Cigarette lighter power unit in car is buzzing and the car totally dead . . .

[gileshudson]

- Open garage last night to get mower out to do back lawn.

- Take mower outside, all is well.

- Go into house to fetch something.

- Return to back garden to mow and hear a mechanical buzzer type sound from garage.

- Go into garage to discover that the noise is coming from the Maplins 4-input cigarette lighter charger on bulkhead under passenger side of dash.

- Unplug Optimate3 cigarette charger type plug and buzzing stops - replace it and it starts again.

- Car is dead as a dodo

 

Car has been used faultlessly most weekends all summer, including 2 weeks around Europe in July . . . but now is completely dead - No immobiliser light, no click, nothing.

 

Battery terminal is crusty (see picture) but was brand new and only fitted last year (see battery model)

 

I am not a tecchie, so any ideas/suggestions most welcome.

Thanks,

Giles

 

Edited by - gileshudson on 17 Sep 2014 10:59:09

[Jonathan Kay]

Do you have a multimeter? It's going to save you a lot of time.

 

When was the 7 last out?

Any recent work on it?

Is it possible that you left something such as lights on?

 

(We need to do a bit more diagnosis but that type of conditioning charger may not be able to recharge a deeply discharged battery.)

 

Jonathan

 

 

 

Edited by - Jonathan Kay on 17 Sep 2014 11:11:52

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

Sounds like a bad connection inside the Maplin unit. This can cause arcing which can generate heat and current drain.

 

As an aside, battery termnal should not be crusty. Clean it off with a wire brush and a damp bit of paper towel ... may be old battery acid if previous unit was a wet battery, not a sealed one like you have now.. Disconnect wire, clean terminal and connector and remake with a bit of vaseline or silicone grease smeared lightly on all surfaces

[gileshudson]

Jonathan

Car was out a week last Thursday (4 September) and was fine.

No recent work on it.

Don't think I left anything on, but I will check tonight.

No multimeter

 

Ian

I haven't checked in the manual to see if has a battery drain warning buzzer, cos it really was buzzer like.

It's just weird how it wasn't doing it when I first went into garage, but how it suddenly started making the nose minutes later.

 

As for the battery, that terminal wasn't crusty on 4 September when I last drove her

I'd cleaned the engine bay before going out and the battery was clean like a new pin, including both terminals

[Jonathan Kay]

Quoting Jonathan Kay: 

This is the one I recommend:Quoting Jonathan Kay: 

click here, because you're worth it.

1 Disconnect that charger and don't use it again until you know more about what happened.

 

2 Finding out what happened.

That battery is sealed so checking levels isn't relevant.

Visual check on wiring etc; anything detached or flopping around or cooked?

Then you need to know if it's charging while running.

 

3 Getting it going and testing charging and the condition of the battery.

Start it with that battery and another charger or with another battery and then measure voltage at 3,000 rpm. When it's been charging for a bit measure voltage at rest and while cranking.

 

Jonathan

 

Edited by - Jonathan Kay on 17 Sep 2014 11:54:00

[Jonathan Kay]

How's it going?

 

Jonathan