

| Subject: | How to PROOF your Battery |
| From: | Doktor Tim |
| Date: | Wed, 6 Aug 2003 19:19:44 -0700 |
Verify grounds and cables. Test static battery volts. If low, trickle charge at slow rate overnight. If not yet at 12.6 volts, charge longer. Disconnect the charger, turn on the high beams and blower motor and watch the volts drop for 30 seconds to a minute, then shut off everything and watch the volts rise. Within 3 to 5 minutes it should rebound to 12.6 volts. If it does, the battery is good to go, as long as it's clean. If not, weakness is showing. If it doesn't make 12.5 within 5 minutes, time to replace the battery for sure. Now that the battery and connections are proofed, we can go on to proof the charging. At idle check voltage at the battery terminals. Now turn on the high beams and the blower motor/s. If you have 13.5 volts with load at idle, it's probably not your issue, but that's weak enough to put an alternator on the budget before it fails. A new alternator will be 14v or close under load and over 14v without the loads. I've seen Rabbits get by with 13.3v rates under load, but the Westies and such can have lots more loads to supply. Note if you skip that first step you are wasting a lot of time. No corrosion at all allowed, no quicky terminals, new cables if necessary. Then make sure the top of the battery is kept clean. This will double the life of the battery, alternator and starter, and prevent excess life sucking stresses from killing a new battery/alternator/starter in a half life.
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