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Better get a multimeter and measure directly on the battery, what nanocom shows it's not direct battery power, it can drop along the circuit untill the OBD plug... 12.58v on nanocom could be higher at the battery(or at least similar)....only measuring the voltage is not very relevant cos it can drop due to a parasitic drain or cos the battery is weak....or both
Yes Sierafery I just read a Tutorial on here about Multimeters by Vlad, doesn't look too hard, just ordered a multimeter online only $45 delivered from Jaycar, should have bought one a long time ago.
All I have until that arrives is the Nanocom and two chargers, I'll keep an eye on Voltage and report back.
Is the battery still hooked up to the car,If it is unhook it and see if it holds charge then,sounds like a dead cell in the battery to me.
When you get the multimeter leave the bonnet unhooked as to not have to open a door and after more than 1.5 hour since ignition was off do that [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYUoXApI89Q[/ame] , this trick is to have the slabs in sleep mode as it stays active for 1.5 hour after ignition is off and it wakes up on open door signal... then you can see the real drain, it should not exceed 50 mA this way
Just checked again and the Nanocom indicates its now at 12.8v. The battery has been connected to the vehicle since I stopped the car. I just disconnected it. Will reconnect and post Nanocom figures in an hour or so.
My Multimeter won't arrive for 2 or 3 days, I live on an island so not so easy over here, will keep monitoring with Nanocom method and try the Battery Drain Process once the multimeter arrives.
I have a gut feel that I need a new battery although the vendor said it was new when I bought the car 2-3 months ago.
Does anyone know whether the Caterpillar 115-2422 1000CCA is still the best battery for a D2a (it is according to my research on here)??? I think I should order one in the morning and get one over on the barge pronto.
I think you are correct in thinking the battery is on the way out. Just because its not old does not mean it cant die. The Cat battery is a good one.
Cheers Scott
Well the battery was at 1.5v the RACQ jump started me and his multimeter said it was charging at 14.4v. Went for an hour drive and the Nanocom indicated the voltage between 13 to 14.2 v while running, once I turned the car off it was at 13.4v. I then put it on the charger for a further 3 hrs with the car attached to the battery and it went to 12.8v. I then disconnected battery from car and checked it after charging for a further 5 hrs and it was at 12.8v still, but the 2nd battery charger said it was full. I have put it back on the charger disconnected from car and will check in the morning.
As an aside there is nothing on the battery that says it's charging rate, both of these automatic battery chargers have options for 2ah 4ah 6ah (mine) plus 8ah and 16ah (my mates). I am charging at 4ah. This battery has tricked both of these battery chargers into thinking it is full when its not. Thought mine was faulty but my mates is doing the same?????
I don't think I have to change the terminal clamps they work fine now and clamp like hell and are really clean? I've had a D2 since 1999 and never had to replace a battery terminal before, this car only 160k.
I had this happen to me at work with a fairly high end charger.Quote:
Originally Posted by Islandnomad
On testing the battery it had a dead cell so was over charging the other 5 and thus a false reading to the charger.
It does sound like the battery to me.
1 hour of driving should be enough to charge the battery and further charging may not be of any use.
With only the nanacom to use you could try this...
Leave everything connected with the motor off.
Check voltage reading.
Turn high beam lights on for 5-10 mins.(high current load).
Turn lights off and check voltage reading.
This should help take any surface charge off the battery.
Be aware if it does have a dead cell it may not restart after this.
Try to start the motor, if it does start shut it of fairly quickly and repeat 5 or 6 times.
Recheck the voltage reading.
Start and see if the voltage rises to @14 when running.
Also check the voltage when running with the head lights on.
Well I left it on charge overnight, charger says full again, voltage was at 12.48v. It did start the car but was a little labored.
Went for a drive, Nanocom indicated 13.68-14.43 v, when I turned car off is was at 13.38v.
Decided to order my new battery.
Will limp along under jury rig until it arrives, then I'll try Alien's method for loading the old battery once I have a backup.
Also be aware that a lot of these new automatic battery chargers will not charge a battery if the battery volts are below the minimum the charger is set to.
If I remember correctly the minimum voltage of the battery being charged needs to be above 7 volts or the charger will not charge the battery.
Mocky