Advice needed please

[Stevie Mojo]

Hello everyone and best wishes for Christmas.

My Chim has been laid up in my garage for a while and I've been charging the battery every couple of weeks to get it started. Anyway, the battery is knackered and it's not charging enough to start now. My problem is that when I take the key out the battery light comes on and stays on. When I put the key in and turn the ignition on the battery light goes out.

Any advice as to why this is happening would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

Steve.

[V8 GRF]

I think you've identified the problem on your own, if battery is knackered it won't hold a charge especially in colder weather.

Give your car a Christmas or New Year pressie and buy an Accumate as well to keep the new battery in good shape if you're only using the car occasionally.

Edited by V8 GRF on Wednesday 24th December 21:03

[Stevie Mojo]

Thanks for your reply mate. What I find strange though is that the ignition light comes on when switched off with the key out, is this normal with nothing more than a knackered battery?

[V8 GRF]

Stevie Mojo said:

Thanks for your reply mate. What I find strange though is that the ignition light comes on when switched off with the key out, is this normal with nothing more than a knackered battery?

No that's not normal has it just startred or has it always been the case? It could be doing strange things with a knackered battery or it might mean there's a short somewhere that's causing the drain? Someone with a more knowledge about ignition systems might know.

[Zumbruk]

That's the symptom of a failed diode in the alternator diode pack. But I'd be inclined to fit a new battery and buy a battery conditioner before proceeding any further.

[spend]

I wouldn't put a new battery on until the 'discharging' alternator is fixed, its just going to keep draining unless you disconnect the battery. You never know.. if you disconnect it and recharge the battery it may still be serviceable.

ETA: Check the main relay (70A) is not the failure - your ign switches this off & on and one of the circuits it powers up is the dash, which should light the alt warning light until running (but you say it goes out when the ign switched on ?) After that it might be the ign switch itself - you can test by probing the relay socket with a multimeter to see 0 & 12v across the 2 smaller terms corresponding to off & on.

Edited by spend on Saturday 27th December 13:09

[tuscan s]

spend said:

I wouldn't put a new battery on until the 'discharging' alternator is fixed, its just going to keep draining unless you disconnect the battery. You never know.. if you disconnect it and recharge the battery it may still be serviceable.

Ditto get the alternator fixed first or you will be wasteing time and money.