Battery issue

[jordanw]

Hey everyone,

I have a 2017 VF series 2 SV6. Recently I had my battery replaced. Since this, the battery is constantly draining going flat every couple days. I have had the battery tested and it is not faulty. I have heard that this is a common issue with the VF. Has anyone had this issue and how was it fixed/ what was at fault?

 

[lmoengnr]

Hey everyone,

I have heard that this is a common issue with the VF.

If it was a common issue, you'd read all about it in this forum.
Might be something to do with the new battery installation if it wasn't doing it before then.
Have you checked all of the wiring to, and around the battery?

 

[Lex]

Hey everyone,

I have a 2017 VF series 2 SV6. Recently I had my battery replaced. Since this, the battery is constantly draining going flat every couple days. I have had the battery tested and it is not faulty. I have heard that this is a common issue with the VF. Has anyone had this issue and how was it fixed/ what was at fault?

What was the battery replacement cca rating ? 500, 600 or more cca?

 

[jordanw]

If it was a common issue, you'd read all about it in this forum.
Might be something to do with the new battery installation if it wasn't doing it before then.
Have you checked all of the wiring to, and around the battery?

There are multiple posts similar to this just no clear answers hence I asked.

 

[Sir Les]

If it's going flat every few days there's obviously a parasitic drain somewhere, e.g. a light staying on when it's supposed to be off. An auto electrician should be able to hook up a meter to the battery to find the drain without too much trouble. And I don't recall the battery draining being a particular VF issue.

 

[chrisp]

The battery in the Commodore is about 70AH, so if it is going flat (from fully charged) in 2 days, the current draw is 70AH/48H = ~1.5A. That is a very high ‘key off’ draw! Typically, the ‘key off‘ current should be about 20mA.

If you are a DIYer, 1.5A is easily detectable using a ‘clamp on” current meter (but make sure it is a DC type!). Clamp over the battery lead (either positive or negative - it doesn’t matter). Make sure the car thinks that it is parked (doors closed etc.) and monitor the current. Pull different fuses and see if you can located the circuit that is drawing that 1.5A.

 

[vc commodore]

Here's what I did to find my cause for flattening a battery with my VY...Only need a multimeter and some patience

Even mentions the acceptible current draw parametres

 

[chrisp]

Here's what I did to find my cause for flattening a battery with my VY...Only need a multimeter and some patience

Even mentions the acceptible current draw parametres

His approach is good, and you can use a standard multimeter like he does. I’ve certainly done similar in the past.

A more advanced approach is to measure the voltage drop across each fuse, it’ll only be millivolts, but a circuit with zero current should be zero. It’s a bit of a case of making a A - B comparison, and noting the fuse with the notably largest voltage drop (but it might only be 10s of mV).

I find it easier to use a clamp-on meter as it doesn’t involve disturbing the connections to the battery, and it doesn’t involve risking the multimeter (or rather the fuse in the current range). DC clamp-on current meters (ammeters) are pretty cheap and readily available (and make a handy addition to the tool collection!). e.g. https://www.jaycar.com.au/600a-true...os=2&queryId=4fda7b07d80133dfa27a87b5001f7694

 

[vc commodore]

His approach is good, and you can use a standard multimeter like he does. I’ve certainly done similar in the past.

A more advanced approach is to measure the voltage drop across each fuse, it’ll only be millivolts, but a circuit with zero current should be zero. It’s a bit of a case of making a A - B comparison, and noting the fuse with the notably largest voltage drop (but it might only be 10s of mV).

I find it easier to use a clamp-on meter as it doesn’t involve disturbing the connections to the battery, and it doesn’t involve risking the multimeter (or rather the fuse in the current range). DC clamp-on current meters (ammeters) are pretty cheap and readily available (and make a handy addition to the tool collection!). e.g. https://www.jaycar.com.au/600a-true...os=2&queryId=4fda7b07d80133dfa27a87b5001f7694

It's a nice simple video anyone can use to find a problem, using a cheap readily available tool.

Might be wise for you to post a video to help explain your method....

 

[chrisp]

You're not risking anything.

You're checking the current draw across every fuse to find where the draw is.

I also figure a multimetre is cheap and serves many purposes with a car, so why buy a speciality tool when a generic tool is sufficient?

You are. A multimeter in current mode can catch people out. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to replace a fuse in a multimeter because someone left the leads in the current terminal, or they don’t fully understand how to use a multimeter in current mode.

Clamp-ons are pretty tolerant of abuse (current overload) and don’t need the circuit ‘opened up’ to do the measurement. Also, a lot of cars (including the VE and VF) progressively shutdown over about a 15~20 minutes. So, opening the battery circuit resets that time, so the current goes back to a higher level than the fully shutdown mode. But in any case, chasing a parasitic current draw over 1A is pretty easy.

$120 for a clamp meter is pretty low cost compared to a visit to an auto electrician.