[apex]

hey everyone,



this is a tale with many of the same morals we already know, and two questions.



<begin long version of post, skip to questions below if desired>



well my left rear yokohama took a spike on the way to work this morning

you could hear it popping on the pavement

tic tic tic tic

so after stopping to ID the problem and noticing that I was losing air, I dropped it off at the most reputable of our wheel shops for a fix.

just two minutes away, so not a long drive. plenty of air in tire when I got there.



went to pick up the car, and <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/mad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



<img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/mad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> the moron who signed in the car ignored the nice key ring on my key, broke open the two halfs of my battery key to get the stupid white tag&string thing on there so they knew it was mine, *dumped* the button, batteries, and LED on the floor (at least that's where I found them)



<img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/mad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> left the key in the *on* position, so that when I went to pick up the car the battery was dead.



I mean HFS Batman, what gives?



The service manager was nice enough - promised to replace the battery if it wouldn't hold the re-charge.



See... another reminder NEVER to let anyone else touch our cars!



<end long story, cut to questions>



1. any damage possible by leaving key "on" like that for several hours?

2. when charging, my amp gauge reads 12.5 volts, and an exterior ammeter reads 13V. what is correct spec for our alternators? the service manager was speculating that 13 was too low, and perhaps that's why the battery drained quickly.



Any commiseration and answers appreciated! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[flash]

!@#$%^&*( -



hate that



first, advice - get a valet key made



output at idle should be 13.4 - 13.6 or so, up to 13.8 - 14 at 3k - the gauge on the dash is known to read low by about .5v from the above



check the water - top off with distilled water (not tap water)



batteries will provide less voltage at higher temperatures too

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[mitch968]

My new (reman) alternator puts out 13.8v at idle when cold and it drops to about 13.5v when hot. This is measured at the battery posts without any accessories on.

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[968rz]

Put the battery on a slow charge over night. Altenators really aren't meant to "charge" a battery but rather "maintain" the charge and wont fully charge the unit for some time (plus its hard on the alt).

I left my key on the other night, jumped my 68 with the wifes SUV in the morning and the volt gauge read 12.5 at speed; trickle charged the batt over the day and the gauge read 14( has been there since, as it was before).

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[Renalicious]

Hmm, my battery must be getting old, it usually reads between 12 - 13, usually closer to 12. Time to invest in one of those lightweight batteries! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[apex]

We used the shops charger for about 1/2 hr yesterday. Not a trickle charge by any means, but seems to have worked.



Thanks for the tip about the valet key, flash!

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