Maybe someone can help me here, i read a lot on here but dont have much knowlegde so cant really contribute as much as id like to! Anyway....

My rs turbo, within 2 days of it standing alarmed up it runs its battery flat. Its got a clifford telestart alarm on it so im assuming this is good and the problem shouldnt really be happening. However it is, anyone got any suggestions? My turbos pretty mint (IMO) but im gona have to sell it if this problem keeps happenin as the car is only used for special occasions and im not willing to spark it up off mams jimmy every time i want to use it (very shaming)

Anyone got any suggestions let me know, or experiences. My mate told me during his boy racer day ALL his clifford alarms ran the batteries down without daily use. Surely this cant be true??? and ive spoke to sextons of cardiff, who know my car well, and they say it could be anything, and could take weeks or even months to find. I know their experts but they also have a business to run too. Any suggestions?

 

have you actually had the battery checked?

 

try a different battery with a full charge and see how long it lasts

 

Check the condition of the battery to begin with.

Then check the drain on the battery at standstill as if you had left it for a few days.

Disconnect the headunit perm live and then check the drain. It could be this pulling too much out of the battery.

Also unplug the clock as this also has a perm live.

Next, find the main alarm unit and disconnect it. Again check the battery drainage.

The current drawn on the battery should now be 0 (zero) as all battery-needed items are off. (Close the doors when you check this: interior lights )

Next, connect them all back up checking the drain as you add each.
All of these should put very minimal drain on the battery, however, collectively they *MAY be enough to drain it over a few days.

I'm not sure what the limits normally are to be honest (sorry) but I know I used to have the same problem on my S2. Turned out the stereo perm live was wired wrong and was draining too much current from the battery when it was switched off, causing flat battery if left for a week.

If you have access to a plug: buy a trickle-battery charger as people fit to motorhomes and such. Excellent bits of kit: just like a mobile phone charger with croc clips on the end.

Hope this helps...

 

Try one of these if you leave it outside permanently. May get enough good weather for it to become useful

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...=47902&T=39442

If not, trickle-charger: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...2Bchargers.htm

Just to add: I went through 3 batteries in 1 yr before working through this with a friend and removing all sources of drain to find out it was the stereo. So called "electrical experts" spent time and my money before just saying they couldn't find anything wrong with the car.
Buy a new battery by all means, but don't let it stand until it goes flat otherwise you will have ruined a good battery for no reason.

If it's an S1: stick some pics up

 

Cheers for the reply shawn, much appreciated.

just to check i got u on ur last post
"Buy a new battery by all means, but don't let it stand until it goes flat otherwise you will have ruined a good battery for no reason. "

Is a battery ruined once its gone flat? the one on there has already gone flat a few times due to this problem!!

 

oh and its a S2 lol il have to stick some pics up soon

 

Pics are in what its worth shawn

 

Have you sorted this problem yet?

All alarms will flatten your battery eventually, ive got a Toad AI606 on my cabriolet, that stood for a good 5-6 weeks and was still able to start (just), your clifford alarm should be very effecient, read the documentation, i bet it boasts about how the whole system in armed mode consumes less current than the warning LED (most alarms are like this now), if your battery is a bit dodgy then it may well be going flat in a couple of days, the cold weather rapes batteries, even a car with a poor battery and no alarm at all will having difficulty starting THE NEXT MORNING. Get the battery tested its free, and if your buying a new one spend a bit of money, cheap batteries are cheap for a reason, like everything!! Automotive batteries were never designed to be flattened, but are usuaully ok being flattened occasionaly, but repetitive discharging will kill it, and usually if its on its last legs and it gets flattened that too will top it off.

Im assuming that link was for a solar charger, very good in my opinion, i used to work for Maplin once upon a time, they are excellent for just trickle charging the battery if the car is to be sat for a long time, but if you say you dont use it much then im guessing you have it garaged? If it is garaged, whats the harm in disconnecting the battery? Unless you feel you need to use the alarm. Give me a shout if you want any more help or get stuck

 

Just to back up the thing about paying for a battery, I got one thats worth about 40 quid, and was bigger than the one I had before, Ive never had a starting problem since.

 

While i think of it my mates got an R5 Turbo, got an expensive ass Varta Calcium thing, and hes left his colling fan on GOD knows how many times for a good few hours and its done him proud

dexterc: how big is your battery lol, mine is the biggest one i could fit in the tray massive lol

 

Not always mate.What Safechav posted is correct:

"Automotive batteries were never designed to be flattened, but are usually ok being flattened occasionally, but repetitive discharging will kill it, and usually if its on its last legs and it gets flattened that too will top it off. "

basically, if it's getting on a bit, one discharge (flat battery) *could* kill it for good. It's not generally a good idea to flatten a new battery just t osee how long it lasts tho. No point. find out if your elec system is draining it first. And the cold weather doesn't help, no

Good luck on finding a fault.

 

safechav, its the same, biggest one thatll fit in the tray. I had to move the bracket that holds it down. Went to a specialist and got it for trade price through a relative. Ive left my lights on overnight once and it didnt sound any different the next morning.

 

mines bigger then, i could only get the front clamp on, the battery litterally fils the tray goes right over both the side clamp holes. Its round terminal aswell! Theres me saying dont be a cheapskate, i paid a tenner for it off my mate who works for renault it was brand new off a display car.

 

Yea well more than likely your right about the battery.
One i had on there when i bought the car i overcharged!! i replaced it with the best one i could get in the local tune up and it dosent even fulll the battery tray!! more than likely this is my problem then.

Does anyone have a spare battery clamp? i dont have one and basically my batterys screwed down with 2 12mm bolts with big washers on!!

Thanks very much guys

 

To be fair you shouldnt need to fill the tray, the standard battery should be more than up to the job, mines that big ive left the interior light on a few times over night and only noticed when im drivin in the day and the light is still on and im sat there wondering why. Always a good thing to have a bigger battery but its not necessary.

I have a battery clamp

 

how much would u want for it?

 

Not really worth a lot is it.......piece of metal at the end of the day

 

well mate if all u need is a name and address im very grateful

 

Go on then

 

PM sent mate!!

 

i bought a massive battery for two reason.
1st, i was sick of my ittle one going flat to quickly

2nd, the bigger 1 covered the wholes left by my rusty baterry tray .

tray is now fixed tho

 

If your tray is looking a bit on the iffy side i wouldnt ever put a fucking massive battery in it lol, might get in one day and find it relocated to the passenger footwell