Bill,
If the battery had a few miles on it, or was more than a few years old, you
may find that you have a cell that is in the process of breaking down.
Before doing anything drastic with the alternator, I would suggest a
battery substitution to see if you are able to hold a charge.
If you do suspect a constant drain, follow the excellent advice already
given regarding using a meter ... if you are loosing electrons, then you
might look for the odd things like boot lamps, glove box lights, poor
interior light switches, not being switched off correctly, etc.
Finally, a number of autoparts stores will test your alternator for free
... although I don't know if that applies to Lucas stuff ... I've had a
number of non-control box types tested, and they are usually pretty good at
giving diagnostic info.
Cheers,
Tony Gordon
72 TR6
>Good morning Listers,
I left the lights on in my TR6 a few weeks ago and got a battery jump
from a Honda. I don't think my alternator charges the battery anymore
and the battery goes dead overnight. Evidently there's a short or
something causing a constant drain. The car will start after I charge
the battery and it runs real well. But as I said, the battery is dead
again the next morning.
With the engine running, I read about 12.3 volts across the battery
terminals. I beleive that should be considerably higher. The Smith's
ampmeter is always to the left of center and never moves. I tried
reading across the alternator leads on the back of it. I see little or
no output from there, about .16 volts. I'm not sure where I should
measure from, however.
If I have a constant drain from a short, does anyone have suggestions on
how to isolate that?
And, is there a way to isolate the alternator to see if it is working or
would work without the drain?
Thanks in advance for the help I'm sure I'll receive.
Bill Swinehart
TR6
Raleigh, NC
>
____________________________________________________________________________
Anthony Gordon Technology Education Consultant
Saginaw Public Schools tel: 1-517-797-4855
ISDC, 1505 Ottawa Blvd fax: 1-517-797-4880
Saginaw, MI 48602, USA email: tgordon@saginaw-city.k12.mi.us
|