Battery

[Sky_high]

How can you tell if your battery is getting weak? I have no problem starting the car, but when I put on the head lights on, the car idles rough. If I turn the lights off, the car idles smoothly again. I do not believe that it is my imagination, either!

Anyhow, does anyone have a battery tester? If so, I could use your help on Friday night (at D&B's). I would really appreciate it.

I have to admit, I have an amp that might have put a strain on the alternator, but I have a 'cap' to prevent any damage.

[speedracer]

It all depends on the alternator once the car is running. Your battery will have nothing to do with it. Make sure you alternator is putting out the correct amps and you charging system is good. If you charging system is perfect you should have 14.4v going to the battery.

Greg

[pawood]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Sky_high @ Oct. 29 2002,9:33)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">How can you tell if your battery is getting weak? I have no problem starting the car, but when I put on the head lights on, the car idles rough. If I turn the lights off, the car idles smoothly again. I do not believe that it is my imagination, either!

Anyhow, does anyone have a battery tester? If so, I could use your help on Friday night (at D&amp;B's). I would really appreciate it.

I have to admit, I have an amp that might have put a strain on the alternator, but I have a 'cap' to prevent any damage.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
You can tell your battery is weak if you slap it hard and it cries.... sorry I couldn't resist... I need my meds.... NURSE! http://msg.toprotege.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Gen1GT]

Jeremey, your car isn't that old, so your battery shouldn't be bad. The only thing you need the battery for is starting the car, and using accesories with the engine off. The alternator supplies all the cars' power(to an extent) while driving. If you're having problems, that's the start. To test your battery, you could do a load test. Also, let me know if you ever end up needing a new battery. I can get you the best battery for your car, for $80.

[S4_Mazda]

make sure u have a maintainence free battery...
or else it might need some distilled water..

[midnightblue97lx]

The voltage regulator controls output of the alternator.
If you turn on several things and you're idling, there may be a draw off the battery. Yeah the battery is the first thing to check though, always start with the simple things. You may have gotten a bad battery. It happens.

[Sky_high]

Ryan (my Italiano friend), Thanks for the input!

I notice at idle, that if I put my headlights on, the car runnings slightly rougher (like the RPM's drop slightly). When I turn them off, the car runs a bit smoother (as if the RPM is slightly higher).

I cannot crank my stereo anymore. The lights dim too much now. Afraid the alternator will malfunction.

[130hp]

i have a question about car batteries...

if i turn the key to 'assesories&quot; and use my stereo it drains from the battery correct? well if i turn to 'on' (but the engine is off) will it drain from the battery as well? the fans and such are turning when it is turned to 'on'. will it kill my battery?

i am just curious because people at car shows have their stereos running for the whole show and their engines are off. how do they do that?

[ChopstickHero]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (130hp @ Jan. 12 2003,5:37)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">i have a question about car batteries...

if i turn the key to 'assesories&quot; and use my stereo it drains from the battery correct?  well if i turn to 'on' (but the engine is off) will it drain from the battery as well?  the fans and such are turning when it is turned to 'on'. will it kill my battery?

i am just curious because people at car shows have their stereos running for the whole show and their engines are off.  how do they do that?[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
if you're running a stereo while the engine is off, it's suggested that turning the key to the first position, accessories, is better because turning the key two positions to ON.  I think this has to do with the ignition system.  at the ON position, the ignition system is &quot;hot&quot; and ready to start the engine.  if you leave it on the ON position for very long periods of time, the ignition system may fail over time.  so if you're playing a stereo for a long time, make sure to leave it in the accessories position.

at shows (mainly indoor), some people have access to electrical sockets as their power source.  this way, they will never drain their battery.  also, different batteries have different reserve capacities, so depending on the battery, it could last anywhere from (guessing) 90 mintues to 120 minutes. at Darknights 2002, several of us took turns blasting our systems. i remember starting my car so that the alternator could run and charge up the battery a bit. that was repeated every so often.

here's a thread about batteries that Josh posted a while ago.... http://msg.toprotege.com/cgi-bin....erstate (http://msg.toprotege.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=11;t=2210;hl=interstate)

[130hp]

cool. thx for the help chops.

but problem is, my sub does not turn on when the key is turned to assesories. it only turns on when it is on 'ON'. is this normal?

[ChopstickHero]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (130hp @ Jan. 12 2003,11:54)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">cool. thx for the help chops.

but problem is, my sub does not turn on when the key is turned to assesories.  it only turns on when it is on 'ON'. is this normal?[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
really? my sytem (deck, amp, sub) turns on at first position; the accessories position. it also remains on at the second position; ON position.

if you're sub turns on only at the ON position, it may be how you wired it. i'm not sure how the wiring goes b/c i got professionals to wire it, but maybe MP5Navy or someone experienced at audio setups can tell you more.