gashead1974

gashead1974

Member
Hi,

Here we go again, after a year, 2 batteries, 3 garages, 1 mobile auto electrician, 1 new final stage resister I still am having battery drain.

I have also pulled the fuse on the wiper headlights, taped down the bonnet switch along the way and nothing is working. I have locked the car and watched it go to sleep, it take around 30-40mins but the light does go off.

If we dont use the car for 2 days its flat, this is a brand new boosch silver and is the biggest battery I can fit in the car.

Having read through 100's of posts I started off with the FSR, this didnt make a difference, both the garages and auto guy couldnt really find anything although the garage said that the drain when they checked it was normal but they would need to sit there for a number of hours and and constantly watch it to see it come alive in order to identify what was going on which clearly they couldnt do.
The auto guy seemed to think it was to do with the interior temp control fan in the dash, cleaned it charged me and was gone leaving behind the same batery drain.

I have checked for water ingress in the amp area of the boot, and also the a pillar which is dry.

Im really clutching at thin air now. I have heard of a wiring harness upgrade which is all to do with the HVAC fan but it looks like its no longer avaliable the part number is YNI500040K, has anyone fitted these with success in relation to battery drain?

If so does anyone know where I can get one?

Finally is there anywhere else on the car I can get for dampness that may cause this? Its a 2003 HSE, no satnat just the basic cd.

Is there any millage in replacing the alternator belt?

Sorry for the long winded post but its driving me bonkers.

Many thanks

Dan
 
gashead1974 said:
Hi,

Here we go again, after a year, 2 batteries, 3 garages, 1 mobile auto electrician, 1 new final stage resister I still am having battery drain.

I have also pulled the fuse on the wiper headlights, taped down the bonnet switch along the way and nothing is working. I have locked the car and watched it go to sleep, it take around 30-40mins but the light does go off.

If we dont use the car for 2 days its flat, this is a brand new boosch silver and is the biggest battery I can fit in the car.

Having read through 100's of posts I started off with the FSR, this didnt make a difference, both the garages and auto guy couldnt really find anything although the garage said that the drain when they checked it was normal but they would need to sit there for a number of hours and and constantly watch it to see it come alive in order to identify what was going on which clearly they couldnt do.
The auto guy seemed to think it was to do with the interior temp control fan in the dash, cleaned it charged me and was gone leaving behind the same batery drain.

I have checked for water ingress in the amp area of the boot, and also the a pillar which is dry.

Im really clutching at thin air now. I have heard of a wiring harness upgrade which is all to do with the HVAC fan but it looks like its no longer avaliable the part number is YNI500040K, has anyone fitted these with success in relation to battery drain?

If so does anyone know where I can get one?

Finally is there anywhere else on the car I can get for dampness that may cause this? Its a 2003 HSE, no satnat just the basic cd.

Is there any millage in replacing the alternator belt?

Sorry for the long winded post but its driving me bonkers.

Many thanks

Dan
Click to expand...

First step is always to check the alternator is actually charging, second step is to do a full battery test. Batteries can self discharge rapidly if they are either no good or only partly charged.
 
Ive got a fuse tester called ( fuse buddy tester) made by neilsen of fleebay you unplug fuse plug this in instead and displays current through that fuse keep testing till you find the culprit.
 
check & double check battery mega fuse cable for signs of distortion/melting,if like mine which has a tracker fitted Is the tracker battery flat? If it is the unit will draw current from the car battery, action will be needed to replace tracker battery.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I had read a thread yesterday about the fuse reader and have one on the way. My question with this though is I guess I need to do this when its gone into sleep mode, so if this a case of sitting inside until the red light goes out then pulling each fuse one at a time?
My worry is that by doing this will the car not come back to life thus giving a false reading?
One final question (sorry) but can anyone give me an indication of what reading I should be looking for as each fuse is pulled?
Many thanks
Dan
 
gashead1974 said:
Hi,

Here we go again, after a year, 2 batteries, 3 garages, 1 mobile auto electrician, 1 new final stage resister I still am having battery drain.

I have also pulled the fuse on the wiper headlights, taped down the bonnet switch along the way and nothing is working. I have locked the car and watched it go to sleep, it take around 30-40mins but the light does go off.

If we dont use the car for 2 days its flat, this is a brand new boosch silver and is the biggest battery I can fit in the car.

Having read through 100's of posts I started off with the FSR, this didnt make a difference, both the garages and auto guy couldnt really find anything although the garage said that the drain when they checked it was normal but they would need to sit there for a number of hours and and constantly watch it to see it come alive in order to identify what was going on which clearly they couldnt do.
The auto guy seemed to think it was to do with the interior temp control fan in the dash, cleaned it charged me and was gone leaving behind the same batery drain.

I have checked for water ingress in the amp area of the boot, and also the a pillar which is dry.

Im really clutching at thin air now. I have heard of a wiring harness upgrade which is all to do with the HVAC fan but it looks like its no longer avaliable the part number is YNI500040K, has anyone fitted these with success in relation to battery drain?

If so does anyone know where I can get one?

Finally is there anywhere else on the car I can get for dampness that may cause this? Its a 2003 HSE, no satnat just the basic cd.

Is there any millage in replacing the alternator belt?

Sorry for the long winded post but its driving me bonkers.

Many thanks

Dan
Click to expand...
Dan, have you sat in the car after you have had the fans running and took the key out of the ignition and listened for the fans shutting down, it takes about 10 mins but don't open any doors elt's you will wake it up again.
 
busakaz said:
Dan, have you sat in the car after you have had the fans running and took the key out of the ignition and listened for the fans shutting down, it takes about 10 mins but don't open any doors elt's you will wake it up again.
Click to expand...

Yes, it does take a while to totally shut down though from memory its closer to 30mins to be honest before the small interior fans shuts down.

My worry was that if I start pulling fuses it will wake back up?
 
Could you not put the tester in place and then shut down the car, if you still see a reading after its gone to sleep then you have found your drain? you would have to do this with every fuse which could take a while..
 
How to Find and Stop Car Battery Drains – DIY Car Battery Drain - Popular Mechanics

current drain test.

If you google current drain test car battery there is loads of info including YouTube vids but if you just wanted to detect if there was a drain I would turn everything off, disconnect battery earth after waiting for the sat nav light to go off or you will cook that, and connect a multimeter in series between the battery earth and car body, tape down the bonnet pin switch so it thinks the bonnet is shut and then lock it and let it shut down. If you still have a reading after 30 minutes or so you have a drain. The multimeter would need to be set to amps
I am only writing this after having a quick google so investigate it a bit further as to whether this would overload the multimeter when it locks all the doors or if it would upset any ecu's. If you disconnect the battery while the satnav light is on it will kill the satnav
 
gashead1974 said:
Hi, Im now armed with my fuse buddy but how do I stop the car from waking as I pull and replace each fuse as will this not wake the car each time?
cheers
Dan
Click to expand...
Depends on which fuse you pull, not all of them will wake the car up....
 
As i understand the fuse buddy, it shows if there is a current drain across a particular fuse.

Keeping in mind you can kill your satnav if you pulled the fuse or disconnected the battery while the red light is still on on the unit in the boot( i fold back my parcel shelf and remove the passenger side cover to see the light otherwise if you open the boot it will wake up again)

The only way i can see you can do it would be to start at fuse number one, not forgetting you have fuses in the boot as well, connect the fuse buddy in place of the fuse and lock the car and alarm it as normal with everything closed so you can see the digital readout from outside the car or you can wait in the car, in which case you need to press the arm button again within 10 seconds of setting the alarm to disable the interior protection.

It can take a while for everything to go to sleep but as long as you don't have a reading and we assume that it would stay that way, then you could repeat for the next fuse. if you do get a reading, you will have to leave it about half an hour for everything to totally shut down including ECU fans.

I would probably go through every fuse quickly and make a note of any that have a current draw and then go back to them and leave them longer to see if they shut down.

The other thing to keep in mind is the l322 is a fussy little tart when it comes to electronics so don't be surprised if by disconnecting power supplies you throw up some more faults that need clearing.

To start you could use the method i found on an earlier post that will test the whole system in one go by checking for drain at the battery.

Please keep in mind, i am not a vehicle mechanic or electrician so for legal reasons, what i have said could be complete bollox:)
 
Ok, for the second time I bit the bullet and got an auto electrian out to take a look as by the time I have fiddled around and caused more problems than I already had I just wanted it fixed by a proffesional esp as we have a 5 week old baby at home hence need the car reliable.

He says the draw is on fuse 18, and the only thing that this fuse controls seems to be the imobilser. Is there anything further that can be checked on this system or is it a main dealer task?
 
Nope not a known issue that I have heard of!!

The immobiliser ECU is continuously powered.

From RAVE operation Manual....

Immobilisation ECU
The immobilisation ECU is installed on the driver's side of the gear selector assembly, underneath the centre console.
When it detects a valid transponder/ignition key in the ignition switch and is receiving a release signal from the steering lock ECU, the immobilisation ECU sends a release signal to the ECM and energises the starter solenoid when the ignition switch is turned to crank. The release signal to the ECM is a further rolling coded synchronised in the immobilisation ECU and the ECM. If either the ECM or the immobilisation ECU are replaced they have to be re-synchronised using TestBook/T4.

Up to 10 different transponders can be used with the immobilisation ECU. The 10 unique transponder key codes and their associated rolling codes are generated during vehicle production and programmed into the immobilisation ECU.

The transponder of each ignition key supplied with the vehicle is then programmed with one of the key codes and its associated rolling code. Once the immobilisation ECU and the transponders have been programmed they cannot be over written. The 'spare' key codes and associated rolling codes are retained in the immobilisation ECU for future use.

The key codes and associated rolling codes are also recorded in a spares support database together with the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

If an ignition key is lost, the key code of the related transponder should be disabled in the immobilisation ECU using TestBook/T4. If the key is subsequently found, the transponder can be enabled again.

If a replacement or additional ignition key is ordered, the transponder of the new ignition key is programmed by the spares supplier with one of the spare key codes and associated rolling code from the spares support database. The immobilisation ECU recognizes the first use of the key code and automatically enables the new ignition key.

When a replacement immobilisation ECU is ordered it comes pre-programmed with the key codes and rolling codes from the spares support database ready for use with the existing ignition keys once it has been synchronised with the ECM.

A starter motor protection function is incorporated into immobilisation ECU. When the engine speed exceeds a predetermined value, a relay inside the immobilisation ECU is disabled. This prevents damage to the starter motor in the event of a sticking ignition switch or if crank is selected while the engine is running.

The immobilisation ECU is powered by a permanent battery feed from the passenger compartment fusebox. It also receives an auxiliary power feed from the passenger compartment fusebox and a crank power feed direct from the ignition switch. A connection with the K bus provides the immobilisation ECU with engine speed and locking system status.
Click to expand...
 
Saint.V8 said:
Nope not a known issue that I have heard of!!

The immobiliser ECU is continuously powered.

From RAVE operation Manual....
Click to expand...

Thanks for the replies, Ive been to 2 auto electrians both of which took my money and run and left me no better off what so ever, its been in the garage twice with the same results.
I think its time to bite the bullet and call my local main dealer (Roger Young) as this is driving me bonkers.

If the truth be known I am not actually convinced the auto guy who came out yesterday had much of a clue what he was doing on the car, still didnt stop him taking £70 of me!
 
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