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Battery Drain Issue Clio 182



  Clio 182
Hello all,

My name is Jon and I’m looking for some advice please :)

I have recently developed a battery drain issue on my Clio 182. The car isn't in daily use at the moment as I use a van for work and sometimes it isn't used from one weekend to the next.
The problem started about 3 weeks ago, I went to open the car and the central locking clicked but sounded a bit half hearted. I tried to start the car and nothing, it didn’t even attempt to turn over. I recharged the battery, drove it around a bit, it seemed fine. A few days later though and it was flat again.

The battery was an original Renault one and had been on the car for about 5 years, so I replaced it with a new one. Went for a good long drive again and checked on it throughout the following week, all seemed fine again… Come the weekend though and… nothing, flat as a fart!

Now I’m not the most mechanically minded of people but I figured that there must be something draining the battery down when its sitting unused.
With some helpful advice from a fellow Clio sport member (thanks Chi :)) I borrowed a multimeter and with the help of some you tube videos, I managed to check for a battery drain.

With the multimeter set up for reading DC amps on the 10 amp scale, I got a reading of 0.14
I then pulled the interior fuses one by one on the passenger side to see if any of them were the cause of the drain.
Unfortunately, none of them made any difference to the reading.

After doing a bit more research, I have read that sometimes a faulty alternator can draw from the battery when the car is shut down. Could that be the case?
I have tested the battery with the multimeter while the engine is running and the alternator is definitely putting charge back into the battery.

I was wondering if anybody on here has had a similar experience with their Clio? Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,
Jon
 
  Many.
Alternators do often cause drains, even though they charge no problem. Its because the regulator is trying to back feed the alternator and make it run like a motor.

Do the same test with your meter, and disconnect the alternator main feed. You may find once removed, and refitted, the drain disappears until you start the car again. Thats common on alternator drains.

Hope that helps.
 
  Clio 182
Thank you both for your advice AlexW and DTM cars ltd. I really appreciate the help. I'm planning to spend some time on the car over the next few days, so I will check both the alternator and the heated rear window. I will let you know how I get on.

Thanks again,
Jon
 


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