rosco28

Hi All,

I had been out of town and not driven my car for nearly 3 weeks. So the battery was a little low (red light was lit) but i got her charged up and have had no problems for a week.

Today I left the glove box open with it's light is on, all day. Tonight when i started the car it took a few slow turns before firing. Now the idle is low and she's having some small backfiring when when pressing the gas. I let her warm up a bit and then drove home, she was ok, but i could tell she wasn't 100%. The alternator light is glowing bright red! Could the low idle and the loss of power (backfiring) be due to a weak battery?

Thanks in advance!


Rosco

dshepp806

It would be nice to hear of your voltages...otherwise,..it's time to have the battery load tested, at minimum. NEXT: ..as well as the alternator/VR system,..would be good to get some voltage measurements....

Sounds like you killed the battery (at least, so far)...

BEST!

Doyle

rusnak

yep, check the voltage output. You could be running lean, or have some issue with spark.

rosco28

I don't have a gauge...

I understand i may have killed the battery, but did I absolutely? Can't I just take a very long drive to recharge?

theiceman

Dude i think you will find the issue is your alternator not your battery. The red light on your dash is indicating you battery voltage is actually higher than your alternator output voltage. and tripping the light.
The reason you are backfiring is because you have a very weak spark coz you dont have enough voltage to get a quality spark out of the coil.

If you charge the battery your backfire will go away until you run the batery down again .

ALL owners of our generation should have some sort of real time voltmeter installed. usually it means your alternator voltage has been going down gradually .. and most times takes thebattery with it, If i was doing alterntor work i would certainly invest the extra hundred and put in a new battery.

Good luck ..

dshepp806

Yeap,..when that electrical supply system starts being taxed with a funky alt,...,..a go for the trifecta.....all new: battery, ALT and VR...done>

BEST!

Doyle

rusnak

No DO NOT DO THAT. You will burn out the diodes in your alternator.

Just go to Walmart or something and get a cheapie battery charger. If you can, find one that is a smart charger, and will allow you to charge at a 2 amp setting, or a float setting. This will prevent the battery from being boiled out, and will extend the life of the battery. A good practice is to charge your battery with a 110 AC charger every month.

theiceman

is especially bad idea in his case.. he will end up needing a tow ..

rosco28

I had my battery charged this morning, but the interior lights and the "alls good" buzzer aren't working. Any ideas?

For a battery charger, the shop wants to sell me a Deca FL-2213D:
http://www.decaweld.com/default.asp?...mdID=18158&l=2

Is this just right or overkill? (remember, electricity is 220V here). Any suggestions?


Doyle, in your trifecta, what's VR (voltage regulator)?

Thanks everyone!!


Rosco

theiceman

i already gave my 2c ....

out ...

rosco28

Iceman, I charged the battery and the alternator light is now off, but the door lights and buzzer aren't operating. I charged the battery with a battery charger, not by driving. What do you think caused the problem, a bad Alt?

Also, suggestions on this battery charger or others are welcome...


Thanks

dshepp806

Yes,..VR= voltage regulator.

Still haven't heard of your voltages...

Doyle

rusnak

You have 220 house current? You don't have a spider box or something that can step the voltage down to 110 AC? A spider box would give you a 220 outlet and several 110 outlets..

I just now noticed that you're in Israel. I guess Walmart is out of the question. The door lights and buzzer only share the fuse panel in common. I would probably go back to the fuses and test for voltage on the lower connection of the respective circuit(s).

rosco28

Ok, the Alternator is putting out a reading of 13.7 (pretty good) and the battery reading was "good" but not excellent. The alternator light is back on but it's dimmed, not bright. Ideas/suggestions?

I was thinking that the lights/buzzer could be a fuze issue, but what about the clock, it isn't running either? Also, the idle is still low at start up for about 5 minutes, with small backfires. There are also some popping noises when i decelerate in gear. Ideas/suggestions?

Israel, like many countries outside the US operate at 220V, therefore all our appliances are made accordingly. I could and do use a step down transformer for my US appliances, but anything purchased locally will be 220V. And yes, Wal-Mart is out. That's why I asked about this battery charger, is it good or overkill? I can get it locally...
Deca FL-2213D:
http://www.decaweld.com/default.asp?...mdID=18158&l=2


Thanks again!!

Rosco

rusnak

The very best thing to do is to check the mixture and go from there. You could be lean, which would send backfires out the intake tract. The mixture has to be checked with a CO% meter or a AFM which would read in % lambda. Apart from that, if the backfires are coming from the tailpipe then you might have a misfire, bad wires, bad distributor rotor, etc. The low idle made me initially think it might be running lean.