Battery probs

Timothy Cavendish · Jun 22nd, 2021, 11:18

HI ALL
I have an 03 c70t with a problem.
Firstly, the alarm started to go off on its own ,an I thought it may be due to traffic going by, but then it started to go off at 3am annoying the neighbours I would re set it the would go off 5mins later.
So I bought a new battery thinking it might be this, it was OK for few days then started again. I looked on the forum for answers an it came back poss coins in the tray under the radio. I moved them ,seemed OK, then the battery seem to be struggling to start the car, I went to start the car an battery was flat.
Finally jump it but went flat again. I've had the car 5 wks totally peed off.
What can cause this as the alternate has been checked so I'm frustrated. Any ideas please.

RollingThunder · Jun 22nd, 2021, 12:10

Sounds like the alarm issue is a symptom, not the actual cause. The problem is an excessive draw on the battery which is triggering the alarm - the alarm thinks an interior light has been triggered (= door opened), so you need to find out what this is. A 'normal' parasitic drain is up to 50mA.

Typical suspects include door lamps, interior & glove box lamps, and shorts caused by amateur DIY wiring of accessories etc.

With all the doors closed and the ignition off, wait 5 minutes and then take out each fuse at a time and record the current passing between the fuse connections. That should tell you which circuit is the suspect one. NOTE - DON'T do this on the SRS/airbag circuit

Good luck

Jun 22nd, 2021, 11:18	#1
Timothy Cavendish New Member Last Online: Jun 22nd, 2021 11:31 Join Date: Jun 2021 Location: Hull	Battery probs HI ALL I have an 03 c70t with a problem. Firstly, the alarm started to go off on its own ,an I thought it may be due to traffic going by, but then it started to go off at 3am annoying the neighbours I would re set it the would go off 5mins later. So I bought a new battery thinking it might be this, it was OK for few days then started again. I looked on the forum for answers an it came back poss coins in the tray under the radio. I moved them ,seemed OK, then the battery seem to be struggling to start the car, I went to start the car an battery was flat. Finally jump it but went flat again. I've had the car 5 wks totally peed off. What can cause this as the alternate has been checked so I'm frustrated. Any ideas please.

Jun 22nd, 2021, 12:10	#2
RollingThunder Grumpy Old Git Last Online: Apr 19th, 2024 09:16 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: South Yorkshire View Photos By: RollingThunder	Sounds like the alarm issue is a symptom, not the actual cause. The problem is an excessive draw on the battery which is triggering the alarm - the alarm thinks an interior light has been triggered (= door opened), so you need to find out what this is. A 'normal' parasitic drain is up to 50mA. Typical suspects include door lamps, interior & glove box lamps, and shorts caused by amateur DIY wiring of accessories etc. With all the doors closed and the ignition off, wait 5 minutes and then take out each fuse at a time and record the current passing between the fuse connections. That should tell you which circuit is the suspect one. NOTE - DON'T do this on the SRS/airbag circuit Good luck __________________ S40 2.4i '07 Japanese import '96 850R - https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=312484 Ex Danish Embassy '96 940 GLE LPT - https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=326071

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