battery losing charge?

[GAF2]

hi guys, been away for three days so wanted to go for a run today went to start the g and nothing but a starter click! The battery was new from a motor factors in january, the volts are showing 11.4v would this not be enough  to start.  Nothing was left on so what can be drainning the battery??

cheers grant.

[PeteG40]

may be draining, but may not be charging.  Charge on a house charger - or jump start and then check the voltage put out by the alternator.

[GAF2]

yeah its charging off my mains as we speak, it is definatly charging off the altenator when the car is running as i have a volt meter in the car and i have also checked it with a multimeter but something is definatly drainning the voltage?

cheers

[hayesey]

does it have an alarm on it?  Sometimes when they go faulty they can drain the battery.  Or do you have some stereo gear wired up which isn't powering off when the ignition is switched off?

[GAF2]

I dont have an alarm in it but i think there was at some point an immobileliser but that has been removed, i do have a headunit but am carefull about turning it and everything else off when leaving the car. once i get the battery charged and back in the car i am going to have a hunt about for voltages see if anything apears.


cheers guys

[hayesey]

if something is draining current connect an ammeter in series with the battery negative terminal, i.e. disconnect the terminal and connect it back up through the ammeter (i.e. a multimeter).  Now observe the amps reading on the multimeter, it should be less than 50 milliamps with everything turned off.  If it's higher then something is draining power.  Now go and start disconnecting things one by one and look at the reading after disconnecting each one, eventually you'll disconnect the offending item.

A word of warning, do not try to start engine or even turn on high current things like the headlights when you've got the battery connected through the multimeter and it's thin gauge test wires or you'll fry the multimeter and it's wires and could even start a fire.

[GAF2]

spot on for that mate i have a clamp meter i can use which will read that values. cheers for this and i will post any findings

grant.

[jesseg40]

you fixed this problem? i have nerly the same thing!

[GAF2]

never got around to hunting for the circuit draining the voltage because i have a fair few lives due to previous owners fitting various things but for a quick fix i wired in a battery isolating switch, so if am not running it over a weekend or that i just turn the switch and it isolates all battery feeds a bit lazy i no but quick and easy and solves the problem, will get around to it one day.lol.

cheers.