I'm sorry for the many threads but I feel like the situation changes often enough to need a new thread. (+ I had to use the title)
That said, this is more of a 'character development' episode. Yesterday's old news is here.
Feel free to tune out... short end is I still don't know what's up and now I need to buy a battery.


I sure hope it's the battery...

I was misreading my receipt... 11/12/2007 would be a year ago tomorrow i guess, not december 11.

So i got a lift from a buddy and took the battery into autolectra where i bought it.
Last time I went (in my car) these guys told me they'd have to keep the battery for two days to charge it properly.

So the guy mutters something about the guarantee on these being maybe only 6 months, takes it to the back room and comes back in 2 minutes and tells me 'the battery is perfect'. So I ask for a readout or more details and I start hearing what I believe to be utter BS... fun...

After a lot of what I believe to be BS (including "...if that's the case then your alternator has damaged the battery", "...well if that's the case then the battery shouldn't test good on your machine.") the boss gets involved and after about a 10 minute discussion (at times bordering on heated) he throws his hands in the air and says "fine, you want to check it yourself?" so i say "ok" and after a pause and long stare he realizes he doesn't have much choice now and we go to the back where there's this guy in a workshop full of alternators and stuff in pieces.

He pulls out this little handheld battery tester and clips it on the battery, turns it on for around 5 seconds, and then points to the analog needle, which is wobbling at around 10.5V, just barely above the 'good' line and says "see? it's good."

So I ask what kind of current that thing is drawing and get a long stare "I don't know it doesn't say... look, the wires are red, it's working."

(sigh)"nothing's written on the back or anything?"

"no"

"can i see?"

so he flips it over and there's a plate on it that reads 100A battery tester.

"So you're testing a 540 amp battery with 100 amps for 10 seconds?"

"yes"

pause

(Boss-)"You know what I'm going to do, I'm going to give you your money back for this battery because I guarantee you if I just replace it you'll just be back in 3 months with the same problem."

"Works for me..."



So anyway, whether or not the battery is my problem, I get to go shopping for a new one now so I'll find out soon enough. I don't want to mess around with the battery pan so I think I'll get the 94R one, I think that's the biggest dimensions that will fit. Maybe one with a longer guarantee this time, whew that was close! Thanks guys, without the guidance I've had here there is no way I would have been able to pursue that as far as I did. I should say I believe the boss truly believed the battery was good, and I will feel bad if it turns out to be something else.



Let's see, that's 3 alternators, 3 batteries, 2 ihkrs, 2 soon to be 3 clusterboards... I wonder what's for dessert? (...starter maybe?)



tbc...