Okay, this is starting to take the michael now. I had an old battery for my Honda Prelude (Which I kept having to recharge once a week). However, I bought a new one for £69.99 from Halfords (One from the new Calcium HCB Range). I bought it on the 5th May.
Just tried starting car, and battery is dead. Just started charging it. Just want to ask if anyone else has this problem? I know many people who never have to recharge their battery for at least a year, but my car seems to take the michael.
1. Is this normal?
2. Could there be something in the car that sucks up all the energy from the battery? All I turn on at night is a simple alarm, nothing else. Maybe something else I don't know about?
Regards
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Sounds like you have a discharge problem or worse.
Easiest way to test is to take voltage reading of battery at night, stood after use for 2 hours or more. Compare with reading in morning just before attempting to start it.
Then do the same the next night, but disconnect the earth lead at night and conect again in the morning.
Post results here and more to follow.
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Do you have a meter with a current range ?. When the battery is charged is is just taking a couple of amps measure the terminal voltage. Now fit the battery and start the car and run at 2500 rpm or so for 2 mins and measure the terminal voltage and report back back. Regards Peter
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Yes, there is something wrong.
Boot light? Engine bay light? Glovebox light? All are enough to flatten a better overnight.
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Okay, I'll try out your suggestions, and post the results within the next couple of days.
Thanks.
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The only effective way to establish what the static current drain is from your battery is to place an ammeter in series with the battery.If the current is much above 1/4amp with the car alarm set then you have cause for concern. Note that this rate of discharge will run a 100amp/hour battery completely "flat" in a fortnight. If you find that the current drain is too high then disconnect (one at a time) possible consumers of power until you strike lucky...start with the alarm!
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A drain of 100 ma measure 15 mins after shut off, due to ECU and the like staying awake is unusual and one odrain source can be a faulty diode in the alternator. The are often 9 doides inthere and lossing one does not really effect the charge capability but can cuase excessive drain on the battery. Hopefully he will come back with some charged voltages then we can move onto a quiescent current measurement. Regards Peter
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Is it possible that you do only very short trips, and therefore the battery is not getting chance to re-charge?
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Assuming the new battery is OK then as suggested you need to monitor the current after the car has shut itself down - so maybe 30 mins after ign off.
Then pull the fuses one by one untill you find the one that protects the circuit that is taking the current. Then investigate whatever is on that circuit.
(pull and replace the fuses - you dont want to end up with an empty fusebox and a pile of fuses and no record of what was where.)
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