Battery problems.

[superloopy]

Well ... its nearly winter up here and i'm doing a pre check of whats what on the V6. My battery has always been an issue, it goes flat moreorless every couple of days. The original suspect was the radio but thats been out of the car for a while now and still she wont hold a charge so something else is draining the battery overnight. Where do i start with this, any suggestions? The battery is new ... Bosch S5 780A so i'm guessing thats not the issue. Just need a fault finding strategy [emoji1]
I'm not good at 'strategies'...
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[dnsey]

It's no good trying things at random.
Fit an ammeter between the battery and it's positive lead, and systematically disconnect items until the current draw diminishes.
I'd start with the alternator, in case of a faulty regulator or rectifier, then move onto working through the fusebox.

[superloopy]

It's no good trying things at random.
Fit an ammeter between the battery and it's positive lead, and systematically disconnect items until the current draw diminishes.
I'd start with the alternator, in case of a faulty regulator or rectifier, then move onto working through the fusebox.

That sounds like the beginning of a plan, thanks.

Now how do i do that?

I've got a multimeter .. any good?

[Peter.N.]

If its got an 'Amps' range on it yes. Start off with it on about a 5 amp range with everything turned off, if the meter doesn't register much go down to 100ma, it shouldn't be drawing more than about 10-15ma. As dnsy says check the alternator, disconnect the large terminal and see if the current draw stops or a least considerably reduces, if not remove one fuse at a time, when you find one that causes the current to drop, look up what it feeds.

Peter

[hattershaun]

I had a battery drain problem on my mum's 1998 series 2 Xantia.
It was the glovebox light staying on due to the door lid not closing the switch properly; the local Citroen dealer found it as an official bulletin had been issued.
You can't tell if the light is on or off when the door lid is closed.
So, you may wish to remove the bulb to see if this stops your battery going flat.
Also, think about the light in the boot. Same theory applies.

[superloopy]

Wel worth thinking about ... i'll need a set of crocodile clips for my multimeter before i can hook it up in series though ...

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[Old-Guy]

I had much the same problem with both the 'Green Lady' and the VSX we had for year. Boot light was the culprit in the Green Lady (solved by removing the bulb, and always using a torch which was usually needed anyway!), but I never did really find the cause with the VSX. What aggravated the VSX's problem was that it was often only used on winter evenings for short local trips (I know, the worst treatment for any car or battery!) and usually left unused for several days at a time. Having wrecked the VSX's perfectly OK battery by over-charging with a cheap charger, I bought a CTEK smart charger (MXS 5) rather than risk the expensive two year-old Varta 'borrowed' from the Green Lady. I'm fairly sure that the Hydractive ECU was also cycling the electrovalves, but I didn't have the time (or inclination) to de-bug and overhaul the suspension.

The CTEK charger cost as much as a decent battery, but is an amazing bit of kit and well-worth the money. Although only rated at 5A and no bigger (though lighter) than a large mains adaptor for a laptop, the Bulk Charge (step 3 of it's 8 step charging program) charges at a constant 5A until the battery is 90% charged, yet it can be safely left permanently connected to the battery. When first borrowed, the Varta was pretty flat though probably had enough in it to start the VSX; rather than risk wrecking another battery, I put it on charge with the CTEK. Within 2 hours, the CTEK was indicating enough charge to start, which it did even though the VSX's 2.1 always needed a bit of churning to start. Once I had the CTEK, the VSX was always left on charge whenever it wasn't going to be used again that day. I threw away the battery-killing charger, and got rid of another one I had. The CTEK plus sets of leads all in the little bag provided, lives in the Green Lady's boot as part of my 'emergency kit' - just in case.

[Xantia97]

I had the same problem with Snoopy, tried all the obvious things (proved there was a parasitic drain in the system somewhere) with no luck, garage kept saying it was a faulty battery - so five batteries in five years
I knew I had a problem with the alarm, no siren but flashing lights at odd intervals so disarmed the alarm but no change to the battery problem. Eventually removed the alarm ecu last summer due to the carpet being wet (now dry, leaks fixed) and the assumption that the ecu was shot. No more problems with the battery since. I have a suspicion that since the siren had stopped working there was a short somewhere due to water damage but have never proved it.
Hope this helps,
Juliet