Waiting for my wife for around half an hour outside a supermarket I had the radio on, when I tried to start up on her return the car would not start, battery flat, do I need a new battery?

wrote:
Waiting for my wife for around half an hour outside a supermarket I had the radio on, when I tried to start up on her return the car would not start, battery flat, do I need a new battery?


Possibly. Check the battery connections first as these can give the
effects of a flat battery if corroded.

In article ,
wrote:
Waiting for my wife for around half an hour outside a supermarket I had
the radio on, when I tried to start up on her return the car would not
start, battery flat, do I need a new battery?

Assuming the charging system is OK, very likely.

You can do a quick check on the charging system by connecting a DVM set to
volts across the battery. It should read something like 14v with the
engine running. If faulty, will be less than 13v.

--
*A plateau is a high form of flattery*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 28/02/2017 11:17, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
wrote:
Waiting for my wife for around half an hour outside a supermarket I had
the radio on, when I tried to start up on her return the car would not
start, battery flat, do I need a new battery?

Assuming the charging system is OK, very likely.

You can do a quick check on the charging system by connecting a DVM set to
volts across the battery. It should read something like 14v with the
engine running. If faulty, will be less than 13v.

Or turn the headlights on then start the engine (if it will!). If the
lights brighten the charging circuit is OK.

Bill

On Tue, 28 Feb 2017 02:50:30 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

Waiting for my wife for around half an hour outside a supermarket I had the radio on, when I tried to start up on her return the car would not start, battery flat, do I need a new battery?

You may need a new battery. And a new battery would definately fix
the problem. But you don't necessarily need one.

The two key questions a

1. What is the battery's state of charge?

You can do a quick check with a multimeter after the car has been
standing overnight. Ideal is 12.6v, but if it is down to 12.0v or
below, then it needs charging.

We're at the end of the winter, so if your car has been doing a lot of
short trips, the battery could easily be low on charge and could just
need charging up.

2. Is the alternator charging the battery?

With the car running, the battery voltage should be around 14v.
Certainly above 13v. If it remains at 12.something then the
alternator is probably not working.

It's also possible that the battery is in poor health, and even fully
charged it's marginal.

In article ,
Caecilius wrote:
We're at the end of the winter, so if your car has been doing a lot of
short trips, the battery could easily be low on charge and could just
need charging up.

Is this really the case? I do lots of short trips. The sort where the
engine only gets up to full working temperature with a bit of a de-tour.
And have never had to charge the battery externally.

--
*I have plenty of talent and vision. I just don't care.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 28/02/2017 14:13, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Caecilius wrote:
We're at the end of the winter, so if your car has been doing a lot of
short trips, the battery could easily be low on charge and could just
need charging up.

Is this really the case? I do lots of short trips. The sort where the
engine only gets up to full working temperature with a bit of a de-tour.
And have never had to charge the battery externally.

If the vehicle starts instantly it doesn't take long to put the charge
back. But if the starter motor has to turn a cold engine over for a long
time it might take 50 miles to recharge the battery.

Bill

In article ,
Bill Wright wrote:
On 28/02/2017 14:13, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Caecilius wrote:
We're at the end of the winter, so if your car has been doing a lot of
short trips, the battery could easily be low on charge and could just
need charging up.

Is this really the case? I do lots of short trips. The sort where the
engine only gets up to full working temperature with a bit of a de-tour.
And have never had to charge the battery externally.

If the vehicle starts instantly it doesn't take long to put the charge
back. But if the starter motor has to turn a cold engine over for a long
time it might take 50 miles to recharge the battery.

I could go for months without a 50 mile journey. ;-)

--
*In some places, C:\ is the root of all directories *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Is this a record for Home Owners hub resurrecting old threads ..... 20 years.

On Tue, 28 Feb 2017 10:18:12 -0800 (PST), JohnW
wrote:

Is this a record for Home Owners hub resurrecting old threads ..... 20 years.

Not really. raymondshoes1@etc is posting via Google Groups, as are
you.

I wouldn't have noticed that it was a followup to a 1997 thread had
you not mentioned it because the wording does stand alone so to speak.

I suppose the was a bit of a clue.

Dr John Betts & Mr J.S. Greystrong sound like redoubtable gentlemen.

Before my time, but only by a couple of years.

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/uk.d...k/e9AVJcWt0AwJ

--

Graham.
%Profound_observation%

Or maybe a new alternator or whatever it may not be charging correctly.
Brian

--
----- -
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please!
wrote in message
...
Waiting for my wife for around half an hour outside a supermarket I had
the radio on, when I tried to start up on her return the car would not
start, battery flat, do I need a new battery?

On 28/02/2017 16:54, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

If the vehicle starts instantly it doesn't take long to put the charge
back. But if the starter motor has to turn a cold engine over for a long
time it might take 50 miles to recharge the battery.

I could go for months without a 50 mile journey. ;-)

And me. But the vehicle starts instantly.

Bill

On Tue, 28 Feb 2017 20:32:09 +0000, Bill Wright
wrote:

On 28/02/2017 16:54, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

If the vehicle starts instantly it doesn't take long to put the charge
back. But if the starter motor has to turn a cold engine over for a long
time it might take 50 miles to recharge the battery.

I could go for months without a 50 mile journey. ;-)

And me. But the vehicle starts instantly.

Bill

I've just got a new petrol engine car and it's amazing how easy it
starts.
The diesel cars I've been driving for the last 10 + years were also
good starters as long as you weren't impatient with their glowplugs.

I was just thinking, what if they tried to put automatic start-stop in
my first car, a Vauxhall Viva?
--

Graham.
%Profound_observation%

On 28/02/2017 11:45, Bill Wright wrote:
On 28/02/2017 11:17, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
wrote:
Waiting for my wife for around half an hour outside a supermarket I had
the radio on, when I tried to start up on her return the car would not
start, battery flat, do I need a new battery?

Assuming the charging system is OK, very likely.

You can do a quick check on the charging system by connecting a DVM
set to
volts across the battery. It should read something like 14v with the
engine running. If faulty, will be less than 13v.

Or turn the headlights on then start the engine (if it will!). If the
lights brighten the charging circuit is OK.

My experience is they will dim considerably during cranking, such it's
impossible to do your comparison.

DVM is the way to go.