Battery Problems: 3rd Replacement - Same Issue

Hi everyone!

I'm at my wit's end. I already started a thread a while ago where I described my battery problems. I'm experiencing the following issue with my Golf IV TDI, manufactured in August 2001:

'When I drive to work every morning, everything is fine, although sometimes it seems like the car doesn't start easily. Now, I was on vacation for a week, and the car was parked in the carport at home. When I returned, the battery was completely dead.'

This issue has now happened three times, each time after the car has been stationary for more than 2-3 days. VW told me that the current draw was okay, so they've already replaced the battery for the third time. The battery that was completely drained yesterday is only 2 months old, at most.

So, what should I do? I mean, if they tell me that there's no significant power drain, then I should be able to rely on that, right? And the battery seems to be charging, otherwise it would die out with regular use, wouldn't it?

Give me a tip.

Best regards,
VipViper2000

Well, a dead battery can also be recharged; it doesn't necessarily have to be replaced immediately.

The only way to know for sure is to measure the quiescent current yourself. It's possible that the comfort control module isn't entering sleep mode properly, which is draining the battery.

Well, a dead battery can also be recharged; it doesn't necessarily have to be replaced immediately.

Yes, I know, but the last one that was replaced probably had a short circuit in 2 cells. I've now connected a multimeter and measured the voltage:

12.04 V. Then I started the engine and took another measurement:
14.00 V. Then, a short time later, it was turned off again and checked.
One could observe the voltage dropping from 12.38 to 12.05.

Okay, I have a question: How do I measure the quiescent current? Can someone help me with that? On my multimeter, I can set the dial to 'A' and then choose between 20m, 200m, 2000m, and something else. What setting should I use?

Best regards,
VipViper2000

When measuring current (especially quiescent current), always start by using the largest range setting on the ammeter.
The measuring device must be connected in series. It is best to connect the measuring device directly to the ground wire, close to the battery.
Next time, just disconnect the battery if the car is going to be parked for a long time. If it's dead again, then the problem is the battery.
It's also possible that the quiescent current is only temporarily too high and was actually within the normal range during the VW measurement.

Okay, so I need to disconnect the negative terminal of the battery, and then connect the positive terminal of the meter to the negative terminal of the battery, and the negative terminal of the meter to the negative cable of the vehicle, or is it something else?

Best regards,
VipViper2000

Aha, so I have to disconnect the negative terminal of the battery, and then connect the positive terminal of the meter to the negative terminal of the battery and the negative terminal of the meter to the negative cable of the vehicle, or what?


Connect the positive cable of the measuring device to the ground cable, and connect the negative cable of the measuring device to the negative terminal of the battery.

Make sure everything is turned off and the doors are closed when taking measurements.

Mmm... I've already tried that, but my measuring device always shows 0. Either I've set something up incorrectly, or the device is faulty.

Okay, let's summarize: I disconnect the negative terminal of the battery and then connect the negative cable from the battery to the positive terminal of the meter. Then, I connect the negative cable from the meter directly to the negative terminal of the battery.

Okay, I'll test it again. Also, I left the voltage meter connected for a longer period, and I noticed the following. The voltage at the start of the measurement was 12.05 V. When I then close the doors using the remote control (with the hood closed and the turn signals flashing once), the voltage drops to 12.04 V. Isn't that a bit excessive? The more times I open and close the doors, the more the voltage drops. I mean, it's clear that power is being consumed, but is it really that noticeable? Well, I'll get a different meter to measure the amperage and write back again.

Best regards,
VipViper2000

P.S.: Thank you for your efforts. I know I'm acting a bit foolish, but apparently, VW can't do much better either .

Mhmm... I've already tried that, but my measuring device always shows 0. Either I've set something up incorrectly, or the measuring device is defective.


How did you set up the measuring device?
For some measuring devices, you need to plug the measurement cables into a different socket.
Possibly, the fuse in the measuring device is defective (this can be easily checked with an ohmmeter).


So, let's summarize again: I disconnect the negative terminal of the battery and then connect the negative cable of the battery to the positive terminal of the meter. Then, I connect the negative cable of the meter directly to the negative terminal of the battery.


That's exactly right.

Martin R wrote:

So, let's summarize again: I disconnect the negative terminal of the battery and then connect the negative cable of the battery to the positive terminal of the meter. Then, I connect the negative cable of the meter directly to the negative terminal of the battery. VipViper2000 wrote: That's exactly how it is. That doesn't work, because he has both measurement probes connected to the battery -

.

Okay, so: Connect the positive wire to the disconnected ground wire, and connect the negative wire to the battery's negative terminal.

As mentioned before, start with the largest DC measurement range and then switch to progressively more sensitive ranges until (normally) a few milliamperes are displayed.

If a diesel battery is completely drained after 2-3 days, it means that a parasitic current of approximately 1 A is flowing.

... The negative cable of the battery is connected to the positive terminal of the measuring device...
... connect the negative cable of the measuring device directly to the negative terminal ...

That's exactly how it is.



That doesn't work, because he has both measurement probes connected to the battery - .


However, he does have a wire connected to the negative cable and another connected to the negative terminal.

Martin R wrote:

However, he does have a wire connected to the negative cable and one connected to the negative terminal.

Funny - I must have had my eyes closed .

It's strange, I haven't received any notifications.

Okay, here's the current situation: It was simply a problem with the measuring device. I bought a new one, and that fixed it. However, I'm now a little concerned:
I set the device to 2A DC, and now it's showing a value of 083. Surely, that can't be 83mA, right? I mean, that would be way too low.

'Anyway, I took the car to VW last Tuesday, but they called me yesterday and told me they couldn't find anything wrong, EXCEPT: Apparently, there have been occasional instances where the radio/CD changer (both Sony) were drawing power.'
Okay, so I parked the car yesterday and turned off the radio and the CD changer. I'll wait until Monday lunchtime and then try to start it.
If it doesn't start, it's either the radio or the CD changer.

Here's some more information about the radio/changer: I had the same radio before without any problems in my Golf III. Unfortunately, the 10-disc changer that came with the radio back then didn't fit in the place in my new car where I wanted to put it. So, I bought a NEW Sony 6-disc changer on eBay. But since then, it hasn't been saving the track information. What I mean is: If I'm listening to track 8 of CD 5 at 2:00 minutes, and then turn it off and leave, and come back the next day, it starts playing from a completely different point.

'Also, I've noticed this twice now: the car made noises, even though the key wasn't in the ignition (I think it happened when it was being vacuumed).'

Maybe someone among you has an idea.
Best regards,
VipViper2000

P.S.: I know it's a long text, but I would be very grateful if you could support me.

Hello,

I was thinking of a maximum current of around 30mA.

Regards,

Tobias.

VipViper2000 wrote:

I set the device to 2A DC, and now it's showing me the value 083. Surely, that can't be 83mA for me, right? I mean, that would be way too little.

Hi,

If it were 0.83 amperes, that would be a significant amount of current, and it would drain a battery within a few days...

Hello,

Could it be that you've swapped the positive and ignition wires when connecting the radio?

It will be like that if it also doesn't retain the saved channels.


Greetings.

830mA... hmm, that's quite a bit.

Check if the value consistently stays around this level. If so, lock the car but leave the driver's door open, and then systematically remove each fuse from the fuse box located on the left side of the dashboard, testing to see which fuse causes the value to drop.

Normally, it should be around 2-10mA if everything in your car is running in sleep mode.