Charging System

[grinder]

right then peeps

my battery will only hold charge for about 2 weeks - its a lucas battery putting about about 480 amps ( if that sounds right ?? )

after charging the battery for 8 hours - it still went flat after about 2 weeks

SO ...

1 - is the alarm draining that much power ? ( well not now cause its broken ! )
2 - is the battery shot ?
3 - how do i check that the alternator is charging the battery ?

thanks

Stu

[Ric]

Originally posted by grinder
1 - is the alarm draining that much power ? ( well not now cause its broken ! )
2 - is the battery shot ?
3 - how do i check that the alternator is charging the battery ?

thanks

Stu

1. Possibly, some alarms seem to suck loads of power - the battery in my old FTO never used to last very long and I put it down to the alarm. I did later discover that the "band expander" wired into the Jap stereo was also a culprit as it had been wired to always be on rather than just on when the stereo was on.

2. Not necessarily, does it hold up for a week?

3. Get a multi-meter and put it across the battery when the engine is running. You should get around 13V if the alternator is charging the battery. Also, if you get someone to rev the car whilst you are doing this, you will see the voltage level rise a little as the revs go up.

[grinder]

superb - i will give that a try

the battery usually last a week no probs ( but in this cold weather you never can really tell ! )

thanks again

stu