Battery Draining

[CMF_gee-aye-dee]

Just having a bit of a problem with my micra. it seems that over the course of a week or so with regular driving etc. the battery tends to drain to the point where it no longer starts.
strange part is, the alternator is charging at 14.5v 13.something with load, so its well and truly charging. i also did a parasitic draw test on the battery and it comes up 0.00 amps.

so has anybody ever experienced anything like this with their micra and has anybody got some pointers/suggestions/direction for me to take next.

also noted that i have tried 2 known working batteries the first battery that it drained was sitting in another micra for months on end and started first time every time without hesitation. second battery is the original near new century that came with the car which it also flattened but after putting it in my dads micra for a few days it was working good as new.

 

[CMF_Wallie]

sounds like you have a drain somewhere are all you light switches working common issues for a lot of cars is boot light not switching off or cigarette lighter having constant power when it shouldnt

 

[CMF_gee-aye-dee]

i see cig lighter has been removed so thats a high possibility, is that fused with the stereo on a micra? boot light is off as far as i remember

 

[CMF_Wallie]

i imagine the wires for the lighter are still there tho id check there's no bare wires touching.

as far as i can tell its on the same fuse as the horn reading my haynes

 

[CMF_Lx_Micra]

ive had a drain from the alternator it was fuse Fb charging system from memory under the front hood. Over night would drain the battery but not every night randomly no idea what its for someone one the forum pointed me to it. Killed 2 batteries for me they where cheap batteries. had an nrma one since i took the fuse out lasted 3-4 years.

 

[CMF_RTK]

Sounds like a possible alternator problem, I doubt if the cigarette lighter has been removed it would drain a battery even if its been removed and the wires have been used on the head unit I doubt it would drain a battery because it would still be on

 

[CMF_gee-aye-dee]

Lx_Micra WROTE:

"ive had a drain from the alternator it was fuse Fb charging system from memory under the front hood. Over night would drain the battery but not every night randomly no idea what its for someone one the forum pointed me to it. Killed 2 batteries for me they where cheap batteries. had an nrma one since i took the fuse out lasted 3-4 years.

you dont by any chance mean the one that is labelled ALT S (alternator system i assume) thats the only fuse under the bonnet i could see that relates to charging system besides the one labelled BATTERY

 

[CMF_Mike R]

the best thing is to see if the head lights go brighter when the car engine is started ... if would indicate the alternator is kicking in ..or put a meter across the battery and see if the battery is giving out 12v , then start the engine and see if the battery voltage goes up to 14v , this will prove the alternator is ok .... then disconnect the earth lead to the battery and check if any currant is flowing using an ampmeter , expect to see some currant flowing for the radio memory and the ECU , but it should only be a little bit say 100mA or lower , then start checking things like pulling the radio power connectors , luggage lights , and so on till the currant drops off ..

sorry ...just noticed youve done the tests but I would of expected more volts under load , my car tends to stay at 14v under load
may be worth plugging in a battery monitor into a ciggie lighter and keeping an eye on the voltage during a drive

I have known alternators diode packs go faulty and drain the battery , and sometimes a phase or 2 blows , so the atlternator puts out 14v for only 60 or 30% of the time , but you see 14v on the meter , check the alternator light is not glowing dimly ( look closely at night )

 

[CMF_gee-aye-dee]

yeah there is no glow from it at all, i drive home in the dark every day and ive been paying attention to it because that was my first instinct (that the alternator wasnt putting enough charge out)

 

[CMF_Lx_Micra]

gee-aye-dee WROTE:

"Lx_Micra WROTE:

"ive had a drain from the alternator it was fuse Fb charging system from memory under the front hood. Over night would drain the battery but not every night randomly no idea what its for someone one the forum pointed me to it. Killed 2 batteries for me they where cheap batteries. had an nrma one since i took the fuse out lasted 3-4 years. "</div>

you dont by any chance mean the one that is labelled ALT S (alternator system i assume) thats the only fuse under the bonnet i could see that relates to charging system besides the one labelled BATTERY

haven't had a chance to check but that does sound rite just take it out. the alternator will still work not as efficiently as with it but will still work mine has for 4 years.

i believe it supplies power to the rotor and this is what wiki answers had to say.

The rotor is a electro magnet with a North and South pole at ether end the ends have fingers that wrap around the centre coil of wire alternating North and South magnetic polarity fields. The more current supplied to the rotor the stronger the magnetic field, the more current produced in the stator and the higher the output amperage supplied to the electrical system

 

[CMF_Mike R]

that will effectivly switch the alternator off , leaving it to rely on residual magnatism in the rotor to generate any power .. it would suggest a fault in the alternator control is drawing power out of the batter , I have had this in the past and a alternator repair will fix it . it is not unkown for the slip rings to wear out , I have seen badly worn ones at 150K miles and a mates Ferrari alternator "smoked" and stopped working due the same problem , oil and dirt collects on the slip rings which makes a nice grinding paste was the explanation .