re: Battery water level

[Jay Negrin <jmnegrin@domain.elided>]

Zach -

Low battery voltage can cause many unusual things to happen.  Specific
to a 164?  I can get into details without making them up.  I'm sure I
could, but....

I do remember when my other car had a traumatic battery failure,
though.  Water level appeared OK in all 6 cells.  There was barely
enough juice to light up some idiot lights, though.  I could jump start
it though, and I did from the Alfa (of course!).  The mechanic said that
one cell had "gone bad".  I assume that there was an internal short, as
a lengthy freeway run, in addition to a overnighter on a trickle charger
had no effect what-so-ever.

What's the voltage on the thang, anyway?

Best of....

Jay Negrin
ARO So Cal


Hey folks, been having a problem with the battery in my '91 164S.  It
does not appear to be taking a charge, even after sitting on a trickle
charge for
several days.  I just checked the water level yesterday.  The plates are
not dry from what I can see through the filler holes, but it does not
appear the
level is completely full.  Each filler hole has a 'dipstick' that starts
from the top of the hole & reaches down towards the plates.  The water
level was
below all the dipsticks.  I have filled all of these up (almost =
gallon) of distilled water & put it back on the charger.  This is a
heavy duty fleet
commercial battery, a big sucker.  If the battery was drained
significantly or had an internal short, could it cause all sorts of
wacky things to happen when I hook the battery up to the car?  Such as,
front seats try to extend to past their full vertical limit; various
clicks (relays/solenoids?) are heard from
behind the dash, etc.  All this started happening after I forgot to turn
off the alarm when I left it in storage for several months.  The battery
drained &
set off the alarm.  Since I did not have the alarm key I had to
disassemble the alarm siren & cut the wires to the internal battery
pack.  After getting
some keys cut I reassembled & put it all back together.  The remote key
fob does not turn off the alarm system & I cannot start the car with
this battery,
no matter if the alarm system is enabled or manually disabled at the
siren with the key.  No I have not tried another one.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thx,

Zach
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