FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

Guys when my car is hot it turns over as if the battery is flat and bearly starts. It reads 18volts at the terminals when not under load and cranks reasonably when cold. Do I assume the battery is the problem?
Cheers,
Graham

Starter motor is full of carbon and needs servicing ..

full strip down and clean up is in order..

Brushes will def need to be replaced as well as this could be the problem as well..


Pete

Hi Graham,

Check for any loose connections & also as Pete did mention.

Cheers
John

Do a voltage drop test, as under bonnet temperatures increase so does resistance. Get a multimeter select volts put one end on battery pos the other on starter solenoid pos, before cranking meter will show nearly battery volts, get someone to crank and look at the meter about 1 volt is acceptable, the higher the voltage-the greater the resistance. Do the same same with the earth cable, from neg terminal to engine and get some one to crank, should be about the same as the positive side.

You also said the voltage at the battery was 18 volts? Sounds a bit odd, 14 ish after shutting the engine down is OK, is your meter OK, or perhaps your charging system is cooking the battery

Graham, as Velo said, you may be over charging the battery. if you've got 18 volts you may not have any current. I would probably look at your regulator.

Colin.

Hi All,
Just wanted to thank everyone for their input. Turns out the Regulator was a little low on output to the battery, and the battery was under charging. Local Auto Electrian sorted for me today.
Cheers,
Graham

Great news, see you on Saturday.

Cheers
John