Saturday, April 14, 2007

car didn't start


I helped out with a car problem yesterday. Turns out the battery was seriously dead. When the auto service guy came by to give them a jump, it still wouldn't start. He tried first with a small, portable battery and next by parking his truck ("bakkie" in local speak) next to the car and jumping it directly. Minna called a local garage - across the street! - they put a new battery and it worked right away.

The battery was an old unsealed wet-cell type. I haven't seen one of those since the 1970s, as Minna mentioned. It's one where the electrolyte can evaporate over time so you need to pop the cap and add the sulphuric acid mix. I remember my grandfather having a jug of battery acid around to top off the battery, and a device for measuring the SO4 level though the density. It was a small bulb-type dropper with balls inside at slightly different densities. Specifically, a ball-type hydrometer. I've only seen the gel-type batteries.

This was a car-type problem I could help out with. I've replaced car batteries, and two starter motors. Replacing the one one my old '82 AMC Spirit was easy. Replacing Chuck's .. Datsun, I think .. was harder. It was hard to reach, and the first replacement part I got from AutoZone didn't work! The second did, which was a relief to me as otherwise I would have thought I was doing something wrong.

It's easy to diagnose too.

A difference between me and a mechanic is the mechanic said his next step was to check the alternator and see if it was putting out enough current. After all, why did the battery go bad in the first place.

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