Date: Tue, 15 Jun 1999 12:40:52 GMT From: wilkinspnopsamnet.au (Peter Wilkins) Subject: Re: Battery Warning
On Mon, 14 Jun 1999 21:33:53 +0800, watersnopsamfic.net.hk wrote : >My battery just died (94 900s 2.3 non-turbo RHD model) after >going flat 3-4 times and being unable to hold a charge more >than a few hours. There was never a warning light or message >on the display panel. Once, I had a radiator hose leaking >and the panel chimed and said "Coolant Low" in almost no >time. Why nothing with the battery? If I had a proper >voltmeter I would have seen something. It's easy to detect low coolant or oil: not quite so easy to reliably detect battery condition, and a voltmeter wouldn't help all that much - it would show the regulation 15 to 16V with the engine running, and probably between 11 and 14V with the engine off. Just like a normal battery. It wouldn't show that the battery was leaking internally (won't hold a charge) as you need specialised equipment to detect internal leakage. After the first warning flat battery, you should have taken it for a free check at the local battery dealers. So I guess that's why Saab don't have a voltmeter. Not many other cars do, these days, so it's not just a Saab problem. I always carry a small multimeter in the toolkit anyway, just in case I need it. I guess if you got over 4 years life out of the battery, you should consider yourself lucky: that's better than par for the course in my experience. -- _--_|\ Peter Wilkins Email : wilkinspnopsamnet.au / \ 2/24 Cove Avenue Phone/Fax : +61 2 9977 2395 \_.--._* MANLY, NSW, 2095, Mobile: 0411 525 273 v AUSTRALIA