No power!

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D366Y
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No power!

Post by D366Y »

Story time!
I drove the car to work Friday morning, no problem. Finished work, drove home, no problem.

Go to drive car Saturday morning and no power at all - the clock had stopped at 2:45 which tells me it was sat there for about 8/9 hours before it decided to stop working

Checked the fuses, nothing, checked there was power getting to fuse 1 - nothing.

Then it started raining so I ran away. Planning to take the battery out today and charge it to see if that works.

If it does, does that mean the alternator is past it? Also, if it doesn't work - any other ideas??

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Danny
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Andrew 2.8i
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Re: No power!

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

D366Y wrote: Sun May 16, 2021 8:24 am If it does, does that mean the alternator is past it? Also, if it doesn't work - any other ideas??
Hi Danny,
When I first read the title, I was going to suggest that's a particular issue with the 4 cylinder engined cars ! :)
By the sound of it, it's likely to be a battery/charging issue rather than a wiring or fuse fault.
Once the battery is refitted, check the voltage of it with the engine running. I think it should be around 14 V if the alternator is charging properly.
Is there any electrical component that may be draining the battery? For example, the boot light?
The battery may also be faulty. Disconnect it when you next park the car, and if it drains on it's own overnight then it's past it's best and will need replacing.

:goodluck:

Andrew.
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D366Y
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Car(s): 1986 Laser 1.6, daily runaround project
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1980 3.0S, crash damage resto
1993 Fiesta 1.1

Currently full up and no more space but I still want a 2.8...
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: No power!

Post by D366Y »

Haha yes that's definitely an issue I need to work on Andrew!

Thanks for the tips - the battery is on charge now so will test it later with the car running and see what it's running at, great idea about the battery overnight as well, I would never have thought of that!

Hopefully not a battery issue as it was the most expensive Halfrauds option, the idea being it would last longer! Think it's probably around 5-7years old though so could well be due a change...

The boot hasn't been opened in Christ knows how long on account that it won't shut again and the lock is shagged so can't be the boot light! Need to take it apart to have a look at it really but after Bug said to leave it alone I did and now the key won't turn in the lock 🤦🏻‍♂️ another problem for another day I think, but there is nothing else I can think of that would be draining the battery apart from the clock....

We'll see what happens with the battery and go from there

Cheers
Danny
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Re: No power!

Post by stevemarl »

TBH, it sounds just as if something has been left on and flattened the battery? Even if the battery was on its last legs, (but it started OK so that`s unlikely) it shouldn`t , in a couple of hours, go so flat that the clock stops (that would be probably 9v or less) Charge the battery, then ideally check the current with a meter when you reconnect it (or jiggle the connector about and see if there`s a spark, there shouldn`t be) There should be almost no current at all, off the top of my head 10s of mA. If there is, you need to track down where it`s going. If that`s not it, as Andrew says, check the voltage when running.
(Debs roadster had the battery out to charge after winter, put it back in, left a couple of weeks - flat as a ...... (insert your choice of proverbial)
Turns out, if you put the battery back, the radio comes on asking for a code BUT unless you put code in it stays lit up asking, for ever! Only a tiny current but over weeks completely flattened the battery [down to 1.5v] Seems no permanent damage though)
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Re: No power!

Post by Peter-S »

Do you have any accessories that will run with ignition off (fog lights, elec fan) that could have been left on
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D366Y
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Car(s): 1986 Laser 1.6, daily runaround project
1981 GL Auto 2.0, Barn-Find-Resto, now also a runaround project
1980 3.0S, crash damage resto
1993 Fiesta 1.1

Currently full up and no more space but I still want a 2.8...
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: No power!

Post by D366Y »

I don't have anything that isn't standard added on that I could think would be draining the battery - battery has been on charge for 8 hours now and still not taking charge so think I've found the problem! Will see after I buy a new one tomorrow....
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Re: No power!

Post by 80s-new-man »

Just checking, if there’s an issue with boot, an there’s a security system, it may be if she thinks that something is still live, like boot lock not shutting properly it’ll probably just drain the battery.
The best way to check is with an ammeter over about an. Hour.
A Capri should not really take more than day 0.03 a in that situation
Cheers
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