Another dead battery

[shark_90]

Well it's been a while since I used the Avant so I went to take it out for a spin this weekend but no.. no electrickery.

I hooked up my CTEK 3600 yesterday morning and left it on all night expecting to be able to take it out this evening. I've just been out to check on it, and the charger is on but it is cold and the charging light is only very dim. There is no power at all, not even enough to use the central locking.

This battery is just over a year old, cost me £75 or so. So now I need another battery.

Would it be beneficial for me to disconnect the battery if I am not expecting to use the car for a couple of weeks? Would the battery stay charged if left to it's own devices? I can only presume the alarm is slowly running the battery down which has killed it altogether.

Cheers

[mark_s2]

I have a spare Exide (I think) battery in the garage that came out of my Avant (was less than a year old when I removed it in the summer) - you are welcome to it. Bit of a trek as I am in Reading.

[EspenW]

It is possible that the battery was so discharged that the charger did not "see" the circuit. Connect a good battery in parallel and charge.

[shark_90]

Mark - I appreciate that very much! I travel down south for work sometimes and should be doing so over the next few weeks so it may be possible for me to drop in if you don't mind?

EspenW - The charger does show the charging light but it is very very dim, I'm pretty sure it must be because the battery is so discharged as it is charging my booster pack perfectly at the moment. I'll have to start it with the booster pack to move it for now and then see if the other battery will charge after a burst on the alternator, might just give it a kick-start.

[Rusty]

Sounds like you've got a drain on the system somewhere. An old immobiliser/alarm would be the most likely or a faulty interior light circuit, maybe the boot. That said your cdar is stripped out so you'd notice it... hope you get it sorted Ben.

[jade]

I have the same problem leave the car 3 weeks a healthy battery drained

[shark_90]

Do we reckon this would be any good?

http://www.autoregalia.co.uk/Items/rb_discfus?&caSKU=rb_discfus&caTitle=Richbrook%20DisCarNect%20(%20Dis-Car-Nect%20)%20Disconnect%20battery%20isolator%20switch%20with%2016amp%20fused%20bypass

It says that it keeps a small supply going for clocks and radio memory etc.. but it's that small supply that's killing my battery I think!

[mark_s2]

Let me know when you are next in the Reading / Basingstoke area.

[AndyP]

I'd try charging it with a heavy duty charger first, if it's a quality battery thats only a year old it should be salvagable. I tried starting mine on Sunday after it had been stood for 5 weeks, it was dead as a dodo but after 1/2 an hour on an 8A quick charger it fired up, been fine since, and thats a Bosch Silver battery thats 3years old.

[denniselbows]

Do we reckon this would be any good?

http://www.autoregalia.co.uk/Items/rb_discfus?&caSKU=rb_discfus&caTitle=Richbrook%20DisCarNect%20(%20Dis-Car-Nect%20)%20Disconnect%20battery%20isolator%20switch%20with%2016amp%20fused%20bypass

It says that it keeps a small supply going for clocks and radio memory etc.. but it's that small supply that's killing my battery I think!

this would be no good as the battery will still be connected enough like you said for that small drain to drain it down. only way to stop the drain is to find the problem or disconnect the battery. if the battery is any good it will hold the charge for quite some time if disconnected. as for the charger not sure if it would be the same but the chargers we use for the electric forklifts the voltage from the battery works the electrics inside the charger so if the batterys are so drained the charger will not work.

[avants2turbo]

is it me, or do all avants discharge their batteries if u dont use then every day, mines terrible, dont ure the car for 24 hrs, not enough puff to start the car, brand new battery aswell... Its driving me mad!

[s2driveruk]

yeah having the same issue on mine, hadn't driven mine since 22nd Nov and it wouldn't fire even after being on a charger conditioner. Had to jump lead it to wake it up and seemed to be charging ok following that. Just managed to get the old battery in the garage charged up now so i have a failsafe but I just think these old cars need to be run regularly, I know mine hates being stood for a few weeks at a time and now with petrol down in price I'm going to dry and run it much more frequently this year.

[mark_s2]

Never ever had a battery issue with my avant but then again it was a daily driver. Would leave it weeks at a time in airport car parks and it never ever let me down.

[Cor80]

I have the same problem leave the car 3 weeks a healthy battery drained

If I leave my S2 for 7days it'll just start but 8days+ is too long (but my battery is few lightyear old)...seeing that its a toy I just disconnect the battery if not in use.

[Rusty]

Mine's been pretty good having sat for a few weeks at a time over the last 12 months. Only reason it won't start is dodgy hall sensor wiring . I'd suggest that the differences would be alarm wiring maybe?