Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Hey guys, as the title says, my battery is going dead flat within as little as 1 day. The battery is 4 weeks old. Using a multimeter between the -nve on the battery and the battery lead, its showing 0.42A. I removed every fuse inside 1 by 1 as my step dad watched the screen, it didnt change. When I got to the fuses in the engine bay, when I remove IGN SWITCH it drops down to 0.03A. So its safe to say its something that runs off of there, the question is, what does run off of there? I noticed removing the fuse and placing it back in, that one of the relays behind the ECU is clicking when doing so. I should note that this car has a RB25DET conversion, so wiring is far from untouched...

Any help would be greatly appreciated...

-Dion.

EDIT: Key was OFF while this was tested.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/347437-r32-battery-going-flat/
Share on other sites

If your near parafield airport I can have a look for you. Has this happened before since the conversion. Or has it only just started. You must have something wired up continuous instead of being on the acc or ign citcuit. Im on holidays so im free most days if your coming past.

You might be measuring the amps incorrectly. The ammeter needs to be in series, so you disconnect the +ve terminal and connect the ammeter between the +ve of the battery and the +ve terminal/cable. 0.42A shouldn't be enough drain on the battery to flatten it in a day.

Also, when the engine is running, how many volts at the battery? How many volts at 2k rpm?

Fitted any new electronics lately? Alarm? GPS tracker? Neons? LEDs?

None of the above, but I am treating the alarm as a suspect, because it, well, sounds a bit sick on battery backup.

If your near parafield airport I can have a look for you. Has this happened before since the conversion. Or has it only just started. You must have something wired up continuous instead of being on the acc or ign citcuit. Im on holidays so im free most days if your coming past.

Cheers for the offer mate, I'll do a bit more scrounging tomorrow and see what I come up with and yeah I'll flick you a PM, I live out of Gawler. Its been happening since the engine conversion, it seems like its getting worse, but it might be my imagination as uni has finished so Im looking at the car alot more.

You might be measuring the amps incorrectly. The ammeter needs to be in series, so you disconnect the +ve terminal and connect the ammeter between the +ve of the battery and the +ve terminal/cable. 0.42A shouldn't be enough drain on the battery to flatten it in a day.

Also, when the engine is running, how many volts at the battery? How many volts at 2k rpm?

I'll try that tomorrow and let you know what it says. pretty sure it was reading 13.6-8 volts on idle at the terminals, and it would drop about 0.3V when you put the lights on. I will confirm tomorrow and also check what its doing at 2000rpm.

Thanks guys! :)

Just reflecting, the car sat for months and months with no engine, if the battery backup for the alarm kicked the bucket from being dead flat for so long, could that zap voltage?

Havent got out there again yet, was too hot yesterday. Somebody suggested the fuel pump relay might be faulty as that is located behind the ECU where that click is coming from, so I guess I'll check that out too. I wish I could disconnect my alarm to see if that stops it, but I dont know how, lol.

Every morning my car feels low on juice. I hate these dogshit alarms that most skylines come imported with. With my old skyline, soooo many times at night you hear a faint siren and you can just hear the alarm going off ever so quietly under the bonnet.

When measuring current draw, what setting do you put the multimeter on?

Edited by SargeRX8

Every morning my car feels low on juice. I hate these dogshit alarms that most skylines come imported with. With my old skyline, soooo many times at night you hear a faint siren and you can just hear the alarm going off ever so quietly under the bonnet.

When measuring current draw, what setting do you put the multimeter on?

Its on 10A. Know all too well the faint siren thing haha. When I got home from work just before I turned off the siren with the key and pulled out the IGN SW fuse so I could get a good nights sleep :P My car is in a locked garage behind a perimeter fence with dogs roaming, should be safe.

unlikely but try unplugging the alternator when testing current draw

Good idea. Will try this tomorrow.

Okay, done some more playing around, so I have some new info. With the IGN SW fuse missing, the car sat for 3 days, with the alarm active, and when I went out there to start it (after the fuse was back in of course) it started without any hesitation at all. So that backs up what the multimeter was telling me. I have some pictures, since they tell 1000 words.

Everything switched off, all fuses in.

Everything switched off, IGN SW fuse removed.

Everything switched off, IGN SW fuse back in, but the blue relay in the picture below disconnected.

I understand that relay to be for the EFI, but the car seems perfectly fine without it connected (I road tested it also).

Voltage at the terminals, 850rpm, everything off.

Voltage at the terminals, 850rpm, headlights on.

Voltage at the terminals, 2000rpm, everything off.

So I guess the question is, do I simply leave the blue relay unplugged? Nothing seems to have changed with it unplugged (all accessories work, and drives fine) except for the fact the current draw is now at an acceptable level.

Thoughts anyone?

It sounds like your fuel pump is connected all the time can you check to see if there is 12v at the pump when car is off. The relay should turn the pump on and off with the ignition. Also check to see if the 12v goes at the pump when you pull the fuse just for me to think about it

When the car is off voltage at the pump is 0. When the ignition is either on, or the car idling, Ive gotten all sorts of voltages out of it (5V-12V - 13V if I use the chassis as earth instead of the earth wire and car is running), but one thing remains consistant, key off - no voltage, key on - voltage. Removing the IGN SW fuse cuts the pump, but removing the blue relay does nothing to the voltage at all.

EDIT: If I remove the other blue relay as well, car will not start. Fuel pump still goes but there is no ignition - so that one is obviously for the ECU.

I looked at a few schematics and there is an ignition relay on that circuit for the coilpacks. That blue relay could be for that. Saying that I would be taking the multimeter and checking most of your sensors. Start with a coilpack and see if there is a 12v supply on pins 2 & 3. Last 2 left to right looking at the plug dissconected. Also check AFM and oxy sensor, CAS, TPS all of these sensors are off the ignition circuit. They all shouldnt have 12v supply until the ign is on.

Ok. The following sequence of photos is related only to the removal and replacement of the relay pictured below, no other fuses or relays were touched.

Tested 4 things, Coilpacks, CAS, TPS, OXY SENSOR. - Relay was IN

Coilpacks and TPS function correctly - voltage when IGN ON, no voltage when IGN OFF.

CAS and OXY SENSOR did return voltage when off, details below.

CAS:

IGN OFF, Relay IN

IGN OFF, Relay OUT

IGN ON, Relay IN

IGN ON, Relay OUT

OXY SENSOR: - This was done on 1 of the 3 wires, but they all read the same +/-0.01V

IGN OFF, Relay IN

IGN OFF, Relay OUT

IGN ON, Relay IN

IGN ON, Relay OUT

Weird Much? :mellow::blink:

The first picture with the relay removed shows a lot of tape above it has the relay been choped and wired in. It sounds like the ign and relay are in parallel. Which means there are 2 circuits feeding the CAS. The 5.0V should only be there when ign is on. Does the relay click when you plug it in or out. It starting to sound like that relay is wired wrong. Also looking at the r32 rb20det schematic it dosent show any relays for the CAS and oxy sensor where the R33 rb25det shows a relay that turns these on and off through the ign switch. Id take it back to where it was wired. You wouldnt of noticed the battery going flat until now because if it was healthy it would of drained down slowly. PM me if you still cant get it Im home tommorrow(Tuesday).

The first picture with the relay removed shows a lot of tape above it has the relay been choped and wired in. It sounds like the ign and relay are in parallel. Which means there are 2 circuits feeding the CAS. The 5.0V should only be there when ign is on. Does the relay click when you plug it in or out. It starting to sound like that relay is wired wrong. Also looking at the r32 rb20det schematic it dosent show any relays for the CAS and oxy sensor where the R33 rb25det shows a relay that turns these on and off through the ign switch. Id take it back to where it was wired. You wouldnt of noticed the battery going flat until now because if it was healthy it would of drained down slowly. PM me if you still cant get it Im home tommorrow(Tuesday).

Yeah it does click when you plug/unplug it. Regardless of IGN position. I'll flick you a PM aswell.

i had identicle problem in r33 gtst

it was the alternator. is shit a diode so there was a small current draw all the time.

same thing happened to a mates 32gtr and it was same problem there.

unplug all the leads on alternator and leave car for a few days,

quick check

hop in the boot and get someone to shut it (and let you out obviously)

the light will probably stay on

pull the globe out

(p.s. i didn't read your whole thread so i'm not sure what you have tried or not)

  • 2 weeks later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • OK, next the shroud needs to come off and there are a couple of tricks. Firstly, there is a loom from near the passenger side headlight to the fans, coolant temp sensor etc and there is no plug to undo.  In my case I was OK to leave the shroud on top of the engine so I just undid the passenger side fan plug and about 10 of the clips which gave enough free wire to put it aside. The fan plugs were super tight, the trick I used was a small falt screwdriver to push down on the release tab, then a larger flat screwdriver to lever the plug out of the fan unit....be careful with how much force you apply! If you need to remove the shroud altogether for some reason you will have to deal with all the plugs (tight) and clips (brittle)....good luck. I removed all of the clips and replaced them with cable ties that I will just cut next time. Also, in the Red Sport / 400R at least, the intake heat exchanger reservoir hose is bolted to the shroud in 2 places with 10mm headed bolts; so remove them (the hose stays in the car; no need to undo it at the t fittings down at the radiator lower mount. Once you've dealt with the HX hose and the wiring loom, there are 3x 10mm headed self tappers holding the top of the shroud to the radiator; remove those.   The shroud then lifts out of the bottom mounts where it sits on the radiator, up and onto the engine out of the way. Simples
    • Ok, disregard my “rate them” comment, sorry for my unrealistic input
    • OK, now we are ready to get started. You need to remove the air boxes on each side for clearance. The cover is straightforward, undo the clips on the top and lift the front cover out of the rest of the housing. If it is tight you can remove the air filters first. The rear section of the airbox is trickier. On each side you need to remove the Air flow meter wiring which is held to the airbox with a clip; you need to get behind the clip on 2 sides if you want to remove it without breaking it - unclip the harder side and pull on the clip with medium force, then unclip the easier side and it should pop out The airbox is held onto the intake hose with a spring clamp; you need to get a flat bladed screwdriver behind the spring on both sides and pop them outwards. When you have got them in the right unclipped place they will stay there and the airbox slips out pretty freely. Put a rag in the intake to prevent anything getting dropped in there, and also to prevent you seeing that the turbo seal is leaking oil (as they do). Then. The top of the radiator is held by a steel plate, it is secured by 2x10mm and 2x12mm headed bolts . Remove them and remove the plate Also grab the bushings that hold the radiator to the plate on each side so they are not lost!
    • Next, remove the upper and lower radiator hoses, both are held with a spring clamp. While you are under there, tackle the Auto Trans cooler lines.  Again both are held on with spring clamps, and as mentioned above you should cap them on the radiator side with an 8mm cap, and on the car side loop them with a length of 8mm pipe - this will stop you losing a dangerous amount of AT fluid during the rest of the job If you've been meaning to add a sender for AT trans temp, this is a great time to do it; put a sender fitting into the passenger side line as that is the inlet to the cooler/radiator.
    • Next you need to remove the intake duct (as with pretty much every job on these cars), it is a series of clips you gently remove with a flat bladed screwdriver. They do get brittle with time and can break, and I have not found a decent quality aftermarket one that fits (they are all too soft or flimsy and don't last either) but the nissan ones are a couple of bucks each (ouch).  Once the clips are off (either 8 or 10, I didn't check) you lift the intake duct out and will see the reservoirs Undo the line into the radiator side cap (some bent needle nosed piers are awesome for spring clamps) and then remove the 4x 10m nuts that hold both in place.  I didn't get these pics, but remove the line under the radiator reservoir (spring clamp again) then remove that reservoir. Then you can get at the intake reservoir, same thing, spring clamp underneath then remove it. BTW This is a great time to put in a larger (+70%) combined reservoir that AMS makes..... https://www.amsperformance.com/product/q50-q60-red-alpha-coolant-expansion-tank/ They also make an Infiniti branded and part# version if that is your thing
×
×
  • Create New...