Quote:
Originally Posted by Stosh Rickles
Could a slow clock be an indicator that the battery's going to die? If you enjoy excruciating detail, see below.
Two pieces of info to set the stage here:
1) I don't profess to know anything about how batteries pass and receive their charges throughout vehicle operation.
2) I've had two batteries die on this Z within a few months, and I have a really hard time believing it's negligence on my part. Hence, this post.
After I had it towed to the dealer the last time the battery died (~2 months ago), I noticed that the gauge clock was about 15 mins behind the nav clock, so of course I reset the gauge clock. In fact, being anal retentive, I set it so that the two clocks were less than 1 second apart.
Now, in both instances of my battery dying, my Z sat for several days unused leading up to the incidents. Keep that in mind.
I soon started noticing that the gauge clock wasn't staying 1 second off from the nav clock... it was actually losing time, and most notably, it lost more time the longer I let the car sit. Yes, I measured this, I'm a dork.
After a month it was about 20 seconds off. If I let it sit for 2-3 days, it would be another 5 or so seconds off. It's now 58 seconds behind the nav clock. Is this evidence of poor electrical circulation, and an indicator of the battery losing its charge? Voltage reads fine per the gauge cluster, so I don't know what to think.
Any feedback is appreciated
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I have a 2010 40th and the dash clock is not the most accurate time keeping device that I have seen. I too am anal about the time (I have an atomic watch) and I notice that I have to adjust the dash clock on ocassion. Typically, when a battery dies after sitting a while, it is caused by a few things:'
1) The battery is old and does not hold the charge as long as it used to.
2) As the car sits, there is a drain on the battery from something inside the vehicle (like leaving the dome light on). This can be caused by a short somewhere in the electrical system or even a bad ground.
3) The alternator is not charging the battery completely, even though you say the voltmeter on the dash says it is fine. There is voltage and there are amps. The voltage can be OK, but if the alternator is not putting out the correct amperage, the battery is not getting "topped off".
Think of this as having a bucket with a hole in it. If the water pressure is high (volts) but the flow (amps) is not enough to keep the bucket full, eventually the bucket will be empty.
I had a 1994 Dodge Daytona Turbo Z back in the day, and I had to replace the battery every 1-1/2 years. I had ten people look at it and no one could ever find the cause. It didn't matter which battery I used (from top of the line DieHards, Interstate, you name it) I knew that every 1-1/2 years I would need a new battery. I learned to live with it and it became part of my normal maintenance routine.
Good luck and I hope this helps.