Drove vs zv6 850ks then 3 minutes after stopping my battery is totally drained. why?

[SinnieC]

In Short -
After travelling 800+kms, I stopped my vz sv6 for 3 minutes yesterday, heard a hum and tick noise then the battery was completely flat ......My battery and alternator are fine according to holden roadside, so does anyone know what could be causing this?
Also if it may have something to do with the BCM, can I take that to any auto electrician or do I have to take it to the so-n-so's at my Holden dealership?

Detailed -
Car started fine in the morning for some local running around, stopping and starting a few times with no problems.
Started fine again after sitting for an hour or two. Went to the servo, fuelled up, checked oil, water, tyres etc and started again no worries.
I hit the highway, travelled about 500kms then pulled into another servo to top up the tank. No troubles starting again there either.
Travelled another 200 or so kms then stopped for 2 hours. Car started like normal and I travelled another 150 kms before pulling off the highway to make a phone call.
I turned the car off, the stereo and lights were off and no doors, windows etc were opened. When I hung up the phone (2 1/2min call) I could hear a noise that sounded
like the washer bottle was being used, but it was quieter with an intermittent tick. I listened for a few seconds as the noise continued to kind of stop and start then
tried starting the car. Nothing happened, not a light, not a sound, nothing. I checked the gear shift to make sure i hadn't left it in gear, all good, so tried starting it again
and got the same result only this time when i turned the key back, the clock/stereo light came one, flashed a few times then went off.
Luckily for me a guy with a little VW had pulled up at the same rest area and agreed to try and jump me. At first the charge from his car didn't seem to have any affect at all
but after 3-4mins of keeping his revs up, mine wound over.
400kms later I reluctantly pulled into the last servo I could get fuel from until I reached my destination. I was sure the car wasn't going to start after how long it took me to fuel up ect
but to my surprise, she started great and has been starting fine all day today.

My battery's run dead overnight or over half a day a few times in the last 6 months but this is the first time I've ever heard the humming noise. I do alot of driving at night in
isolated areas with no phone reception so really need to get this sorted ASAP, but before I book it in I'd like to check anything I'm able to myself and have an idea of what could/couldn't be the problem.

Cheers!

[acarmody]

It takes a lot of draw to flatten a battery in 2.5 minutes, possibly the starter shorting or drawing power?

[SinnieC]

would that account for the noise I heard also?

[Sean880]

In Short -
After travelling 800+kms, I stopped my vz sv6 for 3 minutes yesterday, heard a hum and tick noise then the battery was completely flat ......My battery and alternator are fine according to holden roadside, so does anyone know what could be causing this?
Also if it may have something to do with the BCM, can I take that to any auto electrician or do I have to take it to the so-n-so's at my Holden dealership?


My battery's run dead overnight or over half a day a few times in the last 6 months but this is the first time I've ever heard the humming noise. I do a lot of driving at night in
isolated areas with no phone reception so really need to get this sorted ASAP, but before I book it in I'd like to check anything I'm able to myself and have an idea of what could/couldn't be the problem.

Cheers!

1. You do not say how old the battery is or how many kms your car has run up.

You have not mentioned if anyone has been fiddling with your electrical system by fitting aftermarket stereo equipment or other products.

2. I think from what you have said that the battery is definitely not OK despite what Roadside assist has told you. When fully discharged batteries need to be put on a charger and fully charged at the earliest opportunity. Batteries do not respond well to frequent full discharges as it shortens their life. Average quality batteries also only last about 3 years and the very good ones much longer if properly maintained. Heat build up in the engine bay is also a problem for car battery life.

I would be purchasing a new battery now because it definitely appears that your current unit is on its last legs. From what you have said it does not appear to be able to hold it's "charge" for long.

3. I would have an auto electrician check your alternator to ensure it is working properly.

4. When you install a new battery see if you still get a humming problem inside the car.

If you do investigate if the drivers seat motor is running.

Also check that none of the power window motors are running as a result of a faulty switch which is allowing power to feed through.

If you think it is one of these items pull out the appropriate fuse and re-check for noise. Your owner's manual shows you the fuse locations for various functions.

[SinnieC]

@ sean880, thanks for responding

The battery is about 2 years old and I've just hit the150,000k mark. (A mate is servicing it on the weekend and yes he's a qualified mechanic)

I don't allow anyone to "fiddle" with my car and have had no aftermarket anything fitted, it is standard.

When you charge the battery do you have to take it out of the car or can you leave it hooked up? A couple of times I've put it on charge over night but I leave the battery in the car to do it.
You mention heat build up, so over heating can damage the battery 'cos about 8months ago I had to replace s stuffed radiator cap and a hose after the car started beeping and flashing the overheating warning at me and my temp was just hitting the red line.

I had planned to go to supercheap tomorrow (if work schedule permits) to get one of those portable car jump starter doobys so I'll definitely get a new battery as well 'cos even if it's not the problem, it's a possible one eliminated.

I took the fuse for the drivers seat motor out months ago almost certain that was the culprit 'cos the part where you raise and lower the seat broke for the second time in a year.....first time was by fat ass auto electrician with heavy hand who had to replace the part and was blasted by the shop owner 'cos he also broke the side step of a 4WD that morning, and this break I blame on excessive use 'cos Im a shortass and have the seat right up and was letting my 6'6 husband drive my car daily.

If it was the window motor would the sound be coming from the doors? I realise I didn't say before but when Im in the drivers seat, the noise sounds like it is coming from directly in front of me. I thought maybe it was the alternator but roadside did a quick check last time they jumped me and said the alternator was giving plenty of charge to the battery (the battery light would come on if it wasn't right?) so i didnt give it a second thought. That is until 10 mins ago when I read on another thread here that the whining could be the alternator working hard to charge the battery, so i'll check the connection in a minute and make sure its not lose.

The nearest auto elec (that I will allow near my car) is 2hours drive away so i'm really hoping I can find the cause of the drain and noise then fix it myself.....maybe with the help of a mate or two.

[Benboy]

Could be Alternator or battery or a combination of both. Get an Auto Electricial to do a load test on your battery that will quickly tell you if it is any good - or not.

[Sean880]

@ sean880, thanks for responding

The battery is about 2 years old and I've just hit the150,000k mark. (A mate is servicing it on the weekend and yes he's a qualified mechanic)

I don't allow anyone to "fiddle" with my car and have had no aftermarket anything fitted, it is standard.

When you charge the battery do you have to take it out of the car or can you leave it hooked up? A couple of times I've put it on charge over night but I leave the battery in the car to do it.
You mention heat build up, so over heating can damage the battery 'cos about 8months ago I had to replace s stuffed radiator cap and a hose after the car started beeping and flashing the overheating warning at me and my temp was just hitting the red line.

.

You leave the battery in the car but you MUST disconnect the cables to the battery before attaching the battery charger and switching it on. If the vehicle's electrical cables are not disconnected from the battery during battery charging you risk causing damage to the vehicle's electrical components.

Buy a battery with no less than a 2 year warranty. The last one I bought came with 3 years. Many on the market (normally the cheaper end) only come with a 1 year warranty. Never buy one of these. In effect the manufacturer is saying that the company has so little faith in the product that it only expects it to run trouble free for 12 months.

Get the alternator checked at the earliest opportunity for peace of mind.

[SinnieC]

Okay....I got the battery from supercheap this morning, $150 and 24month warranty card. While I was there I saw a multi meter cadget for only $40 so grabbed it (along with a few other things). I thought there's no point sticking a new battery in if something is draining it so checked the old one with the multi meter. I turned my driving lights on for a moment to release any charge from the battery, turned them off then checked the battery. Result - 12.60 volts.

After that I wanted to check the (alternator). Tried to turn the car on.....sounded really lame then just ticked at me...ugh. I checked the battery again and it still came up as 12.60 volts, 5 mins later it was 12.30 volts.
Jump started the car then checked the alternator and got a reading of 14.2 volts. Between 13 and 15 volts is a good reading. Following the instructions I turned on the accessories (lights, stereo etc) and checked the alternator again, 14.2 volts.

So then I changed the battery and what do you know, started straight away. Turned the car off, checked the new battery with my groovy new gadget, 12.4 volts. I let the car sit for a while and checked the battery again just to be sure, 12.5 volts.

At this point hubby took the vent caps off the old battery to have a look at the cells.....well he cracked up laughing and after having a look at it myself I felt like such a blonde, two cells had dropped. Such a common and simple problem yet not once did it cross my mind ugh.

So the issue is fixed now (hoping the hum noise was the alternator working overtime thinking it needed to charge the battery), thanks all who gave advice/suggestions. I won't forget now that sometimes you just have to KISS (keep it simple stupid)

[88GreenVN]

My brother carries a battery pack in his boot of the VE after he has suffered 5 flat batteries in just over 12 months. The car will be sold soon as a lemon - he hates it now as it has become un reliable. Climate system has a mind of it's own also and does what ever it likes no matter what settings you use. Holdens just shrug and say dont know what is wrong with it. (read "dont want to fix it and hope like hell he goes away")

[SinnieC]

@88GreenVN, doesn't surprise me at all. Biggest mistake I ever made was handing over my vz ss plus the balance of my bank account, for a ve ss. What a POS, I was ready to torch it after 5 months. I was pretty lucky though, after I hit a roo and put a nice dint in the side, I took it to madills in gympie where I'd previously brought a crewman and the vz ss from and got a good deal for it.