Comments for Battery Chat

Comment on How to tell a Zinc–carbon battery leak from a Alkaline battery leak without knowing what cells were installed? by Frank B

Frank B — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:09:59 +0000

Potassium hydroxide leaks from Alkaline batteries and form a feathery crystalline structure…. check the "leak" section of this wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkaline_battery

I would call or bring the device to Batteries Plus… They should be able to tell you for sure.

Batteries Plus phone number is: 1.800.677.8278

Website: http://www.batteriesplus.com
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Comment on Why is the battery warning light in my 1990 Holden Commodore intermittently on? by Steve_in_SA

Steve_in_SA — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:15:59 +0000

The light indicates the health of your charging system not your battery.

My guess is the voltage regulator in the alternator is failing. The regulator is the little black box on the alternator that two wires PLUG into. The other wire which is thicker is bolted onto the back of your alternator check it also as it may be loose. DISCONNECT BATTERY FIRST.

Take your car to mechanical workshop and they can test it for you.

A new regulator should cost around $20 in an auto parts store like Autobahn and are easy to fit.
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Comment on Why is the battery warning light in my 1990 Holden Commodore intermittently on? by Denisc

Denisc — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:32:59 +0000

Is your fan belt tight? It may be loose if so will need replacing because it is a self adjusting system. Or the battery acid may be down & you need o replace distilled water to cover the plates.
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Comment on Why is the battery warning light in my 1990 Holden Commodore intermittently on? by pbleek

pbleek — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:22:59 +0000

The battery light measures your charging system, ie. your alternator. Likely the alternator output is weak.
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Comment on My battery tester says there’s a fire risk if I used it without a fuse - can one AA battery cause a fire? by numsadog

numsadog — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 02:42:59 +0000

Fuses are fitted to devices for very good reasons and should always be replaced with one of the correct rating. Never replace a fuse with a bit of wire or foil.
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Comment on Where can I get a battery tester with a 10-amp DC range? by Or Black

Or Black — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:20:59 +0000

try 19-Range Analog Multimeter http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0035KHFS2?ie=UTF8&tag=digitsy-marina-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0035KHFS2 or see more
http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D14%26ref_%3Dnb%5Fsb%5Fnoss%26y%3D17%26field-keywords%3Dbattery%2520tester%2520%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Daps&tag=digitsy-marina-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957
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Comment on Where can I get a battery tester with a 10-amp DC range? by Gort

Gort — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:54:59 +0000

you may not know this, but a 12 volt test light works just as well. unhook battery clamp alligator clip on battery post, stick probe in unhooked cable. now the light is on. unplug fuses till light goes out.
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mechanic/electrician

Comment on Where can I get a battery tester with a 10-amp DC range? by Tim

Tim — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:11:59 +0000

A multimeter will work fine you just need to set it up right and disconnect either the pos. or neg. and place one side of the multimeter lead to the batt side and the other to the connector and it will tell you the current and if you open the door and the light comes on the draw neg or pos will go up this is normal remember that there should be a small amount of currant this is normal look for info on the web for how much currant is normal for your year make and model
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Comment on Where can I get a battery tester with a 10-amp DC range? by Karle

Karle — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:05:59 +0000

yes standard multimeter will work…..but will need a "higher quality" or good brand version since most of the cheap ones won’t do this….

** btw most common "fix" for the parasitic drain is to hook up a quick-connect ot the battery and disconnect it every time …..or to hook up a battery tender…..usually the solar ones that way it gets charged all the time…
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Comment on Laptop battery tips! Is it good or bad to run the laptop without the battery? by nikkai

nikkai — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 11:48:59 +0000

It is up to you BUT
If the power goes off then your laptop will also go off and there is where your problems can come many fold

First of all you are running your OS which will not like being shut down is such a way
Then the DVD program will also not like being shutdown is such a way.
So if you accidentally knock out the power cord or the mains goes off there could be data errors left on your hard drive because the read arm is not stopped in the ‘park position’ also the chip set may be hot due to driving the video and sound devises and then suddenly not having a cooling fan the residual heat could end up damaging those chip sets

I NEVER run without my battery installed I do conditionally use my battery though
As I said it is up to you
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