[scunny13]

Hi everyone, I have just returned from a 5 week holiday. Went I got back my gtv wouldnt start. I disconnected battery and gave a quick boost on the charger put it in and it has been fine for a couple of days. I keep testing the voltage and decided to give it a long trickle charge yesterday.

These are the voltage readings i have had.

When I disconnected it the first time it was 11.9V.
Can't remember what it was after a quick charge.
Then on Thurs am 12.12 then went for a short drive (10 mile)
thurs pm 12.36 then left it over night
Fri am 12.24 then charged it
When i took it off trickle charge i think it was 12.9?
Moved it into garage and then it was 12.36 (it was on the drive)
Later that night 12.55 Not sure how it went up?
Sat am 12.44

Should i get a new battery or is it ok?

Thanks for any help

 

[Nige005]

You'd be better off Posting in the GTV/Spider Lounge.

However this what you should be looking at.

Engine stopped and everything switched off the Battery Voltage should be about 12.5 Volts.

Note this reading.

Start Engine and measure again, should be about 14 Volts, this shows that the Alternator is charging the Battery.

If this is the case but the Battery Volts go down in the next few hours/days then the Battery is probably U/S.

Before finally condemning it it may be wise to get a SG or a HD test done at your local Battery place.

If the Battery is OK then you may have a current " leak, " not unknown on these cars and is often caused by an After Market Stereo Unit. To check this remove the Head Unit from this and see if the Battery holds its charge now.

A more technical test to see if you have a current drain is place an Ammeter in series between the Battery and one of the feeds from the Battery to the Car. I would not recommend this unless you are confident with Car Electrics, it can be quite dangerous if done incorrectly, risk of damage to the Car and/or Battery and even worse, risk of injury to yourself.

Good luck.

 

[1of1]

I had a similar issue, the voltages were reading OK, but it just died on me one day due to a dead cell, as Nigel said though, have it properly tested

 

[Ralf S.]

If the charge is stable around 12.6 volts then the battery is okay.

It sounds like something drained it when you came back from holiday but from what you describe, it doesn't sound like it has any severe issues at the moment.

Cells can die any time and knacker the battery, since the 5 remaining cells can only give you 11~ish volts .. and that's not enough. It's pretty clear when you have just 5 cells working.

I'd keep an eye on it and see what it does. If the voltage drops over a week of non-use, then the issue may be a current drain rather than the battery itself. You can prove it by disconnecting the battery and seeing what the battery does when it is not connected to anything.

I'd budget for a new battery but don't buy one just yet.. If it's on its way out, then the long winter evenings coming up at the end of next month will show it up for sure..


Ralf S.

 

[Guest]

Checking the levels in each of the cells at least once a year,
and topping up where needed, can extend the life of your battery.

Normally it's a low electrolyte level that stuffs one cell
killing the whole battery,