Must still be related to these battery issues I have been having after all.
The thing that puzzles me a bit here is that the clock doesn't even keep time when the car is running and the alternator should be kicking out all the required voltage.
It is time to invest in a multimeter if you do not have one.
You did not mention your battery problems earlier or tell in your post above what those problems are. However, do not assume that your alternator is working.
Things to check.
A healthy, charged battery will measure 12.5V across its terminals with the engine OFF.
When you start the engine and the alternator is working the voltage across the battery should go up by 1.5 to 2V (to as much as 14.5V across the battery terminals). If the voltage does not increase with the engine running, the battery is not getting charged properly.
Also pay attention to the red ignition warning light. It has nothing to do with the car's ignition system but is an indicator for the charging system. If the following three warning light conditions do not occur, the system is not charging.
Engine OFF , key out of ignition = Warning Light OFF
Engine OFF, key in the "run" position = Warning Light ON
Engine ON, key in the run position = Warning Light OFF
Yes, I do need a multimeter - there's no getting away from it any longer. My dad is sending a spare he has down to me this week. I did mention in my initial post that I have had charging issues recently. I have bleated my woes to everyone on the topic already here:
http://www.theminifo...e/#entry3250293
I basically started noticing that you couldn't sit with anything like lights on for all that long at all until the battery went completely flat, so I took it to Halfords for one of their free battery checks the other week. They found a low charge to the battery, with a max of only 13.29v going back into the battery at 3000rpm. I knew I needed a voltmeter to check everything properly, but in the interim while my dad sent one down, I did the usual business of ensuring the engine was earthed sufficiently by adding a second one - hence me raising the above topic about using a thick, covered cable rather than another braided earth strap (dumb question, I know). A lot of people seemed to by saying that this is more likely than the alternator being at fault, so I thought it couldn't hurt to add a second (though investigation did reveal the existing braided strap did actually look fine).
I've cleaned up all the possible contacts all over the place - to and from the battery and at the alternator, as well as checking the auxiliary belt itself for good tension. As you say, now is the time to stop messing about with guesswork and get the meter on there to find where the fault is.
I can confirm though that the ignition warning light is behaving correctly, just as you describe. I was loathed to take it back to a garage before I take a proper look with the meter myself anyway.
I guess we'll just see about the clock - I should have waited before diving in really. I did leave it on a 12v supply while I was out at work today and I did find it had lost quite a bit of time still, so maybe it isn't quite all fantastic. Strange because it had been on overnight and not skipped a beat in almost 12 hours. I don't know whether it was something to do with my supply cutting out after a certain time for safety purposes or something though, as I'm actually powering the clock from a portable jump starter (think I'm just trying to find ways to tell myself it's not the clock's fault to be honest). I shouldn't really leave it on while I'm out of the house, but I did want to check if the good fortune was going to last. I've hooked it back up anyway and corrected the time, so I'll see how it goes over the next 24 hours.
Edited by Tumbleweed-Connection, 20 April 2015 - 08:29 PM.
