Overnight to zero: the car battery drains quickly when idle and what is the reason

Despite the fact that the VAZ 2114 runs on gasoline, the electrical component in it is very important. Without maintaining the voltage within the required limits, the lighting will not be able to work, and the battery will be discharged. And most importantly, the ignition system will not be able to function without electricity, which means the engine will not work. Therefore, it is important that the electrical circuit of the machine is maintained in good condition.

Checking the functionality of the voltage regulator is a very important event.

How to find out the exact reason why your car battery drains quickly

It is necessary to move from assumptions to repair and adjustment work in tandem with a multimeter. This miracle device will indicate whether the current leakage exceeds the permissible figures. If yes, then with its help you can find out the exact reason why the battery discharges quickly when the car is stationary.

So, grab the multimeter, move the handle to the 200 mA position, remove the negative terminal, and place the probes in the gap between the wire and the battery negative. We fix the value.

So, on a car without external signaling and music, the leakage current should be literally 70-80 mA. Rejected? Then it’s not surprising that your car’s battery drains quickly. Rather, dive into the mounting block and pull the fuses one by one, while measuring the amperage. When the numbers drop noticeably, consider that the gluttonous chain has been found. If this is not observed, then the power circuits remain - the generator, starter and ignition system. First, inspect their contacts and wires. Oxidized terminals and poor insulation contribute to leakage.

Please note that we indicated the normal quiescent current for cars, as they say, from the assembly line. It’s hard to say how much the stuffed version should have. If only because some non-standard security systems in the “auto locked” state consume about 50 mA, while others consume 100 mA. If you want to see the quiescent current on a locked car, hold the hood switch and set the alarm to security mode.

Do not forget that driving short distances in traffic jams leads to chronic undercharging of the battery, especially in cold weather. From which one day the battery will be forced to give up the starter, requiring resuscitation from the mains charger. And not just any way! Each battery has its own charging technology: we have already explained what proper charging of an AGM battery looks like and provided instructions for charging an EFB battery.

How to check whether the starter engages or not?

In order for the engine to start, the starter needs a certain amount of energy to turn it. If at the moment of starting the engine the brightness on the instrument panel decreases greatly, then this is the first sign that the starter is taking over.

Another way to find out if the starter is taking over is to listen to how the starter spins while turning the ignition key. If it spins sluggishly and feels like it will stop spinning altogether, then this could also be a sign. But first of all, you need to check the condition of the battery and how the terminals are connected to it.

Usually there are such problems due to which the engine cannot start normally:

poor contacts in the ignition system components and wiring in general;
mechanical problems inside the starter.

If the battery is charged, the wiring is also in order, and everything is in order in the starter, then the engine will start quickly and without unnecessary energy consumption. And when any obstacle appears, for example, everything inside the starter is rusty, then the starter will function, but at the same time it will take on more energy. In general, you will have to disassemble the starter in any case, because you can’t tell by eye.

VAZ 2114 battery drains quickly

The battery is an important part of a modern car, and it is extremely undesirable to allow it to discharge

The carburetor engine of the VAZ 2114 car is very dependent on the correct supply of electricity.

A car with a carburetor engine is especially dependent on electricity, because the internal combustion process itself depends on the supply of current to the spark plugs. Most passenger cars are equipped with a 12 V battery with high current. For example, in the same VAZ 2114, starting the engine requires a current of 250-300 A, and sometimes even higher. Let's consider the main reasons for unscheduled loss of charge.

Of course, the most obvious cause of loss of charge is battery wear. The 6ST-55A battery, which is on the “fourteen”, is a traditional lead-acid type. These do not last very long in principle, and you need to be prepared for the fact that the normal service life of such models is three, maybe four years. There are also more advanced batteries that are completely maintenance-free, without plugs for filling electrolyte - they can last five years, but they must be treated with care. So, when the battery has served its life, its plates have probably already seriously crumbled, and the capacity has dropped significantly.

Maintenance-free 80 Ah battery, which is quite suitable for use on a VAZ 2114 car.

After a couple of turns of the key, such a battery no longer shows signs of life, and you need to go buy a new one.

But why does the battery of a VAZ 2114, which has not lasted even a year, run out? A battery purchased from a store could already be defective. Both flooded and dry batteries can be sold, but preference should be given to the former. The manufacturer fills in a special electrolyte at the factory, with impurities and special components, which performs better in operation than a conventional electrolyte found separately. When purchasing, you should immediately measure the voltage - it is better not to buy a battery whose terminals have a voltage of 11 V or lower. In addition, you should not take copies that have been in the store for more than three months - they will age faster, even expensive ones.

If you are completely sure that the battery is in order, but the charge still runs out, you should first identify the cause. The charge may drop when idle or while driving. When the engine is running, the battery acts as a consumer, which is powered by the on-board generator. Typically, the charge is consumed precisely when starting the engine, it is then that maximum currents are required, then the on-board network is taken over by the generator. If the generator fails, then powering the on-board network and providing the engine with electricity falls on the battery, which, in principle, cannot operate in this mode for a long time. Usually it's an hour, maybe more.

Other reasons for battery drain

Errors in the work of an auto electrician, incorrect connection of devices in a car lead to the fact that the devices themselves work and please the owner, but an increased load is formed in the electrical circuit. In this case, the car owner may be faced not only with the fact that the battery is discharged, but also with the fact that other electrical devices have failed.

The more various gadgets connected to the car (magnetic recorder, radar detector, navigator, backlight, etc.), the higher the load on the generator. And if the generator cannot cope, then the battery takes on part of the “responsibilities”. In this case, she will sit down quite quickly.

From the above, a logical question follows: can the battery be discharged from the alarm? Yes, it can, but it doesn't happen often.

An alarm can be the main reason why the battery drains too quickly if:

mistakes were made during its installation ;
there is a problem with the signal itself ;
the system was installed, not a factory-assembled one, but a do-it-yourself one .

To avoid such problems, we can recommend that car owners do not save money, but purchase a good car alarm from a trusted manufacturer. If this condition is met, then the alarm rarely becomes the cause of a dead battery.

The battery can be completely discharged if you leave the car for a long time and forget to turn off the lights, music or any other electrical appliances. If this doesn't happen often, there is no need to panic. After recharging, the battery will function as usual.

Frost can cause the battery to quickly lose charge. In winter it shrinks much more intensely than in summer. In cold weather from 15°C, each degree of decrease in air temperature leads to a decrease in battery capacity by 1 mAh. If there are problems with charging, the electrolyte in the battery freezes. To prevent this situation, it is necessary to monitor the battery charge level and electrolyte density.

Battery wear

No matter how correctly the car owner maintains the car and the battery, in particular, such a battery has its own resource, which is usually 5-6 years, depending on the specific brand and modification of the battery. Such worn-out batteries do not charge well, lose their capacity, and, ultimately, with any temperature changes, they cannot produce the necessary current power to start the engine.

Premature wear of the battery can be prevented by regularly recharging it, preventing frequent engine starts, and the car owner should not allow the battery to completely discharge deeply, which is often noted when there are problems with the generator. In the future, restoring the old battery will be problematic, therefore, if the battery has lost its capacity and is discharged literally overnight, then the easiest way is to replace it with a high-quality new battery, which will solve the existing problems.

What to do if the starter takes over the current?

When you find out that the starter is draining the battery too much, you must first clean all the contacts in the network; sometimes it’s enough just to clean the battery terminals.

But if this does not help, then you need to take out the starter and disassemble it; perhaps the brush assembly, solenoid relay or other contacts are clogged inside.

To summarize, in most cases, there are reasons why the starter takes over on the VAZ 2109 and other domestic cars such as the VAZ 2114 and VAZ 2106:

the starter bushings are worn out or some parts inside the starter are jammed; there is also a short circuit between the windings, but this happens quite rarely;
the engine crankshaft creates resistance: this usually happens if the oil used in the engine is too viscous, and in cold weather its viscosity increases even more. It is also possible that the crankshaft liners were incorrectly selected or that the engine was repaired with errors.

As a result, if you understand that the starter takes over in a GAZ 53 or GAZ 66, then you will certainly have to disassemble the starter, and this is a rather complicated procedure, so if you have no experience, then it is better to immediately contact specialists. Also, if you don’t want to tinker with the starter, diagnose it, make repairs, you can do it simpler - buy a new starter, but it will cost a lot of money, but then the problem with starting the engine will no longer be a problem and the car will begin to bring only joy, because It will start with half a turn.

Why did the new battery discharge to zero overnight after being installed in the car?

If you managed to blame everything on the old power source, then know that this is a grave mistake. Before replacing the battery with a new one, the owner is obliged to check the generator, leakage current, and diagnose the long-lived voltage. What should be the voltage on a car battery without load is the subject of the previous article.

Car radio. Trivial neglect of installation rules leads to high current consumption when switched off.
Signaling. Cheap equipment often malfunctions, and makeshift power supply negates the advantages of even reliable anti-theft models.

Brush block

Let's delve deeper into the depths of the starter. Its electric motor only works when voltage from the battery is supplied to the primary winding through the brushes. The lifespan of brushes is very limited, since they are made of graphite composition and tend to wear out quickly. This can be estimated by eye based on the total mileage of the car. Some models have a more complex electrical circuit, which is connected in such a way that when the brushes wear out, current is not supplied to the solenoid relay, and when the ignition is turned on, the starter may not click at all.

This scheme is provided on new injection cars and on the VAZ 2110. In this case, in order to eliminate the malfunction, you need to disassemble the starter, get to the brush block and assess the condition of the brushes visually. It is quite possible that they have served their purpose and require replacement.

Source

Why doesn't the starter turn?

Contacts

The simplest and most easily remedied reason is poor contact; there is no difference between the carburetor and the injector. There are quite large currents in the starter, generator, and battery circuits; the slightest deterioration in electrical contact leads to local heating, oxidation, a further increase in current resistance and a parasitic voltage drop.

The terminals of the VAZ 2110 battery must be removed, cleaned of dirt, the contact surface must be treated with fine sandpaper, carefully placed on the battery contacts without distortion and tightened with a wrench. The wires from the battery to the housing, generator, starter, as well as the connection to the ground of the generator and starter are checked. The contacts are cleaned, the nuts and bolts securing them are tightened.

Battery

The most obvious reason is battery failure.

Such a battery will externally charge (quickly due to the sharply decreased capacity), but will not be able to provide the starting current necessary for starting. You can drive with it, but starting a cold car, especially when the temperature drops, is impossible.

If the bank fails or there is an internal short circuit, the output voltage decreases, which is easily determined with a multimeter. There is only one way out - replacing the battery.

Leakage current

The most hidden reason is a large leakage current. When all consumers in the car are turned off, the battery still gradually discharges; this is a self-discharge current due to the design and operating principle of the battery.

Additional leakage current is caused by incorrectly connected devices, damaged wiring and, oddly enough, dirt on the battery case. We clean the outside of the battery from dirt with a rag, especially the upper plane and near the terminals, disconnect the negative wire, insert a multimeter into the gap in current measurement mode to the maximum limit.

Lowering the measurement limit, we obtain the first values. For a VAZ 2110, a current of 3–5 milliamps (mA) will be an excellent indicator, up to 15 mA is normal (especially when the alarm is on), with a value of more than 30 mA (for an injector 50 mA), you need to look for a “malicious” waste of electricity.

The easiest way to do this is to remove the fuses one by one to detect the circuit in which the faulty consumer is hidden. If you don’t have a multimeter, you can turn on a 12-volt test lamp instead; if the leakage current is high, it will light up. The cigarette lighter, starter and generator on an injection engine are not protected by fuse links; they are checked by disconnecting the wires themselves.

Undercharge

Probably the most common reason for a VAZ 2110 is an undercharged battery. The energy spent on starting the engine must then be replenished.

The current generated by the generator, the value of which increases with increasing engine speed, powers the ignition system, other consumers (headlights, heater and radiator fans, air conditioning, interior and trunk lighting, music, heated seats, cigarette lighter, etc.), and the rest goes to charge battery.

If the generator or relay-regulator fails, there will not be enough current for charging; this malfunction will be indicated by a light on the dashboard.

Reason two: the on-board charging system is faulty

The next possible reason why even a new battery quickly discharges in a car lies in the on-board charging system . In a highly simplified form, it consists of only two key elements - a generator and a relay , which “decides” when it is necessary to supply a charge to the battery. Naturally, this whole thing is connected by wires and if there is a bad contact or a break, the charging system will not work.

Unfortunately, in a garage environment, diagnosing this component of the car is quite problematic. This requires knowledge, experience and some tools. It is better to entrust the solution to this problem to a trusted automotive electrician.

How can you first understand that the on-board charging system is to blame for the rapid discharge of the battery? The first sign is the corresponding signal on the panel. As a rule, this is a red pictogram with a symbolic image of a battery. It should only light up when the ignition is on and the engine is not running. Immediately after the engine is started, this signal should go out. If it doesn’t go out, lights up constantly, or lights up periodically while driving, this indicates a malfunction of the generator or charge relay.

The second way is to measure the voltage at the battery terminals before and after starting the engine. If, for example, before the start the voltmeter showed 12.4 volts, and after – 14.5 volts, then the battery is charged. If, on the contrary, the voltage drops (or rises only a couple of tenths of a volt), the charging system is faulty (or defective).

There are no other equally simple and understandable ways to diagnose a similar problem. Only an appropriate specialist can fully check the charging system.

Reason three: increased battery self-discharge

Many people attribute this reason to the first one described here. However, there is no need to rush. First, let's briefly understand what self-discharge is and how it happens.

Self-discharge is the loss of accumulated charge by a battery without connected consumers. That is, you removed the battery from the car, just left it for a while, and after a while it discharged without any load. A small self-discharge is present in any battery - completely new, from a well-known manufacturer, and so on. However, self-discharge is insignificant. For example, a fully charged, working standard car battery can be safely left for six months, after which you can install it and start the engine.

However, self-discharge can be so large that the battery drains “itself” to zero literally overnight. Very often this is due to her general poor condition, as described above. But significant self-discharge can also be caused by external factors.

And the very first of them is the dirty surface of the battery case . As a rule, this is dust that is mixed with evaporated or leaked electrolyte. This mixture is an excellent current conductor. This means that the battery, being completely disconnected from the vehicle’s on-board network, will continue to discharge.

How to diagnose? First of all, visually . If the battery case is dusty and dirty, this deficiency must be urgently eliminated. By the way, it is highly advisable to do this regularly.

A voltmeter (multimeter) will also help identify the problem . Turn on the device to measure voltage, install one probe on the positive terminal, and move the second one along the body. If any voltage is displayed on the voltmeter, current is constantly flowing through the case (which, by the way, is made of dielectric) of your battery. That is, in essence, the battery terminals are practically shorted together.

You can wash the battery with warm water to which soda is added. Then the body is wiped dry. It is strictly prohibited to use any household detergents for this! To see if there is a result, repeat the measurements as described above. Ideally, zeros should always remain on the device.

Safety measures when restoring battery capacity

There are a number of mandatory requirements that must be met when recharging. Otherwise, you may get injured and permanently damage the battery.

Requirements:

When charging, the battery emits toxic volatile substances, so it is strictly forbidden to charge batteries in a house or apartment.
Since the battery has an acidic environment in its containers, work is carried out using personal protective equipment.
Do not charge the battery near an open fire, as explosive hydrogen gas is released during charging.

Proper use and regular monitoring of the condition of the battery can significantly increase its service life. In addition, this will help save money on repairs or purchasing a new device.

When starting from an external power source, the following safety precautions must be observed:

Do not smoke or use fire during external starting.
It is advisable to remove metal jewelry and items of clothing, tuck in the hanging edges of a shirt, etc.
Make sure that the donor vehicle does not touch a vehicle with a dead battery.
Do not touch the car body when power is applied.

Now you have all the necessary information on how to properly charge your battery without damaging it or reducing its capacity. In addition, we recommend you one effective and simple remedy that will help you avoid the most common mistakes - read the instruction manual for your battery.

Tips for extending battery life

Like other elements and systems of any vehicle, the battery requires proper and regular maintenance.

The following measures will help extend battery life:

The battery must be fully charged at least once every 6 months.
It is necessary to regularly check the condition of the electrical wiring in the car. If malfunctions occur, they must be eliminated immediately.
To prevent corrosion, the battery terminals and pole terminals must be treated with a special lubricant.
It is necessary to regularly monitor the density and level of electrolyte.
It is necessary to periodically clean the battery terminals and terminals from contamination.

These tips will help extend the life of your car battery.

Your car's battery suddenly runs out: are you sure you're not distracted?

A simple reason for losing all charge literally overnight could be elementary absent-mindedness. For example, when parking the car, the owner forgot to turn off the lights or the music. Therefore, rule No. 1 is to remember/check whether all electrical appliances connected bypassing the ignition switch were de-energized.

We recommend checking it out, especially if there are children in the family who are partial to the car. Sitting in the driver's seat as a child, there is a desire to twist everything that turns, including the buttons that turn on the consumers.

Well, and a cigarette lighter. It works in almost all cars, even when the keys are far from the ignition switch. This means that the navigator, recorder and other non-standard gadgets steal current from the battery when it is idle. Therefore, make it a habit to unplug all cords from the socket when parking your car for a long time.

Why does the car battery drain quickly?

Here we will analyze each reason in detail, reveal the nature of its origin, and also give examples of restoring the viability of your battery.

Resource exhausted

Typically, this problem is the most common among others. Such properties are typical for batteries, the life of which has approached the mark of 4-5 years. Moreover, the intensity of work does not play a role here. In addition to discharging, it loses capacity.

Most acid batteries suffer from sulfation. This problem occurs due to the accumulation of lead sulfate on the plates. In view of this, the total area of the so-called “active mass” is significantly reduced. But it must interact with the electrolyte.

Towards the end of the term, the capacity may drop to a level of even less than 30%. To avoid this and, accordingly, extend the service life, you need to:

Avoid frequent starts of the power plant and too short trips, otherwise the battery simply will not have time to charge. Much more current is consumed during startup. Accordingly, after traveling a short distance, the lost energy simply will not be restored.
 Charge your battery from a stationary charger from time to time. For any type of modern battery, being in a half-discharged state is extremely unsafe.
 Deep discharging significantly reduces battery life. This conclusion should especially be applied to calcium batteries, that is, maintenance-free ones.
Periodically check the level in the electrolyte bottles. If exposed plates are detected, you should immediately recharge the battery and add the required amount of liquid.

But remember that after 3-4 years the battery most likely requires replacement with a new one. Therefore, it is better to buy a “fresh” battery. By the way, now many stores offer exchange with an additional payment for an old battery.

Required charge missing

A similar reason is no less common. In this case, the battery can be completely in good working order. In this case, the problem area and the device may be the wiring from the “genes”, or the device itself. After driving without a working generator, turning off the car, you will find that the subsequent start will be unsuccessful in any case.

To check charging you need to use a multimeter. We start the engine, turn on the optics, music and measure the voltage at the battery outputs. During normal operation, the “genes” indicators should be at the level of 13-14 V. If they are lower, then the battery does not receive an insufficient charge level. If the value, on the contrary, is greater, then intense hydrolysis and, accordingly, evaporation of the liquid will occur.

Reasons why the battery may not receive the required dose of charge include:

broken belt “genes”;
belt sag;
lack of contact or broken wiring;
charge relay malfunction;
combustion of the diode bridge.

If you notice that the battery is not charging, it is better to contact a specialized service to clarify the cause of the problem.

Break or leak in the car network

If there is more leakage than normal, then the battery may discharge overnight. The main reasons include:

terminal oxidation;
damaged insulation, worn wiring;
Devices are connected incorrectly.

How to Check for Normal Leakage

The procedure is as follows:

Take out the key and, just in case, open the window (in case the doors get locked).
Turn off all implicit voltage consumers.
Remove the negative terminal.
Use a multimeter to measure the current, connecting one end to the negative terminal of the battery, the other to the “open” terminal.

How to find the leakage current and understand why the battery dies in a car, you will learn from this video:

Driver forgetfulness

This reason is quite simple, you simply forgot to turn off the headlights, radio or something else. It’s difficult to recommend anything in this case, just force yourself to check the devices before leaving. In modern cars, manufacturers are increasingly trying to install automatic systems that themselves turn off the power to the optics, heating, and radio.

Temperature

If the temperature outside was very low, then by morning you will probably find that the battery is completely dead. Unfortunately, the winter period is always difficult, there are problems with starting. It is worth knowing that at temperatures below 15°C, the battery charge may drop by 1-2 mAh. If the battery is discharged, the electrolyte located there may simply freeze.

Tips for working in winter:

Be sure to keep the battery charge at maximum.
Increase density from 1.27 to 1.3 g/cm.
Build an insulating cover.
In very severe frost, you can remove the battery and take it home.

This video explains why your battery drains quickly:

OTHER REASONS FOR NO CHARGING

If the battery is not charged or is insufficiently charged, in addition to a faulty voltage regulator, there may be other reasons related to the generator:

The belt is poorly tensioned;
Poor contact or break in the wires supplying power;
Faulty rotor or stator winding;
Poor contact of the brushes with the rotor commutator, the brushes are simply worn out.

New and worn alternator brushes
should the charging rate be 13.7-14.8 correct?

Good evening. 14.8 is a lot. It will be fine for winter and short trips, but over long distances the battery will boil out. The norm is 14.2. And the fact that it drops to 13.3, you need to measure what it gives directly at the generator. If it differs from what is on the battery, then the problem is still in the contacts. And if it doesn’t differ, then the problem is in the generator. And additional a diode is not a solution, it will raise too much.

should the charging rate be 13.7-14.8 correct?

The generator itself shows 14.1 to 14.2 when measured with a multimeter. The battery shows more, 14.5.

How can this be? In any case, the generator produces more than what reaches the battery. Maybe you're not measuring correctly? You measure between the generator terminal and the battery positive, then between the generator housing and the battery negative. Then turn on a load such as headlights and heated rear window and check again. What indications will there be? Ideally it should be zero.

Car alarms

A car alarm installed outside the factory can completely discharge the battery to zero within just 2 - 3 days. So remember, friends, if there is one in the car, then do not ignore it. Check all the wires of this car alarm, follow them where they go and to which connectors they are connected. It is possible that the specialists who connected it decided to save time and took the path of least resistance, thereby violating the technology of its installation and thereby increasing the load on the battery itself. As for factory car alarms, they are considered to be of higher quality. In addition, they are installed by highly qualified specialists who will not cut corners in this regard.

Replacing the diode bridge

To replace the relay regulator and the rectifier unit (another name is a diode bridge), you need to disassemble the generator, first removing it from the VAZ 2110, for which you will need 13, 10 keys and a Phillips screwdriver.

To remove the generator you need to:

Disconnect the battery terminals;
Remove the rubber cap on the generator and unscrew the nut securing the wires with a 10 mm wrench;
Pull out the connector;
Loosen the tension mechanism nut, unscrew the tension bolt and remove the bracket;
Move the generator with the mounting tool, loosen the belt and remove it;
Using a 13mm socket, unscrew the 3 bolts from below and remove the generator along with the lower bracket.

For further work, the back cover is removed; it is held in place by 3 plastic latches. Use a Phillips screwdriver to unscrew two screws and remove the relay combined with the brush assembly. To remove the rectifier unit, you need to unscrew the 4 screws securing it and the capacitor, as well as the ends of the windings.

The relay can only be replaced as a whole; there are several models on sale, even with a “summer-winter” switch for selecting the output voltage. It is also better to replace the diode bridge as an assembly.

Where to look for the reason?

You should not immediately dismantle the generator, it is in vain. Carry out diagnostics in the brush compartment on the generator. If there are visual defects or sticking, replace with new ones and test the car. If the cause cannot be eliminated, proceed to the next step;
Diode bridge:
it is not subject to partial replacement or maintenance, only complete replacement. At the same time, check to see if there is a burnout at the place where it is attached, as there may be a short to the winding in the rotor. See the article “How to check a diode bridge”;
Problems with the relay:
perhaps there is no current flowing to it due to oxidation of the contacts. It is necessary to carefully disconnect the contacts and clean them with fine sandpaper or a triangular file. Using a voltmeter, check the output voltage at the generator, first resetting the positive terminal. The standard voltage should be 14.2–14.3 V. If the voltage is less than normal, then it is necessary to disassemble the generator and look for a breakdown in the rotor and stator windings;
Another common cause of a short circuit is water getting into the generator, for example, during a drive into a puddle. After this, the car is powered only by the battery;
A poor-quality timing belt can also cause inconsistent battery charging due to slipping. This can be corrected by tensioning it using a pry bar and a spanner. Otherwise, replace the belt. Article on the topic “Which timing belts are better?”;
Fuses
responsible for the operation of the dashboard. To do this, you need to look at the fuse number in the operating instructions and change it to the appropriate one. If it's not in stock, be sure to purchase it.

Here, in fact, this is the end of the topic of why the VAZ 2110 battery light is on. All common causes are discussed, as well as ways to eliminate them. We hope that our recommendation article will help many drivers quickly find and fix problems, thereby extending the life of the vehicle. Let problems bother your car as little as possible. Good luck to you.

Acting

A fairly common situation in the modern automotive world: on cars with a “start-stop” mode, instead of an expensive AGM battery, a regular “plebek” is installed. The reason, as a rule, is one: poverty, less often - the greed of the owner. If he turns off the start-stop mode every time, then the battery will, of course, last for some time, but in real situations no one usually does this. And since a simple battery is not designed for deep discharges, it can die much earlier than its intended date. Therefore, at the first signs of the “blues”, the owner must understand: most likely he has already ruined the poor battery...

We invite everyone who wants to share their methods of assessing the residual battery life to do so!

What can I do to prevent my battery from draining quickly?

To ensure that the problem of a dead battery affects the car owner as little as possible, the following conditions must be met:

When buying a car alarm, you need to carefully study its characteristics

It is important to understand how much energy it will need. Preference should be given to the system that can remain in sleep mode for the maximum period.

When choosing a radio, it is recommended to pay attention to the one that consumes less energy.

Monitor whether appliances are turned on when they are not needed.

Regularly carry out diagnostics of the serviceability of all machine systems.

Do not allow the battery to become overcooled or overheated.

Buy the battery that is best suited for the parameters of a particular car.. Speaking about measures to extend the life of a car battery, mention should be made of the phenomenon of sulfation

This phenomenon often leads to a shortening of the battery life, reducing its capacity. Its development is facilitated by increased electrolyte density, severe frost or heat, as well as storing the battery for a long period without recharging. Therefore, in order for it to work like a clock and for as long as possible, you need to provide for such nuances, avoiding them if possible. And carry out battery maintenance in a timely manner

When talking about measures to extend the service life of a car battery, we should mention the phenomenon of sulfation. This phenomenon often leads to a shortening of the battery life, reducing its capacity. Its development is facilitated by increased electrolyte density, severe frost or heat, as well as storing the battery for a long period without recharging. Therefore, in order for it to work like a clock and for as long as possible, you need to provide for such nuances, avoiding them if possible. And carry out battery maintenance in a timely manner.

If the situation takes you by surprise, it will be useful to know how to open the car if the battery is dead.

Leakage current

When the power supply is operating normally, the slight decrease in capacity caused by current leakage is compensated by recharging the battery from the generator. When the battery cannot maintain its nominal parameters, loss of current becomes a problem leading to rapid discharge.

Practice has shown that the cause of the leak is improper connection of additional equipment: electronic alarm systems, powerful speaker systems, additional optics (daytime running lights, fog lights, etc.). A satellite alarm greatly drains the battery of an unused car in just two weeks. An improperly installed alarm system can create problems. In this case, it is dismantled and the electrical circuit is checked, determining where the current leak occurs.

Overloading the on-board network also leads to battery discharge, i.e. installation of additional devices not provided by the manufacturer: energy-intensive low and high beam lamps, audio and video equipment, etc.

Video: Finding a current leak in a car

The most common causes of car battery failure

Most often, a car battery fails due to improper charging. Most drivers go to extremes - overcharging or, conversely, discharging the battery to zero. As a result, the structural integrity of the battery is compromised. So, in the first case, strong oxidation of the contacts occurs, and in the second, the lead paste begins to peel off. This problem can be solved by using calcium batteries, which practically do not accept current at 95% of the charge.

Another reason for a completely discharged battery is the owner’s forgetfulness. Most often it manifests itself in unlocked doors or leaving the ignition on overnight. Battery failure can also occur due to problems with the generator or belt stretching. In this case, to restore battery functionality, you must fully charge the battery.

Please note: if the battery charge drops below 2 V, it will be almost impossible to “resurrect” it

The three most common causes of battery failure are low temperatures. The fact is that the electrolyte of a charged battery can easily cope with negative temperatures, but for a discharged battery such a temperature regime is fatal. As a result, the structural integrity is compromised, which will negatively affect the life of the battery and ultimately lead to its complete discharge.

Also about the reasons for discharge, watch the video:

Recommendations

Bearings, brushes and stator and rotor windings are also checked for opens and short circuits. It is better to entrust rewinding of the generator, if necessary, to a professional service. Assembly is carried out in reverse order.

If the battery on the VAZ 2110 injector runs out even after a short stay, then do not rush to throw it away. Cleaning contacts and disconnecting “wrong” consumers can solve this problem.

And if the charging indicator lamp also lights up, then the fault must be looked for in the generator. Keep an eye on the condition of your car and it will not let you down.

Source

A more complex and accurate technique

There are more accurate signs of a dead car battery, but identifying them requires additional equipment. These include:

low battery charge according to the on-board computer or voltmeter;
low electrolyte density;
uneven electrolyte density;
low starting current.

Modern car models can be equipped with an on-board computer with a battery charge indicator. If this option is not available, a voltmeter is used. The battery charge level is determined by the voltage when the engine is turned off:

90-100% – 12.5-12.8 V;
40-90% – 11.9-12.5 V;
0-40% – 10.5-11.9 V.

Values below 40% require urgent diagnosis.

The density of the electrolyte (conductive liquid) is the second indicator by which the battery charge level is determined. To measure it, a hydrometer is used; at the time of checking, the ambient temperature is taken into account. How the data is interpreted:

1.24-1.30 at +25°C (1.28-1.30 at -20°C) – battery is charged;
1.16-1.24 (1.21-1.28) – charging required;
less than 1.16 (1.21) – the battery is dead.

To check the uniformity of electrolyte density and low starting current, special devices are required, so it is better to diagnose these indicators in a car service center.

Units and design details

The function of the starter is to start the car engine by spinning its flywheel with an electric motor, creating temporary contact between the gears. Subsequently, the electric motor is turned off and physical contact with the flywheel gear is broken. The starter is located on the engine body closer to the battery and the cab.

Structurally, the device can be divided into two functional blocks:

After starting the engine, the key is returned from the ignition position, de-energizing the relay. The relay opens the contacts, the spring returns the bendix to its original state. When starting, the electric motor requires several tens of amperes of current from the battery. After starting the car engine, the generator restores the battery charge.

Cases in which the problem can be solved on site

If the starter does not turn, there are several ways to start the car:

close the starter contacts with a screwdriver;
Connect the starter directly to the battery.

In an automobile system, the starter has a separate role - to spin the crankshaft to create the required torque and compression ratio for the fuel-air mixture. Naturally, the starter functions in conjunction with other components and electrical systems. Therefore, damage of various properties may occur:

lack of voltage in the on-board network;
battery discharge;
damage to wires;
problem in the ignition switch;
mismatch of oil viscosity in the crankcase;
weakening of contacts.

Some damage to the starter allows it to operate normally when the engine is running. But he fails to spin the heavy flywheel the first time. In any case, after a successful start, it is necessary to urgently take the starter for professional diagnostics in order to identify the true cause of the malfunction.

Thus, a malfunction of the starter can be caused by:

faulty start relay;
Bendix wear;
problems with the solenoid relay;
combustion of the internal elements of the unit.

How to revive a car with a dead battery

If the battery is completely discharged, what should I do? When the car almost starts, but the starter does not have enough strength to crank the engine, this means the battery is discharged. What can be done in this case?

How to start a car and charge the battery using a jump charger

If you have a spare battery, you can recharge a dead one from it. To do this you will need a starter-charger. Moreover, it is not necessary to have a new spare battery in the trunk - it can also be reconditioned. Just 20-30 minutes of recharging is enough and the car will start.

Plant with pusher

The method is only available for cars with a manual transmission. An automatic transmission completely eliminates this method of planting.

It is necessary that someone starts pushing the car on a flat road, and the driver tries to start it while driving.

How to “light” a car correctly

In order to “light” from someone else’s battery, you need to have a special device, which consists of two parallel wires with mutual connection to the terminals.

The process works as follows:

Two cars are placed side by side at a distance of at least 1 m. Both batteries are opened.
Using metal “crocodile” clips, the positive terminals of the battery are interconnected.
From the minus of the working battery, a grounding cable is connected to the car with a discharged battery.
The donor car is left with the engine running for 15-20 minutes.
After the car starts with a dead battery, disconnect the cables in the reverse order.

How to determine a specific source of energy consumption?

Perhaps the contacts on the battery have just oxidized - clean them well:

We leave our car with the ammeter connected.
Open the fuse box and begin to remove the fuses one by one.
At the same time, we look at the ammeter readings (by pulling out the fuse, you have broken the circuit, thereby closing the source of energy consumption).
We go through all the fuses until we find the most consumed one, after removing which, the ammeter readings show acceptable numbers (no more than 0.20-0.40 mA per hour).
Having found the right fuse, we look at what it is responsible for. Next, we begin to work with the direct source of energy consumption.

After checking all the fuses and not finding the problem, then perhaps the source lies in the relay block. Either the relay is stuck, or the wires are worn out and shorted (we check all rivets and washers with insulation for resistance). In this situation, the relay unit must be replaced.

If after all the checks of the fuses and relays nothing is found, then the current consumption lies in a circuit not equipped with a fuse: Starter, alternator, etc. Most likely the diode bridge is broken (see 3 weak diodes going to excitation).

How to quickly start a car if the battery is dead

We talked about how to prevent unexpected battery discharge. But what should we do if we find ourselves in such a situation - we need to go urgently, but the battery is low? There are several answers here.

"From the pusher"

The simplest and most effective option. You can push with your hands, or you can ask someone to take you in tow. If, in addition to the driver, there are several passengers, then pushing with your hands will be realistic. It’s more difficult for one if there is no way to push downhill.

In the second example, of course, you will need a tow rope and a second car. There are usually no problems with the first one, but finding a second car, say, at 3 a.m. can be problematic.

"Let's light a cigarette"

This method is suitable for starting a car from any gearbox, but you will need special cables, which, unlike a towing cable, are not found in every trunk.

In addition, you will need a second car with a working battery and an electrical capacity no less than ours. The startup algorithm using this method will look like this:

We bring the recipient (a car with a working battery) close to the donor (a car with a dead battery).
Turn off the ignition on both cars.
Using cables, we connect the donor and recipient batteries, observing the polarity. We connect the positive terminal to the positive terminal, and the negative terminal to the negative terminal.
We turn on the ignition on the recipient and start it.
We set the recipient engine speed to about 1000 per minute. Disconnect the cables.
We let the recipient work for 15–20 minutes so that the battery is at least slightly recharged from the generator.
We move off carefully so as not to stall, and go about our business - the battery will receive the rest of its charge on the road.
Upon arrival home, we check the condition of the battery and, if necessary, charge it.

We use a jump starter

To use this method, you do not need assistants, but you do need to have a jump starter or an autonomous starting device. Such a device is a compact lithium battery with an output voltage of 12 V. It, of course, costs money, but the purchase is worth it.

Starting a car with a discharged battery will not cause any difficulties, even in the dead of night and on a deserted road. We simply connect the jumper clamps to the terminals of our battery, turn on the device and start up. It is clear that for a successful start using this method, it is necessary that the battery of the jumper itself be pre-charged.

Reasons for slow rotation

We are interested in the moment when the starter rotates at low speed. This makes starting the internal combustion engine problematic. A priori, the reason for this behavior of the starter is related to the battery, the condition of which leaves much to be desired, but this is not the point. Let's assume that the battery is reliable, the acid has been replaced and the charge is present.

The reason for the starter turning slowly may be due to things like oxidation of the terminals or loose connections. In this case, it is recommended to clean the oxides, tighten the clamps and treat the elements with a suitable lubricant. If starting does not improve, you need to continue troubleshooting.

Many vehicles have easy access to the starter device and its traction relay. In this case, it will be much easier to check whether the starter is working if you start it directly. In other words, the closure of the power terminals of the relay is carried out forcibly, which will make it possible to confirm the malfunction of the solenoid relay (VRS) based on reliable operation of the starter. On the contrary, if the start is unsuccessful, the starter will have to be removed and repaired.