I when to drive my brother's car today and when I unlocked the door, I heard several clicks and nothing, the battery was dead.

So I hooked up the jumper cables and let it sit charging for about 10 minutes. It then cranked up and stayed running. (I was driving the car to my sister's to change the oil and looked down, it was on E. Thanks bro, I needed a little more excitement today).

Besides that, I hooked up my scan gauge and noticed that the volts at idle were 12.4 - 12.7. While the car is moving (higher RPM's) the volts are between 13.4 - 13.8. Is this normal or should I tell my brother to expect to replace the alternator soon?

 

It really depends of a measure.
When i'm using torque app (headlights on, rear window heater is on, heated seat is on, heater is on, gearbox in drive, music is playing) it shows only 11.7@idle, while digital voltmeter shows 12.9 on a batt.terminals at the same time. Turn off the heated seats and rear window, slow down a heater blowers and it's about 13.5@idle, which is pretty normal.

 

Well, I sure didn't have any accessory heat going. It was nice and sunny, 56 degrees F. I had to roll the window down a little to cool the interior. Fan was off, radio was on low volume.

I assume the torque app also reads from the OBD-II port.

This worries me a little because the battery is pretty much protected being in the trunk. Not exposed to all the crud like most cars under the hood. I guess there could be some electrical connections under the hood somewhere that can use a good cleaning. That darn motor is so big and covered up, I can't see anything.

 

I would ignore the scan readouts, since these cars are famous for cable and grounding problems. Voltage at the ECU doesn't really matter, it's what's at the battery that matters.
Get a meter and read battery voltage, then check the false bulkhead connector, then read the voltage between the engine and the chassis while it's running. Post the results and we can probably help.

 

Thanks Rob, things were a lot different today. I took the car out to visit grandmother (96), took her to lunch (wonderful blessing to be able to spend quality time with grandmother), back to her assisted living center and back to my place. Now that the battery is charged, the volt reading has not dropped below 13.7 volts, most of the time at 13.9.

Maybe the readings yesterday was due to a low battery. On to the other pending minor issues at hand.

1. Broken head lights.
2. Antenna broken/missing.
3. ABS
4. LCD climate control display out.
5. Front end suspension noise (new surprise), sounds like sway bar end links or control arms.
6. Door jammed locked close (rear drivers side).
7. Remote not working.
8. Maybe cruise, could not figure out how to turn that on today.
9. Right front wobble. Maybe tire.

What do people usually hide in the plastic compartment near the right front strut under the hood?

 

1. Broken, or not working?
2. These are easily replaced if it's just the mast.
3. Anti lock brakes? Any other messages on the dash Usually you get stability and traction control as well, meaning a wheel speed sensor need the connector cleaned.
4. The bulbs are replaceable, but expensive. There are LED replacements but they are a different colour and they don't dim.
5. Probably related to #9.
6. Sorry can't help but do some searching here, I think I've heard of this before.
7. Search "key fob" they can be cleaned and fixed.
8. The cruise switch behind the shifter needs to be on (red light on) and as was mentioned, the brake switch is a weak point.

The hidden compartment was for a tool kit that was never installed in North America. You can find them, but they are quite expensive, especially once you see what's in them.

 

Thanks Rob, I did replace the antenna mast, the head light assemblies, and will work on the ABS & LCD lights in the morning.