2008 ford fiesta zetec blue - Battery drain , help!

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Thu 19 Feb 2015 19:34
2008 ford fiesta zetec blue - Battery drain , help! - elmo16

Hi, ive had recurrent issues where the battery drains after a few days of not driving. I haven't driven the car since 6am yesterday and cant remember if I locked the car. This evening, the battery was dead again but when I got into the car, it sounded like it was trying to auto lock. Could this drain the battery? As you can tell, I'm not technical at all and I would really appreciate any help. The battery was replaced a few months ago

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Thu 19 Feb 2015 19:49
2008 ford fiesta zetec blue - Battery drain , help! - Galaxy

It could possibly be a problem with the alternator not charging adequately if you say the battery was replaced a few months ago, presumably with a brand new one?

There could also be something in the car that's permanently draining the battery, e.g. a bulb in a concealed compartment that isn't turning off as it should.

It really needs someone to start taking a few measurements in order to determine what's happening. As you say you're not technical I won't bother to say what they are, except to say I think you will need to visit a garage or auto-electrician.

Edited by Galaxy on 19/02/2015 at 19:50

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Thu 19 Feb 2015 20:11
2008 ford fiesta zetec blue - Battery drain , help! - elmo16

Thank you for your reply. Yes the alternator has been checked and it's fine and the bulbs are all good too. I had the same issue before the battery was replaced and now I'm wondering would it be cheaper to trade the car in. Thanks again

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Thu 19 Feb 2015 23:57
2008 ford fiesta zetec blue - Battery drain , help! - Peter.N.

Has the alternator been checked for leakage? You need to connect an amp meter in series with the alternator and battery and see if its drawing any current with the engine off. Disconnect the lead from the alternator to the battery and connect it to one side of the meter and the other lead to the battery

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Fri 20 Feb 2015 13:48
2008 ford fiesta zetec blue - Battery drain , help! - Railroad.
Modern cars are loaded with controllers for just about everything. Very often it will take several minutes after the car has been locked and everything has been switched off before the ECMs drop into 'sleep mode'. Something on your car though is not switching off, and that is draining the battery.

All car batteries have an amp hour rating. A rating of 30 A/h means 1 amp can be drawn for 30 hours, or 30 amps can be drawn for 1 hour or multiples thereof. Bear in mind two things. First it's assuming that the battery is fully charged and in perfect condition to begin with, and second to completely discharge, and not just to a point where there is insufficient battery power to start the engine.

In addition to a possible drain your battery could well be foobarred.
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Fri 20 Feb 2015 14:06
2008 ford fiesta zetec blue - Battery drain , help! - elekie&a/c doctor
Is this car fitted with factory Bluetooth system?I have seen a few of these causing battery drain issues.It is easy to disconnect,just above the glovebox.
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Fri 20 Feb 2015 19:53
2008 ford fiesta zetec blue - Battery drain , help! - elmo16

Thank you all for coming back to me. An autospark checked it a few months ago and couldn't see anything wrong, that was when the new battery was fitted. I'm hoping that I didn't lock the car and it was some sort of auto locking function. When I was in it, it did sound like it was trying to lock. Do any of you kmow if it would be very expensive to bring to Ford for a diagnostic check?

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