Battery drain

[StuB]

On my ZT260SE I have an ongoing battery issue.
If I leave the car standing with the battery connected it runs the battery flat in several days.
If I use the music system without the engine running it kills the battery in no time !!!
I have since removed the parrot system and replaced all the boot hardware with an android system and I appear to be in the same boat .
All the interior lights turn off and it cant be a satnav or hardware issue as all the old hardware is removed.
Does anyone have any ideas ?

[capese21]

Boot light permanently on?? measure the drain with a meter and see if everything is closing down. Quiescent current should be around 1mA after 20 mins or so.



http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=167111&highlight=battery+discharge

Ed. Let us know what the reading is.

[RugbyRover]

I had the same problem a few months ago..... I changed the Battery, and all has been fine since. If you pull down the ski hatch, you will be able to see if boot light is off/on.

Adie

[StuB]

Cheers guys will do the ski hatch check.
Just cant get my head around why or how the entertainment system would kill the battery so quick !! That's a fair old draw to wipe out a battery that quickly. Everything appears to work ok. The alternator must be working ok as when it ran the battery flat the other night I jump started it, drove it for 25 mins and the battery had 70 % charge in it. Got a great android unit and I cant use it unless the engine is running !!!!! That's an expensive game in a V8

[Westonboy]

I had the same problem a few months ago..... I changed the Battery, and all has been fine since. If you pull down the ski hatch, you will be able to see if boot light is off/on.

Adie

Me Likewise, I looked for all sorts of reasons but in the end the battery had to go, No issues at all with the new battery.:}

[chrissyboy]

On my ZT260SE I have an ongoing battery issue.
If I leave the car standing with the battery connected it runs the battery flat in several days.
If I use the music system without the engine running it kills the battery in no time !!!
I have since removed the parrot system and replaced all the boot hardware with an android system and I appear to be in the same boat .
All the interior lights turn off and it cant be a satnav or hardware issue as all the old hardware is removed.
Does anyone have any ideas ?


to me it sounds like the battery cant hold a charge take it off the car and charge it over night if its still the same replace the battery

[HarryM1BYT]

It shouldn't flatten the battery, if interior, boot and glove box lights are left on, even with a door open - the BCU should turn the lot off after around 15 minutes, try it. Leave a door open and the car undisturbed.

I described a while back how to check the discharge fairly easily.

[VMax1000]

On my ZT260SE I have an ongoing battery issue.
If I leave the car standing with the battery connected it runs the battery flat in several days.
If I use the music system without the engine running it kills the battery in no time !!!
I have since removed the parrot system and replaced all the boot hardware with an android system and I appear to be in the same boat .
All the interior lights turn off and it cant be a satnav or hardware issue as all the old hardware is removed.
Does anyone have any ideas ?

Time for a new battery it seems.

How old is your battery btw?

[SD1too]

... as when it ran the battery flat the other night I jump started it, drove it for 25 mins and the battery had 70 % charge in it.
There's your answer Stuart! If you had to jump start the engine then your battery was seriously discharged. Driving for 25 minutes will not restore full charge. I'd be interested to know from where you get the 70% figure.

You don't need a new battery. What you do need is a battery charger, and they're much cheaper than new batteries. Leave it on charge for at least 24 hours and it will be fine.

Simon

[VMax1000]

There's your answer Stuart! If you had to jump start the engine then your battery was seriously discharged. Driving for 25 minutes will not restore full charge. I'd be interested to know from where you get the 70% figure.

You don't need a new battery. What you do need is a battery charger, and they're much cheaper than new batteries. Leave it on charge for at least 24 hours and it will be fine.

Simon

Yes, and then put it on charge overnight as well so you won't get caught in the morning.

Your battery doesn't hold charge.

Jump start and drive to get it up, wait 4 hours and measure again.
See what happens..............

Then decide whether it needs a charger or a battery.

[SD1too]

Your battery doesn't hold charge.
Yes it does; 25 minutes' worth according to Stuart. But that small amount was subsequently used to run his audio system and there was then insufficient left to start the car.

It's a common mistake to think that an alternator will fully recharge a battery from 'flat' in a short period of time. It won't. People then mistakenly deduce that the battery has failed and buy a new one. This is sometimes the case, but more often a perfectly serviceable battery is thrown away. The manufacturers and retailers must love it. :}

Simon

[VMax1000]

Yes it does; 25 minutes' worth according to Stuart. But that small amount was subsequently used to run his audio system and there was then insufficient left to start the car.

It's a common mistake to think that an alternator will fully recharge a battery from 'flat' in a short period of time. It won't. People then mistakenly deduce that the battery has failed and buy a new one. This is sometimes the case, but more often a perfectly serviceable battery is thrown away. The manufacturers and retailers must love it. :}

Simon

And that's why I said to measure after 4 hours. Whatever amount the alternator puts in, if the battery can't hold it................replace it

[hog-man80]

Could the battery be draining back through the alternator, if one or more of the rectifier diodes have failed?
Paul.

[HarryM1BYT]

Boot light permanently on?? measure the drain with a meter and see if everything is closing down. Quiescent current should be around 1mA after 20 mins or so.



http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=167111&highlight=battery+discharge

Ed. Let us know what the reading is.

Depending on model and options fitted - expect around 20mA.

[StuB]

I have a trickle charger with LED display that tells you the charge state in 25% increments.

[StuB]

The reason I had had to jump start it was because I had be playing around with the android unit for about 15 mins without the engine running. I jumped it got home , put it on the trickle charger and according to the scale had just under 75% charge. I had had the problem before and during this battery. How long should a ZT260 hold a fully charged battery before it runs flat if the car is not in use ? Maybe I should fully charge the battery and see how long it will run the android unit before its too flat to turn the engine over. Maybe like suggested there is a diode leak on the rectifier.

[clf]

Do you have the harmon kardon kit in the car too? An amp could draw enough from a weakened battery to cause it to drain enough that you don't have enough cranking power. As previously mentioned, try charging the battery, check for current drain if you can, and ignore the leds. The will only be a rough guide only.

[SD1too]

The reason I had had to jump start it was because I had be playing around with the android unit for about 15 mins without the engine running.
That suggests that your battery was partially discharged before you started using your Android unit for 15 minutes.
I had had the problem before and during this battery.
If you have repeatedly run the battery flat then it may not be able to recover. The best way to find out is to try to re-charge it as I previously suggested, but a trickle charger won't be suitable. Borrow or buy an intelligent charger with a maximum output of a few amps.
Maybe I should fully charge the battery and see how long it will run the android unit before its too flat to turn the engine over.
No, don't do that. If you keep running your battery flat you will destroy it.

If you're going to use accessories regularly without the engine running, or without undertaking a long journey at speed, you really need to use your trickle charger at all times.

Simon

[HarryM1BYT]

To answer the OP's question a good and fully charged battery, with the normal background discharge of a 75 when parked, should be able to start the engine after say two months.

The 75% charge indicated by a chargers LED's is meaningless as a measurement. It is really very difficult to determine the state of charge of a battery at best, the best indication is when it shows 100% and how long it took to get there from flat - within reason, the longer it takes, the higher the storage capacity.

You can get a reasonable indication of the state of charge of a battery, by measuring it after it has been of charge and at rest for several hours. 12.9v is a good battery. 12.5v is poor.

As per SD1's comment, you cannot expect to repeatedly discharge a battery starting the engine and running accessories without the battery eventually going flat. The battery is there to start the car, then it expects a decent mileage to enable it to recover after each start. A 25 minute run, will make little difference to a flat battery. It will take several of those to bring it back up, with no power wasted with the engine not running.

[StuB]

I do have the sub woofer amp kit on the car.
Just checked battery and according to trickle charger down to 25% after being dormant 2 days !!

[StuB]

Thanks for the advice guys.
I will disconnect the battery , get a good charger to fully charge it and check its voltage.
My ZT260SE is just a fair weather toy so it is only used for short blasts on irregular intervals.
Also my factory is only 15 mins from my house so for four starts ( I stop for breakfast on the way to work ) it only gets about 40 mins running.

[SD1too]

A good plan Stu. :}

My ZT260SE is .. only used for short blasts on irregular intervals.
Also my factory is only 15 mins from my house so for four starts ( I stop for breakfast on the way to work ) it only gets about 40 mins running.
Your battery is having a lot taken out of it and insufficient time for recharging. Let us know how you get on.

Simon

[minimutly]

Just spent some time sorting the battery drain on my daughters zt petrol turbo.
The drain was measured at 750mA. I went through the engine bay fuses, then the trailer socket relay thing, then the gas ecu, before tackling the cabin fuses.
I wouldn't say I finished, since I ran out of time, but the main culprit seemed to be the remote CD player in the boot. Removing the stereo fuse dropped the current to 120mA, disconnecting the auto changer allowed the fuse to go back in without increase in current.
It still looks a little high, but it'll do for now.
Huw

[StuB]

Right . Round don't know what and still no further forward !!
Fully charged the battery.
And to be safe I kept it trickle charging while I played on my android unit
20 mins later battery dead !!!
How the hell can it be drawing current that quick and not melting wires !!
It seems that it is for sure an issue with using the radio/music /android unit that rapes the battery.
All the old hardware has been removed and replaced with the android system all bar the subwoofer amp.
Maybe I am best buying an mp3 player and a set of headphones !!

[DMGRS]

Have you missed the 10 or so posts telling you it's the battery itself?
It's got all the signs of a duffer. :)

[VMax1000]

Thanks for the advice guys.
I will disconnect the battery , get a good charger to fully charge it and check its voltage.
My ZT260SE is just a fair weather toy so it is only used for short blasts on irregular intervals.
Also my factory is only 15 mins from my house so for four starts ( I stop for breakfast on the way to work ) it only gets about 40 mins running.

Hi Stu,

My car gets a 4 mile commute in the morning and a return trip in the evening.
Sometimes combined with a Tesco run of around 2 miles.

Occasionally (once a month or so) it gets a longer trip but that's mostly the Heathrow, to get parked up for the week, and then a return trip

Never had the battery failing on me for the last 3 years or the need to re-charge. Get the battery tested.....

[SD1too]

Fully charged the battery.
And to be safe I kept it trickle charging while I played on my android unit
20 mins later battery dead !!!
Provided that you didn't use your trickle charger, but a proper charger left connected for 24 hours, then that is an indication that your battery is not going to recover. You will need to buy a new one.

Simon

[StuB]

New battery mate !!
Its the first thing I tried before even posting the fault.
Even took it back and had him test it.

[VMax1000]

New battery mate !!
Its the first thing I tried before even posting the fault.
Even took it back and had him test it.

That's what I call misleading information :) You never mentioned that (unless I missed it).

Back to Android unit and wiring it is than

Time to actually measure the current with the unit on and off.......................

[StuB]

Will check the charge circuit for faults and if that's ok give up and replace the car with an M3 !

[StuB]

How can I check what the android draws from the battery ?
The battery is in the boot BTW .

[VMax1000]

How can I check what the android draws from the battery ?
The battery is in the boot BTW .

Yes, so is mine :)

Normal multi-meter should do.

Start with the 10Amp range, disconnect the battery plus and put the meter between the battery and the battery connector.

You can always adjust the scale of the meter if 10 A range doesn't show anything.
If it fries your meter at the 10A range, you do have a problem.

And don't try to start the engine with the meter attached...............

Shame you're a bit too far from Swindon, could have helped otherwise

[HarryM1BYT]

As above, but I would suggest the initial surge of the cars electrics could pop a 10amp meter anyway. To avoid that, initially start with the two probe clips shorted, then remove the short once the system has settled.

[StuB]

Thanks guys.
In the next couple of days I will try that out.