battery drain

[tonymike79]

Hi There, I have a problem with battery drain over night on my 03 reg xsara Picasso 1.6 desire.
I have had a recent cambelt and water pump change, shortly after I noticed that my instrument panel lights
started to flicker,the car is fitted with a 42 A/H battery,I have tried an 80 A/H battery and that drained over night
the alternater seems to be charging, I would be grateful for any information.
regards tonymike79

[Peter.N.]

If there are no obvious lights on the alternator could well be the problem, not that its not charging but that its drawing current from the battery when not running. Try connecting an ampmeter in series with the lead and the alternator or just disconnect the thick lead overnight and see if it solves the problem.

Peter

[wheeler]

Agreed you need an ammeter or amp clamp on it to see whats been drawn out of the battery first off. The drain after the BSI shuts down (around 2-3 minutes) should be no more than 0.04 amps.
Does it have any aftermarket electrical equipment fitted eg alarm, handsfree kit, towbar electrics, cd player etc. i find most battery drain problems are caused by non original equipment.

[tonymike79]

Hi there, I do not have any after market, or non standard items fitted,only standard equipment,
as fitted by Citroen,thank you for your reply.
regards tonymike79

[sparksie]

This sounds like a partially burned out rectifier in the alternator.
Failing that, the battery is goosed.
As others have already said, you'll need an ammeter to prove this accurately, but you may be able to notice the alternator being warm, long after the engine has cooled. Or a fat spark when you disconnect the heavy cable at the alternator, being careful not to touch the body(or any part of the engine) with your spanner, or the disconnected cable, while you work.
If either is evident, then there is a strong current flow through the alternator, which there shouldn't be when it's not running.
Have you done any further testing since putting the query on here?

[old-un77]

How about connecting a 12 v lamp via a couple of wires to the battery post and battery clamp... lift the clamp off the battery......lamp in series.....any decent illumination would be a clue....

[sparksie]

How about connecting a 12 v lamp via a couple of wires to the battery post and battery clamp... lift the clamp off the battery......lamp in series.....any decent illumination would be a clue....

Yes, that would tell whether the problem is in the car, or the battery.
Assuming it lit, the problem lies in the car.
While the battery is disconnected is the ideal time to do the alternator disconnection.
If the bulb test still lights the bulb, even with the alternator disconnected, then the alt is almost certainly exonerated.
If not, then it's highly likely the alternator needs a rectifier.
On the other hand, assuming the bulb doesn't light, the chances are the problem lies in the battery.
To be on the safe side, use a small bulb such as a 1.2W dash illumination bulb, rather than a fog/driving light bulb.
At low currents, you may not be able to see a high wattage bulb illuminating, so could be fooled.
What's the (ahem) current status of this fault?
Oh, by the way, Happy New Year to all...

[tonymike79]

Hi to all who offered advice,had new alternator fitted,hope it works,it has stopped instrument lights flickering


regards tonymike79