electrical gremlins

[william]

i have a powerdraw thats been draining the battery within two days after charge i know i dont drive it much but is this normal considering the the battery got changed last 07 and ive gone through the wiring throughly

possible causes bad earth
new battery required
boot light
headunit
alternator replacement

[h100vw]

i have a powerdraw thats been draining the battery within two days after charge i know i dont drive it much but is this normal considering the the battery got changed last 07 and ive gone through the wiring throughly

possible causes bad earth
new battery required
boot light
headunit
alternator replacement


Alternator is easy to test, voltmeter across the battery with the engine running. Should be looking at 13 plus volts easy.

Bootlight could be checked with the seat down or by dropping the back seat down.

Battery, is there any electrolyte in it? I replaced the battery on my Ibiza and when I took the old one off I noticed it was well low on fluid. That was pretty dead after Christmas and I had to bump it backwards off the drive.

Just charging it up doesn't prove that it's any good.

If you have volt meter you could check the current flow with the ignition off. Set the meter to amps and put it in line with the earth lead. Don't turn the ignition on cos most meters can only handle a small current. Maybe a few amps tops.

Gavin

[william]

ok the alternator is fine then bc microtech says it charges at 13amps

i know the car has always has a bad earth how can i fix that??


what would you guys recomend ive had bosch batterys and charged two in three years??

just checked the boot light its ok

and the facure to the headunit has been off for a week

[h100vw]

Unplug the stereo altogether. To check the earth lead use your meter on OHMS. and see what it reads between the engine and the earth terminal. A bad earth won't flatten your battery but would reduce the charge voltage.

Gavin

[william]

ok il try it asap
the deck is wired dirrectly to the battery when the car is off and key is out i can still have it on you get me

[h100vw]

ok il try it asap
the deck is wired dirrectly to the battery when the car is off and key is out i can still have it on you get me

I understand, hope you have a fuse right by the battery!! Take the fuse out and see how it goes.

Gavin

[william]

yeh i have a fuse near the battery was ok last i checked and the headunit works il check it now. I rackon its a battery too but two in three years thats unspeakable really what battery would you recomend??

[h100vw]

yeh i have a fuse near the battery was ok last i checked and the headunit works il check it now. I rackon its a battery too but two in three years thats unspeakable really what battery would you recomend??

Have someone check the battery out. They should do a drop test with the filler caps off so you can see into the cells.

They do a controlled short of the battery and see what current it provides. If the battery is shot there is usually gassing in the duff cell(s).

Gavin

[william]

i went down to check the stereo fuze which was ok and i found the fuze which was another stereo fuze i had put to hard wire the fans had brittle plastic and limited to no connection through the fuse and cracked when i touched it this thick wire with a fuse goes to the possitive terminal i think ive found it. what do you think?

[h100vw]

i went down to check the stereo fuze which was ok and i found the fuze which was another stereo fuze i had put to hard wire the fans had brittle plastic and limited to no connection through the fuse and cracked when i touched it this thick wire with a fuse goes to the possitive terminal i think ive found it. what do you think?

Don't count your chickens just yet.

Wait and see how it goes over the next few days.

I know it's easy to think you've found it, when you have really just talked yourself into it. I do at work often with avionic snags, you convince yourself it's one thing and nothing will sway you. Then after you spent ages trying to prove it, something else happens and off you go down another road.

Be patient for now, don't get a battery just yet.

Gavin

[william]

ive spoken to mate who happens to be a vw tech and he may be able to come check it for us il keep ya posted thanks gavin

[h100vw]

ive spoken to mate who happens to be a vw tech and he may be able to come check it for us il keep ya posted thanks gavin

No worries, be interested to see what your man says.


Gavin

[Cupra]

Hi William

Just seen this thread, is the wiring from the battery still standard after the vr6 transplant? If so I've had a problem for the last couple of years where if I drive the car every day the battery seems fine but it got to the point where if I didn't drive the car over the weekend it would struggle to start on monday.

I checked out the likely suspects as you seem to have done over a period of time with no luck. It got to the point where I was chasing my tail as the state of the battery was so bad I couldn't do any reliable faulfinding.

I decided to replace the battery & start faultfinding again & that's when I found my problem. On my cupra the -ve lead from the battery terminal goes down behind the battery to an inline earth point then off to the main earth. In my case the inline earth point was corroded & the section of lead from the first earth point (closest to the battery) to the -ve terminal had corrosion under the insulation amongst the wires.

I cleaned up the the earth pole (first earth point) & reconnected the original lead at that point but didn't connect it to the -ve terminal on the battery. I then got a new lead from the -ve terminal to the first earth point & placed it over the original lead on the pole at that point.

I have everything powered on the car & have not had a problem since(touch wood) . I did this about 6 months ago & have left the car at work for more than a week while away on a trip & also I can start & move the car around at home as much as I want without any problems with the battery charge being affected. Also I did all this with a new standard battery, nothing sexy as I expected to trash the battery doing my faultfinding:biggrin:

Hope this helps, good luck with the problem.

Cheers

Phil

[william]

hey phil thanks for the tip i spoted the corroded terminal and cleaned it last time where did you get the new lead from???

[Cupra]

hey phil thanks for the tip i spoted the corroded terminal and cleaned it last time where did you get the new lead from???

battery world at north richmond had a selection of different length leads, I only stumbled on to it because I put the largest battery I could in the space & the original lead wouldn't reach the -ve terminal so I selected one of their leads that would.

Phil

[william]

hey guys had my mate come over i had the cars battery change all night then checked the volts coming from the battery when first tested they were **** so we thought the alternator was finished things were gloomy when $$$ comes into it then the car absolutely died. when he left he said to charge it up and check the current draw from the alternator terminal it was 14volts i was happy i didnt have to change the alternator so the terminal was the problem yay for $15 fix so im headin to battery world

[Cupra]

Hope it's as simple a fix as mine was :)

good luck with it

Phil

[h100vw]

hey guys had my mate come over i had the cars battery change all night then checked the volts coming from the battery when first tested they were **** so we thought the alternator was finished things were gloomy when $$$ comes into it then the car absolutely died. when he left he said to charge it up and check the current draw from the alternator terminal it was 14volts i was happy i didnt have to change the alternator so the terminal was the problem yay for $15 fix so im headin to battery world

Hey William, just want to clear something up.

You would measure Volts across the battery terminals or between the negative terminal and somewhere else.

Current is measured in Amps which flows through a wire and must be measured in line. The alternator output cable would need to be disconnected and the Ammeter inserted between the stud on the alternator and the disconnected cable. I would be wary of doing this however as you would need to have a monster ammeter. The kind you see in general use would handle 10A tops.

You can get clamp ammeters which as the name suggests, clamp around the wire under test. They use electromagnetism to work out the current flow.

So from what you have said the alternator terminal had 14 volts on it which is good with the engine running.

Not sure what your comment about the battery voltage was about mate.
After being on charge over night, you didn't get 12 volts or more across the battery?

I think I'd start with the cheap fixes first, like you are doing.

Sincerely hope it was a crappy terminal preventing the alternator charging t he battery.

Gavin

[william]

went to battery world in ryde got two leads one short and one long and two bigger heavy duty terminals cost me $66 all up. after running a few errands and visiting mat aka golfloon i got home at 5 started then and finished now i pulled the whole front clip off and started cleaning up the wiring fitted all the leads and she is still on charge hopefully its fixed thanks for your help gav and phil

[Cupra]

went to battery world in ryde got two leads one short and one long and two bigger heavy duty terminals cost me $66 all up. after running a few errands and visiting mat aka golfloon i got home at 5 started then and finished now i pulled the whole front clip off and started cleaning up the wiring fitted all the leads and she is still on charge hopefully its fixed thanks for your help gav and phil

Progress report time William!!

[william]

ok guys so got down and dirty with it again today. Put in a new battery tryed to start it no go so charged it for four hours still no go. Tryed rocking it whilst in gear no go. tryed clutching it no go pulled out the second hand starter 6 months old tested in gone so im flat out trying to get a starter any ideas suggestions

good news after a ringing chas gibbs at botany he recons he can recondition for 250 so we will have to see but still really bummed

[gpk_gti]

try putting the positive and negative cables directly into the fuel tank and turn the ignition on.



:biggrin: :brutal:

[william]

il probly get the money back that way ive thought about it many a time after 5k or more in which ive thrown at it most expensive seat ever with the exception of daves.

[Corderoy]

il probly get the money back that way ive thought about it many a time after 5k or more in which ive thrown at it most expensive seat ever with the exception of daves.

Hang on... I've only just started with a Seat.

I'm sure I'll look very competitive in a month or so :)

[Cupra]

ok guys so got down and dirty with it again today. Put in a new battery tryed to start it no go so charged it for four hours still no go. Tryed rocking it whilst in gear no go. tryed clutching it no go pulled out the second hand starter 6 months old tested in gone so im flat out trying to get a starter any ideas suggestions

Hi William,

1: just confirm that when you put the new battery in there was no electrical pwr on the car?

2: Then when you tried to clutch start it it wouldn't fire either? (Mine would clutch start with a completly flat battery when I had my electrical problems)

if so, it sounds like you have multiple problems with the car.

I think we need more info here to help (well I know I need more info )

Phil

[Golf Loon]

Yeah it should start with no starter if you clutch it.
Is the battery charged properly?
If there is no power to the ecu, you cant clutch it.
How did you test the starter??

[william]

Yeah it should start with no starter if you clutch it.
Is the battery charged properly?
If there is no power to the ecu, you cant clutch it.
How did you test the starter??

i got the battery removed the old battery fitted the new one put it on charge for four hours,then tried to start it doesnt even crank you hear the soleriod come out but thats it no spin. so i rocked the car whilst in gear to free up the gear nothing, then tried clutching it nothing but there was power to the ecu its just getting drawn through the dodgie starter i removed the starter bench tested in with a booster pack sparked and spun alittle then nothing so its gone.

[Cupra]

i got the battery removed the old battery fitted the new one put it on charge for four hours,then tried to start it doesnt even crank you hear the soleriod come out but thats it no spin. so i rocked the car whilst in gear to free up the gear nothing, then tried clutching it nothing but there was power to the ecu its just getting drawn through the dodgie starter i removed the starter bench tested in with a booster pack sparked and spun alittle then nothing so its gone.

Ok then, I still don't understand why it wouldn't clutch start, I could push mine on my own in a level carpark & clutch it with a completely flat battery.

You need to get this sorted, no excuses for not making the nats :brutal:

Phil

[william]

Ok then, I still don't understand why it wouldn't clutch start, I could push mine on my own in a level carpark & clutch it with a completely flat battery.

You need to get this sorted, no excuses for not making the nats :brutal:

Phil

i took the starter to chas gibbs auto electricians to get rebuilt this morning il be at the nats even if it gets towed there.

[Cupra]

il be at the nats even if it gets towed there.

That's the spirit :bowdown:

[william]

just got it back in miracle time cost me $300 looks nice i refitted it in the car went to start it again nothing :brutal: in going to burn it

[Cupra]

just got it back in miracle time cost me $300 looks nice i refitted it in the car went to start it again nothing :brutal: in going to burn it

But you do have power in the car? It just wont crank correct?

[Corderoy]

william, I'm no expert in auto electrics let alone Seat auto electrics but I have on two occasions had similar probs to yours and in both instances it was leak back through diodes.

The last time was on my daughter's Commodore and at stationary, ignition off, it was leaking 4 amps.

I tested it myself with a multimeter (so it's not a difficult procedure) but I can't for the life of me remember how I did it. A google for it should come up with something - I'll have a look when I finish work.

In any event, the fix was to replace/recondition the alternator.

Apologies if that has been done or ruled out, I had a quick skim through the thread and didn't see it there.

[gpk_gti]

which towing company are you using to get to the nats??????:nana:



I feel for you brother!!!!!!!!!!!!!




burn it!:brutal:

[william]

But you do have power in the car? It just wont crank correct?

i have power i go to crank the car you hear the solinoid work but it doesnt have enough power to crank but i reads 12.8 volts she just wont turn over its bizarre i put more petrol in it because there wasnt much in there next il check spark but there hasnt been a problem there i have a new coil new plugs and leads new alternator new fuel filter second hand sender so im lost

[Corderoy]

william, I'm no expert in auto electrics let alone Seat auto electrics but I have on two occasions had similar probs to yours and in both instances it was leak back through diodes.

The last time was on my daughter's Commodore and at stationary, ignition off, it was leaking 4 amps.

I tested it myself with a multimeter (so it's not a difficult procedure) but I can't for the life of me remember how I did it. A google for it should come up with something - I'll have a look when I finish work.

In any event, the fix was to replace/recondition the alternator.

Apologies if that has been done or ruled out, I had a quick skim through the thread and didn't see it there.

To test for drain from leaking diode you need to set your multimeter to amps. Remove the negative battery lead from the battery and connect your multimeter between the negative lead and the vehicle chassis. Multimeter reading should be zero.
It may not be your problem but it's a very easy test to do and it won't hurt to rule it out.

[william]

il try it but as i said i replaced the leads and grounds to the chassis il let you know how i go

[Corderoy]

il try it but as i said i replaced the leads and grounds to the chassis il let you know how i go

Hang on mate the more I think about it the less I'm sure that is the right procedure. It's close from memory but may not be entirely correct.

[william]

haha i went down to the garage bc i was racking my brain i removed the battery and found the fuel pump relay was disconnected that would explain it but still doesnt turn over ive put it to charge the battery and il check it in the morning hopefully thats it im praying to the vw gods

[Corderoy]

haha i went down to the garage bc i was racking my brain i removed the battery and found the fuel pump relay was disconnected that would explain it but still doesnt turn over ive put it to charge the battery and il check it in the morning hopefully thats it im praying to the vw gods

Lets hope you've got is sussed.

I've racked my brain but it was 10 years ago I did the diode test and I really cannot remember the procedure clearly. Sorry.

I've hunted the internet and couldn't find anything that reads the way I remember it :(

I did find this, so if your battery is draining it's worth a try:-

"Sometimes a bad alternator diode can cause a battery to run down. A good diode should only pass current in one direction. If it leaks current in the opposite direction, it may keep the charging circuit on when the engine is not running, causing the battery to run down. This kind of problem can be diagnosed several ways. If your voltmeter has an AC (alternating current) scale, switch to that scale and observe the charging voltage with the engine running. If the meter shows any AC voltage, one or more diodes are leaking and the alternator needs to be replaced. The alternator's output can also be observed as a waveform on a digital storage oscilloscope (DSO) or an alternator tester that measures ripple voltage to detect this kind of problem. Or, just disconnect the alternator overnight and see if the battery stills run down. If the battery drain stops, you have found the problem. Replace the alternator."

[william]

thanks for the info coderoy when i had the car running last i checked the current in volts coming from the alternator to the battery it made 14v with the engine running but il do the test its well worth doing it can save me alot of heartacre in the future

[william]

the car is running loon came out a gave a hand wooohooo

[Cupra]

So are your problems solved?

how much work did the loon have to do or did the beezer see him coming & start all by it's self in fear.....:biggrin:

glad to here you've got it going

[william]

the things i got told to piss off actually were things i needed so we just refit everything the way i was and she started.

The car is pretty naked at the moment and needs rego but will be there with bells on at the vw nationals :biggrin:

[Cupra]

the things i got told to piss off actually were things i needed so we just refit everything the way i was and she started.

The car is pretty naked at the moment and needs rego but will be there with bells on at the vw nationals :biggrin:

Good to here mate, looking forward to meeting you & the car. See you there.