Battery Problem

[Random Guy 0]

Hi all, My 87 E30 is playing up in the battery department.

Recently bought the car and dicovered the battery was completely dry. I topped it up and hoped for the best.

Sometimes it turns over with vigor and other times it is totally dead.

I don't want to buy a new battery if it is a charging fault.

It doesn't seem to matter if it's a long trip or not.

Sometimes I win and sometimes I push.

Any ideas?

[hotwire 352]

Battery (Alt) light coming on with key & off with engine running? - Probably charging OK

Check charging with a meter (around 14v) also check for current draw. If no meter to do so then take to an auto sparky - 5 min job.

I would suspect though that the battery is probably naffed - again - a sparky to test

[euroitalian 60]

Sounds like a bad contact somewhere, check & clean the battery cable connections from battery to starter and battery to earth. Definitely have the charging system checked, as it may be overcharging.

[DRTDVL 0]

where are you and what battery do you use?

[Random Guy 0]

Repco had a rather flash battery tester. It said the alternator was fine and the battery was only holding 25% of its charge. He performed two different tests. One on start up and one under load.

Result was a new battery at $160.

Makes a nice change to get some decent service at Repco.

[hotwire 352]

Repco had a rather flash battery tester. It said the alternator was fine and the battery was only holding 25% of its charge. He performed two different tests. One on start up and one under load.

Result was a new battery at $160.

Makes a nice change to get some decent service at Repco.

Good on you.

No offense to you but they can stick those flash electronic battery testers where the sun don't shine!

Have had debates with battery reps over the years with those things - Warrenty battery - Them - "Nothing wrong with that battery according to this tester" Bulshit, wait while I get my carbon pile tester - sure enough - crook battery.

They are usefull but can't diagnose all battery faults - e.g. -under proper load

[*Glenn* 854]

Good on you.

No offense to you but they can stick those flash electronic battery testers where the sun don't shine!

Have had debates with battery reps over the years with those things - Warrenty battery - Them - "Nothing wrong with that battery according to this tester" Bulshit, wait while I get my carbon pile tester - sure enough - crook battery.

They are usefull but can't diagnose all battery faults - e.g. -under proper load

+1.. totaly agree there Grant, to test it properly you need a carbon pile tester

[DRTDVL 0]

Repco had a rather flash battery tester. It said the alternator was fine and the battery was only holding 25% of its charge. He performed two different tests. One on start up and one under load.

Result was a new battery at $160.

Makes a nice change to get some decent service at Repco.

bugger... was hoping to offload my gelcell or din55ml batterys i've got laying around the house...

[Guest FrantiC]

Isn't there supposed to be a certain amount of sulfer vs water in the battery ? It's hydro somthing, I remember reading when I was reading up on batterys... Once there is no sulfer left the battery struggles to keep a charge.

Maybe it's on "how stuff works" where I read Something like that (don't quote me lol). But adding completely water wouldn't have done much.