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battery problem?

Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2010 11:59 pm
by gpx000
hey guys i just have a quick question about my car.
when i turn the car on it sounds like its struggling to turn on. i was wondering if it was a battery problem?
i have a charger at home where i just plug red to red and black to black and then i plug it into the power point and it charges the battary.
after that it starts normally but that doesnt last long. itll still start but i have a feeling one day it just wont start.
do i need a bigger battery? if so what kind? and how much will i be looking at?
thanks guys.

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 12:20 am
by Chiinkstarrh
marine battery, the best

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 12:24 am
by silverGPX
5 things.
1. get new battery terminals
2. check for bad earth
3. make sure your alternator is charging the battery by monitoring the incabin voltage meter, make sure its between 12 and 14.
4. get a new battery
5. if that fails, check your startermotor.

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 7:13 pm
by EscapingFate
yeh i was gonna say possibly starter motor... but try battery first its prolly the cheaper option lol

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 8:58 pm
by gpx000
i was thinking it was the starter motor, however after i charge the battery it starts normally. its just after a few starts itll get weaker and weaker however will still start.
any suggestions for what kind of battery? should i get a bigger battery?? coz it wasnt like this when we bought it. however we changed the bulbs to higher watts and we installed a new sound system, so do you think its just not enough voltage?

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 10:05 pm
by Chiinkstarrh
possibly your alternator .. fto"s most common problem if urs havnt experienced it yet

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 10:10 pm
by silverGPX
give your starter motor a few taps with a hammer when it gets slow. if it immediaetly gets quicker the motors on its way out.

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 10:11 pm
by gpx000
is the alternator a big job? well im not too sure coz we bought the car off AJ and im not sure what kind of problems it had if any or what major changes he made. but im pretty sure he did a major service as i saw on one of the receipts.

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 10:12 pm
by gpx000
yeah thats what we did to our old celica. we changed the starter motor however that wasnt the problem. it was an ECU problem haha so we sold it and bought and FTO.

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 10:13 pm
by Chiinkstarrh
could be the alternator not chargin it properly..its not a big job ..its jst a pain in the ass to get it out lol!

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 10:15 pm
by silverGPX
did u tap the fto then?

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 11:01 pm
by gpx000
what do you mean tap the fto?

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2010 11:52 pm
by silverGPX
Did you tap the starter motor on the fto

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 12:02 am
by gpx000
nope i havent tried that yet. im guessing it would either be the alternator or simply the battery.
ill check it out guys.

thanks! much appreciated.

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 4:10 am
by bduffman
u would notice if its starter motor it will make a really bad noise every start trust me mine has been
sounds like your battery isnt holding a charge properly if its a stock fto battery throw it out there sh*t
if you have any other cars swap the batterys over and see if the other car then has issues and yours dosent if so def battery if not then alt or some thing else

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 11:03 am
by AJ
I changed the battery in 2009 as it had gone flat while I was in the UK. it wasn't the original anyway. The car used to have a much bigger battery but when I got the CAI put on I had to replace it for a smaller one so that it didn't rub the CAI pipe. It was sort of on my 'to do' list to relocate the battery to the boot so that I could fit a bigger one in.

I only used to drive that car on the weekends really and it always started for me with no problems.

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 2:51 pm
by gpx000
yeah AJ it was working all good when we bought it. it was just after we installed the new system and replaced the bulbs just thought it would use more voltage.
your car is working perfect atm. we did a few changes in the interior. we moved the gauges into a universal side panel so we we were able to install a 7 inch touch screen, we replaced the speakers at the back and added a sub. we also installed reverse sensors and a camera just so i dont hit anything. planning to get a carbon fiber exhaust and new rims next but we'll see how it goes. dont worry im looking after your car :D.

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 3:20 pm
by silverGPX
carbon fiber exhaust aye..

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 3:55 pm
by gpx000
hahaha yeah coz my dad has 2 on his f150 in filz and it sounds good. so i was planning to get a pair.
is that a good idea? haha or bad idea?

Re: battery problem?

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 7:00 pm
by bduffman
You talking bout a full custom carbon pipeing or just the cannon style carbon muffler