battery question

patrickc

hi all

might be a stupid question, but my gf was driving her astra today and the battery light came on twice, once for a minute then for a few seconds... would this mean the battery needs replacing and how much is your average battery? also does the charging packs you can buy make any difference or is it better to just buy a new battery?

thanks

Volvoboy

Check the cells and if needed fill with water.



-VB-

patrickc

is it normal or distilled water goes in them vb? thanks

crosstownk

First of all, the 'battery' light is actually the charging light - it usually indicates a fault in the alternator rather than the battery.

Do as VB says - make sure it's full of distilled water, but it could be a sealed, maintenance free battery.

If I was you, I'd get my alternator tested before you end up stuck on a wet, windy night with a flat battery and no phone signal.................

patrickc

crosstownk wrote:

First of all, the 'battery' light is actually the charging light - it usually indicates a fault in the alternator rather than the battery.

Do as VB says - make sure it's full of distilled water, but it could be a sealed, maintenance free battery.

If I was you, I'd get my alternator tested before you end up stuck on a wet, windy night with a flat battery and no phone signal.................

it's her car. she has the aa !! nah I'll get it looked at, are they expensive to replace if it they're gone?

peasant

The battery light coming on actually has very little to do with the battery, but indicates that there is insufficient charging going on from the alternator The reason usally is a slipping fanbelt (not turning the alternator sufficiently) or an internal fault in the alternator itself.

In the long run this will drain your battery (because it's not charged properly) but that is the least of your worries.

On some engines the belt that drives the alternator also drives the water (coolant) pump. If that belt goes, so do alternator and pump

Your engine can work without an alternator for a while, but will self destruct fairly rapidly once the coolant stops circulating.

Check the belt first, then worry about alternator and battery (in that order)

patrickc

just looked the battery is a maintenance free sealed one, it's also the original battery in the car since 00 does that make any difference?

patrickc

peasant wrote:

The battery light coming on actually has very little to do with the battery, but indicates that there is insufficient charging going on from the alternator The reason usally is a slipping fanbelt (not turning the alternator sufficiently) or an internal fault in the alternator itself.

In the long run this will drain your battery (because it's not charged properly) but that is the least of your worries.

On some engines the belt that drives the alternator also drives the water (coolant) pump. If that belt goes, so do alternator and pump

Your engine can work without an alternator for a while, but will self destruct fairly rapidly once the coolant stops circulating.

Check the belt first, then worry about alternator and battery (in that order)

can't see that the belt is slipping but i'm no mechanical genius either...
theres a funny sound when you start the car it's hard to describe, but if the alternator is on it's way out would it make a noise?

peasant

It could ...but so could a slipping fanbelt
Fanbelt is kind of a loud, annoying screeching noise that changes frequency as the revs go up and finally stops when the belt has picked up the speed of the engine.

try and twist the fanbelt ..you shouldn't be able to twist it more than a quarter to half a turn ..any more and it needs tightening or better replacing (small money)

crosstownk

peasant wrote:

The battery light coming on actually has very little to do with the battery

Exactly.

The fact that the battery is 7 years old is irrelevant. I've seen batteries pack in after 2 years and I've seen others loose the will to live after 10 or more years.

You're alternator needs to be tested. The longer you leave it, the more the chances of a breakdown increase. It is also possible that a faulty alternator can cause bulbs to blow, damage to ECU's, damage to the battery and a host of other problems - but these are not common.

If the belt that drives the alternator is slipping you should be hearing a loud squeal as the engine starts and acellerates if you have a V-belt - with a ribbed/toothed belt this squeal is not as apparent.

patrickc

I've often heard a screeching fan belt sounds nothing like that though..

peasant

A bearing on its way out or disintegrating innards on the alternator also would make a racket ...but you should be able to localise that noise as emminating from the alternator.

stick your head in there and listen while the engine is ticking over (but don't get your hair caught in the fanbelt or the "propeller" on the alternator or you will be scalped :eek: )

patrickc

thanks guys, rang the mechanic and he'll come in in the morning and measure it's output, he said he can get it reconditioned otherwise 400 for a new one.

crosstownk

If the engine revs are low (poor/low idle, close-to-stall) it is possible that the alternator light will come on.

When this happens to your girlfriend's car, is it at any particular time (coming to a stop, while changing gears, engine cold, etc, etc)?

patrickc

peasant wrote:

A bearing on its way out or disintegrating innards on the alternator also would make a racket ...but you should be able to localise that noise as emminating from the alternator.

stick your head in there and listen while the engine is ticking over (but don't get your hair caught in the fanbelt or the "propeller" on the alternator or you will be scalped :eek: )

it's definitely time to leave it to the professional's now, i'll stick to my volvo!!

patrickc

crosstownk wrote:

If the engine revs are low (poor/low idle, close-to-stall) it is possible that the alternator light will come on.

When this happens to your girlfriend's car, is it at any particular time (coming to a stop, while changing gears, engine cold, etc, etc)?

both times was today driving down from dublin, she was driving at 100kph, car was warm ect..

crosstownk

patrickc2006 wrote:

both times was today driving down from dublin, she was driving at 100kph, car was warm ect..

Even more likely to be the alternator. Let us know how you fair out and what the problem was.

patrickc

crosstownk wrote:

Even more likely to be the alternator. Let us know how you fair out and what the problem was.

will do crosstown cheers for your advice

patrickc

well lads, he checked it over and all the readings are good, it's just a loose wire

patrickc

think my mechanic was hung over, cos it does seem to be the alternator after all, does anyone know if a 00 astra has an electric power steering pump? cos the power steering is like no power steering now, and just wondering if the alternator is not getting the power to the pump? (checked levels btw)

bushy...

Belt broken maybe ? or it is gone so loose that it can't drive the steering pump

patrickc

bushy... wrote:

Belt broken maybe ? or it is gone so loose that it can't drive the steering pump

it definitley seems to be an electric steering pump..

crosstownk

patrickc2006 wrote:

does anyone know if a 00 astra has an electric power steering pump?

AFAIK - it does have an electric PAS pump.

Darragh29

peasant wrote:

The battery light coming on actually has very little to do with the battery, but indicates that there is insufficient charging going on from the alternator The reason usally is a slipping fanbelt (not turning the alternator sufficiently) or an internal fault in the alternator itself.

Get a voltmeter and put it across the battery terminals with the engine running. If you get less than 14.5V, you have a problem with your alternator. Given that it's an Astra, it's probably a problem with the alternator but check the alternator belt just in case.

peasant wrote:

On some engines the belt that drives the alternator also drives the water (coolant) pump. If that belt goes, so do alternator and pump

Your engine can work without an alternator for a while, but will self destruct fairly rapidly once the coolant stops circulating.

On your Astra, the water pump is driven by the timing belt, so it isn't going to be associated with the problem you are having with your alternator. Bring it to a good indy garage who can tell you in 30 seconds whether or not you have an alternator problem. Expect to pay around 250-350 Euro for an alternator supplied & fitted. They are akward to get at as they are at the back of the engine on the Astra's, hence the bit of additional labour.

Darragh29

crosstownk wrote:

AFAIK - it does have an electric PAS pump.

Yes they do and if it causes a problem (and they do on the Astra's), expect to pay around 1,200 Euro for a main dealer fix!

patrickc

Darragh29 wrote:

Get a voltmeter and put it across the battery terminals with the engine running. If you get less than 14.5V, you have a problem with your alternator. Given that it's an Astra, it's probably a problem with the alternator but check the alternator belt just in case.

the reading was above that when he checked it yesterday morning, then in the afternoon, the steering just froze, as the battery light came on solid, my mate looked at after and when he was looking at it the battery just died...charged the battery and it lasted a while and then just went flat again

patrickc

was just the alternator. opel wanted 600 for a new 1, got it restored for 100 and taken out and put in for 50, so all good