Battery draining intermittently - Xantia
Moderator: RichardW
Battery draining intermittently - Xantia
I have a Xantia 1.9 dt Aug '95. Over the last 4 months there has been 3 occasions where I go out in the morning to start it up and the car is completely dead. A new battery was put in the first time, 8 weeks later the same thing happened. RAC attended and spent over an hour trying to find the fault. The alternator was charging ok and there was no obvious electrical faults that he could find. The car then spent 3 days in my local garage while they cleaned and checked all the wiring and plugs. Again no fault could be found. It happened again this morning. The same RAC patrol man attended and spent another hour checking the car. There is nothing obvious that is shorting and draining the battery. Any ideas??
Nasty problem [:(]
You don't have to be a wizzard on the electrics to find common problems.
Take out the bulb's from the glovebox and luggage compartment lights. These lights can be really teasers in their control switches. If things are better after a couple of days - you then know what's the problem.
If no joy - try remove the fuse for radio equipment a couple of days.
Tracing the fault would be a matter of testing any idle current drawn from battery using a simple hobby voltmeter capable of measuring at least 1A full scale. It should never reach the level of approx 0.1A in average - which would give a capacity of 600hrs/45days on a standard 60Ahrs battery - or leaving at least ½ the battery capacity for starting after 3 weeks.
If idle current consumption from battery is evident - then it's a matter of removing each fuse - one at a time - and look for a noticeable drop in current.
Had to correct the idle test current in text - was 0.1mA (daft !)
You don't have to be a wizzard on the electrics to find common problems.
Take out the bulb's from the glovebox and luggage compartment lights. These lights can be really teasers in their control switches. If things are better after a couple of days - you then know what's the problem.
If no joy - try remove the fuse for radio equipment a couple of days.
Tracing the fault would be a matter of testing any idle current drawn from battery using a simple hobby voltmeter capable of measuring at least 1A full scale. It should never reach the level of approx 0.1A in average - which would give a capacity of 600hrs/45days on a standard 60Ahrs battery - or leaving at least ½ the battery capacity for starting after 3 weeks.
If idle current consumption from battery is evident - then it's a matter of removing each fuse - one at a time - and look for a noticeable drop in current.
Had to correct the idle test current in text - was 0.1mA (daft !)
I bought a BX diesel a few years ago that the previous owner had this problem with. He had replaced the battery a few times, changed the alternator belt, then the alternator & was then convinced the new alternator was also faulty, so took that back to the supplier and got another replacement, which didn't make any difference either.
At which point he sold the car to me and I discovered on the first night I owned it that the boot light was staying on and draining the battery.
As Anders mentioned, it can be something very simple that causes this.
Nick
At which point he sold the car to me and I discovered on the first night I owned it that the boot light was staying on and draining the battery.
As Anders mentioned, it can be something very simple that causes this.
Nick
Thanks for the suggestions. The only problem is it only happens once every 7/8 weeks. I have ruled out sabotage, boot lights and glove compartment lights already. Something is happening intermittently that is draining the battery completely. My garage, my RAC patrol man and I are completely baffled!!!