6 replies to this topic

[NielsTim]

Hi all,

Hope everyone is doing great?

Regarding my issue. 

I am the proud owner and restorer of a MINI 1987.

Now recently we wanted to go for a little ride, bearing in mind that it hadn't been driven since bout midway november we expected the battery to be flat. Using a booster we got it running and we departed. I would say about 15/20 minutes later the engine died on us. We later found out that the battery had died on us again. So here is our confusion. Seen as during the driving the alternator should charge the battery and provide the engine with electricity if the battery fails to do so. Why then does the car stop running? So what we want to do is to see if the alternator is actually generating electricity. Any Tips, ideas or common mistakes from you guys?

 

Looking forward to hear from you all,

 

Kind Regards 

Tim and Niels

[nicklouse]

not surprised there was nothing in the batter after 15-20mins

 

depending on how discharged the battery is it will need 24-48 hours on a mains charger to bring it back to a suitable level.

 

Ok as to the alternator check the voltage over the battery at a fast idle 1-1.5K rpm and you should be seeing about 14.4-7Volts if you are not check the wiring or replace the alternator.

 

Oh you don't have any stupid LEDs in the dash do you?

[Ethel]

Possibly but not necessarily. Batteries can lose the ability to charge if they're left flat, so if the engine stopped for any reason you'd have difficulty restarting.

 

The ignition warning will come on if there's a significant difference in voltage, either way, between the battery and alternator.

 

You can do some basic checks if you have a voltmeter. Put it across the battery terminals, you should see 12 volts if the battery has charge. With the engine running that should go up to 14.5 volts (never higher) though you may need to increase the rpm to a bit more than idle speed. Battery voltage will drop to around 9 volts when you use the starter motor, even if healthy.

 

If you don't have a meter hold the engine at steady revs, as if driving along, then turn on the headlights followed by all the electrics to see if the alternator can match the demand and keep the lights bright.

 

 

Thought I'd best add don't run the engine without a battery (even if it's dead) attached or you may indeed end up with a broken alternator.

[MikeRotherham]

not surprised there was nothing in the batter after 15-20mins

 

depending on how discharged the battery is it will need 24-48 hours on a mains charger to bring it back to a suitable level.

 

Ok as to the alternator check the voltage over the battery at a fast idle 1-1.5K rpm and you should be seeing about 14.4-7Volts if you are not check the wiring or replace the alternator.

 

Oh you don't have any stupid LEDs in the dash do you?

Are you asking if they have a stupid LED in the Ignition warning light?

[Spider]

Often, when a battery goes dead (especially if left to go dead over time), it is karput. You might get a bit more life out of it, but you can regard it as unreliable.

 

Dave has some good info in FAQ on this;-

 

http://www.theminifo...-battery-facts/

 

and if you are going to lay up the car for extended periods, perhaps a trickle charger will keep the battery happy.

 

Dave has some recommendations here;-

 

http://www.theminifo...attery-charged/

[Wiggy]

My wife's Clio had a total battery failure. One day it was fine, next day it was dead as a dodo. Even after jumping it to go to the auto factors, it wouldn't run for more than a minute.

[NielsTim]

Super thank you all so much!! We will just make sure that everything is charging as it should be in the next couple of days! 

 

Tim and Niels