Date: Sun, 12 Sep 2004 12:55:24 -0700
Reply-To: Ari Ollikainen <Ari@OLTECO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Ari Ollikainen <Ari@OLTECO.COM>
Subject: Carat fluorescent fixture causes battery drain...
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
In my continuing saga to trace and eliminate parasitic current
consumers in our '91 Carat it now appears that the culprit and
the cause of the chain of events leading to this point is the
fluorescent light fixture which someone switched (or attempted to
switch on ...) almost two weeks ago when the Vanagon was used
to move some stuff from one abode to another. After that point:
1. Squealing alternator belt on startup developed into mostly
continuous squeal. First fix - replace belt.
2. Squealing returned... adjusted belt.
3. Squealing returned... removed alternator and checked brushes...
brushes worn past max wear point. Replaced regulator. Squealing
disappeared.
4. Wouldn't start after several short trips. Examined battery...
plenty of water, but dead. Replaced alternator with known good
one with working regulator. Jump started. Ran fine...drove it
for an hour on the freeway to charge battery.
5. Wouldn't start after sitting in driveway for 4 hours. Replaced
battery (previous was 7+ years old DieHard).
6. Several days later wouldn't start after a round-trip drive to
SF plus around town trips. Obtained battery charger and used
it overnight. Stared and ran fine next afternoon.
7. Dead again next morning. New DMM showed battery with 11.3v.
Swapped in fresh battery. Again fine for a day...
8. Not dead but wouldn't start this morning. GRRRR...
So...it was time to find the eater of my electrons. After a lot
probing with the DMM (including the requisite measurement of
voltage and amps between negative battery post and the ground)
I concluded that ~.9amps were being sucked by something that
wasn't fused: The Carat's fluorescent lite fixture. Actually,
I sort of stumbled into this discovery while checking whether the
normal interior lights actually had working bulbs...the fluorescent
fixture was hot to the touch and had a slight smell of burned
"electronic" components. Taking it apart, the fluorescent tube was
burned at one end! Taking the tube out and measuring current flow
again resulted in only a 3 mA reading...
I'm leaving the tube out until I get the Carat on the road and
then I'll think about replacing it (no one in our family actually
uses the fluorescent light...). In the meantime I have plenty
of things to diagnose and fix: Central locking system gremlins,
passenger side window lift (it went CLUNK! and quit working),
power window switches, sliding door locking mechanism...etc.
--
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| You need only two tools: WD-40 and duct tape.|
| If it doesn't move and it should, use WD-40. |
| If it moves and shouldn't, use duct tape. |
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