Guyus

Really good point, I'll check.

Thanks QuinteQ, can you give me a link to the Battery Mod, I can't find it. I still have a heart-stopping 1.2A drain with the IOD circuit in place. This doesn't go away after 20 minutes, there is definitely a short or a pull from somewhere on that circuit. I will hunt it down by disabling systems as and when I find them. It could be inside the dash, could be the tailgate, could be the power seats...I don't know. It seems I have executed the procedure below from another post - up until the highlighted part. I'm not sure where the generator harness is. (also don't understand the following blue sentence) IGNITION-OFF DRAW TEST - reproduced from the workshop manual - NOTE - My Bold. The term Ignition-Off Draw (IOD) identifies a normal condition where power is being drained from the battery with the ignition switch in the Off position. A normal vehicle electrical system will draw from fifteen to twenty five milliamperes (0.015 to 0.025 ampere) with the ignition switch in the Off position, and all non-ignition controlled circuits in proper working order. Up to twenty-five milliamperes are needed to enable the memory functions for the Powertrain Control Module (PCM), digital clock, electronically tuned radio, and other modules which may vary with the vehicle equipment. A vehicle that has not been operated for approximately twenty one days, may discharge the battery to an inadequate level. When a vehicle will not be used for twenty one days or more (stored), remove the IOD fuse from the Integrated Power Module (IPM). This will reduce batterydischarging. Excessive IOD can be caused by: • Electrical items left on.• Faulty or improperly adjusted switches.• Faulty or shorted electronic modules and components.• An internally shorted generator.• Intermittent shorts in the wiring If the IOD is over twenty five milliamperes, the problem must be found and corrected before replacing a battery. In most cases, the battery can be charged and returned to service after the excessive IOD condition has been corrected. (1) Verify that all electrical accessories are off. Turn off all lamps, remove the ignition key, and close all doors. If the vehicle is equipped with an illumi-nated entry system or an electronically tuned radio, allow the electronic timer function of these systems to automatically shut off (time out). This may take up to twenty minutes. (2) Disconnect the batterynegative cable. (3) Set an electronic digital multi-meter to its highest amperage scale. Connect the multi-meter between the disconnected batterynegative cable terminal clamp and the battery negative terminal post. Make sure that the doors remain closed so that the illuminated entry system is not activated. The multi-meter amperage reading may remain high for up to three minutes, or may not give any reading at all while set in the highest amperage scale, depending upon the electrical equipment in the vehicle. The multi-meter leads must be securely clamped to the battery negative cable terminal clamp and the battery negative terminal post. If continuity between the battery negative terminal post and the negative cable terminal clamp is lost during any part of the IOD test, the electronic timer function will be activated and all of the tests will have to be repeated. (4) After about three minutes, the high-amperage IOD reading on the multi-meter should become very low or nonexistent, depending upon the electrical equipment in the vehicle. If the amperage reading remains high, remove and replace each fuse or circuit breaker in the Integrated Power Module (IPM), one at a time until the amperage reading becomes very low, or nonexistent. Refer to the appropriate wiring information for complete Integrated Power Module fuse, circuit breaker, and circuit identification. This will isolate each circuit and identify the circuit that is the source of the high-amperage IOD. If the amperage reading remains high after removing and replacing each fuse and circuit breaker, disconnect the wire harness from the generator. If the amperage reading now becomes very low or nonexistent, ELECTRICAL/CHARGING - DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING) for the proper charging system diagnosis and testing procedures. After the high-amperage IOD has been corrected, switch the multimeter to progressively lower amperage scalesand, if necessary, repeat the fuse and circuit breaker remove and re-place process to identify and correct all sources of excessive IOD. It is now safe to select the lowest milliampere scale of the multi-meter to check the low- amperage IOD. CAUTION: Do not open any doors, or turn on any electrical accessories with the lowest milliampere scale selected, or the multi-meter may be damaged. (5) Allow twenty minutes for the IOD to stabilize and observe the multi-meter reading. The low-amperage IOD should not exceed twenty-five milliamperes (0.025 ampere). If the current draw exceeds twenty- five milliamperes, isolate each circuit using the fuse and circuit breaker remove-and-replace process in Step 4. The multi-meter reading will drop to within the acceptable limit when the source of the excessive current draw is disconnected. Repair this circuit as required; whether a wiring short, incorrect switch adjustment, or a component failure is at fault.

yes indeed, thanks for all the good info. I now know more about our beloved V'ger than ever before. I will be getting an 80/800 battery for sure but in the meantime I have been observing the drain on a multimeter between the neg batt terminal and the neg batt lead. With all doors shut and everything off, it's a whopping 1.2A until I remove the IOD fuse and then it drops to a more normal .01A. With the IOD fuse in, I've tried removing all the available fuses in the fusebox one by one and have observed no difference in the drain. Are there any other fuseboxes in the car? I can't see any at all under the dash. It's the 2003 3.3 Grand Voyager. The manual does say there is a power seat fuse under the drivers seat and a power windows fuse near the steering column but I have failed to spot them thus far. Scratching head. cheers

Which battery would you suggest? It's tricky as the size needs to be exact and the terminals I gather are the other way round from normal.

The battery is a Varta E12 74Ah 680A. It's brand spanking new but was dead overnight after fitting due to the drain. I guess it IS only partially charged then since I'm only reading 11.2v from it with a multimeter. I'm using a Halfords battery conditioner to try and save it. Is this the best battery to be using? thanks

Hi all, new here. My petrol 3.3 Grand Voyager (had since new, 2003) has for years shown signs of quirky electrical behaviour (headlight flickering, strange door/alarm/lights performance) but recently it peaked with a massive battery drain. NOW it just won't start at all even when battery disconnected then charged (to 11v). It will however jump start fine. My Garage removed the IOD fuse and it runs with seemingly no drain but battery light soon comes on (presumed alternator issue) and obviously no alarm, radio,doors etc etc. Are we looking at the Alternator here or is it a short circuit somewhere? I'd hate to lose this van, she's a petrol guzzler, but a gem many thanks