With winter coming, cars often suffer, the most basic case is to have difficulties starting your Opel Vectra in the morning with very low temperatures. Generally this is associated with problems recharging the battery of your Opel Vectra . There are several reasons that can explain why your battery does not recharge effectively anymore, and today we will try to help you to solve this issue that can prevent you from using your car. To do this, first we will explain how recharging your car battery works, then the different problems of recharging a Opel Vectra, and at last how to recharge an empty car battery.
How does recharging the battery of a Opel Vectra function?
Before we describe the different complications of recharging the battery on a Opel Vectra , we will explain to you how its recharging system operates so that you can understand the complications you are struggling with. A car battery works like a phone battery, it will store energy to start your Opel Vectra , turn on your headlights, enjoy music, lower your power windows… Nevertheless all these actions will consume energy and it might deplete the energy reserve that your battery can store. To get over this issue, the engineers have developed a component called the alternator , this component will use the energy produced by the engine of your Opel Vectra to generate energy thanks to a copper coil and a magnet. This energy will recharge the battery of your car . Nevertheless, take into account that this process can only work when your car is running, using electrical components of your car when it is stopped will drain the energy reserve of your car. It is considered that a battery of a xxx has a life span of 3 to 5 years.
Problems recharging a Opel Vectra’s battery
We will now describe the different battery charging complications on a Opel Vectra you might be victim of. If your battery is not recharging because there is actually a issue in your electrical installation, we will now see the different situations.
Battery charging problem on Opel Vectra: My battery is discharging regardless if I am recharging it with a specific charger
In this first circumstance, it is quite possible that your alternator is dead , in fact, if you control to recharge your battery with a charger and your Opel Vectra to start, the problem obviously originates from your alternator which should not be able to generate any more current.
Battery charging issue on Opel Vectra: My car shuts off and does not start regardless if I have charged the battery
If you have recharged your battery and you have managed to start your Opel Vectra but it switches off although you are driving and then does not start, the problem with recharging the battery of your Opel Vectra is that your battery no longer holds the charge .
Battery charging issue on Opel Vectra: My battery is discharged although it is new
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If you’ve just bought a battery and it discharges although you’re driving, the issue most likely originates from your alternator. It cannot come from your battery, which is new and therefore holds the charge. The second possibility is that you have a ground somewhere in your electrical system.
How to solve the issue of battery charging on Opel Vectra?
We will now give you the solutions according to the issue you are struggling with. Here are the different complications and their solutions:
- Defective alternator: You can try with basic mechanics to verify it with a pressure gauge to discover if it’s producing power. If it doesn’t, changing it is the best remedy, based on your motor you will pay a few hundred euros. This repair is feasible in case your alternator is accessible.
- Battery that no longer holds the charge: In this case, the purchase of a new battery is the only realistic remedy. In truth, if you have already recharged it but it is still empty because it is good to be changed, count between 60 and 100 euros based on your engine.
- Ground in the electrical circuit: If you cannot start your Opel Vectra but your alternator and battery are in good condition, it is possible that you have a ground on your wiring harness and that you lose energy, a verify by a car electrician is in this case required.
How to recharge an empty battery of a Opel Vectra
Finally, to recharge the empty battery of a Opel Vectra there are only few solutions, using a battery charger is the most efficient remedy, you can discover some for 50 to 100 euros at vendors like Oscaro. In any other case you can use cables that will only provide the energy needed to begin.
If you need more guides on the Opel Vectra, go to our Opel Vectra category.
