Battery drain

I have a 2011 Peugeot Symbol.  Recently had work done  replacing the digital dash display to overcome a problem with the vehicle battery going flat when parked up.    Have just checked the current drain when parked with all systems off. (no alarm system or radio)  It is reading 0.4 amps.
Could this be right?  I think this would drain the battery in approx 10 days.  Do any other symbol owners find parking between trips causing low battery issues?
Any suggestions will be appreciated.

My 2012  will drain down in about 2 weeks didn't know anything about the Dashboard
David

mossystone wrote:It is reading 0.4 amps.

If that's a long-term reading taken with a meter directly in the circuit from the vehicle battery then it's not right. Even accounting for a typical vehicle alarm and radio, it's way too high.

However, in case you're not aware: On all modern vehicles you have to leave the vehicle undisturbed for a significantly long length of time to get a true reading. The length of time varies a bit from make to make, but typically it will be up to half an hour. During that period, the vehicle's control modules will be "going to sleep" in stages, each of which typically cuts the power being used.

If you change the state of any of the monitored circuits (e.g. door open switches, window, mirror controls, etc.) then the controllers will become active again and you will have to wait for the shutdown process to finish again before you can get an accurate reading.

Touch wood this is not a problem we have encountered. Even during the winter I take it for a short run every month to keep fluids moving and to keep rotating parts on the go but have never had a battery problem. Hope you get it sorted.

Jeff.

-mojo- wrote:

mossystone wrote:It is reading 0.4 amps.

If that's a long-term reading taken with a meter directly in the circuit from the vehicle battery then it's not right. Even accounting for a typical vehicle alarm and radio, it's way too high.

However, in case you're not aware: On all modern vehicles you have to leave the vehicle undisturbed for a significantly long length of time to get a true reading. The length of time varies a bit from make to make, but typically it will be up to half an hour. During that period, the vehicle's control modules will be "going to sleep" in stages, each of which typically cuts the power being used.

If you change the state of any of the monitored circuits (e.g. door open switches, window, mirror controls, etc.) then the controllers will become active again and you will have to wait for the shutdown process to finish again before you can get an accurate reading.

Thanks Mojo,  Does that mean I need to sit inside with all doors closed for 30 mins to get a realistic reading?  I will probably find it easier to leave it parked up for two weeks to see if they have cured the problem with the new dash.

Heanorboy wrote:My 2012  will drain down in about 2 weeks didn't know anything about the Dashboard
David

I am not sure that it has cured the problem but the garage did say it was something they have met before.

mossystone wrote:Does that mean I need to sit inside with all doors closed for 30 mins to get a realistic reading?

Yes! Plus if your alarm has motion sensors you have to stay completely still!

But it should not be too hard to either connect up externally, or to connect up and place the meter on the dash so that you can come back later and see what the reading is through the windscreen.

I had a problem with battery drain on a 2014 Symbol  and put it down to vehicle and an installed tracker draining a similar amperage per hour. Solved by buying and fitting a battery master ( approx £70 , available from Van Bitz). This device tops up vehicle battery from the leisure battery. This solved the problem straight away. Vehicle battery stayed good for a 10 week lay up before starting it. It cranked and fired up straight away.
Subsequently I had a solar panel fitted which puts back about the same level of amperage as the drain amperage and fed this to the leisure battery.
Martin

marbarsymbol wrote:I had a problem with battery drain on a 2014 Symbol  and put it down to vehicle and an installed tracker draining a similar amperage per hour. Solved by buying and fitting a battery master ( approx £70 , available from Van Bitz). This device tops up vehicle battery from the leisure battery. This solved the problem straight away. Vehicle battery stayed good for a 10 week lay up before starting it. It cranked and fired up straight away.
Subsequently I had a solar panel fitted which puts back about the same level of amperage as the drain amperage and fed this to the leisure battery.
Martin

Thanks for that Martin.   
I have fitted a solar panel and have bought a CSB-2 device (similar to the battery master) ready to fit but would be re-assured if I could solve any excess drain issues before fitting it.    I do not have an alarm or tracker at present, though plan to fit later, any drain I am experiencing now will be worse if they are fitted.

Alan

Alan
I think you have got a good solution.
Even at 0.2 amp drain it would flatten an 85 amp hour vehicle battery in less than 3 weeks standing time, without charge. I never managed to identify the main culprits draining my battery but the battery and charging system were checked by main Peugeot dealer and certified OK. An estimate of less than 0.1 amp was allocated to my tracker (which is on constantly). Happy with resolution of the problem if not finding all causes.
Martin

You need a 100w, minimum solar panel glued to the roof, driving a dual battery solar controller, your problem will then disappear!

IanH wrote:You need a 100w, minimum solar panel glued to the roof, driving a dual battery solar controller, your problem will then disappear!

I have an 80w and a battery-master which is more than adequate so instead of 'a minimum 100w' I would say get as large as you can fit.

Must be sunnier in the Midlands! I have battery master and 60watt roof mounted solar panel which works all year round as long as I don't put a cover over the van! You get limited output all year from the solar panel although obviously higher in Summer months.
Higher wattage panels and double leisure batteries are for off grid camping but my set up works to prevent battery drain. Make sure the leisure side is disconnected by the black off button to prevent leisure battery drain when vehicle not in use.
This is one time that it is good to be revolting !
Martin

With limited space on the roof all I have fitted is a 50W panel with an MPPT control. this seems to be easily keeping the leisure battery topped up. I hope that with the CSB-2 (battery master) it will keep the vehicle battery live despite the apparent drain.

Update on my problem.  

Further testing showed that the new battery was only 75% efficient and the major part of the current drain was from the Dab Radio.  With the removable front off the radio and a new battery the problem is no more.

Thanks for the update. It seems the newer aftermarket units all have significant current drain when switched off. The current Mercedes detects an aftermarket unit and will only allow it to be switched on when the ignition is on.

I know a couple of people who have had switches installed that will allow the unit to be disconnected entirely or have permanent connection to the leisure battery so the unit doesn't 'time out'

mossystone wrote:I have a 2011 Peugeot Symbol.  Recently had work done  replacing the digital dash display to overcome a problem with the vehicle battery going flat when parked up.    Have just checked the current drain when parked with all systems off. (no alarm system or radio)  It is reading 0.4 amps.
Could this be right?  I think this would drain the battery in approx 10 days.  Do any other symbol owners find parking between trips causing low battery issues?
Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Did you check on the Sargent or with a meter?  The Sargent does need calibrating from time to time - though I am not sure if that simply shows zero drain whatever the drain or charging current. The instructions are in your A/S manual which can be downloaded from A/S site if you don't have a paper version.

Yes I did reset the Sargent as one of my first actions. All other measurements were with proper meters.  The biggest cause turned out to be the brand new battery which was faulty.  Just using a voltmeter did not highlight the issue, it became evident using a proper electronic "state of battery meter" that showed that it was faulty.

My radio is wired to the leisure battery. The van started first time after 5 week break during the summer. Progress eh!

crosgor wrote:My radio is wired to the leisure battery. The van started first time after 5 week break during the summer. Progress eh!

That's worth looking into.