skydivepaul
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| posted on 30/7/07 at 12:57 PM |
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battery discharge problem
I'm having a problem with my wifes Ford Puma battery discharging on a regualar basis. It will run fine all week but when it is parked for couple
of days over the weekend it wont start monday.
Replaced the battery about a month ago and had the alternator check and that is fine.
I checked the current drain from the battery with no circuits turned on, no courtesy light etc and the current drain is 300mA
Has anyone come accross this problem before and can point me in the right direction as to which circuit could be causing the problem.
OR
does anyone know a garage in the West Yorks area with the necessary diagnostic equipment to suss this out.
My local garages only have engine and ECU diasgnostic so i wasnt sure if this was a main dealer task (my wallet cringes at the very thought!!!!)
thanks
Paul
http://www.smartideasuk.com
http://www.smartmapping.co.uk
HD CCTV
3D design solutions and integration
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02GF74
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| posted on 30/7/07 at 01:13 PM |
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0.3 A doesn't sound like that much.
check the non obvopouds bulbs are not on e.g. glove compartment, vanity mirror etc: dueto a bad switch.
what about car alarm?
next sold be to connect the meter in series with the cable and start to remove the fuses one by one - eventually one would expect the drain to be
0.
if not, then it is time to seek someone moere knowledgeable.
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Ketchup
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| posted on 30/7/07 at 01:15 PM |
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double check the boot light is not staying on, the switch on the tailgates get stuck sometimes
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britishtrident
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| posted on 30/7/07 at 01:31 PM |
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300ma for 60 hrs = 18 ampere hours
Something in the car is using 4 watts --- as you have already changed the alternator the first suspect is always the boot light or glove box light,
followed by the radio/cd player particularly if it is a non OEM fit.
Other things that can cause problems are alarms and ECU not going into "sleep mode"
Only way to find it is some time spent pulling fuses and checking for current flow with an DMM/ammeter.
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BenB
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| posted on 30/7/07 at 01:57 PM |
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300mA sounds a lot to me!!!!!!!
If you get some blade terminals that will fit in place of the fuses you can make up some leads to put in place of fuses and measure the drain for each
circuit to narrow down where the loss is happening (obviously be careful when doing as you'll have unfused circuits and if you're not
careful you'll blow the main fuse)
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theconrodkid
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| posted on 30/7/07 at 02:24 PM |
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i read somewhere about it being a design fault with the radio.ie turn the ignition off and leave the radio on,batt goes flat,turn radio off before
turning ignition off batt stays live,worth a try
who cares who wins
pass the pork pies
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skydivepaul
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| posted on 30/7/07 at 02:25 PM |
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cheers lads.
I'll check the boot light first off when i get back tonight. other than that it is pulling out the fuses one by one.
cheers
Paul
http://www.smartideasuk.com
http://www.smartmapping.co.uk
HD CCTV
3D design solutions and integration
IP security systems
access control systems
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MkIndy7
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| posted on 30/7/07 at 03:37 PM |
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I once had a Fiesta where after having the exhaust replaced the alternator wires were flapping on the Exhaust and were melting through!
Althought it was a dead short that caused a similar fault.
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Hellfire
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| posted on 30/7/07 at 04:14 PM |
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MY BMW did this sort of thing... it was eventually tracked down to a faulty Hazard Warning Light Switch.
Steve
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jollygreengiant
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| posted on 30/7/07 at 05:26 PM |
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You might have had the alternator checked, but that doesn't mean that it isn't faulty. I have come across similar to this before, try
unpluging the alternator completely and then checking for amp drain/voltage. occasionally the alternator checks out as being ok, but, it can have an
earthing fault throught the diode pack or the charging circuit light swith off circuit.
Other than that start checking other circuits as already suggested.
Hope this helps.
Beware of the Goldfish in the tulip mines. The ONLY defence against them is smoking peanut butter sandwiches.
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rusty
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| posted on 30/7/07 at 05:36 PM |
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To get a real reading of the current drain you need to connect the meter and then leave it to settle for 10min with the meter connected, after this
time I would expect a lot less that 300ma.
As siad above unplug things and see what happens, only thing that are conected with a memory sohuld be alarms, radio, clocks and any trip comuter type
things.
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davidwag
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| posted on 30/7/07 at 09:40 PM |
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Hi,
This is a handy little device for measuring current in individual circuits.
http://www.testtools.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=468
Davidwag
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Peteff
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| posted on 30/7/07 at 11:04 PM |
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Next door had a problem with his alternator, it would charge but also discharged the battery when it was stood overnight. The alternator was warm to
the touch when the engine was stone cold which gave it away.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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skydivepaul
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| posted on 31/7/07 at 01:47 PM |
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got a bit further with this.
traced the fuse to No2 fuse 10A which controls
clock - tested o.k.
interior light - tested o.k.
heater panel - not tested yet
instrument panel - not tested yet.
ordered a set of manuals from ebay so that might help
cheers
Paul
http://www.smartideasuk.com
http://www.smartmapping.co.uk
HD CCTV
3D design solutions and integration
IP security systems
access control systems
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skydivepaul
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| posted on 8/8/07 at 08:54 PM |
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now fixed.
fault traced to a tiny bulb in the boot.
activated by a pressure contact on the boot lid.
removed bulb!!!
wiring traced back thanks to a ford workshop CD bought on ebay for 2 quid. money well spent
cheers
Paul
http://www.smartideasuk.com
http://www.smartmapping.co.uk
HD CCTV
3D design solutions and integration
IP security systems
access control systems
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02GF74
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| posted on 10/8/07 at 08:37 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by 02GF74
check the non obvopouds bulbs are not on e.g. glove compartment, vanity mirror etc: dueto a bad switch.
so it was the non obvopouds bulb then 
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