1997 850r alternator charge

ryhoon · Post by **ryhoon** » 01 Jul 2011, 22:12

hi guys from down under in nz. my battery seems to lose power very slowly. the guy who supplied the battery rekons my alternator is not charging sufficiently. on test it is putting out 13.8 volts and under load 13.69 is this ok or should it be more. any info would be great.thanks.

Post by **Pauloil** » 02 Jul 2011, 06:12

first do a search on this site regarding "voltage drop" and learn how to check your cables. the starter cable can go bad. second: in the am, if batt volt is not 12.6, then that is less than full charge. 12.3 is 50%. if the batt is weak, get a new one. could go to batt shop and have batt tested if needed. your 13.7V is ok under load, but what load? again, look up "voltage drop" and buy an amp meter if you don't have one of the newer digital ones.

Post by **pkc303** » 02 Jul 2011, 12:31

Also, check all of your ground wires. My 850 was doing the same thing, and I found a loose ground wire near the intake manifold. I also had a bad battery. Tightened the wire, and changed the battery, no problems since.

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 02 Jul 2011, 13:59

+1 for a complete check of all power related cabling.

ryhoon · Post by **ryhoon** » 02 Jul 2011, 20:36

well guys did some further checks on the leads etc all seemed ok.so took the car to have it checked again only to discover that one of the cells is on the way out. so have now got new batt so all should be ok.thanks again for the info.

zhenya · Post by **zhenya** » 02 Jul 2011, 21:43

While it's possible that the battery is the only thing bad, it's quite likely that the cell is bad from being deep discharged from whatever is the real problem. A new battery will likely mask the issue for a while, but if there is in fact another issue, it's going to come back.

bandwcow · Post by **bandwcow** » 08 Jul 2011, 08:33

Battery drain: after leaving car, 1995, 850 sit for three/four days I will find battery dead to the point it will not take a charge. Jumping will start car but battery still will not take a charge. Found 150ma draw on battery between positive cable and positive post on battery. Fuse 14 pulled and draw goes away. Also heard a click like a relay dropping when fuse pulled.
Battery discharge does not occur all the time. Any thougths?