Re: car won't start - 1990 200T

["Fred Munro" <munrof@isys.ca>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Lee M. Levitt <lee@wheelman.com>
To: quattro@coimbra.ans.net <quattro@coimbra.ans.net>
Date: Saturday, February 27, 1999 12:19 PM
Subject: car won't start - 1990 200T


>Aargh!
>
>1990 200T, 90K miles, 4 year old battery, two year old
>alternator...everything good up until yesterday, when the car didn't have
>enough juice to start. Turned over slowly, accompanied by fast clicking
>sound...
>
>After putting it on the charger briefly, the car started right up...
>
>I let it idle for about 10 minutes, then parked it again.
>
>This morning same trick.
>
>Anyone have thoughts on whether this is a battery problem, an alternator
>problem, or something more nasty?
>
>What *should* the voltmeter read when the ignition's in the on position and
>the engine is not running?
>


Hi Lee;

    It sounds like your battery is not getting/taking/keeping a charge.

    To answer your last question first, the voltmeter should read 12 volts+
with the ignition on, the engine not running, electrical accessories off,
and a fully charged battery - this is battery voltage.
    With the engine running, check the voltage at the alternator
(preferably) or the jump start post (easier) - it should be 13.5 - 14 volts
if the alternator is working. If it is lower, your alternator is not
charging adequately. Try revving up the engine to see if the voltage comes
up - the belt may be slipping.
    Assuming the alternator is OK, check the voltage at the battery with the
engine running. It should be within 0.2 volts of the reading at the
alternator. If it is, load test the battery - it probably is toast. If the
battery is OK, you may have a short which is draining the battery down
overnight. Check with a 12 volt light bulb connected between the positive
terminal and the positive battery post.
    If the voltage drop between the alternator and the battery is higher
than 0.2 volts, you have an abnormal resistance in the wiring  - bad
connections or the infamous splice. In this case, the battery may not be
getting an adequate charge.

HTH

Fred Munro
'91 200q  269k km