Why did my battery die?

poprock · Post by **poprock** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 7:51 pm

Had a slightly strange moment this morning. Went down to the garage and found the 944 Turbo’s battery dead. Now, this has happened before, but always for an easily identifiable reason (I was dumb and left a window open, so the alarm went off, for instance) … but this morning it was just, well, dead. I couldn’t see any obvious reason at all. The lights were off, everything was shut properly and locked up …

I give up. Any ideas for what could drain a battery over the course of a few days that I might not have noticed?

J.J. · Post by **J.J.** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 9:16 pm

It's winter & cold. With everything as it should be I 've noticed mine (With a new large battery) standing outside goes flat in 9 days. Only just started last Saturday. By only just I mean it turned over dead slow once & fired. Giving it a run every 7 days from now on. Commuting by train at the moment. Saving the planet

I blame the alarm.

Post by **Sean Smallman** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 10:23 am

Short journeys with heater, lights, stereo, wipers etc just wipe them out if they are not tip top.

tr7v8 · Post by **tr7v8** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 10:56 am

If it's in a garage with electric then buy a battery conditioner/maintainer, If it's outside then use a solar panel from Maplins, mine works very well!

Porsche · Post by **Porsche** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 12:30 pm

It's a shame you don't live a bit closer to B'ham, as I have a Midtronics battery tester which will tell you if your battery is in need of replacement, in need of charging etc, etc.

I should think that the chaps at Halfords would have these also. But if your battery is f*ck*d then they will try and sell you a battery.

lindsayhbrown · Post by **lindsayhbrown** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 11:58 pm

check to see if glove box light is going out thats a favourite

tr7v8 · Post by **tr7v8** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 12:30 am

lindsayhbrown wrote:check to see if glove box light is going out thats a favourite

Tailgate light is another!

poprock · Post by **poprock** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 1:02 pm

Y’know, I think my battery problem may be something more serious than just a symptom of the Scottish winter. Giving it a good charge overnight then putting it back in the car, it’s flat again after just two days sat in the garage. Every time.

I got frustrated with it this morning and ‘borrowed’ the battery from my Lux to get it started (I only needed to shift it so I could get Jen’s Mini out from behind it!)

The Lux has been stood in an identical garage (next-door) for almost six months, with the car only started and taken for runs up and down the private street from time to time, yet that battery is fine.

So … either I have a dud battery on my hands (which would be nice and easy to fix), or there’s an electrical gremlin in my Turbo which is draining the battery at an alarming rate. I guess I’ll be able to tell which by seeing if the borrowed battery from my Lux will start the car again tonight (I left it in).

Porsche · Post by **Porsche** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 6:34 pm

I bet the battery is f*ck*d! How old is it? Do you still have the reciept?

poprock · Post by **poprock** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 7:31 pm

I hope the battery’s fucked! It was in the car when I bought it, six months ago. I’ll be very surprised if it was old though, the guy I bought the car from was a very fastidious mechanic.

Porsche · Post by **Porsche** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:06 pm

Some batteries are very cheaply made. When I used to work for Lucas/Yuasa batteries & they stopped making the batteries themselves & started importing them from the far east, Russia etc, they would arrive f*ck*d.
So the ones that were okay, most proberbly didn't last the 3 or 4 year guarantee period.
And since they stopped manufacturing them, all car batteries are made abroad. So unless it's a Bosch, the quality is questionable.

seg1959 · Post by **seg1959** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:45 pm

Porsche wrote: So unless it's a Bosch, the quality is questionable.

I am told that "Varta" are also very good quality.

seg

poprock · Post by **poprock** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:34 pm

Well, assuming that I don’t get a nasty surprise tomorrow, I’m in the market for a new battery. Bosch or Varta are worth looking for, then? Any other advice? The batteries from my two ’44s are very different sizes … any significance to that?

lindsayhbrown · Post by **lindsayhbrown** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 10:12 pm

use your halfords trade card to buy a battery, and a draper slow charger is about £20 again from halfords

lindsayhbrown · Post by **lindsayhbrown** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 10:15 pm

oops, check out ctek chargers in gruppe north