Battery charging problems
This 1998 Peugeot 306 diesel had been suffering from sluggish starting for a while. The owner decided that the battery must be faulty and went along to his local Halfords for a replacement. Fitting the battery himself, he had no further trouble for a few months. When problems did occur, he thought he must have a duff battery and asked us to test it for him.
The battery was low on charge, but the problem was not the battery itself but the connection to the battery – the quick-release terminal had all but fallen apart and was barely making a connection. This was not only preventing the battery from charging properly, but also impairing the current flow to the starter motor. A new battery terminal was fitted and the system was charging correctly. We then brought it back to capacity by giving it a long trickle charge.