Hi,
I have a 91 Townace Royal Lounge Jap import.
The battery keeps going flat. Even when its been charged up. A couple of weeks later. The same. My mechanic can't find out whats wrong with it. How can he be expected to. Its a Townace (:-) I read a couple of messages on this board with similar problems. But no one has come up with the definitive answer or at least i can't find it. If anyone knows for sure why the battery is going flat. Please let me know. I know nothing about car mechanincs, so please keep that in mind. I read of one town ace owner who believed that the solenoid contacts needed cleaning. But i've heard of other battery drain problems with the alternator and regulator and immobiliser wiring problems and fan belt slipping. The only one i am sure it is not is the starter motor which as been replaced recently.
Please send in advice.
Thanks Clem...
- (#7700) clemso, 10 Jan 04 08:56
Clem, the most common cause of the battery going flat over a period of time, at least on Townies, is because many owners don't realise that you have to press the little black button above the key, then turn it one position further back, so as to turn off all the circuits. If you just turn it back & remove the key things such as the clock & radio circuits stay live & discharge the battery.
IF you are convinced that you are turning off the switch fully EVERY time, then it could be something else, disconnect the battery overnight & see if it will restart. Have the alternator output checked as well as the battery. Is it indeed going flat, or have you got the fabled voltage drop to the starter motor, All these questions should be able to be answered by a competent auto electrician. I'm afraid that the crystal ball of diagnosis can't help us here.
Regards Rob.
- (#7700) Rob Drinkwater, 10 Jan 04 16:31
Can anyone tell me how to replace the 100 Amp fuse fitted to the battery terminal. It's blown and I can't find any way to remove it. Vehicle is a Toyota Estima 2.2 Ltr deisel 1993 G spec. Many thanks.
- (#7700) Terry Boyle, 10 Jan 04 17:42
Hi Clemso.
it,s could be as simple as the battery not holding charge ? how old is the battery,first thing i did when i got my ace 6 yrs ago was put a new battery in her and i renewed it 3 yrs after that due to lack of not holding charge,you can get most garage to carry out a short test on your battery,takes afew second to do,or get a volt meter(set on DC VOLTS) and check battery voltage across terminals on battery,your battery is 12v dc with the motor running the alternator will produce around 14volts dc which 2 volts pushes a charge back into the battery (think of voltage as pressure)the voltage(pressure) pushes the amps(power) along the cable.so re-cap not running battery terminals should be 12volts and with engine running you should see an increase upto 14volts,if you do then it will indicate a new battery
dennis
- (#7700) dennis , 11 Jan 04 10:13
Hi Clemso
the last bit of my last post is incorrect it should be
,if you DONOT then it will indicate a new battery.
regards
dennis
- (#7700) dennis, 11 Jan 04 10:18
its me again,sorry i was right the first time
if you do then it will indicate a new battery
dennis
- (#7700) dennis, 11 Jan 04 10:23
Dennis,
You confused me and I understand what you are saying.
Could you repost using good and bad for the state of the battery?
- (#7700) Clive (Bristol), 11 Jan 04 10:47
Clive,
Sorry clive i got myself abit confused.
relating above to my postings.
this is how i found out that my battery needed to be renewed (that was 3 yrs ago)
the battery terminal voltage is 12vdc and the operating voltage of the van is about 14vdc,if you have a flat battery then is the battery past it sell by date or is the internal charging system at fault
when you start the van a charge is taken out of the battery and its up to the internal charging system to replace this lost charge to maintain a heathly battery
ready for the next start up,to do this the alternator must kick out slightly more then the battery terminal voltage of 12vdc,anything less will result in the battery discharging until it is flat,so if the alternator kicks out 12volts the battery will resist the charge and the battery will slowly go flat.
if the alternator kicks out 10volts then the battery will go flat faster
the same is for over voltage if the alternator kick out too high a voltage (say 18volts) it will cook the battery and shorten it life span.
if you find the battery flat then get it started by jump leads and put a volt meter directly across the terminals of the battery and take a reading if the reading is 14volts then it would indicate a bad battery
if the reading is below 12volts then it would indicate a fault with the charging system and the battery could be good (batteries kept in a non or low state of charge can damage the internal plates/electrolyte and may not be able to hold a charge )thats why i said it could be good,
dennis
- (#7700) dennis, 11 Jan 04 17:54
For this I recommend a cheap and cheerful one-piece gadget which comprises a voltmeter built on to the end of a cigar-lighter plug. I bought mine years ago but I've seen them in car parts shops.
Usually have red and green segments for starting and charging - easy to check whilst you're driving.
- (#7700) Dave (Sussex), 12 Jan 04 04:13
Hey guys thanks for your replys so far. I should have mentioned this before, but the Battery is fairly new as is the starter motor. My Mechanic could not find any evidence of a power drain, but he ia not an expert on Japanese townace imports either as he found out last time i went to him with the dreaded overheating problem and now this. The van is just not holding any charge. I did use the black button to remove the key, but i will admit that in the past i had not done this.
Could it be some thing as easy as cleaning the solenoid contacts or changing the glow bulbs?
Clem...
- (#7700) clemso, 12 Jan 04 05:39
Flat battery -
Drive belt not right.
Duff battery not holding charge (even if it is new it may be duff), take it to any battery outlet for a free check.
No charge getting to battery, faulty alternater, regulator or wiring/battery connections. Some battery places can check this for you as part of the battery test.
Something on and running the battery down, when you think it's all off. Door light, dash indicator such as doors open/not locked
- (#7700) Clive (Bristol), 12 Jan 04 06:13
Hi Clemso
Its taken me a while to find this information on the archives, but I did eventually. The rating for the battery needs to be 90 amp/hour. Anything less than that will result in an overworked, short lived and quickly flattened battery.
Regards
dave Bright (Bournemouth)
- (#7700) dave Bright (Bournemouth), 12 Jan 04 07:31
Thanks Dave,
I Really appreciate the help. If i can gather enough info. Then next time i go to my garage, them maybe they can save time in what to look for with additional info. Last time they said there was nothing wrong with the battery or alternator, but surprise ,surprise flat battery.
Clem...
- (#7700) clemso, 12 Jan 04 07:42
Ok,
After reading some of the other messages about battery problems. I think it could be the a loose fan belt., but the last time i address this problem with my mechanic. He said he could only tighten it so much because it would rub against something. I can't remember what. Does anyone know what he meant? I know the van still makes squeeling noises. So that is my no.1 suspect.
Clem..
- (#7700) clemso, 12 Jan 04 08:11
Most normal batteries are around the 30 Amp/Hour, and according to the archives, even UK Toyota dealers only have up to 70 Amp/Hour batteries. Part of the problem seems to be that the battery may test out as if nothing is wrong, as will the charging circuit, but as soon as you turn the key, a low rated battery just can’t produce the current quick enough to spin the engine, and run the glow plug circuit. So if they are going to test it, make sure they test it whilst you try to start the engine.
Fortunately I’ve not suffered this one on my Ace yet, but I have had many a run in with battery issues on other cars, usually when the cold weather starts and the engine doesn’t. What then happens is, I eventually get it going and drive the car to the battery place, they test it, and because it now has some charge, they say its ok. Then I say no its not, and they tell me to start the engine so they can check the charge circuit. Again they say its fine. This is usually when I loose it so they put the probes on the battery whilst I try to start it. Then when it goes wer wer w click, because its used up what little charge was in the battery, the testers eyes light up and its "Oh yes that's definitely had it. Let met get a new one for you”.
- (#7700) dave Bright (Bournemouth), 12 Jan 04 08:35
That's the second time recently that the "Cant start wont start" question has turned out to be a loose fan belt.
- (#7700) dave Bright, 12 Jan 04 08:38