Bad battery?

[ilunn]

Just a thought have you had battery on charge or are you presuming once stated its charging, if so how many miles per trip are you doing.?

[Howy]

I did that on all of them, they vary from 620 and 800cca for my car, the one on it is 720 and kwik fit would give an 800

Bosch S4 Car Battery 110 (80Ah) 4 Year Guarantee - £115.19 with discount, though atm funds are tight, mum would have to use her credit card, that's why was saying about the autotec discounted from just over £170, to just under £70 with gsf's halloween discount, it's an 800cca battery

Good price that,found this just for info:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110-110-Car-Battery-3-Years-Warranty-80Ah-700cca-12V-L315-x-W175-x-H175mm-Lion/223331214811?fits=Car+Make%3AVauxhall%7CModel%3AInsignia%7CCars+Type%3A2.0+BiTurbo+CDTI%7CPlat_Gen%3AMK+I%7CCars+Year%3A2015%7CBodyStyle%3AHatchback%7CVariant%3AMK+I+%5B2008-2017%5D+Hatchback%7CEngine%3A1956ccm+195HP+143KW+%28Diesel%29&hash=item33ff93e5db:g:CngAAOSwQLVcQbRf

[Gary-s]

I would be checking for any drain on battery after ALL doors closed and locked also watch for interior lights to go off. The way I would do it is multimeter in series with battery, But make sure to start with meter on 10amp range connected correctly and DO NOT operate starter with multimeter is connected.

I don't have one, but i'd have thought if there was a drain it would die overnight while i'm working or after i'm home sleeping for the day ready for work the next night, rather than just the short uses where it seems to draw the power down again, I could see if someone has one though.

Just a thought have you had battery on charge or are you presuming once stated its charging, if so how many miles per trip are you doing.?

No, I haven't had the battery on charge, but like after the last time I jumped it for work, I drove to work(first time using it), parked it up and being saturday night and clocks went back, it was an 11 hour shift, come out and no issues to start, no issues at all to start to go to work sunday night(last night), again no issues to start to drive to my other place after work, stopped in the shop, then just a short drive from there to the place, it then sat there for few hours, couple unlock/locks of car, boot open for maybe a few minutes(with the light on in the boot), short start to reverse back a short distance before the unlock/locking, then after all that it failed to start again, why it seems it's charging, but not taking enough so those small things are draining the small amount power it's gaining it's losing again.

As for miles, usually 16 miles each way, so over last couple days.

Sat night/sun morning: 30 miles round trip

sun night/mon morning: 31 miles with a short stop in shop, then it failed

i'm confident in that is it was just to work, then home both days, there'd have been no issues, it's the extra little things using power that seem to drain all it has

[Gary-s]

Good price that,found this just for info:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110-110-C...gAAOSwQLVcQbRf

might seem like a dump question, but if the car has a 720cca battery and some places that would fit a battery and supply it, would offer 720+ min for the car, wouldn't it usually be required the car needs the 720+ cca?

[Howy]

Just been looking around and using my car details they do vary with manufacturer,is yours the original,ie GM?

[Gary-s]

Just been looking around and using my car details they do vary with manufacturer,is yours the original,ie GM?

yes, it's the GM battery

[Howy]

Try and do the test suggested by ilunn,as far as you know it's the 'original' battery,at around 4yrs old and been standing,could well be battery fault,if you decide to replace it(as I did before the winter took hold)and before the prices rocket go for the nearest to the original.HTH.

[Gary-s]

Try and do the test suggested by ilunn,as far as you know it's the 'original' battery,at around 4yrs old and been standing,could well be battery fault,if you decide to replace it(as I did before the winter took hold)and before the prices rocket go for the nearest to the original.HTH.

yea, would have to try get one, but i'd have thought it would only help if the issue was still there overnight while i'm working as it's in the cold overnight etc, but on that distance it holds, it's the extra little things it fails, since if was drawing while sat, then it would die overnight, the car hadn't really stood at all before that, first owner for 3 years racked up 90k, as for price, my issue is funds to do it, especially since got to find the funds to sort cam belt soon as currently on 96k, why was saying about https://www.gsfcarparts.com/971aa1105 with the discount is £69.68, i'd prefer to get a more quality one, but lack of funds and gotta find the funds for the cam belt and water pump before 100k too

[Howy]

Try charging the battery,check all the battery connections and do the multimeter test and go from there,Keep us updated how you get on.

[Gary-s]

Try charging the battery,check all the battery connections and do the multimeter test and go from there,Keep us updated how you get on.

ok, will have to see what I can do, multimeter is cheap enough, but charging a bit more difficult as don't have funds to really buy one if find that needs a new battery anyway(which i don't have the funds for, but would have to if it's needed), then need a good long extension to run out to car to charge it so avoid hassle of the battery being in the house.

I was looking at this: https://www.halfords.com/workshop-to...tal-multimeter

how would I set this up to use as i've never actually used a multimeter and don't see a 10a option, on a video for an apparent same model, yet one socket says it's 10a, they don't even use that socket and just use the 20v option to test it, then start the engine to see if voltage drops too low

[lizzard-t]

Hello Gary. As far as I can see from the posts . It seems to me that the battery is failing ,
A battery has only a limited amount of power to crank the car a certain amount of times , then it drops below its capacity to crank the car over .
Once started the alternator kicks in and recharges the battery .
So in your scenario, you start from cold all fine , you drive a long distance fine you go to,shop come out start and stop a few times then that's where the battery fails .because it's lost it capacity to crank the car .it may well have enough voltage to operate doors and small voltage stuff .
But seeing as you have an automatic as well and it's a large engine to crank and all the electrics to go with it , it requires a good strong battery , and also as the nights are drawing in and it's getting colder you are using lights , blowers. Wipers Putting more strain on what could be an ill battery
Also and it's been said by jumping it and hoping the alternator recharges the battery fully is not what a alternator is for , it's just for topping up the battery from what it may of lost by starting or using.
In the end it's going to weaken the battery and then one day it won't start at all .
Also you say you are jumping it , what are you using to jump it ?
Also I would not recommend jumping thease modern day cars , as sudden voltage spikes can damage electronic components.
I know moneys tight , but if it was me a battery with equivalent or slightly higher CCA .
I'll probably get shouted at by others , but that's my opinion.

[Gary-s]

Hello Gary. As far as I can see from the posts . It seems to me that the battery is failing ,
A battery has only a limited amount of power to crank the car a certain amount of times , then it drops below its capacity to crank the car over .
Once started the alternator kicks in and recharges the battery .
So in your scenario, you start from cold all fine , you drive a long distance fine you go to,shop come out start and stop a few times then that's where the battery fails .because it's lost it capacity to crank the car .it may well have enough voltage to operate doors and small voltage stuff .
But seeing as you have an automatic as well and it's a large engine to crank and all the electrics to go with it , it requires a good strong battery , and also as the nights are drawing in and it's getting colder you are using lights , blowers. Wipers Putting more strain on what could be an ill battery
Also and it's been said by jumping it and hoping the alternator recharges the battery fully is not what a alternator is for , it's just for topping up the battery from what it may of lost by starting or using.
In the end it's going to weaken the battery and then one day it won't start at all .
Also you say you are jumping it , what are you using to jump it ?
Also I would not recommend jumping thease modern day cars , as sudden voltage spikes can damage electronic components.
I know moneys tight , but if it was me a battery with equivalent or slightly higher CCA .
I'll probably get shouted at by others , but that's my opinion.

So just backed up my thoughts and kwik fits thoughts and the drivetec battery I was looking at is a 800cca, whereas the GM one is only 720cca, also jumping from other cars as I have no booster/jump pack, so would be rather inconvenient if it happened when finishing work as can be hard enough to find someone to let me out the main door(as they won't give agency the code), and since it was driven regularly before and the battery died from a day or 2 no use from previous owner, why it seemed there's likely an issue with the battery

[ilunn]

With batteries I think this way and have for alot of years, as soon as one suspects battery getting week Just fit new as it is likely to cost more in missed appointments/ being late for work or recovery and stress it also brings with it. Unfortuantly you seem to be in catch 22 where there is cost all ways, being cost of battery, cost of charger to hopefully charge over night, or there is 3rd option but that will also cost that is to arrange to have day trip with round trip being 150 mile or so ideally in day light (no lights (heavy consumers ect) this will give plenty of time to get battery to Full charge. How many miles has car done?

[Gary-s]

With batteries I think this way and have for alot of years, as soon as one suspects battery getting week Just fit new as it is likely to cost more in missed appointments/ being late for work or recovery and stress it also brings with it. Unfortuantly you seem to be in catch 22 where there is cost all ways, being cost of battery, cost of charger to hopefully charge over night, or there is 3rd option but that will also cost that is to arrange to have day trip with round trip being 150 mile or so ideally in day light (no lights (heavy consumers ect) this will give plenty of time to get battery to Full charge. How many miles has car done?

The car has done 96k, I did however just put a new battery in today to save hassle, since cost either way and if charged to find fault still there, next option would be possibly battery anyway, so just skipped the charge and everything seems more responsive that consumes power and being it was previously regularly used when it first went flat it was either battery fault or something else, can't see it being so much down to charge as thst would mean the use it had didn't account for anything anyway in regard to keeping it charged

[wickedwillie]

My battery died a few weeks ago (7 years, original battery). No real warning at all, it was maybe a tad slower one cold morning on cranking but then ok for weeks after and following a 20 mile Mway drive and after sitting for 2 hours, it started perfectly but I stopped the engine for some reason and then it would not turn over the engine. Was dead as a doe-doe. Hazard lights came on, interior lights came on, all the doors locked.
Fortunately I was parked directly outside a car factors, so bought a new battery and has been perfect for over a month now. Funny thing was, no warning and alternator was charging the battery normally (circa 14v).