Common Problem ???

[pdavison]

My TVR S3 is normally used as an everyday car, but has been left for four days over Christmas due to the constant consumption of alcohol.

When going to start it this morning, the battery has not got enough life left in it to start the car. This has happened once before when the car was left for two weeks.

Does anyone know if this is a common problem or does it sound like my battery has given up the ghost ?

Any ideas would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Paul

[Paul V]

The batteries always take a beating in the winter, so it could be that or alternator problems. If you get good charge when it’s started I’d replace the battery. It’s worth checking the earth connections as well, is there anything that may drain it?

[PeterC]

Sounds like the battery is stuffed and on its last legs. Battery problems always show themslves under the circumstances described - it's just not holding charge any longer.

You could try servicing the battery, topping up with distilled water, cleaning the terminals and while you are at it, clean the earthing point as well. Then use a battery charger to get it fully charged. This will give the battery a chance of performing at it best.

If this fails to give an improvement, visit Halfords or somewhere similar and they will test it for free. They should be able to comment on its condition.

If buying a new battery, ensure the dimensions are correct and similar in design at each end to the old one or the battery clamps will not fit and you have to resort to a strap to hold it in place.

[johno]

If like me you have been using the car a great deal with the fan on and the lights and wipers and the ....... the battery is not charging as all the power from the alternator is going into running everything else.

What happens then is that it gets drained and not topped back up. As has already been pointed out this time of year highlights this due to the cold conditions. It is quite horrifying at how low the voltage is when you are running all the above items when you are travelling at speed. At times mine reads below 12 volts, which means there is no recharging of the battery going on at all as this is only really achieved above 13 volts.

Give it a charge and see how it gets on. If it is knackered it will soon show itself up again. Frustrating I know !!

Cheers

Mark

[petert]

I would also suggest to check the battery terminals, the earth connection at the chassis and the +ve terminal at the starter before the purchase of a new battery.

PeterT

[pdavison]

Thanks for the advice...I will give it a full charge and a service and see what happens.

The volt meter has been reading about the same as mentioned here (12v) with all the lights, fan etc... on, so it could just be a case of the time of year combined with being left for a while.

The only other thing that could be draining the battery would be the alarm, but I don't think this is likely.

Thanks for the advice, I'll let you know how I get on.

Cheers

Paul