Cdti battery drain

pletevl · 7th September 2019, 12:41

Hi all.

Back in May, my battery died after a 600 mile trip to the UK. Dead the next day. So I went to Halfords and got a new one.

Today I have the same problem. Dead battery. The car hasn't been used for 3 weeks. That never made any difference before where I could leave it for 2 months and it would start.

My questions are:
is this a known problem?
What could be wrong?
And how many miliamperes should the car be drawing unlocked and locked?

Thanks

Pete.

pletevl · 7th September 2019, 13:05

PS. I have a navall 1. Just incase it's a known current draw.

SD1too · 7th September 2019, 14:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by pletevl

is this a known problem?

No Pete.

Quote:

What could be wrong?

I can think of these possibilities:

The battery was in an almost discharged state prior to the car lying unused for three weeks. This can happen if it was used only for very short distances. Action: Buy a smart charger and leave connected for at least 24 hours to restore full battery power and use the charger periodically or change driving habits.
Alternator charging fault. Check charging voltage using a multimeter or the IPK diagnostics.
Defective battery. This should be apparent during the smart charging process.
Faulty equipment drawing current. Remove relevant fuses one by one until high current draw ceases.

Quote:

And how many miliamperes should the car be drawing unlocked and locked?

This is what MGR Technical Tip TT0036 says:

With the ignition off expect 1 - 2 amps for up to 18 minutes.
After 18 minutes, when the ECUs have entered 'sleep mode' expect 30 - 45 mA.

Simon

pletevl · 7th September 2019, 14:40

Thank you Simon for all that info.

I've not yet checked the alternator, I will when the battery is charged back up.

Pete.

7th September 2019, 12:41	#1
pletevl Posted a thing or two rover 75 cdti(rhd), MG ZR(lhd), MG TF(lhd), MG TF(rhd), mini mpi (lhd), Renault megane III (awful) Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: East of France Posts: 1,278 Thanks: 124 Thanked 114 Times in 93 Posts	Cdti battery drain Hi all. Back in May, my battery died after a 600 mile trip to the UK. Dead the next day. So I went to Halfords and got a new one. Today I have the same problem. Dead battery. The car hasn't been used for 3 weeks. That never made any difference before where I could leave it for 2 months and it would start. My questions are: is this a known problem? What could be wrong? And how many miliamperes should the car be drawing unlocked and locked? Thanks Pete.

7th September 2019, 13:05	#2
pletevl Posted a thing or two rover 75 cdti(rhd), MG ZR(lhd), MG TF(lhd), MG TF(rhd), mini mpi (lhd), Renault megane III (awful) Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: East of France Posts: 1,278 Thanks: 124 Thanked 114 Times in 93 Posts	PS. I have a navall 1. Just incase it's a known current draw.

7th September 2019, 14:40	#4
pletevl Posted a thing or two rover 75 cdti(rhd), MG ZR(lhd), MG TF(lhd), MG TF(rhd), mini mpi (lhd), Renault megane III (awful) Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: East of France Posts: 1,278 Thanks: 124 Thanked 114 Times in 93 Posts	Thank you Simon for all that info. I've not yet checked the alternator, I will when the battery is charged back up. Pete.