[DeTomaso] Slow cranking when hot

[Thomas Törnblom]

You should never connect anything directly to the battery. That will screw your ammeter up. You can connect it to the B+ terminal on the alternator if you want, that will not affect the ammeter and will provide a shorter current path. 

Thomas

> 17 juli 2017 kl. 11:56 skrev Robert Stroj <npdrs at maui.net>:
> 
>   Hi,
> 
>   Sorry for not giving all specifics, here are the details;
> 
>   Yes, my car is parked 9 months, used only 3 summer months per year.
> 
>   I do have battery switch, little screw-on contact breaker at battery
>   ground terminal.
> 
>   I also really like this solution as it not only keeps battery charged
>   during storage but it is completely removable, so it gives extra
>   "anti-theft" protection on a trip if car is left parked outside
>   overnight.
> 
>   This summer I already drove few times before Dolomites trip, mostly
>   short 1/2-1h drives each time.
> 
>   I never experienced hard starting before, it happened first time during
>   second refueling on first day.
> 
>   We drove many mountain passes and car would start completely normal,
>   cranking really fast for next, I guess, 3-5 times.
> 
>   Then, after next refueling, again it cranked really slow, than again no
>   problem at all during next 3 stops, and, than again really slow/hard
>   start on top of mountain pass.....then no problem any longer during
>   next two days (at least 10-20 more starts, both cold and hot).
> 
>   I do not have ammeter as it got replaced with Oil temperature gauge, so
>   can not comment on charging, but I guess this should be Ok since
>   battery seems to keep good charge, even after long drives with lights
>   on.
> 
>   One strange problem I do have, but doubt it is related to this starting
>   issue is voltage drop at the instrument panel when lights are switched
>   on.
> 
>   I first noticed how my water temperature would jump up about 15 degrees
>   the moment you switch on headlights.
> 
>   I measured instruments supply voltage at the bottom fuse on fuse panel
>   (with car not running) and it is 11.8v without headlights on, dropping
>   to 11.3v with headlights on.
> 
>    I will look further into this and make more measurements with car
>   running and try to find out where the voltage drop comes from.
> 
>   It is probably a good idea to install some fused relays next to the
>   battery and run headlights trough those.
> 
>   For starting issues I will first check all the big ground connections
>   and see if it comes back again; if it does, will make sure to have
>   voltmeter in the car to measure voltages at the battery and at starter
>   during cranking.
> 
>   All the best, Robert
> 
>   On Jul 17, 2017, at 5:59 AM, [1]MikeLDrew at aol.com wrote:
> 
>   In a message dated 7/16/17 2 49 18, [2]npdrs at maui.net writes:
> 
>     Thanks for all great suggestions, I will check one by one, starting
>     with battery, grounding......
>     What is strange that it had this problem 3 times on first day, but
>     it never happened again on second and third day of the trip....car
>     definitely got just as hot on those days!?
> 
>>>> Robert,
>   I think there is much that has been left unsaid in your story.
>   Isn't it true that you live in Hawaii and your Pantera lives in Europe,
>   and you visit it occasionally and drive it for awhile?  And isn't it
>   then true that you came to your car this week and turned the key for
>   the first time in a long while, and then experienced the problem on the
>   first day, but not on the subsequent days?
>   If I have that correct (it's supposition based on things you have said
>   in months/years past), then the problem is likely an obvious one--you
>   had a weak battery from sitting for a long time.  It was strong enough
>   to start the car when cold, not strong enough initially to start when
>   hot.  But after driving for a few hours, your alternator was able to
>   return the battery to a fully charged state, and therefore it's
>   subsequently working just fine.
>   Is that a true statement?
>   Was your ammeter deflected towards the 'charge' side on the first day,
>   indicating that the alternator was pouring energy into your battery to
>   try to get it back to a fully charged state?  Is that deflection less
>   now?
>   If I lined up all my guesses correctly, you don't really have a problem
>   other than improper car storage.
>   Do you have a battery cutoff switch?  I have had tremendous luck with
>   those, extending the life and the fully charged state of my batteries
>   to an almost endless degree.  Even when you don't have any obvious
>   electrical 'parasites' on your car such as a clock, alarm system etc.,
>   when a battery is left connected, it slowly drains.  A cutoff switch
>   isolates it, and it seems to retain its charge almost forever.
>   Tell me if I'm right?
>   Mike
> 
> References
> 
>   1. mailto:MikeLDrew at aol.com
>   2. mailto:npdrs at maui.net
> 
> 
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