Re: [alfa] Elizabeth's battery

["Dean W. Cains" <dwc@xxxxxx>]

Elizabeth, Tess, Brian, et al:

My recommendations were to replace the B+ wire from the alternator to the 
power junction on the left inner fender, and the wire from that junction to 
the B+ terminal on the starter solenoid; both with 8ga. multi-stranded 
copper, and all new terminal ends.  I also cleaned or replaced the terminal 
ends on the main battery cables, at the battery, ground cable, and 
starter.  Finally, there is a large two-wire connector under the dash, near 
the steering column, that supplies power to the fuse box, and that 
connector on my car had some minor corrosion I removed.  All of those 
things, in combination, made a world of difference on my '87 Spider.  I 
agree with Brian that there is no reason for any Spider to be draining its 
battery.  Either of my Spiders may occasionally be idle for a month or 
more, without a trickle charger or disconnected battery, and they always 
start immediately.  Both have one of those big, yellow Wal-Mart batteries, 
which aren't real expensive and have a great warranty.

With the above work performed, most of the reasons for voltage drops in the 
system are eliminated, allowing the battery to take a proper charge when 
the car is driven.  I saw more than a full volt of improvement across the 
battery terminals of my '87.  A fully charged battery should measure at 
least 12.70v, after the car hasn't been driven for a few hours, and with 
the engine running you'll want at least 13.7 volts across the battery (use 
an accurate digital meter, not the dash gauge).  I went one step further 
and installed an adjustable voltage regulator and set it to charge at 
14.4v, which is what many battery manufacturers (and Fred, too) 
recommend.  Collateral benefits include better operation of the ridiculous 
power windows, and necessary stuff like the wipers, defroster fan, lights, 
etc.  Running at lower voltages also causes more current to flow (Ohm's 
Law), which may contribute to overheated connections and more corrosion, 
which creates a vicious downward spiral.  Remember to check grounds, too, 
like the ground strap from the engine to chassis.

Finally, while you're playing with wires, replace the fuse holder under the 
rear deck (for the fuel pump), and near the distributor (for the VVT 
solenoid), which are always trashed on Bosch L-Jet Spider's.

Dean
Lutz, FL
'74 & '87 Spider Veloce's


At 09:44 PM 8/24/2004, you wrote:

> Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 21:42:49 -0400
> From: "Brian Shorey" <bshorey@domain.elided>
> Subject: RE: [alfa] Elizabeth's battery
>
> <snip>
> > The bottom line is that you need to get a kill switch for your battery.
>
> Not bad advice, but it doesn't address the problem.  If there is a wire
> wearing through and starting to make contact with ground, or some other
> intermittent short, then you really want to identify and fix the problem,
> not hide it by applying a band aid elsewhere.
>
> > Are you familiar with this? It is a $10 spigot-shaped oddment that you
> > attach to the positive battery terminal. It has a screw on it that will
>
> I'd put it on the negative side.
>
> <snip>
> > Anyway. There have been many many many discussions over the years about
> > why Spiders trickle down their batteries when the cars sit for a while.
> Some
> > of the folks on this list insist that a properly sorted out Spider will
> > not cause the battery to trickle down, but I have my doubts.
>
> There is no reason why a Spider should be inclinded to drain batteries more
> than any other car.
>
> > One esteemed gentleman on the list -- and my apologies to him because I
> > cannot remember who it was -- pointed out that the wiring harness for the
> > Spider is not of the largest gauge, so he posed the theory that just
> > driving the car around the block for a few minutes wasn't good enough to
> > build the charge back up as the "pipe" was too narrow. He had
> > remedied the entire situation by replacing his harness with larger gauge
> > wire... like that used in a Volvo, if I recall. So, if you want to
>
> There's really only one wire that matters, between the alternator and the
> battery, so replacing the entire wiring harness would seem to be misguided.
>
> > recharge the battery by driving around, you need to be more patient and
> > get out on the freeway and do a goodish jaunt for a half an hour or so.
> > Ask me how I know that just driving to work (a mere two miles) is not good
>
> > enough to recharge the battery sufficiently to start the car
> > again....
>
> Yup!
>
> > Start by getting a good new battery. I'd recommend a marine-style sealed
>
> I think she said she's already bought about three new batteries.  It's time
> ti identify and fix the problem, not keep throwing new batteries at it!
>
> I've provided some pointers off-line on how to begin isolating problemmatic
> circuits.  A kill switch and/or a trickle charger is not a bad idea, but I'd
> want to eliminate something serious before I fell back on either of them.
>
> bs
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