hi guys how's everybody? I don't know too much about cars and I need some help please:

car is a 1959 bug 1200 converted to 12V

over the past 2 days it's been raining in brisbane (good) but now my car has caught a cold (bad)

the car won't start by turning the key anymore. it seems like the battery is flat but I only charged it 3 weeks ago, and the battery tester showed that it was 'weak' not 'bad'.

Can I test my alternator/battery using a simple cheapie multi-meter? the battery charger and tester don't belong to me and I don't have them here

I thought it was the windscreen wipers taking all the power, because they are the fastest wipers I've ever seen. but tonight after a long drive to the city without using the wipers the car just didn't want to start.

any help would be greatly appreciated, I really need the car to run around in this week!

[Edited on 22-10-2004 by Lams]

Yeah easy,
test the volts @ the battery...... needs to be about 13.5 to 14 or more volts at idle

next test is with the car off...... take the pos lead off and test amps from positive of the battery to the lead to see how many amps are drawn:P

the windscreen wipers are fast because they are 6 volt wipers on a 12volt system. check connections at the back of the ignition switch.

will it start from jump start? if not then check the connections on the starter motor....when i got my baja there were lots of dodgy connections...one wire to the starter was hanging on by 2 strands of wire.

Nick

thanks for your help guys

so i can't do anything about these crazy wipers?

i havent tried jump start. i can push start it, but it took me 3 go's to push start it last night at southbank because the first 2 times I forgot to switch the car on! how stupid can you get...

could the 6V wiper motor have consumed all my battery's power by going so fast?

[Edited on 19-10-2004 by Lams]

Last question - no!:kiss

car's being bitchy today!

wouldn't start this morning. but when I went to HardingEuropean to show Paul, it started 3 times in a row!

the guys there tightened the fan belt hoping that would help to charge the car...

then when i was driving to daisy hill today suddenly the generator light on the speedo stayed on. I got out and found that the connector to the positive wire on the generator was broken!

drove home... found that the right brake/blinker lights have gone crazy!!

my gf wouldn't treat me like this :cry

add a resistor to the circut of the wiper motor that should slow it down a bit

i had problems styarting my car for a while... 3 months to be exact.

if you cant find fault with the battery, check your starter motor. it might be the solinoid, or even the whole starter thats needs replacement.

2nd hand should set you back $90 for a starter motor. well thats what volkshaven charged me dunno what youll get up north.

cheers, let us know about any more problems.
Daniel

similar thing happened with mine. battery died to nothing, so got it changed, bugger wouldn't idle then decided not to start. (over a few weeks time) got it checked out, and told my almost new spark plugs were gone. :duh

not a fan of the wipers- either off or crazy! i managed to snap mine last time it was raining...

well now the thing has somehow fixed itself... I'm wondering if it's a bad wiring in the headlights, because those 2 rainy days I had the lights on whenever I was driving.

just have to park on a hill whenever I park now... thanks for the help guys, after the exams I will take it to get it checked out.

Does anybody know how much an engine bay seal is?

and also approximately how much I should look at for getting rid of the oil dripping? it lets go of about 20 drips after each drive

:cussing

been experimenting a little with what gives the car weak starts and it looks like everytime after I drive with the mainbeam headlights for the whole trip the car will start weak

I don't think the car has a weak btatery/generator, as it charges back up during the day. so regulator needs adjustment maybe? has anybody had this one before?

...sounds like a faulty regulator (or generator) to me. The only way to tell is to measure the voltage at the battery with the car running to see what voltage you are getting. Do it with the lights on too and see what it says. It should be in the range listed by Desert Moose in the post above, but note - it will only show these voltages at revs, not at idle. A generator does not charge at an idle.

Do you drive the car at night (when it's not raining)? Does it happen (fail to start) after you have done this?

R