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battery..??

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I'm having some problems with the battery-power on my cruiser, In the
morning the voltage is quite low on the meter (just under the halfway
mark)..
The car starts fine no problem, but if I turn on the high-beam and start
the wipers some-times and just some times the radio flicks off and on
again (just a fraction of a second)..
After 1-2 minutes of driving the voltage pups up and and everything is
fine ... (it seams that the high-beam gets brighter when the voltages
pups up) ...
Do I have a broken battery or??
Thanks for any comments :)
--
Michael Thorsager, Denmark, http://gallery.vx80.dk
1997 VX80, 2.5" OME (and some other stuff)
 
I had that and it signalled the death of the Alternator which happened
shortly thereafter :(
both batteries drop tested fine!
-----Original Message-----
From: [Email address removed] [mailto:[Email address removed]] On
Behalf Of Michael Thorsager (elco)
Sent: 15 January 2008 15:35
To: [Email address removed]
Subject: [ELCO] battery..??
I'm having some problems with the battery-power on my cruiser, In the
morning the voltage is quite low on the meter (just under the halfway
mark)..
The car starts fine no problem, but if I turn on the high-beam and start
the wipers some-times and just some times the radio flicks off and on
again (just a fraction of a second)..
After 1-2 minutes of driving the voltage pups up and and everything is
fine ... (it seams that the high-beam gets brighter when the voltages
pups up) ...
Do I have a broken battery or??
Thanks for any comments :)
--
Michael Thorsager, Denmark, http://gallery.vx80.dk
1997 VX80, 2.5" OME (and some other stuff)
 
Michael
I'd guess you have the 1HD-FT with the pre-heater on the air inlet,
which is standard "cold weather" Euro spec for these. (It's a big
aluminium box on the air inlet above the turbocharger.) It consumes a
*lot*, more than 40 amps, of power for the first minute or two when
cold, then the voltage needle suddenly pops up when it switches off.
What you see is advance warning that one or both of your batteries are
failing - I'm speaking from experience here! You need to test them:
Either disconnect them (vital, as they are normally wired in parallel)
and get a garage to load test them.
Or, if you have a hygrometer, test every cell. Little black bits in the
acid are a sign of impending death, as well as low specific gravity.
If you do nothing the next symptom will be just "click" when you turn
the key, and if you don't have a manual box you'll be stuck! Also, low
voltage to the starter can cause problems in itself, as it won't engage
as fast as it should, causing excess arcing and premature contact
failure. (Also experience talking here.)
If you find only one bad battery I would suggest replacing both,
otherwise if you only replace one the old one will shorten the life of
the new one because of the fact that they are connected in parallel.
Christopher Bell
1996 1HD-FT
Devon, UK
|
| I'm having some problems with the battery-power on my cruiser, In the
| morning the voltage is quite low on the meter (just under the halfway
| mark)..
|
| The car starts fine no problem, but if I turn on the high-beam and
start
| the wipers some-times and just some times the radio flicks off and on
| again (just a fraction of a second)..
|
| After 1-2 minutes of driving the voltage pups up and and everything is
| fine ... (it seams that the high-beam gets brighter when the voltages
| pups up) ...
|
| Do I have a broken battery or??
____________________________________________________________
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Chris et al
Any idea how to fix a shorted circuit system after a slight electrical
disturbance for the storms we've been having lately? my system is, well,
flat, utterly and completely.
If I were to charge the batteries using crocodile clip connection and
hopefully, a neighbour's battery charger would this do the trick? or am I
talking serious money (again)?
The main problem is that the central locking is connected to the electrical
circuitry, and I leave it on double lock,that is, manual and central system
wide - now I can't even open the doors to get into the vehicle to open the
bonnet! can I force the bonnet catch to get to the batteries? I haven't
tried it 'cos I want advice first.
Any help gratefully recieved from you guys on ELCO
Renate
 
Hi Michael
I just changed both batteries but the voltmeter behave just the same as
yours- Mr.Toy changed my alternator because of that symptom but after email
from Gareth Jones they refund my money back.My experience: the Cruiser is
just like that( which doesn't mean you don't have bad batteries ;-) )
cheers
Lubo
PS: we have 1HD-FT
On Jan 15, 2008 4:35 PM, Michael Thorsager (elco) <[Email address removed]> wrote:
> I'm having some problems with the battery-power on my cruiser, In the
> morning the voltage is quite low on the meter (just under the halfway
> mark)..
>
> The car starts fine no problem, but if I turn on the high-beam and start
> the wipers some-times and just some times the radio flicks off and on
> again (just a fraction of a second)..
>
> After 1-2 minutes of driving the voltage pups up and and everything is
> fine ... (it seams that the high-beam gets brighter when the voltages
> pups up) ...
>
> Do I have a broken battery or??
>
> Thanks for any comments :)
>
> --
> Michael Thorsager, Denmark, http://gallery.vx80.dk
> 1997 VX80, 2.5" OME (and some other stuff)
> --
> European Land Cruiser Owners Mailing List
> Further Info: http://www.landcruisers.info/lists/
>
 
Renate
| Any idea how to fix a shorted circuit system after a slight electrical
| disturbance for the storms we've been having lately? my system is,
well,
| flat, utterly and completely.
| If I were to charge the batteries using crocodile clip connection and
| hopefully, a neighbour's battery charger would this do the trick? or
am I
| talking serious money (again)?
|
| The main problem is that the central locking is connected to the
| electrical
| circuitry, and I leave it on double lock,that is, manual and central
| system
| wide - now I can't even open the doors to get into the vehicle to open
the
| bonnet! can I force the bonnet catch to get to the batteries? I
haven't
| tried it 'cos I want advice first.
|
| Any help gratefully recieved from you guys on ELCO
I'm not clear: are you saying that you can't into the car because the
central locking won't work? Surely you have a key and that will open a
door ... or am I missing something obvious here? If the lock barrels
are gummed up you'll have to spray in WD40 and wiggle the key until they
shift.
As for charging - without knowing what went wrong in the first place
it's hard to say. What you need to do, assuming that you can get under
the bonnet, is:
Disconnect both batteries to isolate them from electrical problems in
the vehicle wiring.
Charge them up, for at least a day each, and see if they hold the
charge. Leave them a day, then connect a headlight bulb or something
similar to them to see if they will run it happily. Any dimming over 5
minutes says they are knackered.
Assuming that is OK then you need to find out if you have an electrical
drain that is discharging the batteries.
Close all doors, turn off radios, lights, and any other source of
electrical drain.
Connect the earth lead of the right hand, looking forwards, battery.
Then if you have a multimeter capable of handling currents of around 10
amps put it on its highest Amps scale, and connect it between +ve
terminal of battery (-ve lead on meter) and +ve vehicle cable (+ve lead
on meter).
If you haven't got a multimeter then a headlight bulb will do instead.
Press one bulb terminal onto the battery +ve terminal, then touch the
+ve lead to another terminal. (It may spark a bit but so long as you
are in a well ventilated space nothing will explode!)
If all is well you'll get an initial current blip which should then drop
back to pretty much invisible on a 10 amps scale on a meter. Or if you
are using a bulb an initial brief flicker then nothing.
If the current stays significant, say more that 0.1 amps on a meter or
even a vestige of a glow in the bulb, then you have a current drain
problem and you will need to pull out fuses one by one to find out where
the current is going.
If it looks OK connect both batteries and see if it will start. If it
won't then probably one or both batteries have died. If it will then
leave it a day all connected up and see if will still start. If it
won't then the batteries are nearly dead, or you have a current drain
you haven't diagnosed.
If it still starts then drive it around with a big grin. Or if you
can't drive it around have a drink and pat yourself on the back since
whatever the problem was seems to have gone away.
CB
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Renate,
Try to get in by opening the tailgate with the key, if I recall
correctly this lock will open mechanically. Lock is located under the
logo on the tailgate.
Regards,
Clive Marks
Home: +44 1293 514600
Mobile: +44 7821 491897
Crawley, West Sussex, UK.
 
Christopher Bell wrote:
Jup that sounds about right ;)
I figured as much.. but always nice to get a second opinion :)
oohh.. I hate that "Click" ... just the worst start of your day ever!!
Thank you so much for your very useful input.. I love this list and all
the information stored in peoples minds :D
--
Michael Thorsager, Denmark, http://gallery.vx80.dk
1997 VX80, 2.5" OME (and some other stuff)
 
Lubomir Kolev wrote:
Well.. it it hasn't always don't it.. it started small. at has gotten
worse and worse.. so I think i is the batteries.. Well.. I'll change
them tomorrow, then we'll see what happens ;)
--
Michael Thorsager, Denmark, http://gallery.vx80.dk
1997 VX80, 2.5" OME (and some other stuff)
 
Well.. now I changed the batteries and well. the voltage is still
"lower" for the first ~1min. of runtime.. but I measured the voltage
with my trusty voltmeter and it is at 12,3V this is when the Voltmeter
in the car is at the halfway mark..
So with the new batteries the drop i Voltage is to 12V not below as it
was with the old batteries.. (by the way they were totally shut) so the
change was needed..
Well my question is now.. is it normal with this drop in voltage for the
first minute or so..?? (or should I get my Alternator checked?)
--
Michael Thorsager, Denmark, http://gallery.vx80.dk
1997 VX80, 2.5" OME (and some other stuff)
 
Michael
| Well.. now I changed the batteries and well. the voltage is still
| "lower" for the first ~1min. of runtime.. but I measured the voltage
| with my trusty voltmeter and it is at 12,3V this is when the Voltmeter
| in the car is at the halfway mark..
|
| So with the new batteries the drop i Voltage is to 12V not below as it
| was with the old batteries.. (by the way they were totally shut) so
the
| change was needed..
|
| Well my question is now.. is it normal with this drop in voltage for
the
| first minute or so..?? (or should I get my Alternator checked?)
Yes, this is normal. The pre-heater draws somewhere between 40 and 60
amps, and this is more than the alternator can provide. It should last
for between 1 and 2 minutes, and should only happen when you start from
cold.
It is an electric heating element that pre-heats the air going into the
engine, and was apparently added to get the engine through the euro
emissions tests when cold. I don't believe this, and think it was
sponsored by battery manufacturers!
Many people disconnect it, and mine died of natural causes about a year
ago. As far as I can see in our climate it makes *absolutely* no
difference to starting or running when cold.
I never put a voltmeter on mine when the pre-heater was on, but 12v and
the needle at the 1/2 way mark sounds good to me.
Christopher Bell
____________________________________________________________
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Christopher Bell wrote:
Jup that it only happens when starting from cold.. But tell me should
the Pre-Heater lamp in dashboard be lit when this heater is on? 'cause
it is not.. Once when it was very cold the pre-heater-light came on for
just a few seconds.. (well.. I don't kow if my light is broken..)
Hehe.. nice!! could be ;)
Hmm.. well.. might I think it might be my winch rather that the heater
that kills my batteries ;)
--
Michael Thorsager, Denmark, http://gallery.vx80.dk
1997 VX80, 2.5" OME (and some other stuff)
 
Michael
I told you already-it is the same here and it is nothing wrong!!!!
cheers
Lubo
On Jan 19, 2008 4:39 PM, Michael Thorsager (elco) <[Email address removed]> wrote:
> Well.. now I changed the batteries and well. the voltage is still
> "lower" for the first ~1min. of runtime.. but I measured the voltage
> with my trusty voltmeter and it is at 12,3V this is when the Voltmeter
> in the car is at the halfway mark..
>
> So with the new batteries the drop i Voltage is to 12V not below as it
> was with the old batteries.. (by the way they were totally shut) so the
> change was needed..
>
> Well my question is now.. is it normal with this drop in voltage for the
> first minute or so..?? (or should I get my Alternator checked?)
>
> --
> Michael Thorsager, Denmark, http://gallery.vx80.dk
> 1997 VX80, 2.5" OME (and some other stuff)
> --
> European Land Cruiser Owners Mailing List
> Further Info: http://www.landcruisers.info/lists/
>
 
Michael
| Jup that it only happens when starting from cold.. But tell me should
| the Pre-Heater lamp in dashboard be lit when this heater is on? 'cause
| it is not.. Once when it was very cold the pre-heater-light came on
for
| just a few seconds.. (well.. I don't kow if my light is broken..)
Mine does the same. It flickers on for maybe 1/2 second when I turn the
key, then goes out.
This is not explained in my instruction manual, but what I *believe* is
happening is this:
- Earlier versions of this engine (eg 1HZ) had glow plugs for cold
starting, and this was the glow plug warning light.
- But with a direct injection diesel these aren't really needed, and
also there is no room for them in the 4 valve cylinder head! So we
don't have any.
Toyota supplied the vehicles in different markets with the 1HZ as well
as the 1HD-FT engine, and I imagine it was cheaper for them to use a
single computer and dashboard for both versions.
So I should think we are seeing just a flicker of the 1HZ logic before
the computer tells it to "shut up" ... it doesn't seem to matter though.
Has anyone got a better explanation?
CB
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The glow-light is a warning, showing that the glow plug (pre chamber
engine) or grid (direct ign.) is not warm enogh.
So, on the direct ignition models, with the grid, the warning light will
be on for a second or two only when the temperatures are very low, e.g.
-20 C.
On e.g. a 1HZ, the light goes off when the plugs in the pre-combustion
chambers are supposed to be hot enough to give ignition. When driving
HZJ's in the middle east, I would have to wait for the light to go off
only when it was "extremely" cold in the mountains, like +5 C or colder.
U
On Sun, 20 Jan 2008 11:39:28 +0100, Christopher Bell
<[Email address removed]> wrote:
--
Ugo Hu, Oslo, Norway
HDJ100, Auto, AHC, 2001; ex HZJ80
 
UHu wrote:
ahh.. that makes sense! :) .. and it explains that my light came on for
just a short period of time driving to work one very cold winter morning..
Thanx :D
--
Michael Thorsager, Denmark, http://gallery.vx80.dk
1997 VX80, 2.5" OME (and some other stuff)
 
Michael
my light always comes for 1/2 second never matter the weather...
Lubo
On Jan 20, 2008 10:00 PM, Michael Thorsager (elco) <[Email address removed]>
wrote:
> UHu wrote:
> > The glow-light is a warning, showing that the glow plug (pre chamber
> > engine) or grid (direct ign.) is not warm enogh.
> > So, on the direct ignition models, with the grid, the warning light will
> > be on for a second or two only when the temperatures are very low, e.g.
> > -20 C.
> ahh.. that makes sense! :) .. and it explains that my light came on for
> just a short period of time driving to work one very cold winter morning..
>
> Thanx :D
> --
> Michael Thorsager, Denmark, http://gallery.vx80.dk
> 1997 VX80, 2.5" OME (and some other stuff)
> --
> European Land Cruiser Owners Mailing List
> Further Info: http://www.landcruisers.info/lists/
>
 
Lubomir Kolev wrote:
Yes mine does to, but this one time it came on again a short time of
driving.. I think i might have been when the heater switched off.. I
don't know, it was on for about 5-10seconds .. don't know if the heater
turned back on, or if the engine was hot enough in it self at that
point.. (well. it is a long time ago.. and it was VERY cold that morning)
--
Michael Thorsager, Denmark, http://gallery.vx80.dk
1997 VX80, 2.5" OME (and some other stuff)
 
That +5 is not cold. You guy's must be wimps or bad typers.
Respecteusement,
 
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