battery not charging

[shamzipi]

4AGE charge rate 13.5 with lights 13.9 with out lights.
Battery not charging.
changed battery yesterday 13 plate..........run dead to.
3 electricians say battery charging good.
no music. just two fans and a fuel pump.

How come the batteries running dead????????

[jeepers]

hmmmmm.well boy jus had some probs with batteries..but your situation soundin a lil complicated.but make sure notin on in ur car wen u park.cuz dat can round dat d batt.

[shamzipi]

yeh the door light on the dash does stay on but i doubt that runnin it down.

[Hook]

13.9 isn't too bad, tho u should be aiming for 14.2-14.4...check all your grounds and make sure all wire junctions have clean, secure metal-to-metal contact to the ground points

but if it's that switch off fine at night and wake up every morning to a drained battery, sounds like parasitic drain rearing it's ugly head

this is taken from http://www.asashop.org/autoinc/may/Techtips.HTM

This is not an uncommon scenario: A customer complains of a dead battery in the morning. They have to jump start it three days in a row, and now they’ve brought it to you for repair. You run a charging system and battery check, and they both show normal readings. Something is draining the battery. It’s time to run some tests. Since checking voltage between the battery and cable is no longer an accurate test, you disconnect a battery cable and install your ammeter in series. Your meter reads 25 milliamps (mA), well within normal range. How can that be? "There has to be an excessive draw here that’s killing the battery," you tell yourself.

What’s Happening?
On-board computers and many other solid-state devices on today’s cars need full-time power to energize their "keep-alive" memories. When you break the circuit to install your ammeter, these systems shut down. Any defective component that had been drawing excessive current before you disconnected the cable, may work correctly when power is reconnected.

The solution is to measure amperage flow without removing power to the circuit. This can be accomplished by two methods. Either run a jumper wire from the battery terminal to the cable while connecting your meter, or install a parasitic drain switch which may be opened after your meter leads are connected.

Important Concepts To Remember
1) If you install a parasitic drain switch, make sure you drive the vehicle afterward using all accessories. That will ensure that any defective component has been operated. Then, with your meter connected between the battery and the cable, either open the parasitic drain switch or remove the jumper wire and read the amperage draw. Any draw over 50 mA is excessive.

2) Some systems normally draw power for up to 15 minutes after the key is turned off. If your meter initially shows over 50 mA, leave it connected and check it again in 15 minutes. If the draw is still over 50 mA, there is a problem that needs to be located and repaired.

Finding The Hungry Circuit
Leaving your meter in place, disconnect each fuse, one at a time. If the draw is still present after all fuses are removed, you will have to start disconnecting the fuse links in the same manner. Keep disconnecting fuses, fuse links and components until you find the one that makes current draw fall to an acceptable level. The problem is on that circuit. By the way, make sure you preauthorize diagnostic time with the customer. Make sure they understand that repairing the problem is usually easier than finding it.

[Dragsta]

when u park up(for long period or overnight), Disconnect the battery pole....when u ready to go, re-connect the battery pole and see if u still getiin the problem....if u dont, then something is causing the battery to rundown....

[shamzipi]

Bought a new 13 plate battery Monday and so far no problems.
Although the others were not that old 2005, maybe the cells were going bad.
I think ill check my ignition and starter for any problems.

[crazybalhead]

Batteries from 2005 are old enough to void their warranties. If you put in a new one and the problem has gone away then that was the problem in the first place. Your starter and ignition will not drain your battery overnight just so.

[shamzipi]

I wanted to check because i am still getting a slow tumble from time to time.

[shamzipi]

Hook thanks for that info...

[turbohead]

hear wat start d car an wen it start pull off d battery pole an see if it is d alternator runnin d car. den ur alternator is ur problem. make sure all lights off wen u lock up car also. parasitic drains cud be a menace. an if u doh drive ur car often it wud also wud run dead.

[MIVEC95]

^ u meant to say if he disconnect the battery pole and the car cuts off then d alternator is the problem

[xxSTAY TUNEDxx]

So can it be grounding off somewhere?

[shamzipi]

car running on alternator as if the battery still plugged in

[MIVEC95]

well alternator good then , check your grounding and also make sure d battery good, i am having this same problem , i gonna buy a battery and put it in , i will let u know if i come across any other problem

[Pointman-IA]

hear wat start d car an wen it start pull off d battery pole an see if it is d alternator runnin d car. den ur alternator is ur problem. make sure all lights off wen u lock up car also. parasitic drains cud be a menace. an if u doh drive ur car often it wud also wud run dead.

u forget to tell him which pole?

[Hoddie]

well alternator good then , check your grounding and also make sure d battery good, i am having this same problem , i gonna buy a battery and put it in , i will let u know if i come across any other problem

x2...check for a bad ground somewhere...it may be bleeding the battery voltage as it sits...

[MIVEC95]

Pointman-IA

u forget to tell him which pole?

it can be any one of the terminals

[Anil_Sooknanan]

yea ah just making ah pass thru didn't read everything k but what i have to say is b4 you go sleep or after you switch off inthe night you can remove one of the pole to see if that some thing in the car is remaining on and running down the battery