Help...Christmas Eve car disaster

[Desperatehousewife]

Argg useless woman here ...need some car advice.


My vx commodore has just died for the second time this week(at 4.30 christmas eve!),my husband is working away and every mechanic is closed of bloody course.


The first time this happened was on saturday, went to start the car and it just made a kind of clicking whirring noise.

I checked the battery ports and rang my dad who lives interstate to hear the noise...he said sounded like batt.

So i called a mob mechanic who came out and tried to jump start the car..no luck..changed battery and BINGO..car works.

So i bought a new battery and car was all good...started it again a few times to check, but was fine.


Went to start it this evening and exactly the same thing.

I rang my dad again and hes suggested alternator could be draining battery?

Do you think this sounds plausible? Is there anyway of checking to see if its the alternator or getting the car started.


Argg I just want to cry, no mechanics open for 2 days and I have 3 little ones under 5 who wont be seeing anyone for Christmas if i dont get the bloody thing started

[dufus]

Have you got a battery charger you can use to charge the battery? If you do try charging the battery and see if the car will start then.

[Desperatehousewife]

I have a friends husband is coming round later with a charger

[AttaBoy]

Your alternator is probably shagged so therefore your car is living off the battery.

[VZTHUNDER]

its possible
the alternator isnt charging your battery when ur driving so it eventually (and rather quickly) looses its charge

[Desperatehousewife]

Is there anything else it could be? I'll check to see if it starts when it has a charged battery in it, but can anyone think of any other possibilities.

And do you think any mechanics will be open between xmas new years?

[dufus]

And do you think any mechanics will be open between xmas new years?

If you ring around your local mechanics you will probably find one that will be open.

[BowTieGQ]

Have one of the kids turned an interior light on? You wont notice it during the day. Common with my kids. Boot light staying on? Headlights left on? If nothing is draining the battery like these things, then it will be your alternator. Where abouts are you?

[Desperatehousewife]

I do have a dodgy interior light that sometimes stays on...I'll check that now.

I'm in Adelaide inner cityish

[lout]

Could be starter motor, start relay,
you need to know your battery voltage (ideal in brackets)
static (above 12.3v)
cranking engine (above 9.0v)
engine running (above 13.8v)
engine running with hi-beam headlights, heater fan etc on (as much electrical load as you can think of)(above 13.0v)
Also could call Royal Auto Club in your state

[BowTieGQ]

OK then. I have a spare I was hoping to maybe loan and fit for you. Melb to Adelaide would take longer than someone local. Sorry.

[Desperatehousewife]

Thanks for the offer


Friends useless husband isnt coming now, So i'll have to wait until Thursday most likely and call another mobile mechanic.

Bah Humbug

[accentstencil]

I also think it's the alternator not charging the battery.

[totality]

i think its somethijng being left on .
my sister has a VH that always drained the battery....we changed the alternator and it still happened.....i went over her whole car and found it to be her boot light was left on ....we took the globe out and it hasnt happened since.
id have a look at all your lights and check if any have been left on....even headlights.....

[crazywog]

id say the same thing alternator is buggered i had the same problem when i first baught the car 2 weeks later car wouldnt start had my car toed to my mechanics he said its my alternator thats absolutely shocking so he changed it and said to me that he put a bigger size coz i have a stereo system in it.

[garywg]

Join the RAA and call them out and they'll check the alternator and battery if it's the alternator once you change over the unit and get a jump start it'll charge the battery

[kingwalker]

remove fuse number 6 which is for interior lights hopefully also glove box and the boot,my son kicked my old fairlane glove box one to many times and this made the light on all the time and drained the battery same as the boot have you knocked the light switch, yes the alternator can bleed current as so can the starter motor, but for this to happen is very rare ,if the car was running good then suddenly the battery went flat look for the simple things first,you can get a dud battery even a new one,at work we make 2,500 per shift and get about 20 totally stuffed,and that not counting the ones that come back from the customers, if this dosent help see a auto elec as they would be cheaper and quicker than a mechanic

[myberlina]

Although my car is a VX Berlina... I thought it was standard across all models (VT - VX)that the interior lights if left on, would eventually shut off after 30 - 60 mins. That is if the car is left idle (no key in ignition and no doors are opened).

I do agree with what eveyone is saying about the alternator thou. If it ain't charging then its a matter of time before the electrics of the car wear the battery out. Might be time for a new alternator!

[commsirac]

had the car been driven in the time between fitting a new batteryand the no start situation?
If not, the battery is losing charge somewhere.......or the new battery fixing the problem was just coincidental and the problem lies elsewhere.
Did the mobile mechanic check that the alternator was charging while there?
Yes, you are correct, the interior lights should all switch off after a set time.

There are all sorts of tests to perform, but if you knowledge is a bit thin on the ground its going to be hard to communicate what to do exactly......do you have a multimeter or battery charger?

Not wishing to state the obvious, but if you dont know much , be a member of a roadside help organisation.