[diesel_mercedes] Automotive Battery Life

 


What's the CCA rating ? (it's on the barrtey's stickers) .


I've seen quite a few Mercedes Diesel with 700 or 750 CCA batteries , this is too low and combined with the off brand voltage regulator's chronic undercharging , will cause short battery life from overwork .


FWIW , the # 1 killer of batteries is overcharging .


# 2 is vibration so if you don't have those cute little hold down clamps , get two from  Tom Hansen @ The Mercedes Classic Center , mailed right to your doorstep .



-Nate
        <attymw@...> (? WHO ?) Wrote :

I've had three batteries replaced under warranty in one year. Don't know why.


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Re: [diesel_mercedes] Charging Lamp & Rate

 


Simple Max ~

Replace the less than $30 regulator / brush holder with the correct BOSCH branded one and find out .


Two screws , 15 minutes .


-Nate


       Max Wrote :

I have a weird alternator story. On the 240 auto I have been tru about 6 or 7 alternators. I bought a lifetime Schumcks so I've always replaced the whole thing and they keep giving me a replacement, no questions. I wonder about the voltage regulators on these things, they sure dont look like much. On this car it seems to only go out of long drives, like to California from here. Otherwise no problems. What do you guys make of that? Max



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Re: [diesel_mercedes] Charging Lamp & Rate

 


Correct ;

Adding direct ground cables from alternator to battery on older vehicles is wise as you're allowed .01 (that's on tenth of a volt) loss per connection and when I was fooling with my rusty European Spec. 350SLC is counted up nearly 20 physical joints between the alternator and where the battery cable attached to the unitbody......

That's  _WAY_ too much loss .

Adding one 1.5 MM wire from the alternator to the bolt attaching the ground cable to the unibody , ended every electrical issue on the entire car .

-Nate

(it was a _GREAT_ car , too bad it was so rusty)



  <attymw@...> wrote:

The dealer told me mercedes alternators ground through the bracket and dont have separate grounds.

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Re: [diesel_mercedes] Charging Lamp & Rate

 

Well, I'm going to look for some place on the engine/tranny or maybe the alternator bracket and attach a ground cable and pick up the existing neg cable from the battery. It cant hurt!

Bud

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android


From: Michael E. Williams <attymw@yahoo.com>;
To: diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com <diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com>;
Subject: Re: [diesel_mercedes] Charging Lamp Rate
Sent: Mon, Jan 20, 2014 12:35:07 AM

 

The dealer told me mercedes alternators ground through the bracket and dont have separate grounds.

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android


From: Alan Boucher <alsthe1@gmail.com>;
To: <diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com>;
Subject: Re: [diesel_mercedes] Charging Lamp Rate
Sent: Fri, Jan 17, 2014 6:40:18 PM

 

I seem to remember a ground strap between the engine/trans and the body.


On Fri, Jan 17, 2014 at 12:22 PM, <vwnate1@yahoo.com> wrote:
 


_something_ isn't right there if it never charges above 13 VDC .


Adding the ground strap may just do the trick .

It certainly helped both Nate's on this list , increasing both charging voltage and cranking speeds .

-Nate



       Bud Wrote :

Well, I haven't had the battery die yet, light is still working as I described.  Today when I got home I left the engine running and checked the voltage.  It was 12.2, reved the engine a bit and no change didn't force a charge.  The light on the dash goes off completely at about 35mph and above.

I've got a brand new Bosch voltage regulator in there, it's probably got 100 miles on it.

I'm thinking of picking up one of those cigarette lighter voltmeters to see what it's doing.

I was surprised the battery ground goes to sheet metal and not the engine/tranny bell housing, I'll have to add a ground cable.

Bud







--
Al Boucher

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[diesel_mercedes] Where's CHIP ?

 



Too long no reply , how are you doing in Texas Chip ? .


-Nate



 

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[diesel_mercedes] " Rebuilt " Alternator Life

 



Yes ;


I've seen quite a few that the rotor and slip rings were bead blasted to clean them and this _guarantees_ fairly short brush life .


I cannot stress strongly enough how important it is to use ONLY BOSCH branded voltage regulators ! .


-Nate

       Rob Wrote :

I went through 3 alternators in a couple years from the Flaps, w/ the
1yr warranties, yet got tired of replacing them, so I bought a Bosch
factory one, and it's been great for years. The original one probably
just needed a voltage regulator.

Rob
Garden Grove, CA
==

 

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[diesel_mercedes] Fires

 


Last time I checked La Verne was at the foot of The San Gabriels Brian ;


I'm below Altadena but I occasionally wonder about some raging firestorm and off shore winds making a mess of things down to Alhambra .


-Nate


      Brian Wrote :

People keep insisting on living in the canyons and foothills - and guess what; that is where fires roar. The rest of us in the flat lands just watch and wonder.

 

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[diesel_mercedes] So. Cal. Wx. Report

 


It was a bad one Max , not far from my house and closer yet to my Son's house .


Smoke in the air all day long , not contained yet .


The drought is what , 7 years now ? we're in a bad spot , lots of beef ranches are being forced to sell off stock for lack of water to water them with .


Texas is flooding , just a couple years ago they were suffering a severe drought .



-Nate


        Max Wrote :

How you boys in Sol Cal making out this winter? It's the driest in California history. Same up here, except maybe the second driest. I saw on news last night a fire down there and it looked like the Santanas were blowing, also 88 degrees in LA, wow. Hardly gets that hot in summer here. Max    not plowing or shoveling much snow



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Re: [diesel_mercedes] Charging Lamp & Rate

 

The dealer told me mercedes alternators ground through the bracket and dont have separate grounds.

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android


From: Alan Boucher <alsthe1@gmail.com>;
To: <diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com>;
Subject: Re: [diesel_mercedes] Charging Lamp Rate
Sent: Fri, Jan 17, 2014 6:40:18 PM

 

I seem to remember a ground strap between the engine/trans and the body.


On Fri, Jan 17, 2014 at 12:22 PM, <vwnate1@yahoo.com> wrote:
 


_something_ isn't right there if it never charges above 13 VDC .


Adding the ground strap may just do the trick .

It certainly helped both Nate's on this list , increasing both charging voltage and cranking speeds .

-Nate



       Bud Wrote :

Well, I haven't had the battery die yet, light is still working as I described.  Today when I got home I left the engine running and checked the voltage.  It was 12.2, reved the engine a bit and no change didn't force a charge.  The light on the dash goes off completely at about 35mph and above.

I've got a brand new Bosch voltage regulator in there, it's probably got 100 miles on it.

I'm thinking of picking up one of those cigarette lighter voltmeters to see what it's doing.

I was surprised the battery ground goes to sheet metal and not the engine/tranny bell housing, I'll have to add a ground cable.

Bud







--
Al Boucher

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Re: [diesel_mercedes] Charging Lamp & Rate

 

I've had three batteries replaced under warranty in one year. Don't know why.

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android


From: Max temple <jasperezra@gmail.com>;
To: diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com <diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com>;
Subject: Re: [diesel_mercedes] Charging Lamp Rate
Sent: Sat, Jan 18, 2014 4:16:32 PM

 

I have a weird alternator story. On the 240 auto I have been tru about 6 or 7 alternators. I bought a lifetime Schumcks so I've always replaced the whole thing and they keep giving me a replacement, no questions. I wonder about the voltage regulators on these things, they sure dont look like much. On this car it seems to only go out of long drives, like to California from here. Otherwise no problems. What do you guys make of that? Max


On Fri, Jan 17, 2014 at 8:27 PM, <aldridgetony97@yahoo.com> wrote:


Put in a new flaps alternator last year and just lately have noticed that the charging light stays on until I touch the loud pedal, so I guess that the alternator is not being energized until it hits a slightly higher rpm, only happens on the first start up of the day.

On another note, had the AC compressor replaced, get to pick up the car in the morning, They put in a new filter, expansion chamber and cleaned out all the plumbing, cost 4500 pesos, about $400.

Just do not like driving at highway speeds with windows down, too noisy and uncomfortable.

Tony.

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