claypole1360 6 Posted November 10, 2008 Hello, My 1.9 gti has had charging problems and we have traced those to broken wire which we have replaced, however, it is now struggling to hold a charge when turned off. The battery was bought in september. We are going to start looking for possible drain issues at the weekend, does anyone have any wisdom as to the main culprits on our cars? Which electrical points usually cause the battery to drain? cheers, Claypole. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GLPoomobile 958 Posted November 10, 2008 Has the battery been discharged numerous times as a result of the previous problem? If so, it's probably had it, and will need replacing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
johny105_y2k 1 Posted November 11, 2008 possible sticking relay, but the above comment is your best bet . johny Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
claypole1360 6 Posted November 11, 2008 possible sticking relay, but the above comment is your best bet . johny Thanks guys, will check battery condition. cheers Claypole Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HERMAN 33 Posted November 12, 2008 (edited) I would put the battery on charge or go for a long drive to fully charge it up before you get the battery tested. Go to an auto electrical place or a good garage and get your battery drop tested. If the battery is ok which it should be if it is only a few months old. Then get yourself a cheap mutlimeter with a build in ammeter. Disconect the positive terminal of the battery. Set the meter up to amps and connect one end to the battery + and the other end to the + terminal(wire that you have dissconected). Dont turn any thing on at this point or you may blow up your meter. What you are looking for is to see if there is a drain. This will show up as a reading on the meter. If there is a drain then systematical pull out fuses or unplug things until the meter shows that the drain has gone. I would start with any alarms that may be fitted or stereos. You can also unplug relays ect. Remember thought that when you open the door if the interia light comes on that will also show up a a drain. So turn it off to save confussion. If your battery has never been fully charged because of a charging fault and or short jorneys with the heater ect on then the battery may just need a full charge to cope with any small drains that maybe on it eg clock,stereo or alarm. Hope this helps Neil Edited November 12, 2008 by HERMAN Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
claypole1360 6 Posted November 12, 2008 thanks Herman, that sounds good, I'll give it a go. cheers Claypole Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
claypole1360 6 Posted November 13, 2008 Just a thought, we have had the battery on charge all day, and all the lights/wipersa are working at speed or to full strength. try the starter motor and it is slow and risking stopping, could this be the drain, is it a common point of drainage? Claypole Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GLPoomobile 958 Posted November 13, 2008 If the battery voltage is below 12v it'l start to struggle, whereas the lights etc will be fine down to a much lower voltage. If you do have 12v plus, and it's struggling, either the starter is dying or you have some very dodgy wiring to it that is causing resistance, so the starter isn't getting enough juice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
