Battery current at rest

[PeterN]

We have two 406 Hdi estates but my wife's gets used mostly, I tried to start mine a couple of weeks ago and the battery was flat, I replaced it with another from the workshop and the same thing happened after about a week.

I checked the current draw on mine and it was about 1.3 amps immediately after the ECU had shut down but after a few minutes it dropped to 240ma. I tried the wife's and that did more or less the same except it dropped to 170ma.

I realise that a discharge of 240ma is going to draw about 6 Ah per day so 10 days would probably be about the limit for it not to be used, the other one at 170ma would last a day or two longer.

After all that my question is are those currents about right? If so I am going to have to disconnect the battery on mine when I'm not using it, the reason I ask is that its never gone flat before - but maybe I have used it more often.

Peter

[steve_earwig]

No idea on there (and I can't go test it neither ) but I did a search and see figures starting at 50mA up to 90mA and anything over 100mA is a problem

[PeterN]

Thanks for that, seems I have a problem with both cars then only one being in continual use seem's to be OK,

Peter

[steve_earwig]

That was mostly for fairly modern Nazimobiles but I can't see D9's being much different.

The usual rule applies: anything aftermarket is immediately suspect.

[PeterN]

My wife's car has an aftermarket radio but mine is still the original - and mine is worse. I don't want to be chasing a non fault so I think I will just disconnect the battery when I'm not using it.

Liked your roundabout pictures Steve!

Peter

[piglet]

The usual rule applies: anything aftermarket is immediately suspect.

I fitted 2 Chinese Ebay USB sockets in the Connect.
One was continually warm and drawing double the other so I replaced it but they will do the battery if left too long.

[steve_earwig]

They sound like quality gear to me!

[trufflehunt]

My wife's car has an aftermarket radio but mine is still the original - and mine is worse. I don't want to be chasing a non fault so I think I will just disconnect the battery when I'm not using it.

Liked your roundabout pictures Steve!

Peter

My project car is a Mazda MX5, which are notorious for draining batteries while sitting around in wintertime. The immobiliser
will reduce mine to about 11.8 Volts in 8 days. Not enough to get started.

I fitted one of these, a Richbrook Discarnect. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Richbrook- ... xjIJ4IlRUw

Just needs a few turns to disconnect/reconnect, or can be completely unscrewed and removed for extra security.
There are some cheap copies also on that auction site, but they don't have the 'Discarnect' Trademark on the knob,
the knobs are usually green, and the metal quality is about the same as chocolate.

[grasmere59]

I can leave my D9 110 exec estate for 2 to 3 weeks and it's starts fine after that.

[GingerMagic]

I've left my old 406 for over 5 weeks and it started no problems - unlike it's replacement that needs jump starting after about 7 days... Pfft.
I think Marcel had a battery drain that took a very long time to find, but I believe it was a deteriorated earth strap...
Hope you sort it out Peter.

[PeterN]

I have decided to leave things as they are, there is 70ma difference between the two cars so I may be looking for a fault that isn't there. It could be that the battery capacity has declined on both of them, I have never replaced them.

I spent 50 years looking for obscure faults, I was a TV engineer, so I don't really want to start start doing it again again. The one we use more frequently doesn't give any problems but the other one could be left for two or three weeks before we use it again.

The battery dis connector is a good idea but the + lead had a snap on connector anyway so its easy enough to remove.

Thanks for all your help.

Peter

[grasmere59]

I'd be very very cautious about disconnecting and connecting the battery on a 406,strange things can happen to the electrics on them.My battery was labouring a bit in this cold weather so i fitted an Exide 096 battery to it and it spins over like a mad thing,i reckon with that battery on it i could leave it for a couple of months now if needed.I would just get a new higher Amp battery and see how that goes if i were you.

[Doggy]

+1 a decent 096 battery is your friend - I'm on my 5th winter with the cheapest 096 i could find.
If you must disconnect the battery, observe the procedure, else it will bite you one day, (tee shirt available).

[grasmere59]

+1 a decent 096 battery is your friend - I'm on my 5th winter with the cheapest 096 i could find.
If you must disconnect the battery, observe the procedure, else it will bite you one day, (tee shirt available).

I've also got one of those tee shirts.

[Welly]

Reminds me of replacing the Volvo's battery..........waited for the ECU to go to bed, disconnected the old battery, went to get the new one...........realised it was still in the boot which opens on a solenoid switch

I can't remember how a 406 can play up after a battery change? was it the leccy windows and door lock capers? I kept mine 'awake' with another battery frigged up with jump leads so it didn't know the battery was being changed