Battery Games

[Diesel911]

If you have your own story to tell add to the thread:

Having skipped lunch due to having to take a relative to the Doctors; and finally on my way home I decided to pull into a Taco Bell.

Ready to leave I turned the Ignition Key only to hear a barley audible click. Not even the type of click you would hear from a Starter Solenoid.
My Car (the Volvo Diesel) had been running fine with no indication of any charging problems (over 10 years ago installed a Voltmeter in the Dash).

Fortunately a few days before I had bought another (I think I have 3 more somewhere) Volt/Ohm meter from Harbor Freight at $2.99 and had tossed it into the Trunk and never put it in my Tool Box like I was supposed to.

I used the Meter to check the Battery and I was showing 12.69 volts and I also checked the Battery Terminals; OK.

Tried the key again and got nothing;. Turned on my Lights and found that I had no Lights. Tried my Glow Plug switch that is wired directly to the Battery (as the Lights are) and nothing?

Now I am thinking that maybe one of my Cables is no good and used the Volt Meter to probe for positive Voltage at the Starter. I was getting 12 Volts there also so this told me that my Positive Cable and Ground Cable must be working.

I decided to try to jumper wire the Starter Solenoid so that I could get out and get home. Nothing happened; no noise and no spark!

At this point I began to suspect the Battery. While it was still showing 12 Volts across the Battery Terminals I carefully took a Steel Punch and laid them across the Battery Terminals.

All I got was a tiny spark; pretty much indicating that something internal had gone wrong in the battery.

More good fortune was that there was an Autozone on the other side of the Intersection.

I walked over and bought a new Battery; installed it and was on my way home.

If I had not had the Volt/Ohm Meter with me I would not have been sure it was the Battery or not; I would have had to wait for the AAA to Tow me home.

One of those rare times when the Battery itself was the problem. (No warranty on the Old Batter as it was a left over from my Step Father who Passed Ons Electric Wheelchair.)