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Battery maintainer death??

Discussion in '348/355' started by mike_747, Jun 23, 2010.

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  1. mike_747

    mike_747 Formula Junior

    Dec 15, 2008
    794
    Seattle
    #1 mike_747, Jun 23, 2010
    Ok, so I had the major done just 5 months ago and the dealership gave my battery a clean bil of health. I plug in the maintainer religiously every time I put the car away (95 355 spider).
    then without warning after a short drive, I come out of the store and nothing, barely a click on the starter.

    The first tow company I called said they would be out to either jump or tow as needed. Then about 10 minutes later he calls back and tells me the owner doesn't want to tow anything worth more than the tow truck :eek:)

    The next company (Dick's Towing) came out, no problem. We found the correct allen wrench and I removed the panel over the jump lugs. Got it running and end of story. Now I'm going to have the maintainer checked to see if it is doing it's job (as well as replacing the battery).

    Question: Has anyone ever had the maintainer go bad? If so, what is the cost of a new one?

    thanks, Mike
     
  2. 285ferrari

    285ferrari Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #2 285ferrari, Jun 23, 2010
    If the car started before your drive, wouldn't think it is the battery tender. It did it's job by allowing you to start the car....Wonder if it is an issue with the car
     
  3. Zanny1

    Zanny1 Formula 3
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    #3 Zanny1, Jun 23, 2010
    It's not your battery tender.... I suspect it is your battery. I have had the exact same thing happen on my GMC pick-up truck. Battery apparently perfect one moment, dead as hell the next.
     
  4. eyboro

    eyboro Formula Junior
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    #4 eyboro, Jun 23, 2010
    I would say your alternator is starting to give up
     
  5. mj_duell

    mj_duell Formula 3

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    #5 mj_duell, Jun 23, 2010
    +1 Same symptoms I had.

    --Mike
     
  6. mike_747

    mike_747 Formula Junior

    Dec 15, 2008
    794
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    #6 mike_747, Jun 23, 2010
    Probably not the alternator as #1) only 12,000 miles, #2) the car would not have continued to run after the jump if the alternator was dying.

    In as I bought the car 1.5 years ago and don't know when the battery was last renewed it probably is just an old dead battery. It did give a couple of warnings in that it turned the engine over slower than usual a couple of times before dying completely.
     
  7. leonetti

    leonetti Karting

    Oct 22, 2004
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    #7 leonetti, Jun 23, 2010
    This has happened to my '95 spider twice over the years. the small charging wires that connect to the battery corrode and break contact. Hard to see without accessing the battery compartment. Has your maintainer been installed long enough for this possibility?
     
  8. mike_747

    mike_747 Formula Junior

    Dec 15, 2008
    794
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    #8 mike_747, Jun 23, 2010
    Good input, I'll mention this possibility to the service manager at the Ferrari Dealership.

    If all that was needed was a battery I would do it myself, but as I'm wanting the maintainer looked at I'm having the dealer do this.

    They also are going to look the car over for free as a courtesy following my major done in Feb.
     
  9. Rodztoy

    Rodztoy Rookie

    Jul 8, 2008
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    #9 Rodztoy, Jun 29, 2010
    Eh, I've gone through 3 battereis in three years. Every single one was faulty. Had everything checked out, alternator, starter etc and it was just the battery.

    My mechanic said he has seen it before. Batteries are not what they used to be!
     
  10. rbellezza

    rbellezza F1 Rookie

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    #10 rbellezza, Jun 29, 2010
    I go for the battery that suddenly died ... It did happen to me on my VW.
     
  11. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
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    #11 f355spider, Jun 29, 2010
    +1, don't ignore the obvious...it could simply be a bad battery. Charge it up and load test it. Test the alternator too.
     
  12. roadracer311

    roadracer311 Formula 3

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    #12 roadracer311, Jun 30, 2010
    Sounds like you're getting it all checked out, but yeah I'd really suspect the alternator. The alternators on our cars have a very hard life. Lots of heat and almost always a low battery to charge every time the car is started (though probably not yours since it was on a charger). Super easy to check the charging system. With a freshly charged battery, just start the car and run it for a couple minutes then check the voltage by probing the middle and the edge of the cigarette lighter socket (careful not to touch both at once with the volt meter probes). Should read 14.5V. Just checked mine last weekend.
     
  13. mike_747

    mike_747 Formula Junior

    Dec 15, 2008
    794
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    #13 mike_747, Jun 30, 2010
    Final verdict - I replaced the battery and the maintainer as is had died trying to charge a dying battery. The maintainer was 3 years old, I have no idea how old the battery was having just bought the car 1.5 years ago.

    The bad news (not all that bad). During the test drive the wheel center cap fell out of my speedline Mag wheel, right front where the battery is. anyway it was found, but after some cars had ran over it and being plastic it was destroyed. The dealer feels bad and will now have to locate some adaptors as this wheel cap is about 2mm larger that the stock caps. the correct caps apparently are no longer available as my wheels are ~15 years old. Of course they are paying for this. I think they are thinking of doing all four wheels so the caps are the same on every wheel. They are perfectionists, which is nice in a shop working your car.
     
  14. GerryD

    GerryD Formula 3

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    #14 GerryD, Jun 30, 2010
    Check the wires going into the plug that connects to the alternator. Make sure that they are not slowly corroding or burning away. In other words make sure that they are still thick and solid.
     
  15. dapper

    dapper Formula Junior

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    #15 dapper, Jun 30, 2010
    "Probably not the alternator as #1) only 12,000 miles"

    Not all alternator failure modes are a function of mileage. My 348TS AC Delco alternator failed at approx 3500 miles, it was the diode pack, nothing to do with mileage.
     
  16. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
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    #16 f355spider, Jun 30, 2010
    Delcos are a known issue on the 348, they are undersized for the job. That was the reason for the high output Nippondenso used in the final years of production, and used on the 355.
     
  17. dapper

    dapper Formula Junior

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    #17 dapper, Jul 1, 2010
    I'm very happy with my delco having read about the difficulty in getting parts (UK) for the Nippondenso.

    I also made an informed decision NOT to upgrade the output when I rebuilt my delco, the upgraded output has also been problematic from what I read at the time.

    Better the devil.....
     
  18. jm3

    jm3 F1 Rookie

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    #18 jm3, Jul 1, 2010
    The parts for the Nippondenso are very easy to get in the US. The parts are so easy to get, that I am sure you could have them shipped to England. It is becoming easier and more routine by the day for international shipping.

    I just bought some from Waytek in Florida, had them the next day for a very resonable price.
     
  19. BOKE

    BOKE Beaks' Gun Rabbi
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    #19 BOKE, Jul 1, 2010
    I have replaced the battery twice in my 1998 355gts F1. I replaced the original when the car was two years old with an Optima Red, and replaced it with the same five years later.

    You need to test your battery and charging system as well as all the cables. The battery location makes it an ignored item on the 355.

    I have also had battery maintainers die. I found a great maintainer and have been using them and have been very happy with the product. I have six now.

    http://www.saveabattery.com/CMT.aspx

    http://www.amazon.com/Save-Battery-1702-12-Volt-Maintainer/dp/B002HGFS3O/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1278004809&sr=1-1

    I have no affiliation with the company.
     
  20. mike_747

    mike_747 Formula Junior

    Dec 15, 2008
    794
    Seattle
    #20 mike_747, Jul 1, 2010
    Wish I had seen this info a week ago - oh well, have the Ferrari unit in now.
    I assume you use the cigarette lighter plug to charge the battery?
    The shop did say that my alternator is charging but at the low end of the range - so it may need to be replaced soon? Does seem a little odd with only 12,000 miles.
     
  21. BOKE

    BOKE Beaks' Gun Rabbi
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    #21 BOKE, Jul 1, 2010
    I have direct leads running to the Batteries on my 355 and 456M. I shut the main switch of and let the chargers do there thing if I am storing a car for any duration. On the 355 I have the leads coming out right next to the main switch.

    What exactly does the shop mean by " my alternator is charging but at the low end of the range" ? How many volts does it put out at idle into a charged battery with no headlights on and the air not running?
     
  22. mike_747

    mike_747 Formula Junior

    Dec 15, 2008
    794
    Seattle
    #22 mike_747, Jul 1, 2010
    I think they said it was charging at 13.2 volts at idle, but I may be wrong - over 50 memory and all that :eek:)

    No biggie, I'll just replace it if/when it dies - beyond our control anyway
     
  23. BOKE

    BOKE Beaks' Gun Rabbi
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    #23 BOKE, Jul 1, 2010
    So long as the voltage goes up when you start the car it is charging.

    Take care.
     
  24. roadracer311

    roadracer311 Formula 3

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    #24 roadracer311, Jul 1, 2010
    I would do a voltage measurement yourself to make sure you don't get stranded.

    Fully charge the battery first. Then, disconnect the charger, start the car and take a volt meter and measure the voltage probing the center and the edge of the cigarette lighter socket. Sounds like yours will read 13.2v at idle (for reference my 355 Spider with about 1k miles on it reads 14.5V). Now, turn on the lights and the heater. If it drops below about 12.9V I'd be worried. Then turn the car off again and measure the resting voltage of the battery. If while running the lights and heater, the voltage the car was putting out is less than the resting voltage of the fully charged battery, then you'd be losing charge when driving at night and would be in danger of getting stranded.

    In a pinch, you could gain back some watts by swapping out as many lights as you can (tail lights, etc) for LED lights. They draw about 1/10th the juice of regular bulbs. I did this to "boost" the charging voltage of my Triumph motorcycle, and take a little load off of the regulator rectifier.
     

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