Battery Failure

VanVan · Post by **VanVan** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 9:38 pm

Howdy -

got a dead battery, for no apparent reason. Alternator tested weak (I don't remember details) so I replaced with Bosch. All was well for a couple weeks, then whilst driving off, the belt squealled. It stopped, but I then stoppped at a stoplight and saw smoke coming from the rear. I surmised a belt failure - brilliant, eh? - and being as I couldn't get to the edge of the road and it was downhill all the way home, I ran for it.

Arrived no problemo. The belt was broken, and appeared to have become twisted. I've never had a twisted belt, but this is my first VW, so I shrugged, put on my spare belt, ran it a bit, and charged my battery just to be sure.

The next day, I put the charger away, and the day after that, went out to a dead battery. I charged it, drove a bit in the 'hood, observed the belt to be working, shut the engine off, restarted it immediately, and drove two miles to Home Depot.

I came out an hour later to a dead-dead battery.

The next day, I charged it from my mum's car, started it, drove it home in the dark with the lights on, running bright and running strong, then spent an hour running my mum and her car home...when I came back, the van had been idle maybe 70 minutes, and probably 90 minutes after spending 45 minutes jump-charging.

The battery showed ZERO volts.

So, I charged it today; after a couple hours, it read 15.7 volts - but they fell as I watched and within minutes were at 11. I recharged for nearly an hour, then disconnected the negative cable - it started at 15.4 and fell. I popped the cap-strips off, and used my hydrometer. Even with the voltmeter still reading 15.2 (though falling), the hydrometer said "recharge" in every cell....

Bad battery? It's only two easy years old - any ideas? It's a DieHard. I've used them forever without trouble, but have heard they're not so good anymore.

Thanks!

libbybapa · Post by **libbybapa** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 10:39 pm

Put a meter on the two posts of the battery. If you are registering 13.5V or more with the engine running then replace the battery.

Andrew

VanVan · Post by **VanVan** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 11:10 pm

Argh - my thoughts exactly, only I hoped I was missing something cheaper and less irritating than replacing a nearly-new battery. Tomorrow...

libbybapa · Post by **libbybapa** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 1:03 am

They should prorate any remaining warranty. I had a heavy duty battery from Sam's Club go bad at the end of the first year I had it. It was still under the free replacement warranty. Oddly enough that particular battery warranty had been extended to two years and the price had gone down about $5. They handed me a new battery with a two year warranty that started over that day and five bucks. I walked out scratching my head.

Andrew

CoolAirVw · Post by **CoolAirVw** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 11:26 am

I've been noticing lots of battery failures (all cars not just VW diesels)

Cheap batteries flooding the market? I bought mine and it failed 3 months later. They replaced it no charge but now its testing bad again 1.5 years later (but still starting ok). I'll probably replace it with a super high CCA interstate battery. (expensive)

VanVan · Post by **VanVan** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 6:19 pm

here's something that just struck me -

I've been installing a Hella auxiliary divider - when the alternator went, I disconnected all the Hella wires. The alt problem was mere days after the Hella install, and I wanted to insure I hadn't messed up something.

However - as part of the Hella install, I also installed remote battery terminals under the seat. I got them from Pegasus (http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/produc ... RecId=2848), and installed them under the seat - so I can tie in the Hella, but also so I can jump or be jumped without removing the bed and the piles of gear usually covering that. (Works nice, as I've recently had occassion to learn!).

I used new cable to run from these remote posts to the battery, and am confident all my connections are good. But I also routed the + and - wires side by side along the frame back to the battery, and protected them within the same old radiator hose at key points.

Could the battery be draining there? Any other likely problems here I might have overlooked?

thanks!

CoolAirVw · Post by **CoolAirVw** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 10:45 pm

Could the battery be draining there?

I doubt it. Proper term (at least in these parts) is "PARASITIC DRAIN".

If "something" is draining your battery it would be easily measurable with a Digital Volt Ohm Meter(DVOM). This has nothing to do with when your battery isn't capable of holding a charge.

First: make sure it isn't draining alot of amperage. Disconnect the positive terminal and touch one side of a fuse (1 amp preferably) to the post and the other side to the terminal. If it blows you have a large drain. You want to do this test because a voltmeter set on amperage may "burn out" if you draw too much amperage through it. Some meters have a fuse that blows when you draw too much amperage through them. My meter has a 10 amp fuse but I hate it when it blows because it costs 7 dollars. With my meter any fuse smaller than 10 amps is ok.

2nd: On the battery terminal you previously disconnected, with your DVOM set on amperage, measure the amount by placing the one DVOM lead on the post and the other on the terminal. Any PARASITIC DRAINwill then be measured as it is passing through your meter. Exact spec varies based on what equipment you have on your car that uses current while the car is off, but it should be low. My car has a clock that is on when the car is off so PARASITIC DRAIN is much less than .1 amps. Cars with stereo's, alarms, computers ect have higher PARASITIC DRAIN.

If you charge your battery and you have no PARASITIC DRAINand your battery goes dead over short time then replace the battery.

You could also eliminate PARASITIC DRAINby charging your battery and then disconnecting one of the posts. If it wont start after sitting a day or two then its your battery.

Be sure to check chargine voltage as LIBBYBAPA said.

Oh, after re-reading your post. Get a new battery.

VanVan · Post by **VanVan** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:53 pm

Excellent advise, as always....

I'm pretty convinced it's the battery, but will test as advised to be sure, and then just be happy I didn't, myself, mess something up...

VanVan · Post by **VanVan** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 1:01 pm

For reasons pertaining to my washing machine (everything lately's been broke), I had to go to Sears and so took my VW battery; they proved it bad, so I've skipped the tests recommended here and accepted a 100% free, no pro-ration DieHard.

Thanks, as always, for the help.

Life is good.