a battery with a defective cell, weakened by low temperatures,

I used an optimate on my bike battery which also showed OK, same problem as you, new battery solved it
Click to expand...


Probably as above, but there could be a prob with the diode pack in the alternator draining the battery too. If you've got a multimeter, then check the charging voltage across the terminals when the engine is running - around 14.5 volts or so.

Gray
 
Have just had a similar problem on my car. Suspected something was wrong when I started getting airbag and ABS warning lights, next day the battery was totally flat. Got a jump start and drove home for 2 hours. Battery charged but it would not keep its charge for more than 2 days. I took the plunge and bought a new battery and everything has been fine since. Halfords are quite good for batteries if you or anyone you know have a trade card. I paid just over 50% of the marked price for mine.
 
grumpyoldb said:
Actually John, VeeDubs are usually good on elects.
I still reckon a gallon of juice is the cheapest option.
Click to expand...

Gotta agree, I've had 4 polo's buy em for no more than £300 run 'em until they die, buy it, give it a good service, filters, fluids, plugs, cost in a battery.

When its dead and gone. weigh it in. £100 back in the wallet.
 
John Lloyd said:
Gotta agree, I've had 4 polo's buy em for no more than £300 run 'em until they die, buy it, give it a good service, filters, fluids, plugs, cost in a battery.

When its dead and gone. weigh it in. £100 back in the wallet.
Click to expand...

Can't beat it mate.:PDT_Xtremez_14:
 
gray said:
Probably as above, but there could be a prob with the diode pack in the alternator draining the battery too. If you've got a multimeter, then check the charging voltage across the terminals when the engine is running - around 14.5 volts or so.

Gray
Click to expand...


Cheers for all the advice. I meant to say polo but Poo may be more accurate anyway!!

With regard to a multimeter - forgive my thickyness but what exactly do i do? Did read to pull fuses and take readings to see if any are causing the probs?

I may just get a new battery and see if it is ok from then on, 50 squid or so not too bad.

cheers again
 
Had a similar problem with my old 306. Turned out not to be the fact it's french but the starter was shagged. One day it would start fine the next it would give all the signs of a dodgy battery.
 
raflad67 said:
Cheers for all the advice. I meant to say polo but Poo may be more accurate anyway!!

With regard to a multimeter - forgive my thickyness but what exactly do i do? Did read to pull fuses and take readings to see if any are causing the probs?

I may just get a new battery and see if it is ok from then on, 50 squid or so not too bad.

cheers again
Click to expand...

Multi meter allows you to read;

Voltage

Resistance

Current

A stable battery should show 12-14 vdc across the battery terminals

With all conections and switches in an off postion the meter in amps, connected battery positive to positive lead should show approx 0 amps

Alternator running should show approx 14 vdc across battery pos and neg

Pound to a piece of sh1t it's a duff battery
 
Is your battery a sealed for life type or can you get the lid off to check the cells to ensure the electolyte levels are ok?
but as previous post says just disconnect battery positive and put positive lead of multimeter on to that and negative lead onto battery positive lug have meter reading DC amps and if you have a reading with everything off then you have a drain and need to find what is causing that.
the easiest way to do that is by removing a fuse at a time from the fuse holder to eliminate each circuit and when you remove one and the meter eventually reads zero hey presto your fault is in that circuit.
 
sparks will fly said:
Is your battery a sealed for life type or can you get the lid off to check the cells to ensure the electolyte levels are ok?
but as previous post says just disconnect battery positive and put positive lead of multimeter on to that and negative lead onto battery positive lug have meter reading DC amps and if you have a reading with everything off then you have a drain and need to find what is causing that.
the easiest way to do that is by removing a fuse at a time from the fuse holder to eliminate each circuit and when you remove one and the meter eventually reads zero hey presto your fault is in that circuit.
Click to expand...

Cheers for all the posts. I have checked levels which are ok.

With trepidation this morning (and it is a bl00dy cold one) I went to the car and after defrosting the damn thing so I could open the doors I put the key in the ignition and.......it started! It's a miracle. Although quite a sluggish turnover it did it 1st time. As I said previously I checked that no lights were on etc and removed the cd/radio fascia which has been intermittently working to say the least. I will leave this off and take the car for a good run in the daytime with nothing else on and hopefully it will be ok. I will invest in a multimeter anyway, amazon are quite good for them I see.

Again many thanks for the info etc. Happy New Year to all.
 
Mate, after many years doing DIY servicing the most important thing I learned was knowing when to throw the battery away! 4-5 years from new. Anything more than that is a bonus. In car electrics you need to start with a known good reference point - the battery! I've seen so many people, including myself, try and convince themselves, and others that they can save 50 quid. They charge the battery, fine for a while, and just at the most inconvienient time the battery lets them down again. Even if replacing the battery doesn't fully clear the fault, it will be money well spent knowing that you will have a reliably starting car for the winter.
 
Batteries take a lot of stick during the starting process, i.e. 200 amps, plus a modern, electronic ignition system will give you a big, fat spark from the word go. Hence your engine will fire and you're away. A knadgered battery will only half heartedly turn your engine. But, you might just get a spark and still get started. Get yourself a new battery. When I did the same, I thought my engine was going to leap out of the car 'cos it turned over so quickly.
 
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