hiya guy's.

im back

I've always had battery problems on my felicia, I always put the constant drain down to the sound system, because about 6 months ago when I removed the fuse. And this drastically improved battery life for several months, by unplugging the sound system and powercap (powercap drains it- as they leak.)

However last week she didn't want to start, so I jump started her, and i took a long drive, which i noticed a strange misfire occuring around 3,000 revvs.

I put this down to the FI not having enough power to run properly.

Anyway

When the car didn't start again, I left it on charge for 3 days and 2 nights, only to have 1 good turn of the crank, then no power. (checking everyday not to cook it)

So I bought and fitted a new battery, and its fine.

Started straight away, the misfire has gone, and the starter turned over nicely.

The questions are (to clear my mind)...

. Was the battery just dead, 3 yrs old, very cold weather recently, so it wouldnt hold a charge?

. Have I got an alternator problem because it couldnt charge the battery? (dash battery light turns off after starting)

. Or is the REG/REC gone?

I think i've ruled out the starter motor, as it turned over straight away with no fuss, so i dont think its drawing too many amps.

sounds like a dead battery, although to be fair it was probably caused by a dodgy voltage regulator...

check the charging voltage with a decent meter, if its overcharging then it will destroy the battery in a short time.

cheers for the advice,

What sort of figures should i be looking at?

charging 12.4 - 14V

whats the best way to check the REG / REC then?

I used to have a lot of flat battery problems which I think is down to the immobiliser circuit. Even though I deactivated the immobiliser & alarm system (Cobra) I still get a small drain. As I don't use the car during the week much it is enough to flatten the battery. After buying a heavy duty battery I also bought one of those battery saver solar panels from Maplins. I just leave it on the dash plugged into the cigar lighter. I've never had any problems since. It must produce enough charge to offset any small current drain.

:)For the sake of £20 and 5 minutes with a screwdriver I would replace the regulator as a precation if I were in any doubt. No point risking a fried ECU and all the inconvenience of a breakdown.

+1

will do, just need some ££.

I tell you what tho, after reconnecting the new battery, It resets the ecu to learn mode.

She's not running in granny mode anymore.

Loads more torque, bit more power:thumbup: