why does my battery go flat??

[frosty]

i have a 99 t2. recently the battery started to go flat after being stood for a day or so. i bought a new battery as the old one was getting on abit and everything seemed fine, after about 3 weeks the problem has returned. any ideas?

thanks
frosty.

 

[jims-terrano]

Check your battery terminals, see the downloads section as there is a workshop on the subject. Another thing to check is do you have an aftermarket alarm fitted as these sometimes go faulty and run your battery flat.

Jim T

 

[terranokid]

do your interior lights go out?

 

[frosty]

i've accually removed the interior bulbs to try to elliminate the problem but still goes flat, i've even took the fuse out for the stereo just incase it leaks power overnight.

 

[jims-terrano]

Is your alternator actually charging or charging correctly???

Fan belt OK???


Jim T

 

[t-jay]

hi frosty, jims-terrano beat me to it regarding alternator. i had the exact same problem about two weeks ago. see my post -

http://www.nissan4x4ownersclub.co.uk/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=5520

ended up buying a new alternator cos the old one had a faulty i p regulator and one of the brushes had worn.

 

[CHASTER]

Hi Frosty.
I know that you have removed your interior light bulbs to help diagnose your battery going flat but have you remembered the map reading light bulbs. They are so easy to miss !!! Just a thought. It happened to me :evil: :evil:

 

[mjm370]

couple of reasons of the top of my head fo ya,
one is the reason already suggested, that your alternator isnt doing the job properly (lack of charge output, dropping off)

An excessive current draw from an item in the vehicle, have you had any electrical work or items fitted latley?

couple of checks for you too do just incase, when the vehicle is off touch the front and rear window wipers near the motor area, check if they are slightly warm?

is there anything electrical that has been playing up?
when you switch the vehicle off look and see if there is possibly a slight amount of light in the warning lights area of the cluster.

 

[mjm370]

Are you any good with a volt meter? if you are i will give you step by step instructions on how too check it all out. 8)

 

[theduck]

mine drained easily have you still got the origanal battery connection ie the old brass one :?: if so replace them cured mine OK :smile:

 

[Bibio]

Just came In from work(left motor there)same problem as frosty.It wont start,Tried to jump it,battery still acted as If there was little power in it.(I have two batteries in motor,would I be better disconecting one and jumping the other ?.

sorry for taking over your post Frosty

 

[rossco]

Check your terminals on the batteries and in particular the earth, then all of your fuses including the main fuse.
If you get it started then check the voltage with a volt meter, with the engine running check the volts that are been charged by putting the volt meter on the battery terminals positive to positive etc and see what volts are going into your battery some where 13-14 volts if not then the alternator is not charging enough.

 

[jims-terrano]

sorry for taking over your post Frosty[/quote]

Hi Bibio, if this comment was regarding your post on this thread I can tell you for def that you were not taking over just adding advice which is exactly what we are all about. :smile:

Jim T

 

[Terranosaurus]

Are you sure its a flat battery not a knackered starter?

 

[frosty]

thanks chaps, i've sorted it.

cheers JIM T,

had a look this morning only to find that the possy cable was loose, on closer inspection i find that the clamp has cracked apart. £3 for a new clamp and everything seems fine. though struggle abit with the cable, nissan dont give you much to play with.

thanks again all.

 

[jims-terrano]

Put a nice dollop of grease on the battery terminals to keep em in good order.

Jim T

 

[Bibio]

Glad you got your motor fixed Frosty, I got mine started after a while trying to jump it, checked termanals etc all ok ,alternator chargeing ok,
will ckeck the two batteries today.

John

 

[rustic]

A few years ago on my daughter's Fiesta, the battery went flat overnight, I disconnected the battery and placed a multimeter set on the 10 amp range in series with the battery and battery lead that I removed. This checks the current that is used when everything is switched off.
The current was 1/2 amp (0.5 Amp) there was nothing switched on. I went straight to the alternator and removed the connector and the current dropped to 0.02 Amps. This is the current that the radio and ECU require to maintain the memory. ( Some cars may take 0.06 amps, not sure about the later Terrano's).
The alternator was faulty, and a local motor repair man replaced the diode block and retested it for about £15 I think.

This current test is quick, but you will have to reset your radio and the ECU will have to re-learn new settings, and your alarm may need resetting. etc
It is possible to do the above test without loosing the data. BUT great care has to be taken, (so I won't go into detail) otherwise a short circuit can do a lot of damage.

On Friday, my Daughter said that the ignition warning light came on at some traffic lights, while the engine was still running, I checked the fan belt and you could turn the alternator against the fan belt by hand, so I tightened the belt and all seems ok now.

Thought this might help someone in a similar position.
Tip: carry a spare fan belt, luckily both belts on my 1995 2.7TD are the same part number, I keep the spare next to the jack in the back.

 

[Jocky]

Another thing to check is starter motor. If it knackered it can kill your battery if it is pulling excess AMPS. If your battery is fully charged and all connections are sound and the engine turns over slow, its a sign that starter motor is on the road out.

Also already mentioned if the alternator is not working correctly it will flatten the battery. A lot of people think the alternator is OK as long as the light on the dash goes out (wrong) it should be pushing out 13 14 volts to keep battery charged.

:smile:

 

[Bibio]

Called AA out to check why motor not starting,,after Fatherinlaw tried to jumpstart it again with his Trooper..battery terminals looked clean,earth looked good,
AA man came ,took terminals off ,cleaned them and put vaseline on them,
jump started motor,He said that the terminals might look clean but could have a coating of rust on them that you cannot see until you take cables off.If it starts tomorrow HAIL THE AA).

John