Can vagcom test battery/alternator?

JustAnotherSaver

Well i put the battery on a full 24hour charge but i just don't have the time to test it tonight. I've got it booked in with our mechanic in the morning so he's going to take a look at the whole thing and fix it if it needs it.

I was just wondering what this is



When i plugged it in yesterday it went straight to number 3 & over time reduces down.

khcomp

It's a cheap & basic battery charger, but it's doing what it's supposed to: The only problem is that it doesn't give you a definitive indication of a fully charged battery, and therefore can't tell you if full charging isn't possible. A decent new charger would.

JustAnotherSaver

I just read my post back and it's terribly worded.

I know it's a battery charger. It's what i was using for the past 24 hours lol

I meant the display - what the numbers relate to, why it started out at 3 and then dropped to 1.
In the past when i've used it it shoots to number 2. Not often i see it go straight to number 3.


Anything i should look for in a battery charger? I see some on the reviews getting reasonable scores & others absolutely panned, even when they look like the same item just a different brand sticker slapped on it.

khcomp

The display on yours show amps - the amount of current that's being fed into the battery. A flat battery will take as much charge as the charger can give, and as the battery becomes more charged, the meter will gradually decrease as the battery reaches it's correct charge.
I find this a good one if you want something a bit more capable;
http://www.ringautomotive.com/uk/products/Cars/Battery+Care/Standard+Charger/RCB212

Because it has a 'fully charged' indicator, it gives a definite point at which the battery has been charged properly, and therefore it will also let you know if the battery can't be fully charged & so needs to be replaced.

Bought a good one from Lidl last year too - gives battery condition as a percentage, reads alternator performance and even has a jump start function: All for £35!

JustAnotherSaver

£160 for the alternator and fitting.
Apparently the A/C pump needed to be disconnected also to allow access.

I was expecting about £120, £130 tops so i was a little surprised but it's done now.

BeenThroughItAll

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

£160 for the alternator and fitting.
Apparently the A/C pump needed to be disconnected also to allow access.

I was expecting about £120, £130 tops so i was a little surprised but it's done now.

Why was the charging light on the dashboard not illuminating?

mro

khcomp wrote: »

Best guess is late 1970s

It's not 70s.

I'd say 90s, quite modern looking for car multimeter.

AdrianC

mro wrote: »

It's not 70s.

I'd say 90s, quite modern looking for car multimeter.

You are having a laugh. Analogue, with settings for "dwell" and "points"? That is as 1970s as they come.

Here's an identical one on eBay - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/112437194865
You going to say that's 1990s packaging?

And here's some 1974 tech sheets from the same company...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282555263877
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/362018809207

Meanwhile, I've been using a couple of these multimeters since the 1990s...

JustAnotherSaver

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Why was the charging light on the dashboard not illuminating?

You've lost me totally i'm afraid.

Or was it a joke at my expense? I don't know.

Charging light on the dashboard?

BeenThroughItAll

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

You've lost me totally i'm afraid.

Or was it a joke at my expense? I don't know.

Charging light on the dashboard?

Yes, the warning lamp depicting a battery that illuminates when the alternator isn't charging. It's part of the circuit that energises the alternator coils, and it used to be the case that if the bulb went, the alternator would no longer charge the battery. If it wasn't on in your case, then I'd have to question whether the garage replaced the alternator... Or just the bulb.

It is number 15 in this image:



Unless the Mk4 Golf has an ECU controlled alternator exciter circuit of course - but then the charging warning light is typically also ECU controlled dependent on the voltage output on the alternator.