Major battery drain issues (last hope)
Hi all,
So I am having major battery drainage issues with my VX commodore Executive. I'm at a loss to what is causing it and am hoping you guys can help me out.
If I drive the car every day the car is fine and starts most times. If I leave the car 2 days or more the car will struggle to start or the battery will be completely flat. It is a very intermittent problem and can never tell when the battery will be dead. I have taken the car to 4 auto electricians, 3 mechanics and 1 stereo technician in past 3 years and the problem has not yet been fixed. I have had my car jump started probably 20+ times this year alone!
So here is the breakdown of my issues and everything else in between. Any help or suggestion from anyone would be greatly appreciated as I am overly frustrated and burning a hole in my wallet. You guys are my last hope.
30/11/2007
Purchased VX Commodore Executive from dealer
13/12/2007
Purchased and had sound system professionally installed by John Collins Car Sound in Townsville
07/01/2008
Had car serviced by my local mechanic in Ingham
April 2008
Battery died first time
10/06/2008
Battery died again and purchased new battery from Autobarn.
14/11/2008
Battery died again and had car towed to mechanic who replaced battery with a AC Delco battery. Mechanic also tested alternator charge rate and was deemed OK. Went back to Autobarn to return their battery and they deemed it faulty and so got refund.
10/02/2009
Had car serviced by my local mechanic in Ingham
06/09/2009
Car alternator died at 4 way intersection at set of traffic lights.
07/09/2009
Car towed by RACQ to auto electrician. He had it for entire week. Replaced alternator and checked charging system and if any other drainage on battery. Found minor drain and stated that it was nothing major and would only be an issue if didn't drive for few weeks. This was bullshit cause battery died not long after.
26/11/2009
As university was over took my car to local Holden mechanic in Ingham to check out car. They checked out battery and all electrical current. Checked charge rate and current draw. Told me that they couldn't find anything wrong but I COULD have a faulty BCM, but they wouldn't be sure unless, I payed them first to buy it and install. In other words they really didn't know they were having stab in dark and it was at my expense and with no real assurance that it would fix my problem. I can't afford to spend loads of money on a guess.
10/02/2010
Went to take my car for service on but battery had died again. So took to me local mechanics for the service and they tested battery charge and suggested I take it to local Auto electrician.
11/02/2010
Took car to recommended auto electrician.
Checked for discharge in vehicle electrics, found interior illumination relay was staying on but no components of that circuit were functioning. Found that relay was staying on as a result of BCM sending wrong signal to relay. Removed relay from circuit, and temporarily wired relay manually through door switch and tested and deemed all OK.
End of June 2010
Car battery continued to go flat intermittently throughout first half of this year, so waited till I was on holidays from university to take me car back to the same auto electrician that claimed they had fixed the issue. Got them to check everything again and they said they couldn't find anything.
July 2010
Battery continued to go flat once got back to Townsville for second half of year so took to totally new auto electrician. They had car for few days and could not find anything wrong.
19/08/2010
So out of frustration took car to my mechanic in Townsville who took my car to his auto electrician, who found a 1.5 amp drain coming from stereo, who recommended I take car to stereo technician.
21/08/2010
Took car to stereo technician who rewired the stereo and fixed problem or so he thought. But big surprise the battery died again a week later after stereo issue was fixed.
30/08/2010
I removed the head deck totally from car and removed amp fuse going to battery to test once and for all if head deck was issue. Battery still died few weeks later.
14/10/2010
Took me car back to the last auto electrician my car had been to and he did quick check and couldn't find anything draining battery irregularly, but put some insulation around a wire in the boot cause he thought that could be touching the metal and shorting intermittently, but that didn't work either.
21/12/2010
Took car to Holden for service
Battery has not gone flat for while now but I have been driving it daily for work.
I see you have covered the subject thoroughly and still have current drain over a few days with new or older battery but you also say that the battery loses all charge intermittently? Stops working for no obvious reason? That sounds like a badly loose connection somewhere. Also, my manual tells me that there is a constant power drain from the battery when the car is parked and switched off because of security system and the various modules in and around the body that use power for maintaining settings. The car will send a new, fully charged battery completely flat in less than 12 weeks but will flatten an older or faulty battery much quicker. Apart from this, I can't think of anything else
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Donati..Whoa Green
Just out of curiosity, when the car is turned off, check if the stereo amps still have the power light on. The amp should be completely dead when the car is off.
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all power to interior including boot gets switched offOriginally Posted by pablo
maybe check the front power seat
there was a BCM problem that needed an upgrade to address this issue that was fixed with a software upgrade and not a new BCM
F O R U M W A R R I O R
Need to do a current draw test and if there's excessive draw, remove fuses one at a time till you see which one drops the current draw. Then you will know what the culprit is.
Will need a DMM for this...
Good guide can be found here:
Proper Current Draw Test - D-series.org
Silver Certified.
i had a simular problem, ending up being the oil pressure switch
Ive seen a similar problem which was tracked down to being the glovebox lamp switch was not turning off the lamp in the glovebox.
well im pretty sure it not boot light or glovebox light as they turn off as soon as the driver door is closed due to how the auto electrician wired it up into the switch in the door. Door must be open for any interior lights to work.
i checked the amp there is no power light on at all when car is off, only when it is on as it should be.
So how do I go about checking the front power seat and the oil pressure switch?
And ill do the current draw test asap, just need to get me hands on a multi-meter.
And how do I know if the BCM needs upgrading? Cause I would have assumed Holden would have checked this when I took me car to them?
ill admit im really not the mechanically minded, so how should i attack this issue? should I write a list down of all these possible reasons for the drainage and take it to Holden mechanic and get them to run through the list. Cause seriously atm I have lost confidence in mechanics and auto electricians in Ingham and Townsville.
If anyone has any ideas or comments at all please dont hesitate.
update:
battery was dead today after parking it in my driveway day before Christmas and trying to start it today, just made that stupid ticking noise.
Evil is always around you
Came across a similar problem with a mate... when the car is switched off we had minor drain on the battery, but when we locked(and the std Holden alarm) we had massive amount.
Problem was tracked down to incorrectly wired AMP/SUB that when you switched the car off it would turn off as it should... but when you locked/alarmed the car it switched tha bastered back on and flatten the battery in 24-36hrs. So during the week all was good as it was a daily driven car but on the weekend, well by Monday it wouldn't even crank over.
Good luck finding the issue and keep at it.
F O R U M W A R R I O R
Definately do the current draw test its the best diagnostic tool for batteries going flat, and apart from maybe having to buy a DMM its also the cheapest as you can do it yourself.
Silver Certified.
unplug the oil pressure switch (car can run without) if you still run out of power in the battery it cancels it out
I am really impressed with the records you have kept, will definately help in diagnosing problem.
Does your amp in boot have a capacitor fitted?
do you have aftermarket alarm? (battery backed siren or additional sensors may be drawing power)
Do you have any other non standard wiring, extra gauges? shift light tacho? etc ( may be drawing power)
Do you have a towbar wiring socket? (possibly short)
Do you have somewhere secure you can store car without locking doors (possibly door solenoid)
Is the battery definately flat or do you have a starter motor issue?
Buy yourself a cheap multi meter $12 from super cheap or reject shop
or buy a better one with amp function
F O R U M W A R R I O R
And dont mix up your series/parallel and socket selection when testing or youll blow up the multimeter or its internal fuse.
Silver Certified.
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If you can't be bothered checking every fuse and bulbs i would get an external kill switch to disable the battery completely.
haha yea, only thing i didnt document was every time the battery went flat. But that would have been at least once a week on some occasions over 3 years .
not sure, ill check and get back to you on that one.
no aftermarket alarm.
only extra wiring is from the sound system. I dont have additional gauges or tachos.
no towbar wiring socket.
nowhere to store my car securely.
well I not sure really thats why i'm asking you guys cause my mechanical knowledge is limited at best. But I assume its just a flat battery as no lights on dash sometimes, car deadlocks itself at times, etc.
You learn til u die
^^^^^^^^^^^ Id be looking at this , as i have came across this one myselfCame across a similar problem with a mate... when the car is switched off we had minor drain on the battery, but when we locked(and the std Holden alarm) we had massive amount.
Problem was tracked down to incorrectly wired AMP/SUB that when you switched the car off it would turn off as it should... but when you locked/alarmed the car it switched tha bastered back on and flatten the battery in 24-36hrs. So during the week all was good as it was a daily driven car but on the weekend, well by Monday it wouldn't even crank over.
Good luck finding the issue and keep at it.
At 43 a wealth of info , but still heaps to learn
To check if you have factory alarm there will be an additional horn mounted inside engine bay next to passenger strut tower
somehow buy, beg, or borrow a multimeter, most will have a basic instruction sheet with them.
if it only has 2 holes where leads can plug in it probably can't measure amps as in current draw not stereo amps
once you have one we can talk you through some basic tests
car deadlocking itself sound ominous, do you mean doors were unlocked and then locked themselves or do you mean in the morning remote would not unlock doors
Ok well I think the problem may have finally been found. I got put onto an apparently good auto electrician last week, so even though I have basically lost all faith in them I took it to him. By lunch time that day he rang me and said he believes basically with 100% certainty its the BCM slowly draining the battery. So with my fingers crossed I am taking my car to Holden next week to get it checked out and replaced and I hope finally after almost 3.5 years the issue may be fixed! Does anyone know how much a new BCM will possibly set me back? and also I have ever now and then been getting an airbag light beeping on my dash what is the go there and should I get that checked out at same time?
Oh and anyone is interested in purchasing a new VX r/h headlight or a used VX l/h headlight just let me know. Had to post this here as I do not yet have enough posts sadly to post on "Parts And Other Items For Sale"
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