Having issues with battery/starting

[STOIE]

Paul: Tried disconnecting the battery and the car worked fine, didn't stall so not the alternator.

It wouldn't stall, but the interior lights/stero etc. wouldn't work if the alt was furked.

[mikinoz]

I'd check the connections at the terminals to ensure the cable and the terminals (this is the terminal on the cable itself) are well seated. I had this same issue and it was the positive cable loose in the pole terminal - replaced the earth and + and never looked back.

Good luck.

It is not really a voltage drop, this is sounding like a broken circuit.

What happened in the carpark, how did you get it going?

[STOIE]

I believe he rolled it.

But the bad thing is with the connectors they are aftermarket and it has a voltage display on the pos terminal.
The cable connectors seem really dodgy that are attached to it, they have these sort of ball joints...

I would seriously piss those off Nick, maybe give Paul a call and see if he has a set, or maybe the battery factory???

Aaron.

[mikinoz]

Just get yourself 2 x stock starter cables and 2 new terminals, keep it simple and go from there is my advice.

[STOIE]

That's pretty much my feelings too.

[valgamesh]

Update:

Ok so this is the aftermarket voltage display:



At first I thought it was a smart idea to have one of these because it meant you didn't need a multimeter to check the voltage...

Wrong! There is a button which the hood cuts off when its closed and when you open the hood the button releases and the voltage display lights up... good idea but bad when the hood has flex/warping meaning that unless the hood sits perfect and no one breaths around it the button doesn't actually turn off meaning the battery drains...

Now this button isn't the problem I've been trying to figure out, I've had the button disabled since I got the car. It's everything else to do with the button:



Got up this morning and the car decided it didn't want to work again, popped the hood and 'jiggled' the positive cable attached the the gauge and I heard the central locking flicker. The car kicked once but the cable moved and being cold the car didn't start. 'Jiggled' the cable a couple more times and the car started fine.

So hopefully by replacing the voltage gauge with the new normal cable I got this morning I won't have a problem.

[STOIE]

Yeah, anyway will head to Jaycar at lunch and see what we can find in the way of connectors...

Good to have a pic online as a reference, it helps when trying to identify anything.

[velly_16v_cab]

one thing to check it the boot light, the swtich for mine was broken so it was staying on, i ripped it all out to solve this

also check glovebox light (yes a mk2 does have one hehehe)

[STOIE]

Both of those have been replaced for after-market neons...

Could check them out, but I cannot see them drawing that much power so quickly...

[Jarred]

Both of those have been replaced for after-market neons...

Could check them out, but I cannot see them drawing that much power so quickly...

me neither. those things would draw very little ampage, and only drain a battery over a long period, not over night. I'm still going with a break in a circut and a leak somewhere, hopefully it's the terminal as was shown!