Fast but non-obvious current drain

[balor]

I have a Y-reg Mark I Octavia 1.6 Ambiente. If I leave it in my drive for 3-5 days the battery goes flat. This has been happening for over a year. My local garage cannot pinpoint the drain so I'm trying to gain the knowledge to fix it myself.

I've taken a multi-meter and measured the current (in mA) from the negative battery terminal to the disconnected negative battery lead. I can't find any current being pulled at all. Considering that the car has an alarm, I'd expect some kind of current flow.

From reading these forums I've figured out that many alarms have a ni-cad backup battery which they pull from when the battery is disconnected. This could explain why there is no drain as above. I've also read that a cheap battery can be the cause of many of these problems. I've a year-old GM55 t7 battery. I've no idea how good it is, but it wasn't cheap.

My hypothesis is that after turning the engine off, something drains the current for a while but stops draining when the battery leads are disconnected. Therefore I can never measure the current drain (as the meter must be connected in series). Is there any other more reasonable or - better still - testable hypothesis?

Thanks

[bryanp]

I have a Y-reg Mark I Octavia 1.6 Ambiente. If I leave it in my drive for 3-5 days the battery goes flat. This has been happening for over a year. My local garage cannot pinpoint the drain so I'm trying to gain the knowledge to fix it myself.

I've taken a multi-meter and measured the current (in mA) from the negative battery terminal to the disconnected negative battery lead. I can't find any current being pulled at all. Considering that the car has an alarm, I'd expect some kind of current flow.

From reading these forums I've figured out that many alarms have a ni-cad backup battery which they pull from when the battery is disconnected. This could explain why there is no drain as above. I've also read that a cheap battery can be the cause of many of these problems. I've a year-old GM55 t7 battery. I've no idea how good it is, but it wasn't cheap.

My hypothesis is that after turning the engine off, something drains the current for a while but stops draining when the battery leads are disconnected. Therefore I can never measure the current drain (as the meter must be connected in series). Is there any other more reasonable or - better still - testable hypothesis?

Thanks

Hi, How old is the battery on the car? could just be a simple case of a knackered old battery, We had the same prob with my Miss' 306, put a good quality battery on and it and no probs since, If it is the battery don't scrimp on the cost, we put a cheap one on the 306 and it lasted 6months, we lost £45, we then bough a Varta, cost £20 more than the cheap one but has been brilliant,

[balor]

Hi, How old is the battery on the car?

It's only a year old. The problems started before I changed the battery and didn't go away after I put in the new battery.

[rwbaldwin]

When you were measuring the current, did you connect the meter, lock the car and then wait 10 minutes for everything to go to sleep?

[RADIOTWO]

I have a Y-reg Mark I Octavia 1.6 Ambiente. If I leave it in my drive for 3-5 days the battery goes flat. This has been happening for over a year. My local garage cannot pinpoint the drain so I'm trying to gain the knowledge to fix it myself.

I've taken a multi-meter and measured the current (in mA) from the negative battery terminal to the disconnected negative battery lead. I can't find any current being pulled at all. Considering that the car has an alarm, I'd expect some kind of current flow.

From reading these forums I've figured out that many alarms have a ni-cad backup battery which they pull from when the battery is disconnected. This could explain why there is no drain as above. I've also read that a cheap battery can be the cause of many of these problems. I've a year-old GM55 t7 battery. I've no idea how good it is, but it wasn't cheap.

My hypothesis is that after turning the engine off, something drains the current for a while but stops draining when the battery leads are disconnected. Therefore I can never measure the current drain (as the meter must be connected in series). Is there any other more reasonable or - better still - testable hypothesis?

Thanks

What is the output from the Alternator and have you done a drop test on the battery?

Please put your location in your profile

Radiotwo

[KBAKER]

I have a Y-reg Mark I Octavia 1.6 Ambiente. If I leave it in my drive for 3-5 days the battery goes flat. This has been happening for over a year. My local garage cannot pinpoint the drain so I'm trying to gain the knowledge to fix it myself.

I've taken a multi-meter and measured the current (in mA) from the negative battery terminal to the disconnected negative battery lead. I can't find any current being pulled at all. Considering that the car has an alarm, I'd expect some kind of current flow.

From reading these forums I've figured out that many alarms have a ni-cad backup battery which they pull from when the battery is disconnected. This could explain why there is no drain as above. I've also read that a cheap battery can be the cause of many of these problems. I've a year-old GM55 t7 battery. I've no idea how good it is, but it wasn't cheap.

My hypothesis is that after turning the engine off, something drains the current for a while but stops draining when the battery leads are disconnected. Therefore I can never measure the current drain (as the meter must be connected in series). Is there any other more reasonable or - better still - testable hypothesis?

Thanks

[KBAKER]

Hi,

I was interested to read about your problem.

I have an 05 MII Octavia.

I fitted a new battery about a year ago, and now - if I don't use the car for a fortnight - the battery is drained.

If you can find a solution to your problem, I'd be interested!

Kind regards,

Keith

[Fred Bloggs]

Could try the Octavia forum in here?