Battery draining while stationary (v2)

[ktz]

Hi all,

Im new to the forum, new to fixing cars, and most importantly, new to Volvos. That said, after waiting patiently for years, finally just stepped into my first Volvo 240 GL Estate (1989). Really happy to finally be driving my dream car, but the dream was short lived as I've already run into the first of my issues.

After driving the car away, I was having some starting issues with the car starting. At first I thought it might be the battery as it kept draining. I kept having to charge it up before I left, then the alternator would charge it while I drive so provided I drove long enough, it would start again no problem. When I left it for a time (maybe a week), the battery would drain again.

I decided to rule out all battery issues and purchased a new OEM battery from Volvo directly, after which the car started fine again, but after a week, it was dead once again, so there must be something draining it.

I have read another thread (a few years back) discussing this matter and pointing to a potential we door lock, but the thread was unresolved, so I figured I would ask again as I may have some additional info for my situation.

Some additional info:
The previous owner didnt mention any battery issues when he had the car
There was a fuse missing when I bought the car - it looked like the fuses had never been replaced
I replaced all the fuses (though the ones I used look a little cheap)
the car door lock fuse seems a little temperamental - goes on and off when putting the fuse in. Occasionally doesn't work without jiggling the fuse.
I replaced the car stereo with a single din Pioneer (from a single din Kenwood tape player that did not function)
There seems to be a loose yellow cable on the passenger side near the fuse box and I can't seem to find it's home - see attached.

If anyone has any build notes or hunches as to what this may be, your help would be much appreciated!

Best,
Joel

[geoffo]

Hi check your glovebox light, the boot interior light and the bonnet light (if fitted) just to make sure they are not on all the time - had this occur with an xr3 took us ages to suss.....

[ktz]

Thanks Geoff, will try that again for sure. I replaced all the lights with new LED versions, but the "courtesy" version of the lights don't seem to work (though they do turn on).

The bonnet light is out, but maybe I should remove to be safe? How would one check that the glovebox light is off when closed?

[DW42]

It's a good idea to clean up the contacts in the fuse box when you replace fuses. Fine sandpaper should do the trick. But this is unlikely to fix your battery drain issue. One approach is to remove fuses one by one when you leave the car sitting for long enough for the short to drain the battery. I know this is a slow method, but you could start with the most likely culprits. In your case, stereo and central locking. If your car has a hitch, I would go with this next. You can also have a look at the wiring/splicing that was done for the trailer hitch.

Of course, it's also possible that the battery isn't charging sufficiently in the first place due to worn brushes or a faulty alternator. The fact that it was fine for a while with a new battery is consistent with this. A volt meter would be needed to test this, but they are not very expensive at Halfords or similar. With the car idling it should read 13.5V or so (not much lower). On a 240 it's possible to replace alternator brushes + regulator without removing the alternator (depending on how much room there is with your particular setup).

[IainG]

Hi

There was a fuse missing when I bought the car

I would suspect that circuit for starters. It might have been removed for that reason?

With the car switched off and keys out.
As a quick check you could disconnect the negative battery lead, connect a small 12 v bulb between the negative lead and the negative battery terminal on the battery (solder 2 wires on a festoon bulb) and use that. Or a meter on amps, the bulb is a safer method unless you are an electrician.
The bulb will illuminate when a current flows. The fuses can be pulled one at a time until the bulb goes out.(there might be more than one circuit causing the problem so you might end up with multiple fuses out at first) When the bulb goes out there is no current draw.
You sometimes need to wait a while for the car to "go to sleep" first
This method is very safe and can pick up small current drains.
Once you find the circuit/circuits causing the problem you can then work through that circuit ,or leave the fuse out until you can if that circuit is not important.

Iain

[Clifford Pope]

You mentioned the door locking circuit. I had trouble once with the in-line switch at the bottom of the driver's door push-button. The internal spring had clearly weakened, so the button gradually slipped a bit under its weight and operated the lock actuator. I'd sometimes find that the doors had locked themselves, and the actuator was still trying to operate, drawing current continuosly.
A simple solution was to wrap a turn of black sticky tape round the button so that it had a bit of friction in the hole in the door capping.

[Bugjam1999]

Hi,

Well, it sounds like you have a parasitic drain somewhere. Which fuse was it that wasn't in place when you bought the car?

This set of instructions is pretty simple to follow - do you have a voltmeter? Invaluable for chasing random electrical faults.

https://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Parasitic-Battery-Drain

I can't see your photos.

Where in London are you?

Cheers

[Bob Meadows]

Take a close look at the central locking switch on the driver’s door- I had the same problem- wires can become exposed due to flexing, see previous report on the forum.
This switch can be removed- cleaned up and repaired as necessary
Check area as circled.
Regards Bob

[geoffo]

While you’re on do check and adjust the belts (make sure you have a matched pair) and I would change the (only a tenner) voltage reg as advised above as I think you might also have a problem with your charging system. My alternator also works itself loose from the block must be my driving style.

[grumpydad]

Hi
if you PM me with your mail address
I will mail you a wiring diagram green book