GolfGTIforum.co.uk

Model specific boards => Golf mk2 => Topic started by: Philpy on 13 March 2008, 19:35

Title: 16v battery not charging fully and car turning over slowly
Post by: Philpy on 13 March 2008, 19:35
On my 16v Ive got a problem which is a major head ache.
Basically if I charge the battery over night and connect it up, the car fires into life instantly. But slowly over the next week to 10 days it struggles to start and turns over really really slowly until it wont turn over hardly at all and fails to start. When its nearly flat, but just starts I can drive 10 miles and turn if it off (Expecting the battery to be charged) I come back an hour later it stuggles to start again.
Its got a 2 year old battery which works fine on another golf..... And the alternator was brand new just before Ive bought the car and has done around 2000 miles.
Ive had a search on here and alot of people suggested the earth strap. So I bought a new one and connected to the - and to another gearbox bolt so now I have 2 earth straps. But this made no difference.
Basically it seems to charge a little bit but hardly at all.
Please help as its driving me mad.  :laugh:
Title: Re: 16v battery not charging fully and car turning over slowly
Post by: Chris-White on 13 March 2008, 20:33
Before anything, get a multimeter out and check the battery when switched off, and then on.

Should be just below 12v when off, and just over 13 when switched on. 

Check what your getting at the starter.

Try out a known good starter if you can, stater could be starting to go sticky.
Title: Re: 16v battery not charging fully and car turning over slowly
Post by: Mew on 13 March 2008, 20:39
On my 16v Ive got a problem which is a major head ache.
Basically if I charge the battery over night and connect it up, the car fires into life instantly. But slowly over the next week to 10 days it struggles to start and turns over really really slowly until it wont turn over hardly at all and fails to start. When its nearly flat, but just starts I can drive 10 miles and turn if it off (Expecting the battery to be charged) I come back an hour later it stuggles to start again.
Its got a 2 year old battery which works fine on another golf..... And the alternator was brand new just before Ive bought the car and has done around 2000 miles.
Ive had a search on here and alot of people suggested the earth strap. So I bought a new one and connected to the - and to another gearbox bolt so now I have 2 earth straps. But this made no difference.
Basically it seems to charge a little bit but hardly at all.
Please help as its driving me mad.  :laugh:

Could be something like the boot light constantly on?
Title: Re: 16v battery not charging fully and car turning over slowly
Post by: Conker on 14 March 2008, 09:01
This web page has some interesting battery tests:

http://www3.telus.net/chemelec/Projects/Alternator/Alternator.htm
Title: Re: 16v battery not charging fully and car turning over slowly
Post by: MeTsU on 14 March 2008, 10:27
Like chris_wht said, check using a voltmeter.

Check your alternator too, could be that it's not charging properly.  I know you said it's apparently fine, but there's no harm in taking it off and taking your your auto-elec. to put it on a test bench...:)
Title: Re: 16v battery not charging fully and car turning over slowly
Post by: Philpy on 14 March 2008, 19:55
Basically Ive had this problem since I bought it and thinking back the bloke before bought the new alternator to try and solve this problem, so it was doing it with the old alternator.
Title: Re: 16v battery not charging fully and car turning over slowly
Post by: Lap on 14 March 2008, 22:41
If you are sure the battery and alternator are good then maybe there is something that is draining the battery when the engine is off? A faulty stereo or alarm for example? Get yourself a multimeter and measure the current drawn when everything is off. I'd expect it to be under 0.5 amp.
Title: Re: 16v battery not charging fully and car turning over slowly
Post by: monzablue16v on 15 March 2008, 01:21
Earth for the starter motor. Take it off, clean it up put it back on I had that when the battery was fully charged it would start fine but after that 1 start it was hard to start, slow starter.
Title: Re: 16v battery not charging fully and car turning over slowly
Post by: Philpy on 15 March 2008, 11:25
It cant be anything draining the battery as it wont charge after a run.....Thanks so far guys!  :cool:
Title: Re: 16v battery not charging fully and car turning over slowly
Post by: monzablue16v on 15 March 2008, 13:46
Earth for the starter motor. Take it off, clean it up put it back on I had that when the battery was fully charged it would start fine but after that 1 start it was hard to start, slow starter.

Pretty sure that's your problem :)
Title: Re: 16v battery not charging fully and car turning over slowly
Post by: Philpy on 15 March 2008, 17:37
Ok had a quick look today again, cleaned the terminals, but where does the other end of the earth go from the starter as I wanted to check that but it just goes into the loom..... Also from the alternator there are 2 leads correct? 1 is big and goes to the starter, and there is a small one which goes right along the front of the car and almost to the battery but then also seems to dissapear into the loom also! I would have thought it should have gone to the battery?
Title: Re: 16v battery not charging fully and car turning over slowly
Post by: Leon R on 15 March 2008, 18:10
The small one from the alternator is a green one and goes into a white spade connector near the battery. On mine and a few others, we found the connector broken and the wire seperated. Trace it back as much as you can.

Somebody suggested the earth strap being the problem on your car, I'd change it, especially if its looking kinked or tired.
Title: Re: 16v battery not charging fully and car turning over slowly
Post by: monzablue16v on 15 March 2008, 21:12
The starter has a starter solenoid which has a normal sized wire going to it and then there is a fat power cable and a fat earth which should earth on the passenger wing before going to the battery, clean all these up and see how it starts :)