I have a 2.0i Volcane, which has been nearly perfect for 130,000 miles. All electrics (except some blown dashboard and heater control bulbs) have been reliable, which is supprising seeing how many ZX electical faults are mentioned in these forums.
I had to leave the car standing for a few months this year and didn't want to leave it unalarmed. On returning the battery was flat (pretty old too), so I got a new one and fitted it.
I now have a real problem in that the red battery drain light stays on (dimly) when the car is switched off (keys removed), so the battery goes flat in about a day! When I start the engine, the light then goes out.
All other electical switches work normally, so I can't identify which circuit has the leak.
I was hoping this was simply a faulty ignition switch, but removing all the connectors from the switch made no difference to the battery light. One other observation is that the electic windows now work with the ignition off and pressing the brake peddle makes the battery light shine more brightly.
I've checked all engine bay loom wires as far as the firewall and haven't found any splits or damaged connections so far.
Has anyone else come across this kind of short? I'm not too good at reading the Haynes manual electrical diagrams, so have run out of ideas. Any advice would be very much appreciated. [?]
ZX 2.0i Volcane large electical leak!
Moderator: RichardW
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uhn113x
- Posts: 1161
- Joined: 06 Jan 2004, 22:06
- Location: Near Leeds, United Kingdom
- My Cars: 1981 Dyane - on road all year round.
1982 GSA Pallas - on road April - September.
1997 ZX 1.9D Dimension. - x 1
Jim
It is not a battery drain light, it is a charge warning light. It does sound as if you have a feed to the switched supply even with the ignition off, but you have eliminated the switch, so prime suspects are those bits that handle both switched and unswitched supplies:
Fuseboxes under dash and on LHF wheel arch - try pulling fuses until light goes out.
Alternator (try disconnecting it)
The interesting bit is that the light is brighter when you press the brake 'peddle' [sic]. This means the leak is worse when the stop light switch is closed, but this should not be supplied if the ign is off. Try disconnecting it.
Just a thought, but has this fault just occurred suddenly?
Have you a meter?
HTH
It is not a battery drain light, it is a charge warning light. It does sound as if you have a feed to the switched supply even with the ignition off, but you have eliminated the switch, so prime suspects are those bits that handle both switched and unswitched supplies:
Fuseboxes under dash and on LHF wheel arch - try pulling fuses until light goes out.
Alternator (try disconnecting it)
The interesting bit is that the light is brighter when you press the brake 'peddle' [sic]. This means the leak is worse when the stop light switch is closed, but this should not be supplied if the ign is off. Try disconnecting it.
Just a thought, but has this fault just occurred suddenly?
Have you a meter?
HTH
Hi uhn113x, thanks so much for your reply about the ZX electrics.
On your recommendation I disconnected the alternator, then reconnected that battery terminals....no charge light on now!
Also, all the normal switched circuits (windows, sunroof, footbrake switch) are dead when the ignition switch is off.
Is it safe to assume that the circuit within the alternator has failed, so I just need to get a replacement unit?
Many thanks again. [:)]
On your recommendation I disconnected the alternator, then reconnected that battery terminals....no charge light on now!
Also, all the normal switched circuits (windows, sunroof, footbrake switch) are dead when the ignition switch is off.
Is it safe to assume that the circuit within the alternator has failed, so I just need to get a replacement unit?
Many thanks again. [:)]
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tonespeed1999
- Posts: 205
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- Location: United Kingdom
- My Cars:
Ok, I've had the Valeo alternator out of the car, which seems in smooth working order. Have checked and cleaned the brushes and left it indoors for a day or so to dry.
Once back on the car, the problem is still present (charge warning light stays on with the ignition off).
I also checked the connections to the alternator with a voltmeter. The smaller lead is live when the ignition switch is on and then goes off when the switch is off (correct I assume). The larger feed seems to have current flowing through it all the time (ignition on or off), which I assume isn't right? Does this narrow it down at all?
I also swapped some of the engine/under dash green relays around, but this didn't have any effect unfortunately.
Many thanks [?]
Once back on the car, the problem is still present (charge warning light stays on with the ignition off).
I also checked the connections to the alternator with a voltmeter. The smaller lead is live when the ignition switch is on and then goes off when the switch is off (correct I assume). The larger feed seems to have current flowing through it all the time (ignition on or off), which I assume isn't right? Does this narrow it down at all?
I also swapped some of the engine/under dash green relays around, but this didn't have any effect unfortunately.
Many thanks [?]
Try disconnecting the large lead, and connect an ammeter between it and the alternator. With the ignition off, there should be no current drawn. There may be a problem with the alternator regulator, which is causing it to draw current through the field windings even when stationary. If that's the case, many alternators allow replacement of the regulator moule without having to change the whole alternator.
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uhn113x
- Posts: 1161
- Joined: 06 Jan 2004, 22:06
- Location: Near Leeds, United Kingdom
- My Cars: 1981 Dyane - on road all year round.
1982 GSA Pallas - on road April - September.
1997 ZX 1.9D Dimension. - x 1
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by uhn113x</i>
[quote]<i>Originally posted by jmwoowar</i>
Ok, I've had the Valeo alternator out of the car, which seems in smooth working order. Have checked and cleaned the brushes and left it indoors for a day or so to dry.
Once back on the car, the problem is still present (charge warning light stays on with the ignition off).
I also checked the connections to the alternator with a voltmeter. The smaller lead is live when the ignition switch is on and then goes off when the switch is off (correct I assume). The larger feed seems to have current flowing through it all the time (ignition on or off), which I assume isn't right? Does this narrow it down at all?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Doesn't seem like anything to do with the alternator, then. Large lead is permanently connected to the battery, so is always live. Small one is through ignition.
It does sound as if the only way forward is to study the wiring diagram and disconnect things that are fed through the ignition whilst measuring, say, the voltage on the feed to the electric windows. Does not sound too straightforward [:(] but keep us posted.
[quote]<i>Originally posted by jmwoowar</i>
Ok, I've had the Valeo alternator out of the car, which seems in smooth working order. Have checked and cleaned the brushes and left it indoors for a day or so to dry.
Once back on the car, the problem is still present (charge warning light stays on with the ignition off).
I also checked the connections to the alternator with a voltmeter. The smaller lead is live when the ignition switch is on and then goes off when the switch is off (correct I assume). The larger feed seems to have current flowing through it all the time (ignition on or off), which I assume isn't right? Does this narrow it down at all?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Doesn't seem like anything to do with the alternator, then. Large lead is permanently connected to the battery, so is always live. Small one is through ignition.
It does sound as if the only way forward is to study the wiring diagram and disconnect things that are fed through the ignition whilst measuring, say, the voltage on the feed to the electric windows. Does not sound too straightforward [:(] but keep us posted.
Hi all,
good news, it turned out to be failed rectifier diodes on the alternator, so the battery charge was able to leak back across the alternator and cause the switched circuits on the other side to become partially live (explains why the electric windows worked with the ignition off).
The diodes are built onto the alternator, so I had to get a complete replacement unit...£ouch. The new one is much quieter (less whine) than the old one though, so that's a bonus.
Many thanks for all your help solving this one [:D]
good news, it turned out to be failed rectifier diodes on the alternator, so the battery charge was able to leak back across the alternator and cause the switched circuits on the other side to become partially live (explains why the electric windows worked with the ignition off).
The diodes are built onto the alternator, so I had to get a complete replacement unit...£ouch. The new one is much quieter (less whine) than the old one though, so that's a bonus.
Many thanks for all your help solving this one [:D]