P38A Flat battery, the problems have started...

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oakey said:
Helluva parasitic drain to kill a big new battery in 24 hours
Interior lights or BECM wouldnt do that
More like heated seats or headlights etc.
Heated seats dont work without key tho
Click to expand...
I've got no glow on me stick.
Think I had just better leave it on charge and start again from scratch, see what happens.
 
I'd get yourself a clamp meter (Uni-T ebay 30 or 40 quid). Put it on the +ve battery cable and then lock the car (bonnet up ) and watch it go to sleep and measure the draw. Personally mine uses about 25ma quiescent (but I think up to 60 or 70 mA is in the acceptable range(, and c. 600ma when the becm is awake. Measure and see what you get.... But also check the alternator is working for the time when you ARE using the car, otherwise you are just sucking the battery dry (until you get it on the external charger).
The battery cd well be toast, but you cd be lucky since it's new, and it was only 24 hours. Howver, my recent experience is that if the voltage drops this low then there's no recovery
 
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If you buy a clamp meter make sure it measures DC as some are only AC. Also try to buy one with a maximum range of something like 60 amps so that you can detect a half amp drain. That is hard to do if the meter is designed to measure 400 amps. If you have a good multimeter just disconnect the positive terminal and put it in series to measure current drain.
 
romanrob said:
I'd get yourself a clamp meter (Uni-T ebay 30 or 40 quid). Put it on the +ve battery cable and then lock the car (bonnet up ) and watch it go to sleep and measure the draw. Personally mine uses about 25ma quiescent (but I think up to 60 or 70 mA is in the acceptable range(, and c. 600ma when the becm is awake. Measure and see what you get.... But also check the alternator is working for the time when you ARE using the car, otherwise you are just sucking the battery dry (until you get it on the external charger).
The battery cd well be toast, but you cd be lucky since it's new, and it was only 24 hours. Howver, my recent experience is that if the voltage drops this low then there's no recovery
Click to expand...
I think I've mentioned on my 'scared thread' or my ' what would you change etc' thread on the alternator output, 13.8v iirc, so it's working, also got the uprated alternator regulator to go on but not fitted yet, that's supposed to put out 14.4v iirc .
 
Gord Wedman said:
If you buy a clamp meter make sure it measures DC as some are only AC. Also try to buy one with a maximum range of something like 60 amps so that you can detect a half amp drain. That is hard to do if the meter is designed to measure 400 amps. If you have a good multimeter just disconnect the positive terminal and put it in series to measure current drain.
Click to expand...
I've got a dmm, not got a clamp meter but got one of those things coming that Brian linked to above.
Gonna need a bigger toolbox:p
Everytime someone puts a link up for a RR 'useful tool' I buy it:cool:.
So far, got a nanocom, a swivel balljoint removal kit, downloaded rave and got the Brian thing.:D.
 
Flossie said:
Any pointers lads?:D
2001 dhse (with cupholders dunt cha know:cool:).
A recap just incase...
Owned around 3 weeks, stood for 4 yrs. Fitted new massive handkok battery less than 2 weeks ago. Fires up fine. Has not been started for at least a week then needed to move her yesterday, loads of umph in the battery and she fired up great.
I've just been out to start her again and the dash lights won't even glow, battery is at 2.4 bolts, flat as a witches tit:mad:
Apart from the Doris washing the outside and polishing the glass inside this morning, nothing has changed. Bear in mind she was left for a week with no ill effects and the dead battery has occurred between tea time yesterday and tea time today.
Battery is on charge now.
First thing to check??
Click to expand...

RF receiver?
 
Dunno..twas fine for a week though.
Would RF receiver drain the battery to flat in (update, Doris says it was started, all good, and it's been 2 days, not one that the doors were opened a few hours each day) 2 days?
Battery still on charge while I carry on laying block paviors (yes, I'm still doing that, long story, tis complicated:rolleyes:)
I'll check for parasitic drain possibly tomorrow morning and report back with me findingso_O
 
Flossie said:
Dunno..twas fine for a week though.
Would RF receiver drain the battery to flat in (update, Doris says it was started, all good, and it's been 2 days, not one that the doors were opened a few hours each day) 2 days?
Battery still on charge while I carry on laying block paviors (yes, I'm still doing that, long story, tis complicated:rolleyes:)
I'll check for parasitic drain possibly tomorrow morning and report back with me findingso_O
Click to expand...

Block paving, your not the only one:(
 
Oh, I should say as it may be relevent.
At no time were the doors locked when this flat battery thing happened.
Does that mean the RF receiver can be taken off the suspect list?o_O
Well outside me comfort zone I am:p
Learning stuff though which is good:)
Battery is currently on 12.6v with the charger just disconnected. Back on charge now, my plan is to disconnect it tonight, measure voltage then remeasure in the morn before I refit it to Duchess. Duchess is what the Doris has named her, old but elegent:).
Then check for current draw after a few minutes with my dmm between battery and positive lead, note that, then fit lead and measure voltage whilst cranking and note that. Then report back here.
Sound like a plan?o_O
 
The issue with the RF receiver is it's ability to pick up signals other than your key which will keep waking the car up. There's all sorts of things that could be transmitting on the same/similar frequency, which is why many folks unplug the antenna
 
Flossie said:
Oh, I should say as it may be relevent.
At no time were the doors locked when this flat battery thing happened.
Does that mean the RF receiver can be taken off the suspect list?o_O
Well outside me comfort zone I am:p
Learning stuff though which is good:)
Battery is currently on 12.6v with the charger just disconnected. Back on charge now, my plan is to disconnect it tonight, measure voltage then remeasure in the morn before I refit it to Duchess. Duchess is what the Doris has named her, old but elegent:).
Then check for current draw after a few minutes with my dmm between battery and positive lead, note that, then fit lead and measure voltage whilst cranking and note that. Then report back here.
Sound like a plan?o_O
Click to expand...
The RF receiver will flatten the battery if it is getting spurious signals from wireless doorbells, weather stations WiFi etc.it keeps thinking it's being stolen so relocks and alarms the car.if it happens too often it can lead to the front door lock motors burning out,ask me how I know. I fitted a second remote jog switch in the wire from the RF to the becm so if the RF receives a signal it can't pass it on to the becm unless the remote jog switch is activated Brian put me on to this mod but he didn't use a jog switch and his missus kept forgetting to switch it off:rolleyes::D
 
So if you unplug the RF receiver then the car has to be locked/unlocked with the key in the door? I can live with that.
I don't have the EKA code and although the battery has been on and off multiple times the radio has never needed a code inputting and the alarm has never gone off and it just starts, like cars of old.
Just been looking at parasitic draw videos and learnt some more, 50ma draw max once everything's gone to sleep (how long does that take on these?) Connect meter between battery neg not positive, set meter to 10 or 20 amps, disconnect meter when opening doors, don't crank etc or the meter will toast itself.
Nipping out to see if my meter does DC amps, never looked:rolleyes:.
 
Flossie said:
So if you unplug the RF receiver then the car has to be locked/unlocked with the key in the door? I can live with that.
I don't have the EKA code and although the battery has been on and off multiple times the radio has never needed a code inputting and the alarm has never gone off and it just starts, like cars of old.
Just been looking at parasitic draw videos and learnt some more, 50ma draw max once everything's gone to sleep (how long does that take on these?) Connect meter between battery neg not positive, set meter to 10 or 20 amps, disconnect meter when opening doors, don't crank etc or the meter will toast itself.
Nipping out to see if my meter does DC amps, never looked:rolleyes:.
Click to expand...
If you unplug the aerial wire(blue) from the RF receiver it will still work off the remote if you stand by the back side window.
 
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