I am the proud owner of a 94 Swift Royale Talbot Express. I have had it about 18 months and have had no real problems. I splashed out on a full service and decided to get the cam belt changed as she's done 41,000 miles and I have no records of the cam belt ever being changed. Since I have had all this work done, the engine battery goes flat after 8 - 10 days of sitting there. She has always started with the first turn of the key and this problem never occurred before I had all this work done and the workshop said that it is nothing to do with them.
They of course will look at it for me for the usual forty odd quid an hour. Not being at all mechanically minded, does anyone have any ideas on what I could check to solve the problem.
Regards
Nigel
------------- Tomorrow I will go to work........Today I'm camping!!
Get a battery voltage meter(only a few £s)with the engine running at fast tickover--check battery voltage-if it is about 14.5volts?--it means the alternators ok--then disconnect 1 battery lead--10mm spanner--& leave it for your 8-10days & reconnect the battery lead--if it dont start-buy a new battery--if it does start--you are getting a drain on your battery somewhere--something left on--radio/cd maybe?--if when you check voltage whilst running you only get about 13volts--the alternator needs replacing(does the red light flicker on at tickover?) -if its a Bosch one you can buy a new regulator/brush carrier for it-£15 cheaper than a new alternator----if you cant do any of this yourself-print it off & take it to your garage & get them to do it--to be fair on the garage-its probabley not their fault--most likely is that the battery has just worn out--
If you can check the date age on the battery it could be that its old (over 5 years) and could do with changing. You say it always started ok before, but batterys can die just as quick. If you have an alarm on the van thats left on while parked up that can flat a tired battery if its wired to the starter battery. In my experience most starting problems are caused by a old worn out battery. Good luck.
most battery places will have a voltage drop tool they put it across the two terminals,if the reading stays high the battery is OK,if the reading starts to drop,there is probably one or two cells down.
------------- Think this year is to follow old meet friends for 2014.
If you cant do someone a good turn,don`t do them a bad one,its nice to be nice you know,and little things mean much more later in life.
Pete.
Quote: Originally posted by tykey on 13/4/2008
Most battery places do a free check for you (along Billy's lines) , but they will also do SG checks on each cell
If it's as good as the battery test that Halfrauds have just done for my Son, then I wouldn't bother. The man (?) who did it didn't have clue what he was doing. Total waste of oxygen. Tried to tell the lad that he had a leak to ground
Just a quick thought - have you left the radio on very low - so low you can't hear that it's on? Or left the cab light on (hard to see in daylight) - because these two will flatten your battery in the time you say it's taking, or even sooner. Just a thought. Happened to me once.