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        General >> Give/Need advice to/from others >> Battery goes flat overnight
        
(Message started by: ravinsixties on Dec 22^nd, 2007, 11:51am)

Title: Battery goes flat overnight
Post by ravinsixties on Dec 22^nd, 2007, 11:51am

Hi folks
First, thank you so much for advice in past (better than garages!!!)
My BIG problem now is my Scorpio Ultima 2.3 Estate R reg. The battery goes flat overnight. RAC breakdown guy
said battery shows a abnormal discharge when parked up and switched off. I took car to my garage man he tested battery and it didnt show a discharge so obviously a intermittant fault? To take to Ford garage Im told in excess of £90+ just to look at it! Im afraid due to drunk driver hitting me an nearly killing me in 2004
(still waiting for compensation from Motor Insurance Bureau (M.I.B) cos the guy wasnt insured) I dont work anymore so have to be limited on spending large amounts. My garage man said common fault on Fords was central locking sometimes "sticking on" so I asked him to disable for few days, but battery still went flat two days later Battery was bought in March this year and tested as ok recently so I know thats ok.
Any help advice would really be appreciated from you
Scorpio experts
Thanks very much
Mike Riley ravinsixties
mike@freesixties.com

Title: Re: Battery goes flat overnight
Post by Highlander on Dec 22^nd, 2007, 1:33pm

Have a look here, alternator possibly?

http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/electsystemtest.htm

Title: Re: Battery goes flat overnight
Post by ADroste on Dec 22^nd, 2007, 10:00pm

Glovebox light staying on?
Or, what I had once, Radio could not be switched off.
Regards
Armin

Title: Re: Battery goes flat overnight
Post by harry.m1byt on Dec 23^rd, 2007, 12:01pm

on 12/22/07 at 22:00:38, ADroste wrote:

Glovebox light staying on?

Armin

The battery saver circuit is supposed to prevent that happening. Leave any of the interior lighting on and if the car is left undisturbed for more than around twenty minutes the saver circuit should isolate their supplies. That is the idea at least, but I have never checked mine out in detail. It is easy to confirm it is working -

Just leave an interior light on, lock the car and see if it goes out after twenty minutes undisturbed.

FYFI My glove box bulb had blown, I replaced it and that again soon blew. So I replaced it again and as you can't see whether it is on or not with the lid closed, I made a habit of checking to see if it was warm when I got in the car - it never was.

Then I heard for the first time about the battery saver system and realised that might be the reason it was cold, yet staying on at other times. I then found it was always hot when the car was being used. A bit of something flat stuck on the lid, where it can push the switch a bit more, fixes this common problem.

Title: Re: Battery goes flat overnight
Post by harry.m1byt on Dec 23^rd, 2007, 12:42pm

Getting back to the actual problem....

Once the car has been parked, locked up with the alarm not set and after leaving it untouched for around 30minutes, I would expect a discharge of around 10 to 40mA. That disharge will be the ECU + radio keep alive circuits. More than this and I would begin to suspect a problem.

It is a difficult one to explain how to go about even measuring the discharge, but I'll try....

Make up a lead with a 12v 21w stop lamp bulb in it, a switch, plus crocodile clips on the end and get hold of a cheap £5 Maplin digital test meter (must have a milliamp range). Set the meter on DC amps 10amp range. Wire it up like this->
croc croc
battery -ve post <------------SWITCH-----------LAMP-----------> -ve cable terminal feed
| |
| |
> meter <

[Note the site font upset my ACSII diagram - the meter connects between left end of switch and right end of the lamp above]

In other words - you disconnect the negative terminal of the battery and the above goes in series between the two. Make sure before you start that the switch is turned on - confirm it by connecting between the +ve and -ve of the battery without the meter connected first.

When first connected, the lamp may light until the Scorp settles down. Once all settled - connect the meter on the 10amp range, open the switch and see what the reading is in amps. If zero or very low, move it to the 1amp range, then the 0.1amp range until you see a sensible reading.

The idea of the lamp, is to first ensure the discharge is not too great a value as to be able to destroy the test meter.

If the discharge is outside the normal range, you need to find which of the many circuits is consuming the extra current. Pull the fuses and replace one at a time, until the culprit is found. I would expect a disturbed circuit to perhaps start to draw extra current for a while after being disturbed. Make sure you have your radio code to hand.

If you cannot understand the above, then find a friend who does - A shorted 12v battery is potentially very dangerous.

Title: Re: Battery goes flat overnight
Post by ravinsixties on Dec 23^rd, 2007, 10:31pm

Hi Folks
Thank you very much for your very welcome advice given recently. All this, and any other suggestions (always welcome!) is gonna be given to my garage man soon as he starts back after Christmas. Luckily its my missus's car, Ive still got my trusty old Scorpio 2 litre DOHC L reg Scorpio which "touch wood" keeps ploddin on
Thanks again lads an Merry Christmas