Battery/Ignition system problems
Submitted: Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 11:48
ThreadID:
51768
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3100
Replies:
6
FollowUps:
3
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pprass
Hoping that the battery experts on this
forum may be able to help.
I recently experienced a complete loss of power after pulling up at a caravan site and then trying to start the Patrol to unhitch. There was absolutely no power whatsoever - no internal lights, radio, nothing. RACV man came around and tried to charge the battery, but with 2 batteries charging
mine for 20 minutes - nothing. He then thought that the post of the battery was fractured, so he tweaked the plate on the terminal and suddenly we could hear a relay sound - turned the ignition and off it went!
Back in Melb I took it to our mechanic, but he could not fault the battery - he thought that the terminals were badly coroded so he cleaned them up and when I picked up the vehicle - all was good.
However yesterday while on a trip - bang - same thing - no power. Knowing the trick from the RACV guy, I had to lever the plate on the terminal to start it.
The battery is just 4 months old - Exide blue top. Another observation that may or may not have anything to do with the problem is that I sometimes tend to flick the ignition key really quickly.
Does the problem that I have described sound like a fractured post? The reason I ask is because I was told that the Exide dealer does not replace batteries that easily as you would expect.
Hoping someone has come across this problem in the past and can shed some light.
Peter
Reply By: KSV. - Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 12:03
Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 12:03
Difficult to comment without seeing in action. If I understand correctly there was absolutely no power? If it happens next time, take tester and measure voltage between positive terminal (connect probe directly to lead) and engine block. If you see something, switch on lights and try again. Chances are you have very bad connector from negative terminal to body.
Cheers
Serg
AnswerID:
272495
Reply By: Steve from Top End Explorer Tours - Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 12:04
Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 12:04
Check your fusible link.
Cheers Steve.
AnswerID:
272496
Reply By: Member - Jezza (NSW) - Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 13:15
Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 13:15
Peter,
Had the same thing happen on my GQ - complete loss of power, jiggle the positive lead from the battery and it would come good. Eventually found that where the lead went in to some sort of junction/connector (possibly the fusible link, but I couldn't see any fuse so probably pre the fusible link), the plastic insulation was melted - obviously a bad connection. Got an auto electrician to look at it, he simply bypassed that connection using a heavy cable and all was good.
Cheers,
Jezza
AnswerID:
272507
Follow Up By: Steve from Top End Explorer Tours - Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 13:23
Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 13:23
The fusible link is the lead going from the positive terminal into
the junction box.
Cheers Steve.
FollowupID:
535761
Follow Up By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 14:39
Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 14:39
Steve, theres a couple of different arrangements on the GQ, but I think Jezza's fusible links are in a small box next to the battery terminal, and fed by a thick white wire with a 10mm spade connector. The spade connectors corrode and cause the issue. Same problem that Willem had this year.
FollowupID:
535769
Follow Up By: Steve from Top End Explorer Tours - Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 16:08
Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 16:08
I knew there was a reason someone else did my auto elecs. LOL
Cheers Steve.
FollowupID:
535790
Reply By: Willem - Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 16:00
Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 16:00
Yeah mate
Its a corrupted terminal to the battery and not the battery itself.
PhilG(he has posted above in this thread) came to my rescue with some marvellous wizardry of fine mechanix to repair the connector which was broken inside a plastic housing.
Initially I had this happen to me on top of a dune, 500kms west of
Alice Springs and 25km from the nearest bush track in trackless country. We fiddled with the connection and eventually tied it downwards with a cable tie. I thought that it may have been a fusible link but that was not the case.
Cheers
AnswerID:
272539
Reply By: pprass - Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 20:48
Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 20:48
Thanks all for your very helpful comments/responses. I'll check out the leads and terminals - although the end terminal (to the positive post of the battery) has already been thoroughly cleaned.
AnswerID:
272599
Reply By: Member - Mike DID - Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 22:57
Monday, Nov 19, 2007 at 22:57
My Exide Extreme had BLACK corrosion - it's much harder to spot than the usual white fuzzy corrosion.
Compare the tops of the posts - is one
grey and one black ?
It's quite hard to remove - use a knife or file.
AnswerID:
272644