Technical ..what's up? Battery Flat?

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Technical ..what's up? Battery Flat?

lashlondon

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Hoxton, London, United Kingdom.
what that was the line from Giles cartoon years ago of a steam train driver chugging past a stalled electric locomotive...

moving on...woke up to a flat battery on the Uno FIRE 999 this morning...

Qestion is why? since its been well driven and as far as I can tell it's charging fine.

BUT...recently the digital clock has gone so dull I can't read it...so maybe I've a short circuit or similar that is draining the battery..or it could be the heat since we're into fairly hot days in UK at the moment.

The battery is about a year and a half old and is sealed.

...what do you think?

Regards
David
 
It's more possible to be a short circuit or current leak than the heat.
Never had a battery heat problem here although we have higher temperatures.

You can test if you have a current leak with an amp-meter in-line with one of the battery leads (i prefer negative).

Disconnect the lead and put in-line the amp-meter. If it show current passing through then you got a leak.

If you don't have an amp-meter you can test it with a little light bulb using the same circuit and replacing the amp-meter with the light bulb. If it lights on then you have a leak.

I hope it helped you.

George
 
Thanks George

..replaced a whole stack of blown dashboard bulbs (lights up like a christmas tree now)..and seems ok now...

...although the passenger internal light has blown now...a bunch of red herrings no doubt..

Havn't tested for leaking current from the battery but if I get a flat I'll try what you suggested.

Regards
David
 
Interesting to hear about an Uno 45 lighting up like a Christmas tree, I didn't think the 45 had anything like as many illuminated bits as the more expensive models! :)

I think you should charge the battery with a bench charger, and then get the car started so you can test the battery voltage with the engine running - should be at least 13 volts. It's quite possible that your alternator has quietly died without you knowing (the output can be low without the light coming on.)

-Alex
 
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