Re: Dead battery => ANGRY WIFE

["Graydon D. Stuckey" <graydon@apollo.gmi.edu>]

On Fri, 7 Jun 1996, Joe Garibaldi wrote:

> The wife is ready to take my head off because her daily driver (87 5KS)
> has left her stranded twice in the past week.  MY responsibility, you
> see, is to ensure that these kind of things don't happen (to her car
> but especially to HER while she's driving it).  In order to maintain
> domestic tranquility (as well as ensuring my own safety), I beseech you
> to help me troubleshoot this problem.
Joe,

You could buy a Bell helmet.  It's more expensive than the repairs you 
will likely have to make, but can also lead to alot more fun.  Doesn't 
remove the hostility though I suppose:-)

> minimal load (i.e. no lights, no A/C, not even the radio), I monitored
> the system voltage using Channel 11 and found it to be ~ 14.3 Volts. (Clue #2)

This sounds very good.  The regulator will try to keep it around 14 
volts, but a little more is good.

> After turning on the lights the voltage didn't change much, only a few tenths
> of a volt. (Clue #3) Next, I turned on the A/C with the blower motor set to
> "low".  The voltage dropped to ~ 12.9 V. (Clue #4) Setting the blower motor
> to "high" caused the reading to drop further to 12.3 V. (Clue #5) At even
> lower RPMs, while driving in the city or at idle, the voltage was going as
> low as  ~11.8 V.  (Clue #6) No wonder the battery was discharging!  

Yes, no wonder indeed.  I am having a very similar problem with my 5KCSTQ. 
I did have both a battery problem, adn a bad diode in the alternator, so I
changed those, and now at least the alternator will usually keep up with
the electrical demand of the car.  I did notice the saem thing that you
have described though.  Most of my accessories don't drop the voltage very
much, but the blower really drops it alot.  I suspect that the brushes are
getting bad, but I haven't had time yet to change the blower. 

> about reached her limit.  No procrastination with this one.  If it's not
> fixed by this weekend she's threatened me that it's going into the shop.

OOooohh, that's a really low blow!

HTH

Later,								
Graydon D. Stuckey								
graydon@apollo.gmi.edu								
Flint, Michigan   USA
'86 Audi 5000 CS Turbo Quattro, GDS Racing Stage II