EMERGENCY - Help Needed

[tom_burnley]

Right - the heading got the attention

I have a big problem with the Elise ( Sport 160 ) - It just will not start reliably. Last night it would not start and I had to get the wife to pick me up from work. She wants to sell it, unless it improves - so I need some help to avoid marital strife - no way am I selling.

I know that it is a flat battery ( jump/bump starting always works ) - but why is my battery flat? I drive the car for 30 minutes each day - so that should keep it charged.

The car has only got 11,000 miles so can the battery ( or the alternator) really have conked out? It seems to have got worse over the last month - is this alternator deterioration?

Finally, how to diagnose the problem - don't want to replace the battery to find out the alternator is shot etc. Do I just measure the voltage of the batter during running, after running, and before starting to find out where my juice is going? If so what values to expect - yes 12 Volts, thank you dragstar - but higher on running I guess.

Please - need big help

[Davey S1]

Tom the answer is quite simple.

Sell the wife

[tom_burnley]

[Bonce]

And after you've sold the wife, check that the battery is actually being charged when the ignition is on (sorry, don't know how to do this myself) and then replace the battery. Car batteries do lose their ability to hold their charge over time, particularly if you let them get to a low charge state (ie. you once left your lights on and ran the battery flat). There's a fair chance that the battery is the cause of your starting problems and not something more insidious.

[dragstar]

i dont think 30minutes a day is long enough. lots of short journeys will kill it

I changed mine at the local National tyre centre (varta blue-good battery). go to their website and find your local.

Get them to check it out, and if the battery has gone they'll replace it there and then (£40ish). If it's the alternator then get to a dealer. I cant see why it would be the alternator...they are tough little cookies.

Alternatively, hook the battery to your nads, before and after running. Then get your wife to check the strength of the burns.

Who says, sex is crap after marriage?

[thub]

I agree with Bonce - it sounds like the battery. Try and find a frinedly local auto-electrician, they can do a very quick test (<5 mins) to determine if your battery and/or alternator are okay.

[NJS25]

Yep sounds like the battery.

Many people change alternators unnecessarily.

I bought a Varta Blue Dynamic (same as dragster), go to Varta website and find local stockist. I paid £25 inclusive of vat for mine.

If you do a search of the archives under Battery Replacement, I detailed the various batteries suitable for Elises, and their prices.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Neil

[tom_burnley]

I like the National Tyre Centre Idea

quick, no messing, quite cheap - and Varta Blue Dynamic it is

what about the Radio Code?? - do they maintain power in the radio??

I'm off to search the archivers now

[dragstar]

depends on your head-unit.

If you have a sony im quite certain it will be fine

(the alarm will go off though, when he's changing it )

[dragstar]

It's a gorgeous day today...blue skies!

screw work, im off to enjoy!

[Bonce]

dragstar said:

the alarm will go off though, when he's changing it

Not if you follow the procedure for disabling the alarm to remove the battery as described very clearly in the owners manual.

RTFM

[stoker]

My car was sitting in the local bodyshop for a month waiting for attention - By the time they got round to it the alarm had drained the battery completely and it would no longer hold a charge.

If your battery has ever gone completely flat then it is almost certainly knackered. I got mine replaced at the main dealer (D'oh!) for £47

[DanH]

Depends how flat as to whether it battery or alternator. When you say 30 mins a day, do you mean 15 mins each way? If so that could murder a battery I suspect.

Alternator should put out about 14v when working. Not 100% sure where you should measure this. If you are an AA member they can do all the testing and even sell you a battery. I had them come out on Sunday, but refused their battery as it didn't have a vent port on it for me to attach the drain to, and on the S2 its in the boot so wasn't happy with it...

[dragstar]

Bonce said:

dragstar said: the alarm will go off though, when he's changing it Not if you follow the procedure for disabling the alarm to remove the battery as described very clearly in the owners manual. RTFM

does RTFM, mean "read the feckin manual?"

[Bonce]

Yep!

[dragstar]

Right. the manual is my shephard and i shall not want.

[TheLemming]

Another suggestion to prevent problems in future, would be a battery conditioner.

Airflow (for example) do one with a plug connector for the top of the battery, so simply pull into the garage, pop the bonnet (if its an S1, god knows where S2 batteries are...) and plug it in.

It will also stop the alarm from totally draining the battery if you are away for a few days.

[sydneyse]

battery in the boot for an S2- the conditioner (trickle charger) cable is thin enoough to exit the rear lid when closed (so alarm can does not sense an open engine cover). well worth it for a car not driven daily.. (and with extra tracker/alarm like mine).