The battery seems to not be charging. The volt meter says it's putting out power. The battery does seem to get a bit of a charge though, as the lights were brighter lastnight than they were before.

This is what I've done:
Jumpstarted a bunch of times (cause couldn't figure it out)
after about a week, got the idea to check and fill the water level in the battery.
drove twice since filling the battery:
first was about 20-30 minutes after filling the batt. Was running with headlights, defroster and radio on. Needed a jump. It say on a small car for 30 minutes or so, with no luck in starting, though the battery did seem to get stronger.
I then drove from there for another 10-15 minutes to where it's parked now. Won't start, though the lights do come on and are brighter then they were before.

Do I need to just charge it longer, as it's like a 980 CA, is the battery in need of being replaced, or the third option.
I was told the charging system in 93s can go kaput, with the computer controller that will continue to work for the other functions. I was also told there's a way to wire around the computer for the charging system alone.

Any ideas, advice, or help would be greatly appreciated. If you need clearification, please be specific with the questions. I tried to be as clear as I can, and I'm kind of dense with silly questions, so be blunt

Thanks!

btw, am going to to find some more info on the wiring, but would like second opinions before going about doing that.

 

what type of voltage are you getting while your truck is running. are you getting 13-15 volts?

 

I believe so... the gauge only has 6 and 18? I think on either end, with marker lines between... it's a little higher than it was before I killed the battery last week, but I did have everything on too, so not sure if that affected the readout.

 

you need to test it with a multi meter. don't always trust your gauges. for all you know your altinator could be frying your battery.

 

test at the terminals? Or test off the alt?

 

test at the terminals. you should probably test the voltage at the terminals while the truck is not running also.

 

Ok! Thanks... now, to round up a working multi-meter :S

 

It sounds like the alt. just a guess (lights getting dimmer over a short period)
Usually, as long as the batt is sufficient to crank over, the alt will supply the juice while the vehicle is running. BUT... you did have to put water in the batt(distilled I hope) this might be an indication of overcharging. after a while the diodes go out in alt. SO...you might have bad batt AND alt.. I hate troubleshooting alt/batt problems.

 

no no, while driving the lights are fine, no issue...
the lights, when the engine is off, have gotten brighter (suggesting a stronger battery charge)...

I honestly begining to think it was just that the battery lost enough charge, wasn't able to charge properly because of the lower water levels, and the last time I ran it, I had enough amperage going to the defroster, lights and radio that there wasn't enough to put a good charge on the battery...

I'm also under the impression that the higher cracking amps a battery is, the longer it takes to charge from a low charge.

I didn't find a multi-meter, but I was playign around, and with the engine off, they key on, the in-dash volt-meter showed 8 volts. Obviously that's only 2/3 of the 12 volts the battery is supposed to put out. I will be double checking the gauge with a multi-meter when I'm able to find one. I've owned 3 or 4 over the last 5 years, and can't find a single one LOL.

 

do you have a battery charger? if so mabe you should let your truck charge on the lowest setting over night or as long as the truck is going to sit where it is. i leave my battery on charge 24/7. my battery charger has a home in my fender. i heard putting a piece of plie wood under the battery prevents it from discharging as much if it is doing a lot of just sitting, especially in the winter.