Ask the EX-Holden Technician

[Clay2001]

Car Battery Dead & can't open car

Hi Rob,

The battery in my car is completley dead - i would have thought i would have been able to open my car using the key though it appears the key also triggers a mechanism that also requires power...is this the case?

If so, do you have any suggestions on how i can get enough power to the battery to make the key work in?

Thanks in advance.

Clay

 

[captain_cooke]

G'day doc,
I'm new here and may need some advice/help. I just bought a VL Berlina N/A, and was changing the stock stereo over to a CD player. I had the ignition in the ON position to find the power wire when the wife needed help with something urgently and dragged me away from the car. I only discovered I'd left the ignition in the on position about 6-7hours later. The battery was drained and I had to jump start it. Now there are a few problems/questions I have:
1. Should the battery have drained with only the ignition on (no other source of drain that I'm aware of) in that amount of time?
2. Could having the ignition on that long without the car running have damaged my coil or any other of the electrical components?
3. When I jump started it, it coughed and backfired a bit before it got going. As I'd only had the car 2 days, I don't know if this is a new thing or not but it hadn't done it for me prior to leaving the ignition on - had run beautifully.
4. When I got it started, I jumped in and tried to drive to work (6am with headlights on). It ran fine for about 2-3kms and then on the freeway (was doing 100kmph at the time) it just lost all power and spluttered before the battery light came on. I tried starting it again and it was almost flat. Called the MRS and she came and jumped me (about 10 minutes had passed since it died) It spluttered to life again and ran fine all the way home. I then took my other car to work. I thought it may have been battery or alternator related so when I got home, I grabbed the multimeter and checked the outputs at the battery, with the engine at idle, they are as follows:
not running ignition off =12.3v
running nothing on = 14.4v
running everything on = 14.4v

When I started it for this test I didn't need to jump start it but it still coughed and backfired initially. HOWEVER....after it had been idling about 5 minutes, I went to give it a rev and it just started spluttering and misfiring, as I took my foot off the pedal it would smooth out again only to nearly die each time I tried to up the revs.....when it did die, I tried to start it again...only spluttered and coughed, would not catch!.....after 20 minutes I tried again and it started fine though there does apear to be a slight misfire sound when idling.....WTF is going on with it???? If I'd stuffed the coil it would be consistant....wouldn't it?? Any help, suggestions or ideas would be much appreciated......sorry for the long thread...but I know the more info the better.
P.S. Does the VL have codes and if so how do you access them...also, is there a list?

 

[Doctor Bob]

I am comparing my VE to the VT that I had owned since new, and am finding the VE's slightly noiser, as in engine noise and road noise. Were the VT's more insulated or again do you think I'm probably being picky?

if you have any doubts drive another one to compare it to

 

[Doctor Bob]

Hi Rob,

The battery in my car is completley dead - i would have thought i would have been able to open my car using the key though it appears the key also triggers a mechanism that also requires power...is this the case?

If so, do you have any suggestions on how i can get enough power to the battery to make the key work in?

Thanks in advance.

Clay

put the key in the door & turn it to the unlock position, then go further, (about 1/4 turn) this will mechanically override the deadlock, then open the door.the snib button doesnt come up when you do this.

Rob

 

[Doctor Bob]

G'day doc,
I'm new here and may need some advice/help. I just bought a VL Berlina N/A, and was changing the stock stereo over to a CD player. I had the ignition in the ON position to find the power wire when the wife needed help with something urgently and dragged me away from the car. I only discovered I'd left the ignition in the on position about 6-7hours later. The battery was drained and I had to jump start it. Now there are a few problems/questions I have:
1. Should the battery have drained with only the ignition on (no other source of drain that I'm aware of) in that amount of time?
2. Could having the ignition on that long without the car running have damaged my coil or any other of the electrical components?
3. When I jump started it, it coughed and backfired a bit before it got going. As I'd only had the car 2 days, I don't know if this is a new thing or not but it hadn't done it for me prior to leaving the ignition on - had run beautifully.
4. When I got it started, I jumped in and tried to drive to work (6am with headlights on). It ran fine for about 2-3kms and then on the freeway (was doing 100kmph at the time) it just lost all power and spluttered before the battery light came on. I tried starting it again and it was almost flat. Called the MRS and she came and jumped me (about 10 minutes had passed since it died) It spluttered to life again and ran fine all the way home. I then took my other car to work. I thought it may have been battery or alternator related so when I got home, I grabbed the multimeter and checked the outputs at the battery, with the engine at idle, they are as follows:
not running ignition off =12.3v
running nothing on = 14.4v
running everything on = 14.4v

When I started it for this test I didn't need to jump start it but it still coughed and backfired initially. HOWEVER....after it had been idling about 5 minutes, I went to give it a rev and it just started spluttering and misfiring, as I took my foot off the pedal it would smooth out again only to nearly die each time I tried to up the revs.....when it did die, I tried to start it again...only spluttered and coughed, would not catch!.....after 20 minutes I tried again and it started fine though there does apear to be a slight misfire sound when idling.....WTF is going on with it???? If I'd stuffed the coil it would be consistant....wouldn't it?? Any help, suggestions or ideas would be much appreciated......sorry for the long thread...but I know the more info the better.
P.S. Does the VL have codes and if so how do you access them...also, is there a list?

yes it would be expected that the battery drained in this time.
the charge rate appears ok
the coil should be ok.
it is possible that at times the alternator is overcharging, this will damage the airflow meter.
there are codes in them there should be a thread in the VL section on how to do it.

Rob

 

[captain_cooke]

yes it would be expected that the battery drained in this time.
the charge rate appears ok
the coil should be ok.
it is possible that at times the alternator is overcharging, this will damage the airflow meter.
there are codes in them there should be a thread in the VL section on how to do it.

Rob

Thanks doc, I've found the codes and how to check them. Should they tell me whats going on with the motor? and if, as you say, the alternator is overcharging at times, would that cause the motor to die the way it did. If so, what can I do about it? I should have pointed out that the fuel pump seems very loud on this car....if thats on the blink would it cause intermintent problems like this?....I guess the codes will tell me that one.

 

[Doctor Bob]

Thanks doc, I've found the codes and how to check them. Should they tell me whats going on with the motor? and if, as you say, the alternator is overcharging at times, would that cause the motor to die the way it did. If so, what can I do about it? I should have pointed out that the fuel pump seems very loud on this car....if thats on the blink would it cause intermintent problems like this?....I guess the codes will tell me that one.

the VL diagnostics are pretty primitive, they may not show anything at all
the airflow meter is one of the few engine sensors to get battery voltage so if it gets over charged too much it will die, it may be the fuel pump yes, best thing check the fuel pressure when the fault is present.

Rob

 

[captain_cooke]

the VL diagnostics are pretty primitive, they may not show anything at all
the airflow meter is one of the few engine sensors to get battery voltage so if it gets over charged too much it will die, it may be the fuel pump yes, best thing check the fuel pressure when the fault is present.

Rob

Thanks Doc,
I had a look at it today and as you said, the codes showed nothing wrong. I thought about it for a bit then looked under the dizzy cap...sure enough there was a heap of condensation around each of the terminals. I dried it all off with both a towel and compressed air and put it back on. The car started better and seemed alot smoother for a minute (still coughed a little when I pumped the pedal) then it started to go rough again in idle. I took the dizzy cap off again and was quite stumped to find that all of the internal posts were surrounded by water again....WTF??? Where would that have come from? I dried it off again and gave both the cap and the rotor a good spray of WD40. It now idles smoother in neutral and accelarates smoothly if I ease my foot down but realy splutters when I put my foot down fast....like it wasn't ready?!?.....In drive, it seems to surge and pulsate a bit when I'm stopped. I'm sure it's probably something small like a leaking air hose or something but I was hoping you could point me in the right direction....Thanks.
P.S. how do I check the fuel pressure?

 

[Doctor Bob]

Thanks Doc,
I had a look at it today and as you said, the codes showed nothing wrong. I thought about it for a bit then looked under the dizzy cap...sure enough there was a heap of condensation around each of the terminals. I dried it all off with both a towel and compressed air and put it back on. The car started better and seemed alot smoother for a minute (still coughed a little when I pumped the pedal) then it started to go rough again in idle. I took the dizzy cap off again and was quite stumped to find that all of the internal posts were surrounded by water again....WTF??? Where would that have come from? I dried it off again and gave both the cap and the rotor a good spray of WD40. It now idles smoother in neutral and accelarates smoothly if I ease my foot down but realy splutters when I put my foot down fast....like it wasn't ready?!?.....In drive, it seems to surge and pulsate a bit when I'm stopped. I'm sure it's probably something small like a leaking air hose or something but I was hoping you could point me in the right direction....Thanks.
P.S. how do I check the fuel pressure?

put a fuel pressure guage in the pressure line

 

[longlej]

couldnt find the aux input

you would need to put the audio in the aux input as well

would that be in the same harness as where i found the picture input if not where would in be located or do i need a patch haness?