Just picked up my car today from the panel beaters and it had a flat battery
They said it struggled to start earlier on
So i'm thinking theres a draw somewhere in the car

Anyways started the car and drove her back home where she was fine
Idled alittle high but then was fine
I let the car idle for acouple mins then went back to turn it off and noticed the anti-lock light was on
So turned off car and went to start it again and nothing, so got given a push to bum start the car to get her going again
But this time the light stayed on and having same problem
Have looked in the book and says its abs related but could be due to low voltage
Have had the same problem earlier in the year, but bum started it and all was good until now

Anyone have any ideas on what might be wrong?

Might be the Alternator?

Grab a multi and start checking things.

yeah sounds like the alternator i had this issue before but i had the handbrake light come on too.

I was thinking the alternator, but wouldnt the battery light come on if there was a fault?

could be just the voltage regulator i replaced mine on the alternator and ive had no issues since except the nasty whine from the alternator
my battery light would flash alittle but not all the time

Ah ok then are they easy to replace?
Will get a battery for my multi-meter and see
Need to get the thing started too lol, Jumpers didnt work last time :/

Before I worried about an alternator I'd buy myself a new battery as yours sounds like it has been fully discharged a few times and from your description it is on it's last legs with reduced capacity etc.

I have an Optima bluetop battery and this is the first time it has fully drained in the 1 1/2 years ive had it
So dont think its on its last legs at all

Check your ABS fuse, I read somewhere in the workshop manual if the battery charge is too low, the fuse can blow while starting the car due to the huge amount of power the ABS system uses for its startup tests.

Im thinking its more alternator related
Where can I buy a voltage regulator from?

firstly i would whack the battery on a charger.
panel beaters are notorious for flattening batteries.
an alternator needs power to make power, and if the battery is flat then the alternator wont charge it in a month of sundays... yes you may get a surface charge but the specific gravity of the battery will still be low (flat).
IMO you've been running with a flat battery for some time and its only now that its reared its ugly head.

Ok then, i'll put the battery on charge over the weekend
But now that I think about the car seems to struggle to turn over for afew weeks now

im not sure about this kind of battery, but do they take water, or are they sealed? if they take water make sure all the cells are full.
i think its the battery, due to the fact that it wont crank over (meaning no power to the car) but when it starts running, the crar works fine (meaning the alternator has to be making current). also,

I have an Optima bluetop battery and this is the first time it has fully drained in the 1 1/2 years ive had it
So dont think its on its last legs at all

Brand of battery does not matter - they all can fail which is why Optima have a 2 year warranty. The problems you describe are sometimes attributed to a battery with low charge and/or capacity.

+1 on a flat battery. give her a charge, test her out. check voltage before you drive it, go for a decent cruise (for fun to) come back, turn her off for a bit and test again

Ok, have tested the battery today with a mulit-meter
It read at about 10 volts before I jumped started it
After I started it, it was reading about 11.85volts
Let it idle for some and it got to 12.5volts but then dropped down to 11volts then started climbing again but sat about 11.5 volts on idle
Have noticed that the clock is very dull, lights up more with afew revs, dunno if this is normal or npt
Did go out today and buy a charger but will leave it for now to see if the battery holds its charge and able to turn over in the morning

So any ideas?

Sounds very much like your alternator is shot...it should read at least 13-14 volts with the car running.

Sounds more likely the battery is buggered, but you will be connecting the battery charger so that will indicate. If the battery has an internal short it will take whatever the alternator can give but still not hold charge.

Will be taking it somewhere tomorrow for it to be tested
If faulty then see if I can get a replacement battery
Just tested then and seems to be holding alittle charge, but I reckon will be flat in the morning possibley
If all checks out ok for the battery then i'll grab a new voltage regulator for the alternator and try that
Thing with these types of batteries is that when they go below 10.5volts they shutdown

but you did your testing without charging the battery :naughty:
put the thing on charge tonight and retest it in the morning

You need a new battery.....