installed new battery and now it keeps stalling

azza · Post by **azza** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 11:09 am

ARG lol any ideas on this would be great

put my new battery in (one that was specific to FTO) anyway
started it up all went fine then let it warm up, came back and it had turned off, anyway started it up again went for a drive and when eva i came to a stop my car would die (or going over a speed hump) !, any ideas on what it could be? ive cleaned the terminals with baking soda, and they didnt look to dirty. The battery doesnt sit to well because it smalled then my old one though its pretty secure.

Thanks!

scarecrow · Post by **scarecrow** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 11:12 am

How long did it take you to change the battery over? Chances are the stepper motor probably reset it's position. It will take a day or two of driving for it to fix itself, will be cutting out at sets of lights and stuff in the mean time while idling. Don't worry, the problem will go away before you know it!

azza · Post by **azza** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 11:33 am

ahh it took about 30 mins... lol il give it a couple of days of driving (pain in the put at traffic lights with people behind me lol) and see how it goes then! thanks for the tip

Spud · Post by **Spud** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 2:08 pm

I just did exactly the same thing today; had the battery charging overnight, plugged it back in this morning, started her up, beautiful. Purred like a cat (like a black panther I should say). Take it for a drive, first intersection the car stalls lol. What the?? Next set of lights same thing. What is going on here?? Pull into a mates place, stalls.
Turn the car back on straight away and let it idle for a bit. We pop the bonnet open, lean over the engine bay and pretend like we know what we're looking for... 5 mins later take it for a drive, problem gone.

This all happened in about 30mins I'd say. All seems well now.

Does the stepper motor fix itself that quick do think scarecrow? Or should azza and I expect a few more stalls for the next couple of days?

Spud · Post by **Spud** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 9:46 am

Just out of curiosity, is it safe to put your car battery on the charger with it still wired to your car? Or should you always disconnect everything before attaching a car charger?

bobz · Post by **bobz** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 12:10 pm

Always disconnect the battery from the car before you connect the charger.

BobZ

Spud · Post by **Spud** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 7:13 pm

Cheers BobZ

Nacho · Post by **Nacho** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 7:27 pm

bobz wrote:Always disconnect the battery from the car before you connect the charger.

BobZ

Do you mind me asking why?

Spud · Post by **Spud** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 7:32 pm

Oh I was gonna chuck the charger back on this morning and thought can I just stick it back on without disconnecting the terminals again. Thought I'd ask first hehe. Better safe than sorry.

khunjeng · Post by **khunjeng** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 8:13 pm

its always a good idea to disconnected the leads as its not that hard. However in the example when u might jump start your car the cables must be connected - obviously.

To cut a long and boring story short your simply wiring the battery up in parallel to the dead one and the charge voltage is "seen" by anything that is turned on. So make sure its regulated and stuff is all off just in case.

I notice some instructions leave the wires on and connect the -Ve to the body using it as the return path to the battery as its typically earthed also. Intresting..

Spud · Post by **Spud** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 8:23 pm

very interesting indeed. Me and electricity don't get along very well so I'll think I'll just disconnect the batter first hehe.

Speaking of electicity, I've noticed recently that everytime I get out of the car I shock myself when I close the door behind me. Is there a simple explanation to this? I'm wondering if in some small way this is related to my battery eventually going flat.

jonowong · Post by **jonowong** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 8:38 pm

nah its just the wind creates static electricity...

Storm · Post by **Storm** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 8:53 pm

jonowong wrote:nah its just the wind creates static electricity...

Best to steer clear of the brussel sprouts before you drive then

idawina · Post by **idawina** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 4:04 pm

after you disconnect your battery, the stepper motor has to "learn" what do do all over again. First start up after you re-connect the battery, just start the motor and dont touch the throttle, just leave it to idle until the motor warms up completely to normal working temp. (around 10 mins) The stepper motor "learns" how to adjust as the engine warms up then. Unless i do this mine plays up aswell!

khunjeng · Post by **khunjeng** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 4:12 pm

idawina wrote:after you disconnect your battery, the stepper motor has to "learn" what do do all over again. First start up after you re-connect the battery, just start the motor and dont touch the throttle, just leave it to idle until the motor warms up completely to normal working temp. (around 10 mins) The stepper motor "learns" how to adjust as the engine warms up then. Unless i do this mine plays up aswell!

good advice...intresting to see how it goes.

khunjeng · Post by **khunjeng** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 4:18 pm

jonowong wrote:nah its just the wind creates static electricity...

lol unless your talking solar wind then your way off mate.

There are several things that exacerbate static electricity problems in cars, One is the relative humidity. When the air is very dry. The second factor is tires. Tires play a crucial role in discharging the static electricity that builds up while you drive. And lots of newer "low rolling resistance" tires are poorer at discharging static than older tires. The final factor is the clothes your wear against your seats etc insluding the matts on the floor and your shoes etc.

The only thing you can really influence is how well your car discharges the static electricity. So you can either go to "higher rolling resistance" tires, which is impractical because tires are expensive and because increasing your rolling resistance will reduce your gas mileage. Or you can find another way to discharge the "charge."

Nacho · Post by **Nacho** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 4:51 pm

Spud wrote:Speaking of electicity, I've noticed recently that everytime I get out of the car I shock myself when I close the door behind me. Is there a simple explanation to this? I'm wondering if in some small way this is related to my battery eventually going flat.

Probably just your hands constantly rubbing on the steering wheel.

Spud · Post by **Spud** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 5:02 pm

Nacho wrote:Probably just your hands constantly rubbing on the steering wheel.

Call me Powder (If anyone ever saw that film)

Ok I have a new question now. Was driving last night an noticed some kind of whining sound when I accelerate. What I also noticed when I accelerate is the battery light turns on and gets brighter and brighter the more I accelerate. I don't know if the two are related but either way I'd like to know what's going on all round.

The battery gauge sits on 12 or just under when idling. Battery light appears off. When I accelerate or when I'm just driving the battery gauge sits on 13-14. Batter light is on but dull untill I up the revs. At MIVEC revs it's nice and bright lol.

Any ideas?

Oh and I just charged the battery up last week with what I though was just a flat battery. Battery seems fine on the multimeter tests with the car running with and without all accessories.

mxysxy · Post by **mxysxy** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 5:08 pm

Your alternator is dead for sure.
You need to reco it immediately.

I think it is only charging a tiny bit in your case, Be careful though, the moment your battery go flat you wont be able to drive or start the car.

Exactly the same happened to me 3 months ago; the night I should drop the car to Autosalon

Spud · Post by **Spud** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 5:30 pm

Oh wow ok. Reco is the best way to go then? Is a new one plausible or is that an expensive part for the FTO?