bkastning29

I daily drive my 89 vette which mostly consists of short trips to and from work. I maybe not be 100% correct on this, but it seems like every time I go for a drive that's more than a couple hours, my battery gets drained to the point where it wont start the car. Is it possible that it puts off enough power to run the car, but not charge the battery? Most recently was after I drove to a drive in theater which is 1.5 hours away. I went at night and had lights and radio on. The car battery was shot the next morning when I tried to start it.

C409

..... Have the battery and alternator tested , its free at most auto parts chains like Autozone or Advance .....

Cjunkie

What seems to be the range older C4s charge at (volts)?

JimLentz

According to my digital gauge it can be as high as 15 volts if the battery isn't fully charged. After charging for a while it goes down to near 14 volts, like 14.1 or 14.3.

c4cruiser

Definitely have the charging system checked. Have the battery load tested and the alternator output checked too. Find a reputable local auto repair shop to do the testing.

What did the voltmeter show on that last trip? While a reading of anywhere between something like 13.6 and 14.5 would be normal, it may be that the battery is failing so it won't take a full charge.

bkastning29

I checked the battery and alternator at the parts store I worked at today. Both passed the tests with the battery just needing a charge(obviously). A coworker suggested it might be my starter solenoid, because of my cars tendency to start once I've driven it for a while.

C409

[/QUOTE] my battery gets drained to the point where it wont start the car. The car battery was shot the next morning when I tried to start it.[/QUOTE]

..... This does not sound like a starter solenoid ... if your battery is more than 4 years old , replace it .....