raptor07GT Posted November 18, 2018 Share Posted November 18, 2018 (edited) bit of nightmare really. Ok, 1st battery died just after a month of ownership, figure the replacement battery fitted by the garage was one they had lying about so wasn't too concerned just annoyed. Bought a new battery from Eurocarparts and within 3 weeks it's dead. Have now replaced that one with a Bosch S4 battery but concerned I have a bigger problem. Car was last used Thursday evening there so for 3 days it should have cranked fine. No belt squeaking on start up, voltmeter on dash holding past 14v when running, stock Bose 6 CD stereo system and no Sat Nav. I ran the car Tuesday through til Thursday daily so it's not its been sitting for days / weeks with no driving time edit: so as not to bump it back to top but to close off - battery lead terminals were loose on battery posts so new terminals attached to leads also an earth strap on the block replaced and some aftermarket wiring removed and now car holds charge just fine for many days - not been a problem since. Happy days Edited April 19, 2019 by raptor07GT added resolution Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FruitPolo Posted November 18, 2018 Share Posted November 18, 2018 I'd say just wait and see if the bosch battery fails. Eurocarparts don't always stock the best quality products. I have seen lots of issues with Lion batteries they sell for example. If the bosch fails then I'd say you do have an issue somewhere considering it will be the third battery. What do you mean the battery is dead though? No charge at all or not enough power to crank? Are the terminals tight and free of corrosion on the mating faces? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor07GT Posted November 18, 2018 Author Share Posted November 18, 2018 hi, thanks for replying. The battery was dead as in wouldn't operate the central locking never mind attempt to crank the engine. It had enough power to show me the battery light but I can't even remember if the volt meter moved (i was too annoyed to focus really ) Terminals are tight on, socket'd up and the battery strap is tight also. No corrosion I could see on the car leads and battery terminals are clean and fresh. When I attached the leads to the battery there wasn't any sparking, just slid on no problem. I might, if the battery survives the week stick a multi-meter between the earth lead and the and battery terminal see what current is being drawn Turns out the Bosch is same one in my turbo mr2 which is getting broken up so I might just borrow that battery and have it on standby trickle charge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDMetal Posted November 18, 2018 Share Posted November 18, 2018 Even the most basic battery testers usually also help spot if the alternator is charging correctly. How many times have you started the car per battery? Either something is draining it like an accessory that's plugged I. (or an after market stereo) or the alternator isn't charging the battery. It's quite simple either it's leaking or not being charged! Work out which one and the remedy should be simple Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor07GT Posted November 18, 2018 Author Share Posted November 18, 2018 the first battery lasted 32 days (2 after warranty on car ran out) It had been used on the Thursday, car was detailed / valeted) and I drove it 50 miles home afterwards. On the Sunday it was dead, unlocked the car but had nothing left for cranking. The last battery lasted 2wks, car was driven last week on Tues / wed / Thurs and then this afternoon when I went to it it was so dead it wouldn't even unlock the doors. Previous batteries were Lion brand I think, this time I fitted a Bosch S4. Will get the multi meter on it Tuesday but drive it tomorrow too (not needed for work) Meter in dash shows over 14v when running but not sure how accurate that actually is.. Are the 12v lighter sockets permanent live ? Going to get a solar trickle charger and leave it on the dash Radio is stock 6CD thingy with the Bose amp, might that be the problem? I will go looking for fuse box locations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted November 18, 2018 Share Posted November 18, 2018 Don’t trust the dash voltmeter, stick a multimeter on or get one that goes in the cig lighter that you’ve checked is accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 (edited) Stating the obvious, something is obviously draining your battery, or an alternator fault not charging it, any reason you didnt charge the battery and bought new? Check volts at the battery when running, should be about 14 volts ish. Disconnect battery when you leave it, if all ok when you reconnect its probably one of the usual culprits, alarm, courtesy light staying on, stereo, just have to work your way through which one. Edited November 19, 2018 by Jetpilot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDMetal Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 The volt meter on the dash isn't going to help, the difference between starting fine and lacking enough juice is about 1/2 a degree on the dial! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor07GT Posted November 19, 2018 Author Share Posted November 19, 2018 (edited) yeah I figured that dash gauge was more on / off. I went for a quick drive tonight and the car started ok. My obd2 dongle gave me a voltage when driving of no less than 14.1, mostly 14.3 to 14.5v which I know also isn't accurate. Had done some digging last night and decided to pull the fuse for the radio tonight except it still played on... Pulled the audio fuse, still playing, pulled the cig fuse, still playing, pulled the other 15amp fuse and still playing. wtf.... Terrible photo below of fuse box cover in footwell and better of the actual fuse box. I pulled all 3 15 amp fuses and still the radio played, speakers et al. What am I missing here ? One thing I have noticed, in the passenger footwell there are a pair of wires, one red (inline fuse on it) one black and another cable with a phono plug on it. I thought might be a reversing camera setup but no camera I can see. I am wondering if the stock head unit was removed then prior to the car being sold the stock unit put back in and maybe some bodged wiring ? Edited November 19, 2018 by raptor07GT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irn Bru Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 Check the engine earth cable, if that's corroded or loose it will kill the charge dead when you switch off car and leave it overnight etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor07GT Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 ok, checked the battery while car was off, 12.77 volts and it had been sitting a couple of hours. Tried to remove the boot trim to get into the amp to disconnect it but I cannot get the boot trim directly above the amp out of the car. Who designed that? There has been some extra wiring done as it looks like scotch lock clips but I couldn't get a good angle to get the camera in. Can't run a meter over the fuses in the footwell as it's an impossible angle to get the probes in and I doubt I'd be able to read the meter anyway. I couldn't get a voltage at the cig lighter sockets, are they off when the ignition is off as that's going to bollox my trickle charger idea This car is getting torched soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 For me I’d get an auto sparky on it, I’d sooner know where it’s going than just plug it in the mains and trickle. Really weird behaviou re: the stereo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor07GT Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 yeah I'm going to have to look at getting a sparky. Trickle charger works through ciggy lighter as I dont have a garage to plug it into so obv with those sockets in the car not being wired perm live the charger idea is stuffed - guess I'll be sending that back . It's just one thing after another with this car, Electric everything but you're stuffed trying to figure anything out yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willsy1980 Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 Yeah pop that Stereo out, sounds like its been wired in wrong, probably just wired into a hot 12, just hope its not been butchered into the loom somehow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 9 hours ago, Willsy1980 said: Yeah pop that Stereo out, sounds like its been wired in wrong, probably just wired into a hot 12, just hope its not been butchered into the loom somehow. What he says, its certainly sounding like something is constantly drawing power even when ign is off and from your comments about the stereo that would be the first place I would look! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor07GT Posted November 21, 2018 Author Share Posted November 21, 2018 On 19/11/2018 at 21:27, raptor07GT said: yeah I figured that dash gauge was more on / off. I went for a quick drive tonight and the car started ok. My obd2 dongle gave me a voltage when driving of no less than 14.1, mostly 14.3 to 14.5v which I know also isn't accurate. Had done some digging last night and decided to pull the fuse for the radio tonight except it still played on... Pulled the audio fuse, still playing, pulled the cig fuse, still playing, pulled the other 15amp fuse and still playing. wtf.... Terrible photo below of fuse box cover in footwell and better of the actual fuse box. I pulled all 3 15 amp fuses and still the radio played, speakers et al. What am I missing here ? One thing I have noticed, in the passenger footwell there are a pair of wires, one red (inline fuse on it) one black and another cable with a phono plug on it. I thought might be a reversing camera setup but no camera I can see. I am wondering if the stock head unit was removed then prior to the car being sold the stock unit put back in and maybe some bodged wiring ? does anyone know what that extra 15amp fuses is beside the row of 3 10Amps? It's not listed on the box cover?? Checked the power this morning, 12.3 V across the battery so down .4v overnight. Fired the car up and got 14.5V across the terminals with the engine running so looks like the alternator is doing its job of charging at least. Took the car to the garage next to work and the spark tried to take the headunit and it got stuck, he'd followed a guide and it just wouldn't come out he thinks because some cables are holding the unit back. Tomorrow he gets stuck in! Think I might order another battery in the meantime... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor07GT Posted November 22, 2018 Author Share Posted November 22, 2018 ok, wee update. Garage couldn't look at car today but taking it tomorrow so tonight I did a bit of checking. With the neg lead off the battery the car was pulling 0.5V (amp tester didn't work so resorted to voltages) across the positive post to neg battery lead. Pulled a few fuses from the drivers footwell and still same voltage. Noticed in front fuse box another Radio fuse, 15amp job. Pulled that and the drop was now 0.06V. Fired up car and radio not working, which is nice it matched up with the fuse in my hand. So, what does that 15amp fuse in the footwell control for the radio and where do the Amps of the Bose system get their power from? cheers Allan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDMetal Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 There is I believe an amp-on cable from the stereo to turn the amp on when required, maybe with an aftermarket system your amp has been made always on or on via a switch somewhere. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 4 hours ago, MDMetal said: There is I believe an amp-on cable from the stereo to turn the amp on when required, maybe with an aftermarket system your amp has been made always on or on via a switch somewhere. Just read the whole thing, this sounds like it could be a good call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDMetal Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 2 minutes ago, Sim said: Just read the whole thing, this sounds like it could be a good call. According to It'll be blue/white striped wires, they also power the antenna 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor07GT Posted November 25, 2018 Author Share Posted November 25, 2018 hey, failed totally at getting stereo out today, couldn't free the clips at the driver gauges and even if I had got past that the garage that looked at the car last week said the stereo was hung up on something preventing it and the centre console coming free (he obv has stronger fingers than me to get that far) I did however find down in the passenger footwell a NavTrak AEM 4000 which appears to be a tracker device ? Lots of wiring in the footwell that doesn't look stock, concerns me that the cabling has been butchered. Anyway, that's been unplugged to reduce current draw though no idea where it's wired into I'm going to monitor the battery daily and if it drops below 12V I'll take the car a run. Many thanks for the advice and links, i will just need to leave the car as is til I save some money to get the entire headunit and electrics checked out, meantime pray the car doesn't leave me stranded in the rain. Bloody cars Status: Radio fuse in engine bay fusebox removed NavTrak electronic box removed from car Monitoring of car battery daily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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