Battery Issue I think!!!!

[rphilcox]

All,

I think I have an issue with my battery and was wondering whether any of you might be able to shed any light on the problem.

A couple of weeks back I went into the garage and my alarm was making a consistent beeping noise, not loud but noticeable. I then tried to unlock the car using the alarm key fob but nothing, the light was coming on on the fob therefore I knew is was something in the car that wasn't right. I tried to open the car using the push buttons (older style, not under mirrors) but they simply pushed down into the door as you would expect when the car is locked. Anyway I managed to get in and open the doors using the twisty opening knob inside, tried to start her up and nothing.

Then I connected my Accumate and quite soon after that I heard a clicking noise coming from the centre of the dash, like a relay type noise. This seemed to resolve the door button issue and they freed themselves up, also when the doors were open you could then hear the central locking trying to engage/disengage. So I assumed the car was now taking power so left it connected to the Accumate and didn't go back to her for about 5-6 days.

When I next went back to the car the Accumate was still showing a flashing yellow LED next to the empty battery symbol therefore I am now assuming that the battery is flat, however wanted to check with you all as I know that the alarm/immobiliser on these cars can be a little problematic and am not sure whether this could be playing a part somewhere.

Any advice or info with regards to testing the level of the battery and also removing so that I can possibly get it charged would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Rich

[bobfather]

Sounds like it's time for a new battery. It's an easy job but probably unpleasant this time of year. Your battery was probably completely flat so the Accumate is not the right tool. Accumate is designed to keep a charged and healthy battery healthy; it's not designed to charge a poorly battery.

If your battery is goosed then it will drop from charged to completely flat very quickly

ETA

Removing the battery is easy and has been covered here many times, just do a search. My only advice is to mark the footwell to indicate the position of the battery box so that alignment is easier when reinstalling

Edited by bobfather on Thursday 4th December 09:28

[rphilcox]

Thanks Bob, sounds like an early Christmas present for me then.

One further question is that this whole situation occured after I hadn't used the car for about 6 weeks, before that when it was getting regular weekend runs the battery was perfect. Do you think I may be able to get it charged at a garage or is it definitely shot?

Thanks again
Rich

[bobfather]

Rich, what you describe is classic goosed battery behaviour. The battery is draining itself over time. A new battery, when fully charged should be able to start a car after standing for over a year. What you appear to have been experiencing is a battery with enough energy to start your car after a few weeks. On the last occasion you may have left it a little longer and the cold weather would work against you. Battery performance reduces and the engine oil viscosity would be higher making it very unlikely that the battery would have the energy required to turn the starter. Your battery was all but dead by the sounds of it.

I used to use an Accumate but don't bother anymore. After changing my battery the car would start even after months sitting in a cold garage.

[Uncle Fester]

Actually the AccuMate is a charger and a conditioner according to the instruction leaflet. A copy of this is available on the AccuMate website. According to AccuMate, the way their charger works is different to most chargers and will recover a battery that others won’t.

I tried to recharge mine with the AccuMate last year. Like you, after days, the uncharged light was still on. Testing the battery revealed it was faulty. A new battery was fitted.

Recently mine wasn’t run for long enough to allow this to go flat. I then recharged from flat using only my AccuMate.

If it hasn’t recharged after this long then I would replace the battery.

[rphilcox]

Thanks guys, based on your advice I will go straight for a new battery. No point messing around.

Any brands particularly recommended and also is is a specific type I need to look out for?

Tks Rich

[M@H]

bobfather said:

Rich, what you describe is classic goosed battery behaviour. The battery is draining itself over time. A new battery, when fully charged should be able to start a car after standing for over a year.

Cobblers Both my Chims would flatten their batteries in under a month if left standing, there are enough threads on here wondering what exactly the power drain is (incorrect relays leaving the lambdas on for example). The alarm alone is draining the battery all the time.

To the OP - charge the battery up and see how it is. The queit beeping is the alarm and the relay clicking is the alarm trying to fire the indicators etc once it has a little more power from your accumate. My car is often in this state as I don't drive it enough, but do not immediately write off your battery unless it is a few years old (mine can do this with a brand new battery after 4 weeks standing)

Edited by M@H on Thursday 4th December 12:08

[spend]

M@H said:

bobfather said:

Rich, what you describe is classic goosed battery behaviour. The battery is draining itself over time. A new battery, when fully charged should be able to start a car after standing for over a year.

Cobblers Both my Chims would flatten their batteries in under a month if left standing, there are enough threads on here wondering what exactly the power drain is (incorrect relays leaving the lambdas on for example). The alarm alone is draining the battery all the time.

To the OP - charge the battery up and see how it is. The queit beeping is the alarm and the relay clicking is the alarm trying to fire the indicators etc once it has a little more power from your accumate. My car is often in this state as I don't drive it enough, but do not immediately write off your battery unless it is a few years old (mine can do this with a brand new battery after 4 weeks standing)

Edited by M@H on Thursday 4th December 12:08

I thought the point Bob was making was that a charged battery left on the shelf for a period of time would start the car. ...before you start calling each other names

[M@H]

spend said:

M@H said:

bobfather said:

Rich, what you describe is classic goosed battery behaviour. The battery is draining itself over time. A new battery, when fully charged should be able to start a car after standing for over a year.

Cobblers Both my Chims would flatten their batteries in under a month if left standing, there are enough threads on here wondering what exactly the power drain is (incorrect relays leaving the lambdas on for example). The alarm alone is draining the battery all the time.

To the OP - charge the battery up and see how it is. The queit beeping is the alarm and the relay clicking is the alarm trying to fire the indicators etc once it has a little more power from your accumate. My car is often in this state as I don't drive it enough, but do not immediately write off your battery unless it is a few years old (mine can do this with a brand new battery after 4 weeks standing)

Edited by M@H on Thursday 4th December 12:08

I thought the point Bob was making was that a charged battery left on the shelf for a period of time would start the car. ...before you start calling each other names

Aaah yes, good point sorry Bob.

[bobfather]

spend said:

I thought the point Bob was making was that a charged battery left on the shelf for a period of time would start the car. ...before you start calling each other names

Thanks Dave. Actually my battery can stay in the car for several months and still be OK. I'm not sure how many months it would last because I don't like to leave the car standing for long periods. There is likely to be differences in the discharge rate for different alarm types and temperature makes a difference too.

On cars that I used to store over winter I have been able to start the engine after 6 months. I don't lock or alarm them so the circuit drain should be zero but the point is that a good battery should see negligible levels of internal discharge. For any battery to go flat after six weeks means the battery internal discharge is too high probably due to deposits building up at the base of the plates.

[M@H]

Agreed, my S Series's would last 6 months laid-up easily and then Fire up, Chims that last much more than 6 weeks are rare

[spend]

Agreed Bob, they will all vary quite a lot IMHO down to battery spec/condition and your particular electrics. Clock could be replaced with oil temp . Cut the radio permanent power? Ensure other things are working correctly... If a car cannot be left for 4 weeks without fear of starting something is wrong, fix it for your own benefit

[rphilcox]

Great advice from everyone cheers.

Will probably see if I can charge it, if that works then will use the Accumate and see if its condition is maintained.

Otherwise I will stick a new one in. Either way it will be fixed and ready for driving over the Christmas break, weather dependent of course.

[Paul (93 Chim)]

I have found with mine, it can be flat after two weeks unless I take out the interior light fuse, then it lasts for a long time.

I have a Meta alarm system, but I have connected an ammeter in the system and found that when I shut the door there is no battery drain but if I open it, then shut it again there is, so maybe it's something to do with the heated mirrors, when I remove the interior light fuse it disables the heated mirrors aswell.

Still under investigation!

Regards,

Paul.

[spend]

Pull the mirror timer out of the aux relay panel (under the dash top) ~ its not like you couldn't live without it ~ to test.

Remember the early cars with the up-in-footwell battery can only fit the smaller batteries (and they are a real PITA to access!)

[rphilcox]

So after all of your advice I decided that trying to jump start the Chimaera would be worth a shot before spending out on a new battery.

I hooked the car up to the trusty commuting diesel and straight away the alarm kicked in so I knew I was getting somewhere. I reset this and then fired up the TVR first time and then took her out for an hour to blow the cobwebs away and try to get the alternator to do its thing.

Got home drove the car straight into the garage and plugged in the Accumate so hopefully that will keep things as they should be in the battery dept. I'll monitor the situation and maybe purchase a new one in the New Year when my kid's Christmas lists have been fulfilled.

I love this forum as you can pretty much find an answer to everything!!!!!!

Cheers all, Merry Christmas and a Happy and Propoerous 2009.

Rich