Battery undercharged

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

On Fri, 6 Dec 1996 STEADIRIC@aol.com wrote:

> >weeks.  I
> >had the battery checked and the verdict was the battery was okay, but
> >undercharged; I should have my charging system checked, or drive more.
> 
> I hear you on this one and was thinking of trying the kit to see if it 
> helped.. I also found that by doing a "Maintence" charge on the battery 
> once or twice a month I don't have the problem.......

Guys,

	I don't think this should be necessary even on the 5000CSTQ with 
all its toys.  I had to get a new battery and a rebuilt alternator, but 
after that, my entire system ran fine.  In the course of the 
troubleshooting, I checked current draw in every circuit in the fuse box, 
both under normal operating conditions, and with the car off.  There are 
very few really high draw circuits on the 5000, and the current when off 
was less than 25 milliamps which is right in the ballpark for most luxury 
cars.  Interestingly, the display on my radio drew almost half of that 25mA.

	Now, I admit, the 90 amp alternator doesn't produce 90 amps until 
you have it revved up a bit, but if you put a voltmeter on the alternator 
output instead of looking at the HVAC display, you'll find that even under 
high load, with the blower, lights, seat heaters, and the rear defroster 
running, teh voltage only drops to 13.5 at the lowest.  As long as you're 
staying above 12.7 volts, you are still charging the battery, and not 
drawing from it.

Later, ---------------------------------------------------------- 
Graydon D. Stuckey 	'85 Mazda RX7 GS, no toys 
graydon@apollo.gmi.edu 	'86 Audi 5000 CS Turbo Quattro, has toys
Flint, Michigan USA	'89 Thunderbird SC, lotsa toys