WightinNL
Member
- Posts
- 24
- Location
- UK & Netherlands
Sorry Chaps, I hate to start a new one - but search doesn’t seem to be working at the moment- I’ve read a lot of your advice and experiences, but memory fading.
So Battery low over night - would unlock, but key would not shift more than one click to attempt a start - pretty sure nothing was left on, such as lights, but I have got a 5 year old who likes to press buttons... Called RAC because other car up on stand with a flat tyre, and pointing in wrong direction to be able to effect a jump start without miles of leads... Prior to this had been fine, and just driven about 20 miles before parking for the night. About 16 hours to low battery.
After starting and running for a while RAC measure about 4.5 amps draw with everything off and car locked.
It’s a 900CCA battery about a year old, and Halfrauds measured 870CCA in it
I start pulling fuses and checking - wiper blades was an obvious one, as one was at an absolute angle, so reset electrically and mechanically. I didnt find anything else obvious using a cheap tester that plugs in to the fuse box. Using my fluke DC clamp meter on the negative cable while locked and alarmed, sees readings start at 8A, dropping quickly to 4.5A, then 2.2A. About an hour later its flicking between 1.1A and 0.9A. Red LED on shifter is out, so I assume more or less everything is shut down. Interior, boot and glove box lights all go out. Is the alarm system really drawing this much current?
What readings do anyone else get? Is there anything else that is an obvious suspect? I did read somewhere about a heater/blower resister causing flat batteries - but presumably a larger draw than 1A?
Most recent battery V readings were 12.81V @21:00 hrs, about 20 minutes after parking up, dropping to 12.68V at 12:00 hrs the next day.
Anything longer than overnight I’m disconnecting the battery - which is ok at home, but a bit of a pain in airport parking...
Thanks is advance!
So Battery low over night - would unlock, but key would not shift more than one click to attempt a start - pretty sure nothing was left on, such as lights, but I have got a 5 year old who likes to press buttons... Called RAC because other car up on stand with a flat tyre, and pointing in wrong direction to be able to effect a jump start without miles of leads... Prior to this had been fine, and just driven about 20 miles before parking for the night. About 16 hours to low battery.
After starting and running for a while RAC measure about 4.5 amps draw with everything off and car locked.
It’s a 900CCA battery about a year old, and Halfrauds measured 870CCA in it
I start pulling fuses and checking - wiper blades was an obvious one, as one was at an absolute angle, so reset electrically and mechanically. I didnt find anything else obvious using a cheap tester that plugs in to the fuse box. Using my fluke DC clamp meter on the negative cable while locked and alarmed, sees readings start at 8A, dropping quickly to 4.5A, then 2.2A. About an hour later its flicking between 1.1A and 0.9A. Red LED on shifter is out, so I assume more or less everything is shut down. Interior, boot and glove box lights all go out. Is the alarm system really drawing this much current?
What readings do anyone else get? Is there anything else that is an obvious suspect? I did read somewhere about a heater/blower resister causing flat batteries - but presumably a larger draw than 1A?
Most recent battery V readings were 12.81V @21:00 hrs, about 20 minutes after parking up, dropping to 12.68V at 12:00 hrs the next day.
Anything longer than overnight I’m disconnecting the battery - which is ok at home, but a bit of a pain in airport parking...
Thanks is advance!
