Flat battery

[isthisagoodidea]

Ok here’s a thing ..yesterday morning the battery on our fiat idea was too flat to turn the engine over ...I tested it and got 9 and a bit volts...so I put it on charge for 10 mins and it started up fine ...I went off to fill it with petrol 15 mins drive each way and the battery was reading 12.85 volts when I got back home ...This morning the volts were 12.53, .The battery is almost a year old.I’m going to monitor it for the next two days and see if it drops down ...I’m wondering if something might be draining it ? If so what ? What sort of voltage can I expect on the terminals at tick over ...is there another way of testing the output from the alternator?

 

[jackwhoo]

Ok here’s a thing ..yesterday morning the battery on our fiat idea was too flat to turn the engine over ...I tested it and got 9 and a bit volts...so I put it on charge for 10 mins and it started up fine ...I went off to fill it with petrol 15 mins drive each way and the battery was reading 12.85 volts when I got back home ...This morning the volts were 12.53, .The battery is almost a year old.I’m going to monitor it for the next two days and see if it drops down ...I’m wondering if something might be draining it ? If so what ? What sort of voltage can I expect on the terminals at tick over ...is there another way of testing the output from the alternator?

If your car has a smart battery sensor and smart charge alternator it is difficult to know what is going on by voltage at battery terminals with engine running.

That said measure battery terminal voltage engine running, post result
Then turn on headlights and heated rear window , engine running , post voltage.

Had your car been stood unused for a long time or just for short journeys before fail to start? Is it petrol or diesel engine?

Plus charge your battery at least overnight 12 hours minimum , preferably twice.

Where did you purchase battery from?

 

[isthisagoodidea]

Well thanks for your quick response.... This car is a 2004 16 valve petrol ,we bought it last year , the dealer we got it from fitted a new battery the day I picked it up . I’m surel it does not have smart battery sensor ...I just put the meter on it while it was ticking over and got 13.87 volts and that dropped to13.60whenI put the light and rear screen heater on...

 

[jackwhoo]

Well thanks for your quick response.... This car is a 2004 16 valve petrol ,we bought it last year , the dealer we got it from fitted a new battery the day I picked it up . I’m surel it does not have smart battery sensor ...I just put the meter on it while it was ticking over and got 13.87 volts and that dropped to13.60whenI put the light and rear screen heater on...

Those voltages look ok for alternator output(-:

What brand battery and what size / number ?

Lot of short journeys?
Very little use due to lock down?

 

[isthisagoodidea]

Many thanks for your replies ....So this morning the battery was 12.44, so that's a tiny bit down from yesterdays 12.53 I did not use it at all yesterday ..It gets used for longish trip s in to our local town a 40 min run each way and every three weeks a trip to Iraklion two and a half hours each way ...I have an 4x4 truck that I use daily for agricultural jobs...the battery details are ....G force battery ..SMF55040 12v /50Ah (20HR) /380 ACCA ...the battery condition indicator on the top is green and it's almost one year old ....I have a battery charger function on a small portable genny ....but I think I will nip into town in the morning and buy a regular plug in one ....the run will be good for the battery and the charger will be better than having to run the genny to give it a good long charge .. cheers all ....

 

[jackwhoo]

Many thanks for your replies ....So this morning the battery was 12.44, so that's a tiny bit down from yesterdays 12.53 I did not use it at all yesterday ..It gets used for longish trip s in to our local town a 40 min run each way and every three weeks a trip to Iraklion two and a half hours each way ...I have an 4x4 truck that I use daily for agricultural jobs...the battery details are ....G force battery ..SMF55040 12v /50Ah (20HR) /380 ACCA ...the battery condition indicator on the top is green and it's almost one year old ....I have a battery charger function on a small portable genny ....but I think I will nip into town in the morning and buy a regular plug in one ....the run will be good for the battery and the charger will be better than having to run the genny to give it a good long charge .. cheers all ....

Yes you need a plug in charger.
The indicator on the battery only shows the condition of one cell in the battery out of 6cells . The battery is only as strong as its weakest cell.

You may need a new battery soon buy see if plug in charger helps.

 

[portland_bill]

If there was a drain, I would expect it to take longer for the battery to recharge. Such a dramatic low reading, followed by a quick recovery suggests either a dying cell, or a poor connection between cells inside. I'm sure it will need a new battery very soon.

The cells are linked inside, with welded connections. They used to be lead, like the plates, but I've not been inside a modern battery. These connections are usually fine, but very rarely one breaks, and can cause complete failure, or annoyingly an intermittent make/break connection. On older batteries, where electrolyte loss was common, if the break became exposed above the electrolyte, it would be sat in the hydrogen gas, and a big bang might occur. So stand well back , consider goggles when handling or testing it until this problem is sorted. Have a bucket of water handy to stick your head in if it does go bang.

 

[isthisagoodidea]

Right up date on the flat battery thing ... This am I tested the battery and got 12.40 volts and it started up no problem ...I nipped into town a 30-35 min drive no aircon no lights no music... to see just how much it would charge up on a run ...I parked up and tested the battery 12.88 volts ...that looks like fully charged to me .. I had a mooch about a tool
shop I go to and bought a Bormann jump start and power bank gizmo https://www.bormanntools.com/portfolio-items/bbc8500/ it comes with all the cables in a little zippy up pouch ...I will charge it up and it can sit in the boot as a bit of insurance , if the battery decides to lose power when I'm away from home ... I think the problem I had was a one off, maybe I left the side lights on or the radio EDIT I only lock my car or truck when I park up in town ...I might have left the key in the ignition over night like I do with the truck, could doing that leave something switched on ?... I don't know I normally take the key out and put it in the tray under the hand brake ... Many thanks fellow Fiat owners for your input and support ....jeff.

 

[varesecrazy]

Most FIAT the lights go off with the ignition..

Potential for boot light or similar steady drain..


But it sounds as if you are now prepared for most things

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

I had a mooch about a tool
shop I go to and bought a Bormann jump start and power bank gizmo https://www.bormanntools.com/portfolio-items/bbc8500/ it comes with all the cables in a little zippy up pouch ...I will charge it up and it can sit in the boot as a bit of insurance

I was discussing jump starters a wee while ago somewhere else on the forum and I'm continuing to give it consideration.
I have a "sodding" great 12 volt lead acid battery which came out of my old diesel Cordoba when she went to the happy hunting grounds about 4 years ago. It was almost new, and a really good Bosch one, so I kept it and use it for jump starts and as a power source when disconnecting a vehicle battery. Trouble is it's not something you carry about in the boot "just in case" so I want a more convenient device which can live in the car. I'm very attracted to these new Ultra Capacitor designs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEKL8ywvtvw
I've seen a number of very interesting reviews of them (they seem to be all similar internally only varying in capacity) and here's quite a good one for you which actually shows some figures:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O1-q3t4FPs
It's important to realize, near the end of the piece, he's trying to start a large (very large by European standards) engine with the capacitor unit on it's own. Most people will have it piggy backed onto the partially discharged vehicle battery so the unit is acting as a "top up" so will crank for longer. This is not to say though that you are going to be cranking for long before the pack will need a recharge. but when/if you do it's very fast compared with a battery based system. However a lot of these small lithium jump start packs on sale these days will not give prolonged cranking time either.

I've pretty much decided on one now, just trying to make my mind up whether to go the gold plated Sealey, or similar, route or whether to take a chance on a far eastern cheapie.

 

[portland_bill]

A breakdown membership card is lighter than any jump starter, and if their guy connects it wrongly, their liability for any damage.