Re: Sluggish start revisited--

[alex.fadeev@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Doug,
What do you mean by "battery has a green light"?
I would suggest buying a half decent voltmeter and measuring the exact
voltage. With the engine off, the battery should put out 12+V. With the
engine running and alternator charging the battery you should measure 13-14
Volts regardless of other loads (lights, AC, etc) as long as the voltage
regulator is working properly.
A slow cranking engine is an indication of a poorly charged battery. Your
battery could be heading south (how old is it?) or it may not be getting
fully charged by the alternator.

HTH,
alex f




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|         |           dmax            |
|         |           <dmax@bellatlant|
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|         |           01/10/02 09:06  |
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  |        To:      bmw-digest@domain.elided                                                                         |
  |        cc:                                                                                                    |
  |        Subject: Sluggish start revisited--                                                                    |
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My car ('92 325i  100K)  was cranking slowly in the am (in NJ-- weather
getting cold).  Changed to lighter oil. Still cranking slow and then
turning over.

Battery has a 'green light' so seems to be charged.  What else might
cause the motor to crank really slow at first and then turn over?  Could
battery still be bad (and/or alternator) if I'm still getting a 'okay'
indicator from the battery?

Sorry for all the questions, but I want to go for a ride, not taken one
for one and would appreciate whatever diagnostic advice you can offer.

Oh, if my CV joint is going bad, when I get it replaced do I need to do
an alignment also...and how long can it stay bad without affecting
safety?

Thanks a lot...again!

Doug

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