Battery issues

[Covo71]

Again another small problem. The car is not kicking over as easy as it was a few weeks ago. Just out of curiosity I had the battery checked out and it was spot on. What I am worried about is it only takes me 7 or 8 minutes to get to work. Is it not getting enough charge? Do I need to get a new alternator with a bit more grunt? Thanks for any ideas.

[bluengold]

Covo71,
quick question what reading was checked on the battery??? cranking amps is what is needed. if you want to know if your alternator is charging use your multi-meter on the battery posts and measure voltage before it starts then when it started if its charging you will see the increase in voltage. there could be a number of reasons for it not starting easy from a stuffed battery to loose connections to your starter motor. best to keep it simple and check for easy stuff first.
cheers

[Cuppa]

Short drives quite possibly will not recharge enough, especially if lights are used., resulting in the battery losing a bit more charge each day until you experince the symptoms you describe. Rather than upgrading the alternator (assuming the one you have is working ok) an alternative would be to get a decent mains charger & just wack the battery on charge once a week, or even nightly. Maybe connect an anderson plug permanently to the terminals & the charger so connection is a 10 second job. A charger capable of reading the voltage & going into float mode would allow you to just plug in without risk of overcharging ...... & will make your battery life longer to boot.

Bluengold is right though, could be stuffed alternator, battery or loose connections. My wife's car has been cranking slower & taking more cranking to start this week. I thought the battery was probably on the way out, but testing it showed it to be fine. Terminals were tight ....... but terminal posts were oxidised. A quick clean of the posts & clamps had everything ok again.

[Covo71]

Thanks Bluengold, it was a guy from a battery company (not one of his batteries) that checked it but not after starting. He said battery was all good. I checked the wires to the alternator but not to the starter. I will check that tomorrow and also when running. That gives me somewhere to go. Thanks for your help. Love this forum.

[Covo71]

Cheers Cuppa, I will do a couple of checks tomorrow but a charger might be the way to go. Small price to pay to live close to work and 30 seconds to hit the bush. Doin' it tough!

[NP99]

Check for tightness at the starter too mate.

[Covo71]

Thanks NP99, will do when the sun comes up tomorrow. Didn't think of other ends. Doh!

[trekster]

Make sure you belt on the alternator is also tight and not slipping thus not charging enough.

[zaid-m]

Hi Covo71,

I'm in a similar position, I work 5 min from home and before my GR/GU gets a chance to warm up I'm parking it, so one night a week (Thursday normally) I leave work half an hour earlier and take a trip round the city, this charges the battery, puts heat into the engine and oil, dries out the air conditioning, removes any corrosive condensate from the exhaust system, and allows me to get some heat into the brakes and remove any disc surface corrosion.

In my case it's cheaper and easier than attempting to fit a chunkier alternator, and also sorts all of those other problems out at the same time

[Covo71]

Got hold of a multi meter and it was picking up when engine running. So cleaned up every thing on the battery. Everything was tight but when I undid everything it was full of crap. Wire brushed it all. Took it for a drive for about 20 mins. Got home left it off for about 10 mins. Seemed to start a bit easier. So I will see how it will go over the next week. Thanks heaps.