Member Since: 06 Mar 2017
Location: Lost
Posts: 5060
Even with the ign on that does seem like excessive drop over such a short period! If you have another suitable battery available it might be worth a temporary swap out. There is an earth strap under the d/s/f wheel arch and often the one to corrode first.yµ (idµ - eAµ) ψ=mψ
12th Sep 2023 1:25 pm
Sidestick
Member Since: 22 Apr 2012
Location: Rome
Posts: 2326
Despite clamp meter readings, a fully charged lead acid battery should maintain 12,7 volt overtime with no loads. In my case i have removed the battery from the car, properly charged and it lasts at 12,7V for about 10 days, while when installed on the car it usually drops to 12,2V in 10 days. It means that in 240 hrs something on board spilled around 50% of available current reserve from my battery (25 Amps)... with an average drain of 96 mA/h.
In my case, the cubby fridge, the Altox box and the Easy Lift ecu are responsible of these drains and my randomly use of the car once a week see me starting the engine with the battery in a low state of charge with the result of prematurely wear of the battery.- Easy-Lift suspension module 4.0
- GoodWinch 9500 lb
- Full underbody protections
- Tree/Rock sidebars
- Prospeed roofrack & ladder
- Compressor guard
- Raised Air Intake
- Driving lights (2+4)
- 50 mm Waffle boards
- Altox Heater control
- Overland Rooftop Tent
- Rear seats entertainment
- Front & Rear camera
- GVIF
- Removable tow bar
- Cubby box fridge
- BFG KO2 265/65R17
- iidTool BT
12th Sep 2023 1:34 pm
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8243
Could it be the alternator is on its way out?-they are notorious for killing batteries.It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
I did check this early on, with just battery connected to the alternator and it seemed fine, but tomorrow i will take the lead off from the alternator and check again.
I checked the alternator and its fine, I recharged the battery with my cteck on arecon mode, it displayed that it had reconned it after about 70 mins of charging, considering how flat it was i was suspicious about this time to charge it fully.
I then did a drop test on the battery with my shorting tool and it dropped like a stone from 12 volts to about 8.5 volts in about 8 secs.
So I fitted a new battery so that side is sorted.
But I spent most of yesterday trying to find the draw, I have had my car since new and have done / tried and tested lots of mods, gadgets on it, so I have a lot of old wiring installed but after 15 years or more I forgot what most of it did .
Anyway as most of you know I fitted and tested the D3 sat nav in my car about 11 years ago now, alaong with a D4 gif unit, so I decided to remove this and install my old D3 screen, and remove the gif unit as well.
I also had a Danhag FBH controller and fan module still installed so I removed this as well as all the wiring and cables.
All the above made no difference, I have even tried the fuel flap and tailgate to see if that is causing my problem, but as above still have the drain.
Just in the process of testing if my under the seat sat nav DVD drive is a cause as I am now running out of ideas and things to check.
I have also done a new earth strap from engine to battery with no change.
Image below was when I changed my battery old battery on the left new battery on the right.
Click image to enlarge
Flack
14th Sep 2023 10:37 am
Pete K
Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10730
Do you mean you had D4 NaV fitted ?
Time to check these fuses then :
Pete K wrote:
check these small fuses under the bonnet
Try measuring millivolts first across the fuse.
Or just pull um, but Make sure they go back in the correct places at The end. Take a photo.
Well Pete checked every fuse on the car and nothing on any of them, I seem to remeber a post on here a few years ago about a battery drain and it was in the gearbox..
I have just disconnected all the internal leds to check thembut no change,totally stumped now.
Flack
14th Sep 2023 12:21 pm
Pete K
Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10730
How did you check them?
Is it down to measurement accuracy.
There must be something on some of them. Like suspension fuse. Even if it’s just normal 20mA
I checked using one of my volt meters set to ml volts and got a zero reading on them all, I have just setup the old way of trying to get a read out, I have disconnected my earth lead and put my old fluke meter inbetween the battery and the earth terminal, I just wondering if my clamp meter is telling lies.
I will check in about an hour or so on both meters.
Pete what do you think I think my clamp meter is not right,but is the fluke showing 50 m/a if so thats in tolerence is it not?.
Click image to enlarge
Flack
14th Sep 2023 2:09 pm
Pete K
Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10730
That’s showing 5mA.
Clamp meters do need calibrating to zero when off the cable, but aren’t accurate down in that range.
Maybe you don’t have a drain and it was just an old battery ?
14th Sep 2023 2:33 pm
PROFSR G
Member Since: 06 Mar 2017
Location: Lost
Posts: 5060
Fluke looks correct to my eyes, but check the other two earth straps.yµ (idµ - eAµ) ψ=mψ
I think you might be right Pete,although what made me remove my D4 screen was it was not shutting sometimes so I think it might have been both items causing it, I will put it back toghter now and see what happens,thanksfor youre help.
Pete my sat has stopped moving since pulling the screen Icant remember where pin2 is on the D4 screen, is pin bottom left or bottom right..looked on my wiring diagrame but can't decide.
Update found it read throughmy old thread on the mod,lol.
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