General batteru suddenly dead, error messages??

[keldon]

hi, got a fiat stilo 1.6 2002 reg.

had a water leak so my brother was under the bonnet trying to see where it was coming from. he took off the battery/fuse cover while looking around. he also removed headlights to replace a bulb. battery cover was left off all night, following day he returns to car and it is completely dead. only thing that comes on is the error messages ebd/asr/abs failure.

any ideas? would leaving the cover off overnight cause the battery to go completely dead??? and are the error messages related to dead battery??

will it be a case of complete battery recharge or buying a new one??

many thanks

 

[Modette]

I dont think leaving the cover off would do any damage, I was driving around with mine off for a couple of weeks because I couldnt find the right socket attachment to secure it. Some cars dont even have a cover.

If there are error messages coming on then you still have battery power, if the battery was totally dead you wouldnt be getting any signs of life at all.

 

[keldon]

any idea why it would suddenly go flat if there has been no signs before??? can it be charged or will i need a new one?

 

[Davren]

Try charging the battery or jumping it from a known good battery. There can be enough power in a battery to activate the warning lights but not enough to turn the starter motor.

Is there any chance that water got into the grey fusebox under the battery cover while it was off?

Water in the fusebox will bring up all sorts of warning lights and /or messages and can stop the car from starting