<html><head></head><body><div class="yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><div>
<div>Battery problem may be solved. <br></div><div> Hitherto unnoticed, was that the ground connection to the battery was a mess. It actually moved, by hand, though tightened previously with two 13" combo wrenches...one to work the nut, the other to hold the square 13" other side of the bolt. <br></div><div> Took off the ground cable connection, ground and hack-sawed the link to better situation, re-installed...and bingo...all is well. Apparently problem was an old, worn, distorted ground connection clamp....the part that goes onto the battery terminal.</div><div> This wasn't some prob that needed testing tools after all. It was a prob that relates to OLD VWs...with worn parts...stuff that isn't covered in the manuals.</div><div><br></div><div> I just hope the car starts, and goes, if any prospective buyers stop by for either the car, and/or also the ton of T-III VW mechanical and body parts also looking for new homes. Trouble is...not that many T-III restorationists Back East. They all seem to be Out West.<br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Re/ Battery.....</div><div dir="ltr"><br></div>Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2019 23:49:05 +0000 (UTC)<br><div dir="ltr">From: "J. Jonik" <<a href="mailto:j_jonik@yahoo.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">j_jonik@yahoo.com</a>><br></div><br><div dir="ltr">Is there a way to check to find what, if anything, in a '71 Sqbk, might drain the battery in five or six days???? It was fully charged about a week ago...went for a nice drive with prospective buyer, but now, after sitting parked for most of a week, there's no cranking or anything.? Dashboard lights work.<br></div><div dir="ltr">Or is this just the battery's fault...easy to find out, I think, at local Auto Parts store?<br></div><div dir="ltr">But, just curious to know if something in the car could be draining the battery...and if there's a way to test to eliminate that question.<br></div>------------------------------<br><div>Jim Adney reply:</div><div><br></div><div dir="ltr">There are 3 questions that you need to answer here. The first is, <br></div><div dir="ltr">"Was the battery actually fully charged when I shut the car down?" <br></div><div dir="ltr">The second is, "Was there something draining the battery while it was <br></div><div dir="ltr">parked?" And the third is, "Is this battery any good?"<br></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">It's easy to assume that the first answer must be yes, but that's not <br></div><div dir="ltr">necessarily true. To answer that, you need to check your charging <br></div><div dir="ltr">system, to make SURE that it's working correctly. The fact that the <br></div><div dir="ltr">generator light went out when the engine started does not guarantee <br></div><div dir="ltr">that the system is working.<br></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">To check the charging system, you need a voltmeter and know how to <br></div><div dir="ltr">use it. The system voltage needs to be up around 14 V whenever the <br></div><div dir="ltr">engine is running at medium RPM or higher. At lower RPM the system <br></div><div dir="ltr">voltage can sag as low as the mid 12s. If you never see the system <br></div><div dir="ltr">voltage rise much above 13 V, something's wrong with the charging <br></div><div dir="ltr">system. If it doesn't get above 14 V the battery won't ever get fully <br></div><div dir="ltr">charged. The voltage must be above 13.5 V for the FI to operate <br></div><div dir="ltr">correctly.<br></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">To check for a drain while parked, you can leave the car parked with <br></div><div dir="ltr">the battery ground strap disconnected. If the battery then stays <br></div><div dir="ltr">charged, you may assume that disconnecting the ground strap <br></div><div dir="ltr">eliminated some leakage current.<br></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">Of course there's always the possibility that the battery is shot. If <br></div><div dir="ltr">it seems to need a recharge after sitting unused for months, put it <br></div><div dir="ltr">on a trickle charger for a week. In that time, it's voltage should <br></div><div dir="ltr">slowly rise. Do NOT try to speed up this process by charging it at a <br></div><div dir="ltr">higher current; that will damage the battery. If the battery voltage <br></div><div dir="ltr">drops below 12 V after it's allowed to sit, disconnected, for a few <br></div><div dir="ltr">days, it has a shorted cell and it's shot. <br></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">Lots of FLAPS have the ability to test batteries to see if they are <br></div><div dir="ltr">in decent condition, or at least if they are in a good charge state. <br></div><div dir="ltr">I'm often skeptical about these tests, as they tend to be designed to <br></div><div dir="ltr">sell batteries rather than actually tell you where the actual problem <br></div><div dir="ltr">is.<br></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">I have a charging system faq that I'll send you. If you're able to <br></div><div dir="ltr">follow those more detailed instructions, that will allow you to check <br></div><div dir="ltr">out your charging system and determine if it's working correctly.<br></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">-- <br></div><div dir="ltr">*******************************<br></div><div dir="ltr">Jim Adney, <a href="mailto:jadney@vwtype3.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">jadney@vwtype3.org</a><br></div><div dir="ltr">Madison, Wisconsin, USA<br></div><div dir="ltr">*******************************<br></div><br></div><div id="ydp29b6e5deyahoo_quoted_5573496571" class="ydp29b6e5deyahoo_quoted"><div style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;color:#26282a;">
</div>
</div></div></body></html>