New Battery or Battery Drain?

I have either a faulty battery or a draining issue as if I leave my '96 disco for 1-2 weeks without driving it the battery goes flat (its worse in the winter).

I have been told that I can check if there is a draining problem by putting a volt meter between the positive terminal and lead. The question I have is what setting should I have the meter on i.e. I am assuming it is the 'A' setting and either 200 ohms, 2000 ohms, 20m or 200m; and what scale of reading indicates I have a problem (I assume there is always going to be some drain due to the immobilizer/alarm)?

Also, should it be the battery does anybody have a recommendation for a good value replacement.

Many thanks

Nick

Amps - 10Amps setting. See the FAQ section for guidance between current drain and likely causes.

Thanks - checked it on the 10A setting and got no reading at all (not even a beep from the alarm which I was getting on the 200 ohms, 2000 ohms, 20m and 200m settings - which I tried before I posted this thread) so I assume it is the battery?

try it again on 1Amp setting

or fuse may have gone in the meter-try again on 10A range and turn on sidelights-should see a reading something between 2 and 4 Amps (5W bulb ~ .5A each and 12W bulb = 1A each) to check your meter is working

Turns out I did not have the multimeter set up correctly and having re-checked it I do have a drain of 0.03 Amps.

Having gone through the all of the fuses I have established I can get this to reduce by 0.01 Amp if I take out the immobilizer/alarm fuse and a further 0.01 Amp if I take out the fuse to the relay which sits between the main electical system and the split charge system to the leisure battery.

Not sure what the conclusion of the above is? (except that if as according to the thread referred to above 0.01A drain is normal (and I assume mostly as a result of the immoblizer/alarm) then I have 0.01A unaccounted for)?

Not sure where to go from here?

Ah! figures at last.
So yu have 0.03Amp loading on the battery when everything is off?
i reckons yu should have a 70Ah battery which should last 70/0.03 hours (aprox) = 2333 hours - ok lets say 2000 hours or 83 days (10 weeks ish).

So either your 0.03A figure is incorrect, you have something which switches on occasionally to increase the current drain or your battery has Failed Under Continious Test (we mekaniks say its FUCT).

does that help?

Anything upto a 0.06A drain is acceptable. If your battery is going flat and you only have a residual drain of 0.06A....ya battery is fooked.

Thanks, v helpful - a new battery it is then - I was thinking of one of these?

Type 072 Varta Asia Car Battery 12V 70Ah (Short Code: E24) (Varta DIN: 570 138 057 or 570 413 063) - Car Batteries - Varta Asia Car Batteries

go for the most powerful battery you can.

The Mad Hat Man said:

go for the most powerful battery you can.

Click to expand...

Powerful as in a high CCA number..Cold Cranking Amps (I think), what you need to turn the engine over to start it

Richard Martin said:

Powerful as in a high CCA number..Cold Cranking Amps (I think), what you need to turn the engine over to start it

Click to expand...

Sorry. Yes. CCA.