Battery issues

[Ben Lessani]

You've got two choices, a new battery or a new multimeter - because one of them is faulty!

Voltage doesn't mean a huge amount to be honest, you can have a battery that reads 12V, but only has 1A of current in it. Off the car, it will read 12v all day and night - but the moment you connect it to the car, or even a test lamp, you'll find the voltage dropping to almost nothing.

If your battery is draining and you've said theres only a 20 mAh draw - it *must* be the battery or a faulty multimeter.

[mattkh]

Update on my issues
PS I get quite a tappety sound when Im giving it a bit of juice 3000 + revs is this normal for an old 16v?

Hi
Do a compression check.

[bluestreak56]

You've got two choices, a new battery or a new multimeter - because one of them is faulty!

Voltage doesn't mean a huge amount to be honest, you can have a battery that reads 12V, but only has 1A of current in it. Off the car, it will read 12v all day and night - but the moment you connect it to the car, or even a test lamp, you'll find the voltage dropping to almost nothing.

If your battery is draining and you've said theres only a 20 mAh draw - it *must* be the battery or a faulty multimeter.

ok fair enough

I doubt its the battery though as Ive tried them both and the same thing is happening - Ill see if I can find another multimeter..

[danny_p]

You've got two choices, a new battery or a new multimeter - because one of them is faulty!

Voltage doesn't mean a huge amount to be honest, you can have a battery that reads 12V, but only has 1A of current in it. Off the car, it will read 12v all day and night - but the moment you connect it to the car, or even a test lamp, you'll find the voltage dropping to almost nothing.

If your battery is draining and you've said theres only a 20 mAh draw - it *must* be the battery or a faulty multimeter.

that pritty much sums it up

10.5V  is considerd completly flat with lead acid batteries,    they arn't 12 volts ether    they charge at about 14.4v  and should have 13.5v at the terminals

to test your battery,  put the multimeter across it and tunr headlights on if voltage starts voltage will drop a tiny bit but if it falls rapidly the battery is duff.  then do a drain test as sugested previously then do a more specific drain test,  this involves modifying a blow fuse,    connect a piece of wire to each of the contacts on the fuse then connect these to the meter,   and then test all the fuse locations in the car with it, this will tell you where the issue is,  but as said 20mA  is classed as leackage and to be expected

[bluestreak56]

Thanks for the advice guys - im going to book it in with the mechanics this week as I have 4 issues I'd like sorted:

1) Battery Parasitic Drain

2) Lumpy Idle on Cold Start (first 20 seconds)

3) Pinking / Knocking with heavy load at low revs

4) Oil leak possibly from the sump

[danny_p]

3) Pinking / Knocking with heavy load at low revs

thats a dead knock sensor  ( if a digi ) or   over enthusiastic ignition timing with 95 ron petrol

[bluestreak56]

3) Pinking / Knocking with heavy load at low revs

thats a dead knock sensor  ( if a digi ) or   over enthusiastic ignition timing with 95 ron petrol

Most likely the latter as mine is k-jet 

Thanks though - thought it was the timing..

[Pluginz]

I had a similar problem with my battery draining too.

The problem was my electric seats. I wired the seats live so the motors were basically on all the time.

Sounds silly but it drained the battery.  I have disconnected the seats for now.  My next step is to install a seperate relay and inline fuse to the ignition system and battery... 

Have you wired up anything else in your car that is on a permanent live? 

Good luck.

[bluestreak56]

I had a similar problem with my battery draining too.

The problem was my electric seats. I wired the seats live so the motors were basically on all the time.

Sounds silly but it drained the battery.  I have disconnected the seats for now.  My next step is to install a seperate relay and inline fuse to the ignition system and battery... 

Have you wired up anything else in your car that is on a permanent live? 

Good luck.

The only things Ive wired up since I got the car are fog lights (on a fuse) and the stereo which is always live on sciroccos but I took it out for a long period of time and the car was still draining.

Ill check these again though, thanks for your input 

[Pluginz]

Ah no problem geeza,

Good luck on this one.