car battery?

Question

how can you check the condition of your car battery, basically i have an old diesel that doesnt like cold starts in the morning so im guessing its either the battery or the glowplugs

i have a multimeter and have checked the voltage between the terminals (from memory its about 13.5 volts) what other tests can you do??

thanks

mm

the car is a 1995 peugeot 1.9 Diesel i think the battery was changed about 1 year ago iv only had it 3 weeks thanks for all your comments

Answer 1

Hi there,
If your battery turns the engine over and the engine fails to start and it's smokey, it's more than likely to be the glowplugs. If you are checking the glowplugs DON'T remove them from the engine, remove the connections from the other glowplugs and using a multimeter that has Ohms test the glowplugs for resistance and at a minimum 2ohms is acceptable, anything lower than that, It's new glowplugs req'd.
It's easy to use jump leads and strike 12v's across them but that still won't tell you if they are heating up properly. Use the above procedure, it's more reliable.
Good Luck

Answer 2

is your car a renault, my laguna has an excellent battery and new glow plugs but the dash light goes out too early and the plugs are not ready it's a right pain in the backside trying to guess the correct time if you turn to early or too late it wont start on cold mornings. also avoid parking uphill as the diesel some times runs back to the tank and you may have to purge it a couple of times

Answer 3

If it starts ok when it is warm then its probably not your battery, if you want to check your glowplugs take them out one at a time
, earth the body of the plug (the hexagonal bit you unscrewed it with) on the earth terminal and touch a wire from live across to the threaded section where the nut goes on, the black finger should glow up orange. obviousley its bloody hot so hold the glowplug with pliers! If it doesnt glow up its knackered.

Answer 4

How old. I got an 84.
Before you blame the glow plugs, remember they need a good battery. How many cranking amps is the battery rated for.? 675 is minimum I think. I got 1000 cause it fits under the hood. "The more the better" Its easier on the starter and all other components.
If you got to blame something, battery first.

Answer 5

Check the specific gravity of the electrolyte in each cell with a hydrometer, it will show if you have a dead or dying cell. You can probably find out the specific gravity ideal for your battery. Hydrometers are around £7-£10 to buy. I hope this helps.

Answer 6

A standing load test puts a voltage test on the battery, it draws a large amount of voltage between coils.

Answer 7

Basically you need to get it load tested which is checking to see how well does the voltage stand up while the amperage of the battery is being puled out. Its a pretty simple procedure

Answer 8

Any garage will check the condition of your battery.
We are in the UK and had to call out the AA for a flat battery.
The AA man told us exactly what was what
Good luck

Answer 9

I think it more liekly to be the glowplugs had same problem bought a new battery but it was the glow plugs anyway hope this is helpful

Answer 10

You can do a drop test but you need a drop tester or an sp test but you need an hydrometer.