Technical My FIAT punto drains the battery every 2 - 3 days

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Technical My FIAT punto drains the battery every 2 - 3 days

vangelisv

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Hi, can anyone help me with this. I have a FIAT Punto '99 85Hp,
since 3 years now it drains the battery every 2-3 days. I changed the battery 3 times it has no effect. It does the same with a new battery also.
What makes it more difficult to track: It does not happen all the time, the battery drains only one in 3 times approx....

Please help!
 
Hi, can anyone help me with this. I have a FIAT Punto '99 85Hp,
since 3 years now it drains the battery every 2-3 days. I changed the battery 3 times it has no effect. It does the same with a new battery also.
What makes it more difficult to track: It does not happen all the time, the battery drains only one in 3 times approx....

Please help!

Hi and Welcome to The Fiat Forum! (y)

Do you have an aftermarket / non-standard Head unit fitted? May be wired to a non-ignition controlled 12v source. Or you may have say a boot lamp that stays on when it shouldnt?

Have you had the alternator tested to make sure it is charging the battery, or is the car used for mostly very short, stop / start journeys?
 
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Hi and Welcome to The Fiat Forum! (y)

Do you have an aftermarket / non-standard Head unit fitted? May be wired to a non-ignition controlled 12v source. Or you may have say a boot lamp that stays on when it shouldnt?

Have you had the alternator tested to make sure it is charging the battery, or is the car used for mostly very short, stop / start journeys?

Hi Ffoxy,

Indeed the car is only used once or twice a week for a small ride (5 - 10km max). Do you think this alone could be the problem? I did not have anything non standard fit..
 
Three points I'd make are:
- 5km rides isn't a lot to keep the battery charged. You should budget on buying a charger and giving it an occasional long (12hrs) charge up. Occasional means "a couple of times in the winter" in this context.
- An alternator problem could be exacerbating your problem, so is worth checking
- That's a heck of a drain on the battery somewhere. Since you've changed the battery, we can assume in principle that it's sound. That seems to be your root cause, and you'll have to go through a methodical process to identify the problem.

As Ffoxy says, the usual suspects are ICE and boot lamp (but normally neither would be this bad). So with the good weather I think your best bet is to go hunting with a multimeter. First, stick the battery on a charger for as long as you can. Then get the multimeter (always handy to have one, cheap at Halfords), a mate and a pen and paper - to write down the voltages and test type.
Ideally, the multimeter would have crocodile clips which you can connect to either side of the battery.
Charger off, note the battery voltage with ignition key out - 12.8V is good, less than 12.0V indicates a tired or near dead battery.
Start the car. With the alternator taking the strain, the voltage should be >14.0V. Less indicates a dodgy alternator, or loose wires.

Now to find the drain(s). First, open the boot, and press the plunger switch (which should deactivate the boot lamp) and check the light goes out.

If that doesn't work, get in the footwell, and expose the fuse board. Key out of the ignition), remove one fuse at a time. Call it to your lovely assistant, who should note the voltage reading. Replace, and repeat for every fuse. One (or more) should show a clear increase in battery voltage (current flow reduces the battery voltage, so the step up indicates a larger current flowing - the bad earth you are hunting). Remember though, some things (alarm/immobiliser for example) are meant to remain running with ignition off, so a voltage rise doesn't automatically mean you've found the answer - check them all while you're wedged in the footwell.

Check the manual, which will tell you which circuit(s) have a dodgy earth. You now need to check all the devices on those circuits - pressing switches, disconnecting wires as far as you can, and reading the voltage.

With luck, you'll find the offending item. Strip it, check for rust traces in joints, WD40 on connectors, leads properly connected, etc.

With a good wind, you should find the root cause. Worst case, at least you can tell the gargae where the problem is.
 
My Mk1 1998 punto is draining the battery as well. Around 2-3 v a day. I have just done what was recomended and most of them sat at 10.03 v (my battery hadnt been charged for a day so its at 10) but one read out at 10.33 and another at 10.10 . Just wondered if there the ones that are draining to much or is it normal. I dont know if what i just said made sence. but iam new to the diy repair scene.

Thank you.
 
My Mk1 1998 punto is draining the battery as well. Around 2-3 v a day. I have just done what was recomended and most of them sat at 10.03 v (my battery hadnt been charged for a day so its at 10) but one read out at 10.33 and another at 10.10 . Just wondered if there the ones that are draining to much or is it normal. I dont know if what i just said made sence. but iam new to the diy repair scene.

Thank you.

Battery is goosed from those readings, it should be much higher.

How old is it?
 
Battery is a day old . And the battery before this one also drained was like 3 weeks olds. fully charged the battery is at around 12.8 or something.
 
Do you have an aftermarket radio fitted? this is normally the problem.

See here for battery info, -
Open-circuit at full discharge: 11.8 V to 12.0 V

Is the battery loaded to give a reading on 10v? (i.e. trying to start car, light on ....)

If not, as richie says at 10v unloaded it dosent sound right. Fully discharged it should still be around 11-12 volts.
 
My wife has a Punto Speedgear and the battery goes low in 4 to 5 days.
I have fitted a battery switch, which of course is inconvenient but works.
One thing I have noticed is that when turning off the battery the relay that controls the gear lever/ignition switch lock clicks as the power is turned off.( She locks the car before turning off the battery).
This would mean the the relay is still energised after the car is locked up?
Surely no relay on the car should stay energised? stay
 
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