Big Problem Battery Goes Totally Flat After 2 Days

[kawarex]

I have had this Focus 1.8 TDCi for about 2 and a half years now it is on an 04 plate. Last year the battery light came on sporadically and the battery kept going flat so i replaced the battery and had a new alternator fitted and all was fine. About 6 weeks ago when we had the first really cold snap i went out to start the car and it was totally dead? I took the battery ( Bosch 3 year guarantee) back to the motor factors to be checked out and it had a cell that had gone short circuit ? I got a Yuasa one this time and went away thinking all would be good. Three days later this was flat so i took it to a reputable place i have dealt with before to get things checked out. They said the alternator was fine but the new battery only had 50% cranking power ( Tested with a Bosch test unit) so i took it back to the motor factors after i had charged it over night and they tested it with a similar Bosch test unit and said it was 80% ???? So i thought sod it took a risk and bought anoather battery off another supplier ....but again after 2 days it's flat again !!!!

I charged it up overnight and went out in the car the next day when i indicated right the warning buzzer from the towbar set up was sounding although i wasn't towing anything !! I investigated and found the boot carpet soaked and the wheel well in 2" of water. Tried the pouring water over the boot shuts but couldn't see it coming in. I then found the boot latch loose so i set this up sealed the light unit mounts with copiuos amounts of vasaline and removed all the wet articles. I then removed all the wiring for the towbar and thought this would be it. Charged it up and ran around as usual but no .... 2days and it was totally dead again ???!!!!!

Any ideas of common faults or what to try next would be gratefully appreciated. I have had a meter across the terminals and it is charging at 14.2 Volts and ok when under load i.e. fan, lights on etc. Can't see it pulling anything when the ammeter is on it either. Getting really frustrated with it now !!!!!! I feel a gallon of Super Unleaded and a Zippo coming on :-(

[stef123]

first of all, are you using a lead calcium or silver battery? a standard lead acid is no use and will be cooked by the charging circuit

[artscot79]

ide have stuck to the Bosch silver battery i had a lot of issues with yausa batteries always going faulty

[kawarex]

I've seen this mentioned somewhere about the type of battery, but i'm not sure iv'e just asked for the battery to suit the car at the suppliers summising they would supply the right one for the car and year, model etc.

It's not got the Yuasa one on at the minute it's another make i'vre not heard of before.

Another thing to point out is the auxillary belt and tensioner have been replaced after the Bosch battery failed as the ECU apparently can play havoc with the charging if the belt is slipping just wondering if there is something that fails regularly on Focus' that could be pulling the battery down.

Iv'e just put it on charge for the night as it is totally dead and the charger has an old style ammeter on it and when put on rapid charge the meter is flicking between 4 and 9 amps as though something is intermittantly pulling current, i'm wondering flasher relay but surely the indicators would be flashing ?? Is there anything else on these that pulse a relay intermittantly ??

[kawarex]

BTW is there anyway to identify/check what type the battery is ?

[stef123]

BTW is there anyway to identify/check what type the battery is ?

it should say it on the battery somewhere

[artscot79]

the yausa one should be an 075 or 100 it should be an elite battery series only as its the only one designed for smart charge

[kawarex]

It just has Yuasa Professional 100 on it ??

[artscot79]

the pro series is silver calcium but its meant to be the elite i believe the reference on the battery should be 075 or 100 or 075t or 100t the 075 /100 is the pro series the ones with the t are the elite series its the elite that they should have used

from yausa reference the elite series Ultimate Expanded Calcium Technology

Ultimate expanded positive grid plate technology utilises specially rolled (wrought) Lead/Calcium/Tin (SCS) alloys and developed plate manufacturing process to give the optimum automotive battery design.

The wrought expanded grid process gives a significantly stronger and smaller grid grain structure than comparable cast calcium-silver alloys. Yuasa’s innovative plate manufacturing and formation processes are essential in maximising the benefits of Expanded Calcium technology.

it does sound as if you have a drain somewhere

[stef123]

googling 'Yuasa Professional 100' doesn't display anything to do with lead calcium or silver...

[kawarex]

Yeah iv'e just downloaded the info from Yuasa and it seems compatible, so chewed off with this car it's unreal, my Puma was a pain in the rear aswell, it's no wonder FORD is refered to as Fix Often Repair Daily, they have completely lost their way since the very early nineties and no wonder they ended up teetering on bankruptcy. There's no need for all the extra crap they have stuck on thier cars, i can't even bring myself to call it technology as it has no benefit whatsoever. I think this might end up on eBay and go back to a Punto as i had no bother with the three i owned ......open to offers as a project with starting fault lol

[kawarex]

Googled the model number and it took me to a link to their site with a pdf on it, worked for me quite informative showed me the other halfs Astra has the wrong battery fitted ;-)

[stef123]

have we got any confirmation that the battery fitted is not just a lead acid? struggling to find anything to say otherwise here. if the wrong battery type is fitted its likely why you are having problems

[artscot79]

there you go steff http://www.yuasaeurope.com/en-gb/automotive/products/professional/

i will say if you call yausa as i did its meant to be elite

[kawarex]

HHHMMMM worth a try guys as no one seems to be holding their hands up supplier wise when cash has been handed over lol

[stef123]

there you go steff http://www.yuasaeuro...s/professional/

i will say if you call yausa as i did its meant to be elite

Cheers for that Arthur.

ok so if it is the correct battery, there must be something causing a drain somewhere.. how long did you have the ammeter connected up? does it have a hold function? with mine i can set it to hold the highest reading

[artscot79]

the 2 most common issues would be the alternator draining the battery or not charging the battery and i remember an issue with the stereo draining the battery as well to check the stereo assuming you have the radio code would be to pull the stereo fuse and see if the battery still drains depends on how good you are with electrics it can be what i said above or faulty ecu timer module not switching off permenantly engaged feul /diesel pump to name a few

[kawarex]

That sounds good dude i have seen somewhere about the radio being an issue as for the ecu timer i'll have to look deeper many thanks tomorrow is going to be busy i think !!