charging problem
07-02-2015, 09:35 PM
#2
Rennlist Member
Have you checked the voltage at the battery when the engine is at idle, and with the engine shot off? You could have several problems including a bad battery. We need a bit more information to help diagnose your problem.
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07-04-2015, 09:35 AM
#8
Instructor
"no charging light" are you talking about the battery light in the clock? if that does not illuminate your alternator will not charge the battery. pull the clock and check the bulb, also the solder in the clock is known to fail and most just re-solder and it should be fine. the wiring is hooked up in series, no battery light in the clock not charging of the battery. if your clock has failed and you do not want to fix it yourself send it to these guys, http://www.nhspeedometer.com/
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07-04-2015, 10:40 AM
#9
Rennlist Member
When I had the same problem (no charging, no light illuminated in clock, clock fully functional) I replaced the voltage regulator. Charging problem eliminated. Unfortunately, 3 weeks later, the alternator front bearing failed causing fan interference and alternator shaft failure. Wound-up replacing alternator and fan.
07-07-2015, 10:44 AM
#10
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"no charging light" are you talking about the battery light in the clock? if that does not illuminate your alternator will not charge the battery. pull the clock and check the bulb, also the solder in the clock is known to fail and most just re-solder and it should be fine. the wiring is hooked up in series, no battery light in the clock not charging of the battery. if your clock has failed and you do not want to fix it yourself send it to these guys, http://www.nhspeedometer.com/
no affiliation
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Can it be in time even that is wrong with ? There are no fuses or relays which are in this system?
07-07-2015, 11:21 AM
#11
Instructor
" there is no light in the charging light , but the bulb is ok"
are you saying there is a bulb for the battery light and it is ok? if thats the case you may have a solder issue. The battery light needs to come when you turn the key, it "excites" the alternator (via the blue wire on the alternator) in order to charge the battery. I had this problem a few years ago and resoldered the clock myself, problem solved. you may have another issue but thats what I would look at first as the clocks have been know to fail due to the cold soldering technique they used. If you have the wiring diagram it shows the blue wire from the clock to the alternator. If you have a meter check the continuity of the solder joints first to confirm thats the problem.
If you go to "DIY Stuff" on this site it has instructions
http://p-car.com/
are you saying there is a bulb for the battery light and it is ok? if thats the case you may have a solder issue. The battery light needs to come when you turn the key, it "excites" the alternator (via the blue wire on the alternator) in order to charge the battery. I had this problem a few years ago and resoldered the clock myself, problem solved. you may have another issue but thats what I would look at first as the clocks have been know to fail due to the cold soldering technique they used. If you have the wiring diagram it shows the blue wire from the clock to the alternator. If you have a meter check the continuity of the solder joints first to confirm thats the problem.
If you go to "DIY Stuff" on this site it has instructions
http://p-car.com/
07-07-2015, 02:17 PM
#12
Three Wheelin'
I'm having a hard time follow the OP also.
First rule of testing just the battery is that you have to let it sit overnight to get an accurate reading. If you recently drove the car, or charged the battery, then it will have a surface charge that won't tell you anything about the health of the battery. After letting the battery sit overnight, voltage across terminals should be:
12.6V = 100% charge
12.2V = 50%
11.9V = 0%
Subtract 0.1V if it's 20F outside.
If your battery is less than 12.35V:
Put it on a charger all day.
Take it off the charger and let it sit overnight.
Check the battery voltage again. If it's less than 12.6V, then you definitely have a bad battery.
If your battery is over 5 year old, then it's starting to get suspect.
Checking the alternator is pretty straight-forward. At 2000rpm, with all electrical accessories off, you should be getting 13.8-14.4V at the battery. Make sure to hold 2000rpm for ~10seconds before checking the voltage as you can get initial spikes. If you still have ~12V, then the alternator is toast. If you have something like 12.7-13.7V, then the alternator is weak. Voltage regulator is the most likely suspect, but diodes, brushes, etc. can fail too. An automotive electrics shop would be able to diagnosis the trouble easily and they should be able to fix the alt. I can't recommend the Bosch "rebuilt" units. I went through several before getting one that actually worked, and it even had cross-threaded screws for the wiring straight out of the box. Get your alternator rebuilt if at all possible.
If the alt and battery test okay, then you've got a current draw with the car off. Most likely suspects are the door switches, ccu fan, engine/frunk/interior/glovebox dome lights, and stereo alarm wire.
Door switch test: open driver side door, does the dome light come on? Close the door, does the light go off after ~1minute? Repeat for the passenger side. If the dome light doesn't come on, then the relay for the window switches is staying active and draining your battery. It pulls about 100mA.
CCU fan test: after shutting the car off, key out of the ignition, you'll be able to hear the ccu fan running in the dash. It's a quiet hum. It should turn off within 2-3 minutes. I think that the fan can pull as much as 0.5A.
Dome lights: Make sure that they're on when the lids are open, and that they go off when you depress the plungers. The interior dome light stays on for ~30seconds.
Stereo: is yours original? If not, make sure that the green wire in the harness is not connected to anything and is taped over. The original stereo cage would switch that wire to ground when the stereo was removed as part of the alarm. Unless you have a cage with this built-in mechanism, the green alarm wire needs to stay disconnected/ungrounded.
If none of those are the problem, then to test for other current draws:
With the car running connect your multimeter (set to mAmps) to the battery neg post and the car neg cable (in series). Shut off the engine. Remove the ground cable from the battery, *but keep your multimeter connected to the ground cable and neg battery post*. Now you'll see the current draw with the car off. It should only be ~10mA. If it's higher, start pulling fuses until it drops.
And if you still have a drain with all of the fuses pulled, the alarm brain could be the cause, or an alternator diode could be pulling current.
Good luck!
First rule of testing just the battery is that you have to let it sit overnight to get an accurate reading. If you recently drove the car, or charged the battery, then it will have a surface charge that won't tell you anything about the health of the battery. After letting the battery sit overnight, voltage across terminals should be:
12.6V = 100% charge
12.2V = 50%
11.9V = 0%
Subtract 0.1V if it's 20F outside.
If your battery is less than 12.35V:
Put it on a charger all day.
Take it off the charger and let it sit overnight.
Check the battery voltage again. If it's less than 12.6V, then you definitely have a bad battery.
If your battery is over 5 year old, then it's starting to get suspect.
Checking the alternator is pretty straight-forward. At 2000rpm, with all electrical accessories off, you should be getting 13.8-14.4V at the battery. Make sure to hold 2000rpm for ~10seconds before checking the voltage as you can get initial spikes. If you still have ~12V, then the alternator is toast. If you have something like 12.7-13.7V, then the alternator is weak. Voltage regulator is the most likely suspect, but diodes, brushes, etc. can fail too. An automotive electrics shop would be able to diagnosis the trouble easily and they should be able to fix the alt. I can't recommend the Bosch "rebuilt" units. I went through several before getting one that actually worked, and it even had cross-threaded screws for the wiring straight out of the box. Get your alternator rebuilt if at all possible.
If the alt and battery test okay, then you've got a current draw with the car off. Most likely suspects are the door switches, ccu fan, engine/frunk/interior/glovebox dome lights, and stereo alarm wire.
Door switch test: open driver side door, does the dome light come on? Close the door, does the light go off after ~1minute? Repeat for the passenger side. If the dome light doesn't come on, then the relay for the window switches is staying active and draining your battery. It pulls about 100mA.
CCU fan test: after shutting the car off, key out of the ignition, you'll be able to hear the ccu fan running in the dash. It's a quiet hum. It should turn off within 2-3 minutes. I think that the fan can pull as much as 0.5A.
Dome lights: Make sure that they're on when the lids are open, and that they go off when you depress the plungers. The interior dome light stays on for ~30seconds.
Stereo: is yours original? If not, make sure that the green wire in the harness is not connected to anything and is taped over. The original stereo cage would switch that wire to ground when the stereo was removed as part of the alarm. Unless you have a cage with this built-in mechanism, the green alarm wire needs to stay disconnected/ungrounded.
If none of those are the problem, then to test for other current draws:
With the car running connect your multimeter (set to mAmps) to the battery neg post and the car neg cable (in series). Shut off the engine. Remove the ground cable from the battery, *but keep your multimeter connected to the ground cable and neg battery post*. Now you'll see the current draw with the car off. It should only be ~10mA. If it's higher, start pulling fuses until it drops.
And if you still have a drain with all of the fuses pulled, the alarm brain could be the cause, or an alternator diode could be pulling current.
Good luck!
07-07-2015, 09:23 PM
#13
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Thanks Nick
Clumsy explained by me, the battery is new, but must be charged because I've run on it without charging from alternator.
But will alternator start charging if not the charging light on the dashboard works?
Clumsy explained by me, the battery is new, but must be charged because I've run on it without charging from alternator.
But will alternator start charging if not the charging light on the dashboard works?