Ticking noise from under the bonnet when parked and locked.

[edwardmk]

Any advice always very welcome Jon. I noticed I had a green 'battery OK' indicator on the battery I just discarded which only managed 10v after over 12 hours charging. I'm definitely intrigued regarding the reason, and also why it a failed so suddenly after working perfectly all week!
Definitely planning to do the Arctic mod you suggested for sure. Good advice also to lube the bonnet latches.
Measured voltage of the new battery is off the shelf with no charging. I have access to several different multimeters, so I'm going to look at the ranges I get.
I don't have access to anything to calibrate a multimeter properly though.
New battery is now on charge and will look later. (If not right it will go back).

[edwardmk]

So I went to check the new battery on the car was charging and found I forgot to connect the charger. Charger connected and noticed only the second light came on so battery not good. Took a voltage reading and got 11.1v. Argh.
Put a current meter in series with the battery negative terminal and Rick’s halo daylight running lights came on. Reading was 16.2 amps. I locked the doors and the reading dropped to
A few minutes later the reading was
Decided to disconnect the ammeter. When I put the neg terminal back on the battery the alarm went off. I hastily disconnected the terminal and the alarm went silent, but the ticking noise returned. I put back the terminal and the alarm started, so I pressed the key fob and the alarm stopped. For a few moments I noticed all of the led’s on the interior and the halo lights were flashing on and off.
The new battery is disconnected and charging up on the bench. More detective work needed. Going to hit the sack as worn out lol.


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[SD1too]

Originally Posted by edwardmk

The new battery is disconnected and charging up on the bench.

That's the right move Martin. Start by making sure that your new battery shows fully charged on the C-tek, then disconnect the charger and wait a few hours before measuring its off-load voltage with your multimeter. Does it meet Jon's minimum figure of 12.6 volts?

Simon

PS There's something very odd going on with your alarm but we'll investigate that later.

[alanaslan]

Originally Posted by sewerman

And worth investigating why the key doesent open the car which it should irrespective of battery condition.

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Just a sudden thought is it possible that at some time in the cars history the drivers door lock got changed, by that i mean the barrel not the unit that hooks on to the U bar. Though I think not as i am sure Rick said he had got in with the key. If more than one key is the cut pattern the same on them all. could be the door barrel has sticky pins may need flushed with white spirit. WD40 could have been used in the lock in the past and it would eventually gum up the workings of the lock as it is only a water dispersant. locks should be cleaned and lubricated with a product like Cabba sadly the stuff is not cheep but a wee can should last the average driver a lifetime.

[alanaslan]

Glad to hear you are in to the car.

[edwardmk]

Originally Posted by alanaslan

Glad to hear you are in to the car.

I may never lock the car again! Ironically I locked it so it would shut down electricals quicker to preserve the battery. Didn't realise the battery had deteriorated that much

[edwardmk]

Update on voltage readings.
With charger connected
Immediately after charger disconnected
Ten minutes later

Four hours later

So battery is OK.
Took off door card. Examined with flashlight and mirror but didn’t find anything obviously broken. With no power, found the key would not unlock the door as before. Inside door handle also didn’t work but I could see the button moving up and down. Oddly, if I leave the key in the door at lock position outside, then the door unlocks with two pulls from inside. However, I can’t remove the key from the door unless I close it and lock it manually from outside again. Key out, inside lever doesn’t open, key in at lock position and inside lever works but again key is trapped in the lock. Then door opens and closes normally from outside.
I’ve sprayed a large quantity of electrical contact cleaner into the lock to clean it and need a recommendation on the best lock lubricant as the next step.


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[WillyHeckaslike]

Just read the thread from start to finish. Might be be wrong but my gut feeling is that leaky electrics might be present and maybe before your ownership. Re a locks maintenance, regardless of application the internals I think should be clean and dry. Graphite powder is all I would use to ease its operation. Graphite powder is not expensive, it can be had from Chinese sellers for little money. Or, if you have the time make do from the lead of a pencil by making it into a powder.

[COLVERT]

Originally Posted by edwardmk

Any advice always very welcome Jon. I noticed I had a green 'battery OK' indicator on the battery I just discarded which only managed 10v after over 12 hours charging. I'm definitely intrigued regarding the reason, and also why it a failed so suddenly after working perfectly all week!
Definitely planning to do the Arctic mod you suggested for sure. Good advice also to lube the bonnet latches.
Measured voltage of the new battery is off the shelf with no charging. I have access to several different multimeters, so I'm going to look at the ranges I get.
I don't have access to anything to calibrate a multimeter properly though.
New battery is now on charge and will look later. (If not right it will go back).

There are 6 cells in the battery. That green indicator only tells you the condition of the cell that it's in.---The cell next door might be totally dead.--------Ten volts after charging means you have one dead cell.--

Some of your latest readings indicate that at last all is well.---

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by edwardmk

With charger connected

Hi Martin,

I notice from your photograph that you may have disconnected the charger when it reached stage no. 4 which C-tek defines as "battery ready for use". You'll find that it's better to let it complete the programme and reach stage 7 "fully charged" which is when the charger enters the trickle ("float") mode.

Originally Posted by edwardmk

Examined with flashlight ...

Torch!

Originally Posted by edwardmk

.. need a recommendation on the best lock lubricant ...

There's a lot of unnecessary fuss made about this. I have a syringe of MG Rover special lock lubricant. It's just light grease! All this does is to ease the passage of the key blade channel through the engagement mechanism. WD40 may freeze (I remember this from years ago) but really, if the key blade is kept clean and the dust cover on the slot is functioning, you don't need to go mad with lubricants. Silicone aerosol spray is very effective and smells nice too!

Simon