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I was driving at 50 mph on the highway and all of the red dashboard warning lights came on. No change in performance of the engine. The lights went out after about 15 to 20 seconds max. I drove to my destination parked car and checked the battery. The electrolyte level was surprisingly low, but not so low that I could see the plates down there. It started okay and when I got home I filled all six cells with distilled water. I then drove off going to work, but the car started faltering and losing power. The warning lights did not come on while I was driving. (They do come on when I first turn the key.) I got home and the car died in my driveway - idling slower and slower with less and less power to move the car, and then stopped.
Occasionally during the last month the red battery light will glow dim to medium while I'm driving. Then it goes out. The battery is a few years old, maybe more. The car always starts up when it's cold, but half the time doesn't start up when it's warm. Then I have to wait 10 min. or more, I guess it has to cool down. I always park it facing downhill when it's warm as I can always jumpstart it rolling when it's hot.
My fuel gauge is inaccurate, the clock goes very slowly losing time, my temperature gauge is inaccurate. My speedometer hasn't worked for a couple of years when all the insulation crumbled off the wires back at the sensor. I repaired and insulated those wires but the speedometer now only jumps up and down occasionally.
I'm thinking I should check grounds, I should check the brushes in the regulator. I have a few regulators here with good brushes for other 240s. I'm not sure how specific they have to be for this 1989 245. I have a brand-new battery for another 245 which I can swap in to see if that's the problem.
Freezing rain is coming tonight and I'm gonna get out there now and get started. Any suggestions will be appreciated. I gotta get to work tomorrow.
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