What is draining my battery in my IG or QM when parked?

[TheDocAUS]

This seams as good as any place to post this. I was listening to a podcast (which is 10 million times better than ours) and they were talking about finding a battery drain in a Ferrari 456. They tried all the usual suspects and had no luck but then used a fantastic solution.

They parked the car overnight so that it was completely cooled in every system. The next morning, with minimal lighting in the shop, they used a thermal camera and "looked over" the car in search of any hot spots. They ultimately saw a heat signature in the interior - specifically the passenger sun visor where there was a short in the vanity mirror's light. Naturally Sir Jim made certain that specific scenario could play out in a Gren, but the thought of using a thermal cam to see what electrical items (hidden or otherwise) are generating heat is pretty crafty.

I have a Flir thermal camera. I use it to check rims/tyres/hubs when traveling. It is like having x ray vision. It gets used under the bonnet/hood as well.

I started with a IR thermometer, but upgraded to the Flir years later. I now know what Superman feels like using his X Ray vision.

 

[NQ94]

This seams as good as any place to post this. I was listening to a podcast (which is 10 million times better than ours) and they were talking about finding a battery drain in a Ferrari 456. They tried all the usual suspects and had no luck but then used a fantastic solution.

They parked the car overnight so that it was completely cooled in every system. The next morning, with minimal lighting in the shop, they used a thermal camera and "looked over" the car in search of any hot spots. They ultimately saw a heat signature in the interior - specifically the passenger sun visor where there was a short in the vanity mirror's light. Naturally Sir Jim made certain that specific scenario could play out in a Gren, but the thought of using a thermal cam to see what electrical items (hidden or otherwise) are generating heat is pretty crafty.

We have a basic Flir camera at work. The handiest tool that gets used on everything from the engine hydraulics and electrical. There are a large amount of faults found from a small change in heat signatures. Should try one on the steering pump issue.

 

[hus-iq]

PART 1- THE POSSIBLE CAUSES - this post
PART 2 - WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT - next post
PART 3 - FURTHER CHECKS - look here​

PART 1- THE POSSIBLE CAUSES
I am writing a checklist for owners to work through if your battery is going flat quickly. Understanding how the INEOS works is useful to work out if there is a problem or just the way your setup is working.

All modern 4X4s make BIG power demands on the battery. The INEOS is close to what I experienced with the much older Nissan Patrol over 10 years. I had a dual battery setup in each. I fixed the power draw problem, by installing a solar panel on each car’s roof rack.

Things to look at:

1. If you have a dashcam installed, it is a BIG drain on the battery, even when the voltage is set to turn the camera off. The biggest source of people telling my battery dealer his batteries are faulty, are those with dashcams. It is not the battery, but the dashcam causing the problem. Car batteries are not built to power dashcams 24/7. A day and a half without driving is probably long enough to drain the battery, with a dashcam.
2. Start/Stop functionality reduces battery life and SOC, plus it reduces the life of your starter motor. Graphs on my battery monitor show Start/Stops are brutal on the main battery. The only time I have seen my car draw power from the second battery is when the Start/Stop function is working. I am not saying it does not happen in other contexts, just that I have only seen it happen during Start/Stop, while looking at the battery monitor graphs.
3. Lots of short trips damages the battery. The battery does not get a proper recharge and loses capacity over time.
4. Smart alternators are not the best way to charge a battery, a DC to DC charger or modern mains charger do a better job. My aux battery is charged by the DC to DC charger and it is better charged than the main battery charged by the alternator. You can see this on the battery monitor graphs.
5. Smart alternators like that on the INEOS don't charge a battery to 100% SOC. The charging rate will fall when 85 to 90% SOC is reached. Only on exceptional long drives will your main battery approach 100%. On my car that can take 3-4 hours of driving. Most DC to DC chargers will charge the aux battery to 100% much quicker.
6. The Smart alternator must have enough spare capacity to be able to provide enough power to any DC to DC charger you install. Adding the CTEK 250SE to my dual battery setup has created no issues for my car.
7. A defective alternator will not charge the battery properly. A defective alternator may be under charging or overcharging the battery. The generally acceptable charging range is 14.2 to 14.7 volts. The car can momentarily go outside that range. While the car is on, check the voltage at the battery posts, using a mulitmeter. Compare that figure to what the Head Unit is showing on the Electrical Tab. Also test the alternator under load not just at idle (see linked video in next post).
8. Diesel engines make bigger power demands when cranking than petrol engines (so diesel models have shorter battery life). If you have a battery monitor fitted, just look at the power draw on startup.
9. Ambient air temperature affects battery performance. Very hot and very cold conditions adversely affect battery performance and SOC. For example, high humidity and high ambient temperatures can lead to early battery failure.
10. Batteries lose capacity over time, so they are quicker to discharge the older they are. It can be made worse when the battery does not get a full recharge regularly (e.g. lots of short trips).
11. Using the incorrect charging profile on your trickle charger or DC to DC charger when charging your battery, causing the battery to be overcharged and damaged. More information here.
12. If you have installed third party devices, check whether they are draining the battery, even parasitic drains quickly add up. The more third-party devices you install, the greater the demands on the battery. I have 3 devices drawing small currents from my batteries 24/7. That adds up.
13. Leaving doors or bonnet open when working on the car leaves lights and the computer on. It scary how fast the battery drains doing these things.
14. Walking past the car with the fob can partially wake up the car, thus placing a load on the battery until the car goes to asleep again.
15. Leaving the PWR switch on will draw power for the LEDs and relays, even if you have the connected accessories turned off. Parasitic drains add up.
16. Shorts in the IG’s or QM’s electrical system can draw power, as well as shorts in any third-party accessories.
17. Look for any loose wires. That includes: the battery terminals; any negative or grounding wires or nuts in the 5 stud or 7 Stud busbars. More details, with pictures, in Part 3 here.
18. "Helicopter mode" (when parked) during a DPF burn off, is a HUGE drain on the main battery.
19. The Head Unit is not properly shutting down, another big drain on battery power.
20. A faulty battery, dealers normally have a battery tester to test the battery.
21. Turn off all your auxiliary power switches, as they may be powering devices while the car is turned off.
22. Your battery dramas may be a combination of these issues, and may not even be a fault.

While at home my car has at least 8 of those points to deal with. My solar panel fixes most of them, but I have a roof rack.

I learnt years ago I needed to pro-actively manage the Patrol batteries. The same applies to the INEOS. Some suggestions on what to do are in Part 2 and Part 3 has further checks.

Thanks for this info! I was away for 6 weeks, left the Gren on a Noco Genius 10 charger, plugged into bonnet. Dual battery system. Came back, 100%. Drove her an hour, was at 75%. The next day on start, the low battery light came on, showing 50%. Had nothing left on, nothing plugged in and not on charge.

Following day I had a 7 hour drive. On arrival showed 73%, checked 30 mins later after unloading, 69%.

Following morning, the battery level went up to 87%. Not charged in. I'm guessing the second battery charged up the main battery over night.

Car is 3 months old and I go abroad often for a few months at a time. Worried the trickle charger may be affecting the battery as the last 2 days it seems fine.

Any suggestions?