Battery drain problem finally sorted
- smokintyres
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Battery drain problem finally sorted
Can't remember if I had ever mentioned it, but my Bullnose's Battery wouldn't last more than three days with out being charged or driven in between. Had narrowed the bad circuit down to the "dome" circuit/fuse by checking the amps drawn in each of them. Due to the rather time consuming job that is taking the dashboard apart, I had never braved finding the actual culprit. But some thieving bastard that decided to steal my radio's face plate one night, pushed me into taking on the tedious job eventually. I started unplugging one thing after the other, starting with the immobilizer, only to find that the LCD clock was the culprit all along!! The current draw was somewhere around 300 to 400mA and is now down to not even 50mA with the clock unplugged.
Has anybody else got the problem on their Bullnose Hilux?
Has anybody else got the problem on their Bullnose Hilux?
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Re: Battery drain problem finally sorted
I have indeed. Mine just takes 5-6 days to drain. Problem I have is that I'm completely clueless when it comes to auto electrical issues. Tks for sharing
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Re: Battery drain problem finally sorted
Should the LCD clock not to be off when keys is out of the ignition?smokintyres wrote:Can't remember if I had ever mentioned it, but my Bullnose's Battery wouldn't last more than three days with out being charged or driven in between. Had narrowed the bad circuit down to the "dome" circuit/fuse by checking the amps drawn in each of them. Due to the rather time consuming job that is taking the dashboard apart, I had never braved finding the actual culprit. But some thieving bastard that decided to steal my radio's face plate one night, pushed me into taking on the tedious job eventually. I started unplugging one thing after the other, starting with the immobilizer, only to find that the LCD clock was the culprit all along!! The current draw was somewhere around 300 to 400mA and is now down to not even 50mA with the clock unplugged.
Has anybody else got the problem on their Bullnose Hilux?
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Re: Battery drain problem finally sorted
it should,but even 400ma cant drain your battery in 3 days.Should the LCD clock not to be off when keys is out of the ignition?
I have one of these stop rust units that draw close to that or more constantly and my battery last for more than a week if I let it stand
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Re: Battery drain problem finally sorted
I just quickly did the maths.
Lets say at 500mA it going to us 1 amp every 2 hours.So that is 12 amps per day.So in 3 days 36 amps.
Theoretically you should be able to start you car after 3 days,but it is still a lot.
I think my systems only draws 50mA then.
Mine used to draw more but that was because of an old tracker unit with a faulty battery
Lets say at 500mA it going to us 1 amp every 2 hours.So that is 12 amps per day.So in 3 days 36 amps.
Theoretically you should be able to start you car after 3 days,but it is still a lot.
I think my systems only draws 50mA then.
Mine used to draw more but that was because of an old tracker unit with a faulty battery
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Re: Battery drain problem finally sorted
Had done the calcs back then and also had my doubts that it could actually draw it flat enough to prevent starting. But I must add, the battery was never completely flat, in fact all that was needed to get the car started was a mere spark, which would bring the electronics back to life and it could actually start by itself. I haven't quite figured that one out yet, but it seems the electronics shut down when the battery reaches a certain voltage?george wrote:I just quickly did the maths.
Lets say at 500mA it going to us 1 amp every 2 hours.So that is 12 amps per day.So in 3 days 36 amps.
Theoretically you should be able to start you car after 3 days,but it is still a lot.
I think my systems only draws 50mA then.
Mine used to draw more but that was because of an old tracker unit with a faulty battery
I must admit, fixing the one problem brought about a few things I have yet to figure out: the 12V power socket/cigarette ligte is without power since then, have checked for lose connection; nada. Another odd thing after all the fiddling I seem to have a headlight on warning buzzer all of a sudden! Gave me a hell of a fright; switched off the engine only to be greeted by a sound I had never heard before! Turning off the headlights cancelled the noise, but it had not done that before.yotaman wrote:I have indeed. Mine just takes 5-6 days to drain. Problem I have is that I'm completely clueless when it comes to auto electrical issues. Tks for sharing
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Re: Battery drain problem finally sorted
I was wondering. When you say you unplugged the clock, did you actually unplug the clock itself or unplug the fuse for the clock circuit?
I was just wondering because generally speaking the radio is also on the same circuit as the digital clock
I was just wondering because generally speaking the radio is also on the same circuit as the digital clock
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Re: Battery drain problem finally sorted
How did you measure this current of 300 to 400 mA?Lollie wrote:smokintyres wrote:Can't remember if I had ever mentioned it, but my Bullnose's Battery wouldn't last more than three days with out being charged or driven in between. Had narrowed the bad circuit down to the "dome" circuit/fuse by checking the amps drawn in each of them. Due to the rather time consuming job that is taking the dashboard apart, I had never braved finding the actual culprit. But some thieving bastard that decided to steal my radio's face plate one night, pushed me into taking on the tedious job eventually. I started unplugging one thing after the other, starting with the immobilizer, only to find that the LCD clock was the culprit all along!! The current draw was somewhere around 300 to 400mA and is now down to not even 50mA with the clock unplugged.
Has anybody else got the problem on their Bullnose Hilux?
i think I may have a similar problem , regarding battery drain.
Wishing my life away till the next trip!
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Re: Battery drain problem finally sorted
What I find interesting about this post is; remember when Tumelo's Hilux almost caught fire and he burnt his harness, it was also the "dome" circuit.bad circuit down to the "dome" circuit/fuse by checking the amps drawn in each of them
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Re: Battery drain problem finally sorted
A colleague of mine had found this write-up somewhere. It proved to be most helpful!Cinco wrote:How did you measure this current of 300 to 400 mA?
i think I may have a similar problem , regarding battery drain.
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- smokintyres
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Re: Battery drain problem finally sorted
Definitely worthwhile investigating it seems!pietpetoors wrote:What I find interesting about this post is; remember when Tumelo's Hilux almost caught fire and he burnt his harness, it was also the "dome" circuit.bad circuit down to the "dome" circuit/fuse by checking the amps drawn in each of them
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Re: Battery drain problem finally sorted
Thank you for the write-up.smokintyres wrote:A colleague of mine had found this write-up somewhere. It proved to be most helpful!Cinco wrote:How did you measure this current of 300 to 400 mA?
i think I may have a similar problem , regarding battery drain.
I used it tonight and found my NL intelligent solenoid was the culprit. As soon as i disconnect it I don't show the drain.
Wishing my life away till the next trip!
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Re: Battery drain problem finally sorted
My Toy heep don't have a lcd clock but the battery drain overnight when connected .
With Battery disconnected it can survive easily the week when I am away and start every time when back on the farm.
It has only a few gauges and head lights connected thr the ignition switch. So either the ignition switch or the alternator is the culprit.
Till now did not find the time to eliminated the culprit.
With Battery disconnected it can survive easily the week when I am away and start every time when back on the farm.
It has only a few gauges and head lights connected thr the ignition switch. So either the ignition switch or the alternator is the culprit.
Till now did not find the time to eliminated the culprit.
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Re: Battery drain problem finally sorted
Johan, if you are not the only owner that the vehicle has had it could be that a previous owner had a tracking device fitted - the device's battery is too old to hold a charge so it constantly draws off the main battery to try charge it - can easily drain a battery overnight to the point where the vehicle won't start in the morning. Other similar culprits are old alarm / immobiliser units that are not functional but still connected to the power.
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Re: Battery drain problem finally sorted
Andy, no other devices in that vehicle, that I know. The vehicle was stripped completely apart and rebuild recently. Only the basic electrics for farm use. When I pulled all the fuses it still drew current from the battery, that's whats puzzling me. At first I thought the temp gauge was connected directly from the battery, but that seemed not to be the case.
I think one grease monkey assistant has done the electrics, so I need to disconnect more wires to get of the bottom of it.
I think one grease monkey assistant has done the electrics, so I need to disconnect more wires to get of the bottom of it.
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Re: Battery drain problem finally sorted
Hmmm ... that's strange, even with all the fused pulled .... does that include the fuses in the engine compartment? Is this a petrol or diesel motor?
When your road comes to an end ...... you need a HILUX!.
Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers ... what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow.
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It's not about waiting for storms to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.
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Don't take life too seriously ..... no-one gets out alive.
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Re: Battery drain problem finally sorted
Johan I had a similar problem recently. Not being a mechanic's @ss, I had no clue how to find the fault.
At the same time my starter started giving problems.
When I replaced the bushes in the starter motor the problem stopped ?????
At the same time my starter started giving problems.
When I replaced the bushes in the starter motor the problem stopped ?????
Aint it ironic that "Common Sense" aint so common after all...
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Re: Battery drain problem finally sorted
Wonder if the glow-plug timer relay is not faulty and 'leaking' to earth. Whatever it is, it gas to be something with a direct feed from the battery - hope you track it down.
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Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers ... what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow.
Don't take life too seriously ..... no-one gets out alive.
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Don't take life too seriously ..... no-one gets out alive.
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Re: Battery drain problem finally sorted
how can i identify if i have more than one tracking device on vehicle.
when i just bought the vehicle i contacted the trackign company to transfer tracking details, and then soon after that i got email to say system is working , then next day sms to say it not.
phone them then they said i actually got two in there but the inactive one giving the error on their system
buddy then says it will drain your battery. emailed them to ask if i can have old one removed. then they said it actually was removed.
Now did they just say this to save on the effort and/ or cost of removal, or is it actually out of the vehicle ??
when i just bought the vehicle i contacted the trackign company to transfer tracking details, and then soon after that i got email to say system is working , then next day sms to say it not.
phone them then they said i actually got two in there but the inactive one giving the error on their system
buddy then says it will drain your battery. emailed them to ask if i can have old one removed. then they said it actually was removed.
Now did they just say this to save on the effort and/ or cost of removal, or is it actually out of the vehicle ??
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