Originally Posted by Little Red L98

I feel very comfortable with where the car is now. I got a little panicky when it wouldn't start and then the volts were low. Lesson learned on those cigarette lighter compressors.

I just hope the roads are clear when we leave Thursday night. We're in the middle of a snow storm, expecting up to 10" and it's gonna stay cold.

Originally Posted by WW7

Im in the state next to you (WV) with similar snow totals expected.. I don't know if you have had any experience driving a C4 in the snow but one thing I can tell you is, they don't handle snow very well, it depends on what tires you have, but generally they don't handle as well as most other cars...If you have High Performance Summer Tires, the rubber in these get rock hard in winter and don't grip worth a damn.....just be careful....WW

Originally Posted by Little Red L98

So the other day I started a thread about taking a 1,200 mile round trip to Georgia. This post is related, but a separate issue. I took down the spare and lubed the screw as one poster suggested. Air pressure was low, as were the two left side tires. I used one of those compressors that plug into the cigarette lighter to inflate the three tires. Took a good 20 or more minutes to get them back to spec.

The car hadn't been started for a couple of weeks before except taking her out of the garage to check the spare and inflate the tires. When i went to start her up, the battery was drained and I had to jump it. No problem there, but I noticed the volts on the dash readout were in the 13.4 to 13.7/8 range. Normally, its in the low 14s. I changed the alternator last summer, so it's relatively new. The battery is less than two years old. I let it idle and went on a short trip, only about eight miles maybe, to run an errand. Started right back up, but volts still in the 13s. Is this because the battery is being charged back up? Should I be worried? It stays in the garage and it's been relatively cold, but not ridiculously so. Needless to say, I packed a set of jumper cables for the trip.

Thanks in advance for all the sage advice.

Originally Posted by auggy

Problems of this nature point me to the battery. Had an Interstate Battery fail after 2 years. The problem is heat, and we all know that c4s run hot. Also many people don't know that batteries are sold for northern climes and southern climes. They are marked N or S, so if you have a northern battery and are running it in FL. it will probably not last very long. If you live in the transition zone then it's a tough call which one to buy and you may not have a choice anyway.

Originally Posted by Paul Workman

Just to add...

The alternators in our cars are not intended to be used to charge a dead battery: like playing "Russian Roulette" (especially on a summer day - not summer now, I realize). Tiz always best to use a charger unless circumstances require you to "spin the cylinder and pull the trigger!"

Originally Posted by Tom400CFI

Russian Roulette? I think that is a gross exaggeration. While this does place a heavy load on the alternator, the thing IS designed to be able to manage that. To me "russian roulette" implies that (who knows what) might happen. So we have the facts right, an alternator is perfectly capable of charging a dead battery. Using a home charger removes that work load from the alternator, but the alternator can do it.

Originally Posted by WW7

Sorry Tom, but all sources disagree with you. I have read many times in automotive books that using the alternator to change a dead battery can kill it by overheating .Alternators are meant to maintain fully charged or almost fully charged batterys, not charge them up from a low state.

Originally Posted by Little Red L98

I am inclined to agree. I took out the installation instructions from the alternator I replaced a year or so ago. It says:

"The battery is the most important component of the electrical system. A bad or undercharged battery will cause premature alternator failure. A fully charged battery will have a voltage reading of 12.6 volts or higher. In order for the alternator to function properly, the battery must have a minimum voltage reading of 12.4 volts (75%) or higher."

Originally Posted by Tom400CFI

It's good that you can read, and quote other peoples thoughts...but as a tech of over 20 years, I'll repeat what I said earlier. "The alternator can do it". Of course it's "more work" for the alternator, and yes, that MAY shorten it's life. It may not either -there are too many factors to comment in absolute terms. Factors that you don't know of or understand -obvious by your first post in this thread, where you didn't know if 13.x volts was O.K. or not.
^Anyway, my position (that the alternator can do it) is a far, FAR cry from "playing Russian Roulette"...which was the basis for my original comment. The alternator CAN DO IT. It may not be the ideal situation...but it can do it.