Flat Battery every Morning !!

DGJsaver

Cheers all !

PHYTHIAN

A couple of things that have happened to me

1. Faulty alternator---- you would see a dashboard light remain on when you turn the engine off
2. Battery leads/ terminals getting wet---spray liberally with WD40
3. You say it has been each morning. Does it stay OK during the day after you have charged it or does it drain out after a couple of hours of being idle? If it takes a couple of hours then it is likely to be something OTHER than the battery. If you turn off the engine and it won't start straight away , then it is DEFINITELY the battery.

Feel sure you may already know those things but thought I'd chuck my tuppenyworth in!!

DGJsaver

Hello mate

Thing is when i jump it , its a gap of 2-3-hours till i use it again so i dont know if i let it sit there for 8 hours wethere it would start again or not as yet.....
the battery itself is wrapped up in a posh sort of cover , and appears clean and dry...but it does say GM on it so wondering if its the same batterie from manufacture (surley not?!)

All lights go out when i turn engine off...

colino

You should have a discharge test done by a garage to rule it out (actually puts it under load not just checking the voltage) and disconnect the plug from the back of the alternator overnight. It's not unknown for an alternator that actually delivers charge to have faulty diodes capable of discharging the battery.
Being a diesel however I think the checks will just confirm the battery is past its best!

molerat

colino wrote: »

It's not unknown for an alternator that actually delivers charge to have faulty diodes capable of discharging the battery.

That was the problem I had. Alternator was charging fine but as soon as it stopped the battery would discharge at 4 amps. The car either needs to be put on a diagnostic machine or simply disconnect the +ve terminal and connect an ammeter between the lead to the battery.

jimbo_the_jetset

Our battery in a diesel went recently. Get a garage to test the cold cranking amps which is the juice required to get it started.

maninthestreet

Strider590 wrote: »

I don't care what the AA man says, I think it's the battery..... They measure the battery voltage, but there's an element they don't measure and that's the ability to supply massive starting current.
QUOTE]

If the AA man is worth his salt, he would be using a battery tester that puts a load on the battery.

DGJsaver

The AA bloke , said it was showing 12.5v and that a sidelight being on would only be 0.8v so battery fine...?!

cyclonebri1

10 to 1 new battery

evens new alternator


BUT any able shop will tell you which, :money:

maninthestreet

DGJsaver wrote: »

The AA bloke , said it was showing 12.5v and that a sidelight being on would only be 0.8v so battery fine...?!

12.5V isnt good - it should be 13.2V (110% of the nominal voltage) to be able to supply the current required to turn the engine over.
I sidelight will use 12V, just like evevry other light on the car. Maybe he meant 0.8A (amps, i.e current), but most sidelights are 5W, which would mean a current draw of 0.42A.