drohalloran

Hey guys, I have an '83 944 and while driving the other day, the battery light flickered quickly and then went off. After about another 20 minutes or so of driving highway speeds, I slowed down in a residential neighborhood. It was at this point that I came up to a stop sign and the car stalled (which it had never done before, the idle was oddly low as well). When I went to try to restart it the battery was completely dead; it didn't click, it didn't try to crank, it was absolutely dead in it's entirety. I jump started the car a short time later and it ran fine as long as I kept it off idle (if I let it back down to idle it would stall out), it ran so well in fact that took it briefly back on the highway to see if the light would come back on, which it didn't.

I got the car home (where it is now) and I took the battery out, charged it fully and put it back in the car. The issue now is that the battery light stays on even after I take the key out and if I leave the battery attached, it will die within a day or so.

So my question is: is this an alternator, a battery, a short, a relay or what? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!

drohalloran

So in talking with a local PCA member here in NJ it seems like it might be the voltage regulator, does this sound about right?

mytrplseven

Sounds like the battery's shot. You can charge them as much as you want and it'll show voltage but as soon as you load it (starting) it falls on it's face. I don't know how old it is but I'd sure look into it. You should be idling at around 900 rpm with a healthy battery, by the way. If it not, it's an easy adjustment. Also I'd check the alternator belt for tension. You can reach in and see if, under finger pressure it moves more than 1/2" as a general rule.

drohalloran

Thanks for the info! The battery is about 2 years old and I had a bad DME relay that kept killing it so it could certainly be the case that it's done. The only thing that struck me as odd was that the battery light was on even with the key out. I've never known the car to do that when the battery was dead in the past? I'm hoping it's voltage regulator because that seems to be an easier fix than some of the other options

John_AZ

Disconnect the battery.
Remove the air filter box
Remove the alternator.
Remove the VR and check the carbon contact. If they are less than 1/4" long ===too short. But before you buy the $19 VR...(yes $19)
Take it to an auto parts store for a free check.

If the alternator is bad it needs replacing. See if they can isolate the alternator with possible bad diodes or the VR.

A remanufactured is better than a rebuilt.
A 115 amp is better than the OEM 90 amp due to old wires and added resistance.

A Bosch remanufactured is the best but $$$$

If you have acid corrosion on the negative battery cable it should be replaced---but not at Auto Zone or Oreilly. It has to be thick. AT least 4 gage or thicker. NAPA or ??

GL
John

drohalloran

Awesome John, thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it! I'm going to start with the VR and go from there...

John_AZ

Good, Charge the battery out of the car overnight and then do a test with a hydrometer or battery load tester. (Harbor Freight ~$20 on sale or take to have tested)

EDIT: The VR is cheaper than I remembered: $18
http://www.paragon-products.com/Volt...p1.109.220.htm

John

drohalloran

Hey thanks again John, that was awesome info. My guess is it's going to be a combination of VR and battery, but I'm going to keep my fingers crossed!