Recently started having problems with the electrical supply. When I turn the ignition on the rev counter dial and speedo judder anti-clockwise from zero and the engine won't turn over, then the alarm starts, after leaving for a time, the engine just about turns over and starts.
No problems for about three months then, the fault happend again, in the morning, attempted to bump start the car down a hill, no good, called out a breakdown firm, who jump started the car battery, pulled up at my house switched off and started no problems
So, I replaced the car battery with a new Varta one, high crank output, last night, drove to work for a good hour travelling time and noticed the dash lights started to dim and the radio, switched itself on/off/on/off etc, so in the stupidity of me, I pulled over in the middle of nowhere and turned the engine off and stereo to recetify/reset the problem, turned key to start, battery flat, dash instruments filkering and alarm sounding.
Luckily left for two mins and there was enough power to start the car and drove to work.
At work got a torch to see what the battery indicator was showing (nothing) started and turned off the car three to four times no problems and the following morning, started first time?
Call anyone advise?
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Indeed.
You have a loose connection. you need to check the connections / wires / junctions are tight at the battery end on both terminals. you need to check the earth strap from engine to body is tight clean and corrosion free at both ends, and you need to check the earth end of the negative connection, (the negative side of the battery to goes to a body earth, its probaby here your problem lies, find it, clean it, tighten it), it could be the main fuse connection, remove it and clean it.
The fault lies somewhere between the battery and the main power distribution. on earth or postive side.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Also possible for the alternator to be knackered and not trigger the battery warning light. Check all the electrical connections as TVM said and measure the battery voltage with the engine running. Should be above 14V. A lazy way to find out if there's a bad connection would be to run the engine for a bit with high electrical load (ie, heated windscreen / lights etc.) and see if any of the connections to or from the battery are getting warm.
Spent ages figuring this out on my sister's Astra, turned out to be a dodgy alternator in the end ,followed by a bad earth strap, after which the battery committed hari kari. ;-)
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I am no thinking it maybe the earth strap, I am going to buy a volt meter, is this one any good?
www.toolshopdirect.co.uk/handtool/product/WST173
Cheers for the advice
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Thats ok ,I find digital ones better to use a cheap one from Maplins will sufice.
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Thats ok ,I find digital ones better to use a cheap one from Maplins will sufice.
Agreed, but at least with an analogue meter you'll probably still get a volts reading if the meter battery goes flat ;-)
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Well, thanks to the people who replied, I think i have rectified the problem. Yesterday I bough a volt meter and tested the battery, which is brand new, the reading was 12.5 v. The wife started the engine and on idle was 13.5v and with everything on the readings were 12.7v.
She increased the revs and held at two thousand rpm and tried to get a reading and the cable from the positive terminal was red hot, couldn't touch it, so I went to Vauxhall to try and get a clamp for the positive terminal, they couldn't help and said a new wiring loom would cost over a hundred quid.
So i went to the local motor factors and pick up a terminal, cut the wires on the positive end and attached to the battery, know with everything on the wire doesn't get hot and when revved gives a reading of 14v so the alternator is working.
went for a drive today and turned the engine off, the battery was at 13v
Thanks for the help,
Nick.
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