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[Kevin Wood]

Readings after 20mins:-

Fluctuates between 0.014 - 0.032

That's more like it. I'd say you have nothing to worry about there.

Kevin

[Auto Addict]

Readings after 20mins:-

Fluctuates between 0.014 - 0.032

That's more like it. I'd say you have nothing to worry about there.

Kevin

 

Thanks for all your help and advice, everybody.

[TheBoy]

Readings after 20mins:-

Fluctuates between 0.014 - 0.032

That's more like it. I'd say you have nothing to worry about there.

Kevin

I concur - 15 to 30mA. Absolutely fine

[Auto Addict]

I'm back again with a battery query.

As you will remember, I fitted a new 66amp Vx Go battery in March.

Last Thursday, after a 30+ run, I decided to do an oil change, left the car for about 2 hours, to cool down a bit, and noticed, when I lifted the bonnet, the Hydrometer eye on the battery was black, not green.

Took a reading off the battery, it was showing 12.2v.

Checked all the usual, alternater charge etc. everthing was in limits.

Put the battery on charge, but the green light didn't come back on.

Battery charged up OK.

Any ideas?

[Taxi_Driver]

I'm back again with a battery query.

As you will remember, I fitted a new 66amp Vx Go battery in March.

Last Thursday, after a 30+ run, I decided to do an oil change, left the car for about 2 hours, to cool down a bit, and noticed, when I lifted the bonnet, the Hydrometer eye on the battery was black, not green.

Took a reading off the battery, it was showing 12.2v.

Checked all the usual, alternater charge etc. everthing was in limits.

Put the battery on charge, but the green light didn't come back on.

Battery charged up OK.

Any ideas?

If you havent had any probs with the battery I wouldnt pay any attention to it AA.......When I changed my battery a few weeks ago, the old one had its green light on.....but clearly the battery was knackered.......

The current readings you took a while ago seem perfickly normal  

[Entwood]

AFAIK its not a "light" at all .. just a bit of green plastic on the end of a mechanical hydrometer ... as the SG of the battery changes with charge so the hydrometer float changes and moves the plastic between green and black ....

I have known of several of these either a) being useless or b) sticking ... if it's b  a short sideways smack with the palm of the hand sometimes frees them up .... DON'T do what one guy did ... drop the battery from knee height ... he was very upset when the case split .. but it did free up the indicator .....  

[Auto Addict]

Yes, I think your both right, I'll take it off and drop it from calf height

 

[Auto Addict]

Here we go again, got back from a weeks holiday on Sunday.

Before I went the battery was fully charged.

Dead as a dodo yesterday morning, reading 2.6v.

Fitted my spare, took readings, similar to those posted earlier.

[Kevin Wood]

Here we go again, got back from a weeks holiday on Sunday.

Before I went the battery was fully charged.

Dead as a dodo yesterday morning, reading 2.6v.

Fitted my spare, took readings, similar to those posted earlier.

I wonder if you've got a problem with the charging side. We've proven nothing's draining it, so my next course of action would be to make sure it is charging fully.

You can check the charging by selecting a voltage range on your multimeter and connecting it directly across the battery. With the engine running at a fast idle and no electrical accessories on, you should see 14-14.5 volts. Switch on a few electrical loads (headights, heater rear screen, etc.) and it will drop a little but should manage more than 13 volts.

Also check that the battery terminals aren't getting hot during the second test as this is a common failure.

Does the alarm work OK on your car? Just thinking the other option is that the alarm's been sounding, or at least triggering, and drawing current, while it's parked up.

I'd put that flat battery on a charger overnight. It's not too old so chances are it can be rescued.

Kevin

[Auto Addict]

Here we go again, got back from a weeks holiday on Sunday.

Before I went the battery was fully charged.

Dead as a dodo yesterday morning, reading 2.6v.

Fitted my spare, took readings, similar to those posted earlier.

I wonder if you've got a problem with the charging side. We've proven nothing's draining it, so my next course of action would be to make sure it is charging fully.

You can check the charging by selecting a voltage range on your multimeter and connecting it directly across the battery. With the engine running at a fast idle and no electrical accessories on, you should see 14-14.5 volts. Switch on a few electrical loads (headights, heater rear screen, etc.) and it will drop a little but should manage more than 13 volts.

Also check that the battery terminals aren't getting hot during the second test as this is a common failure.

Does the alarm work OK on your car? Just thinking the other option is that the alarm's been sounding, or at least triggering, and drawing current, while it's parked up.

I'd put that flat battery on a charger overnight. It's not too old so chances are it can be rescued.

Kevin

I've already checked everything you have suggested, battery terminals do not get hot, according to my neighbours my alarm has not been going off whilst I have been away.

The alternator is charging OK with or without load.

The only thing I can think of is, somehow the deadlock system is drawing current, as nothing else seems to be.

With the car deadlocked, I can't check the drain.

The new battery has fully charged, I haven't put it back onto the car but it seems to be holding it's charge.

Thanks for your reply.

[Albus Dumbledore]

 Can't a partly broken wire "earth" away the battery's charge? If there is a small current (like the alarm or the clock) and one of the broken bits touches metal?

Maybe you have a partly broken wire?? (just thinking out loud  )

[TheBoy]

AA - can you try it for a while with, for example, power sounder unplugged (if its failing, it may be intermittently pulling reasonable draw from battery)?

[Kevin Wood]

Power sounder is a good bet. Mine failed when the batteries leaked goo and it partially shorted the sounder driver so the sound was very low in volume but lots of current was drawn. If it's going off occasionally this could be draining the battery but didn't show up in your measurement of the current drain when idle - because it didn't go off.

You must have something intermittently drawing current.

Kevin

[johnnycboy]

as in interim solution, wont solve your problem, but i use a 12v solar panel charger from maplin, cost me 12 quid, i'll try and find the part no. for u

[Auto Addict]

AA - can you try it for a while with, for example, power sounder unplugged (if its failing, it may be intermittently pulling reasonable draw from battery)?

According to my neighbours, the alarm did not go off whilst I was away.

If I disconnect the battery, without switching the ignition on/off, the power sounder works OK.

At the minute, I'm trickle charging the battery overnight.

When it stops raining (will it ever) I'll have a go at disconnecting the power sounder.