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Left my car for about a week and had to use a jump back on it today. Let it run and drove it about 20min, I turn the car off for about an hour and the battery was dead again. It was reading 12v but when I drove back home it would not start back up after about a minute of sitting. It went down to 10v and won’t start now.
i will first charge my battery since it did sit some time but could it be something else draining it?
190E 2.6L 1989, 190E 2.6L 1988, BMW 535dXdrive 2014, BMW 428i 2015
I know your car sits for extended periods betterdaze. So make sure you do not have a bad battery now.
Mine had to to sit for 8 months because I had to pull my manual transmission to do some work on it including overhauling the clutch after 34years/200K miles of service.
In 4 months the fuel had already turned yellow and tarnish. The car would not even start with this bad fuel.
So I drained the tank and blew out all the fuel even from the FD with a compressor about 4 months ago.
I also charged the battery regularly so it never sits in a drained state.
Yesterday, the car had to go to Radwood so myself and son finished the job just hours before the car show an it started on first strike with new fuel.
To make sure you do indeed have a current drain. disconnect the battery and measure the current thru it. If there is any drain >40mA, go thru every fuse and pinpoint the culprit.
Do you have a security alarm on your car? They can malfunction and drain your battery. I had that happen with my car. If it's not your security alarm then I would begin to think that the alternator may be going bad. If you're going to let your car sit for long periods, you need to have it hooked up to a trickle charger and you need to use Stabil so your fuel won't turn to varnish and gum up your engine. This is what I do with my car.
I know your car sits for extended periods betterdaze. So make sure you do not have a bad battery now.
Mine had to to sit for 8 months because I had to pull my manual transmission to do some work on it including overhauling the clutch after 34years/200K miles of service.
In 4 months the fuel had already turned yellow and tarnish. The car would not even start with this bad fuel.
So I drained the tank and blew out all the fuel even from the FD with a compressor about 4 months ago.
I also charged the battery regularly so it never sits in a drained state.
Yesterday, the car had to go to Radwood so myself and son finished the job just hours before the car show an it started on first strike with new fuel.
To make sure you do indeed have a current drain. disconnect the battery and measure the current thru it. If there is any drain >40mA, go thru every fuse and pinpoint the culprit.
- Cheers!
I highly recommend Stabil to protect your fuel from turning to varnish. That's what I use for my car. That's cool you went to Radwood. How did your car do in the show?
Appreciate it guys, I have those things on hand but didn’t think 1 week would warrant all that. But I suppose if it sits 1 week at a time ,several times “, the battery is losing charge. battery is not even 3months old though.
I do have a blown fog light fuse perhaps the euros are draining it but even still without running the car??
That is great to hear dolucasi, hope you both enjoyed the event. Radwood is coming to detroit(closest location to me) and I’d hope to go one day once my car is more pristine
190E 2.6L 1989, 190E 2.6L 1988, BMW 535dXdrive 2014, BMW 428i 2015
On the battery drain, 190EFan is spot on. All the threads I read suggest (in order)
(1) Alarm system
(2) Charging system (alternator/regulator)
(3) Central Door lock system
Nothing else would drain the battery unless there is a malfunction at the ignition key.
Since there are no other convenience circuits in our cars nothing else is powered up anyway.
One word of caution on Stabil. I use it in my Honda generators and I used it in my car this time for the long non-op time.
However you need to run the car hopefully around town after you use it and before storage. I did not to that.
Just dumping it in the tank after you store will not reach all the fuel in the pumps and lines, FD an injectors.
So all that fuel will be like varnish after 8 months if the stabil does not get mixed into the entire fuel.
On the Radwood front it was good. People generally like my car because of the red color and manual transmission. I may take it to Legends of the Autobahn in August out in Monterey this year. It is always a great Venue. Here is a photo.
Tranmission out of the car, till hours before Radwood. The Blue is 355's car, red is mine. Both original owners.
190E 2.6L 1989, 190E 2.6L 1988, BMW 535dXdrive 2014, BMW 428i 2015
I should add to the list of things powered up with ignition key off that could be a culprit in order: (1) Alarm system (2) Charging system (alternator/regulator) (3) Central Door lock system
(4) Trunk, Dome, Parking/Head lights (some sort of short in these circuits)
Haven't posted on here in a while, but I gotta give props to Dolucasi and his son for getting his car done and over to Radwood!
So many people didn't realize his car is a real factory 5-speed and not converted.
All of the things covered are what I would check, specifically the door switches. I've seen those fail and cause drain before.
Also if you have an aftermarket radio, make sure there's no dodgy wiring.
On the battery drain, 190EFan is spot on. All the threads I read suggest (in order)
(1) Alarm system
(2) Charging system (alternator/regulator)
(3) Central Door lock system
Nothing else would drain the battery unless there is a malfunction at the ignition key.
Since there are no other convenience circuits in our cars nothing else is powered up anyway.
One word of caution on Stabil. I use it in my Honda generators and I used it in my car this time for the long non-op time.
However you need to run the car hopefully around town after you use it and before storage. I did not to that.
Just dumping it in the tank after you store will not reach all the fuel in the pumps and lines, FD an injectors.
So all that fuel will be like varnish after 8 months if the stabil does not get mixed into the entire fuel.
On the Radwood front it was good. People generally like my car because of the red color and manual transmission. I may take it to Legends of the Autobahn in August out in Monterey this year. It is always a great Venue. Here is a photo.
Tranmission out of the car, till hours before Radwood. The Blue is 355's car, red is mine. Both original owners.
Great picture. I never realized that 355 is also an original owner. That makes 3 of us that I'm aware of. I had the alarm drain my battery when my car was brand new so I've had personal experience with the issue. The other culprits you listed are also good possibilities.
Well I left the batter on charger overnight and fresh off it reads 11.45 volts, I put it in the car anyway and it still won’t start about 10v in the car.
It has probably gone bad, so off to autozone to test its life capacity. I got a dealer battery earlier this year but I guess I don’t drive my car enough…this happens to me every so often since owning it. I usually drive it once a week other weeks I might daily it.
Didn’t notice it before but the dealer did not give me a new battery after all, it is stickered November 2022. I’m taking it back to them and will pick up some spare fuses too.
i took a peek at voltage regulator, this thing is hell putting back on! I found the brushes heavily skewed about 45 degrees upon removal. Perhaps not making full contact inside alternator? Do they need to go in straight or is the voltage regulator likely seated correctly if you can put both mounting screws in.
190E 2.6L 1989, 190E 2.6L 1988, BMW 535dXdrive 2014, BMW 428i 2015
I have not had the pleasure to replace my voltage regulator. But I hear it is a bit tricky to put on and it does go in crooked if you are not careful.
But more importantly Betterdaze I urge you to plug in a USB charger with the voltmeter built in. That way you are constantly monitoring your voltage and no more surprises.
I do not use mine any longer in my Mercedes because I built one in the center console but something like this worked well for me for years:
190E 2.6L 1989, 190E 2.6L 1988, BMW 535dXdrive 2014, BMW 428i 2015
Originally Posted by 355190e26
Haven't posted on here in a while, but I gotta give props to Dolucasi and his son for getting his car done and over to Radwood!
So many people didn't realize his car is a real factory 5-speed and not converted.
All of the things covered are what I would check, specifically the door switches. I've seen those fail and cause drain before.
Also if you have an aftermarket radio, make sure there's no dodgy wiring.
Our Blue and red go together very nicely in these shows. Now all we need is a white one to complete the color scheme.
What is sad and hilarious about that photo is that the purple Porshe in the background won the top prize in the show. However when she was leaving an hour or two after this photo was taken and we were all leaving her head gasket must have blown as there was smoke everywhere, it almost looked like the engine was on fire. They had put endless hours refurbishing the car. Sad, I hope they can get it all fixed up.
Well I left the batter on charger overnight and fresh off it reads 11.45 volts, I put it in the car anyway and it still won’t start about 10v in the car.
It has probably gone bad, so off to autozone to test its life capacity. I got a dealer battery earlier this year but I guess I don’t drive my car enough…this happens to me every so often since owning it. I usually drive it once a week other weeks I might daily it.
I think you've got a pretty significant drain going on in your electrical system. You need to determine where the drain is and fix that otherwise you're just going to have to keep replacing batteries. I think the drain is likely with the alternator or the voltage regulator since your battery was drained so quickly after being hooked up to the battery charger. Once you get the drain issue solved then get a new battery and keep your car hooked up to a trickle charger since you drive your car more infrequently. You should also put some Stabil storage in your fuel to keep it from turning to varnish and gumming up your engine. That's what I do with my car.
Our Blue and red go together very nicely in these shows. Now all we need is a white one to complete the color scheme.
What is sad and hilarious about that photo is that the purple Porshe in the background won the top prize in the show. However when she was leaving an hour or two after this photo was taken and we were all leaving her head gasket must have blown as there was smoke everywhere, it almost looked like the engine was on fire. They had put endless hours refurbishing the car. Sad, I hope they can get it all fixed up.
- Cheers!
The joys of classic car ownership. It's always something. My bad little garage habit has figured out that so long as it looks great on show day it can do whatever else it can come up with and get away with it no matter what it does to my finances.
I have not had the pleasure to replace my voltage regulator. But I hear it is a bit tricky to put on and it does go in crooked if you are not careful.
But more importantly Betterdaze I urge you to plug in a USB charger with the voltmeter built in. That way you are constantly monitoring your voltage and no more surprises.
I do not use mine any longer in my Mercedes because I built one in the center console but something like this worked well for me for years:
I bought one of these on the advice of Dolucasi several years ago when I was having a battery charging issue. It was the alternator brushes. I use the USB port to power a dash cam. Well worth the small investment.
The battery was 10v off the charger and the dealer replaced it for me. New one got the car started right up and monitoring voltage while running its above 14v and little to no fluctuation. Hopefully it is that simple this time
I guess I will start throwing the trickle charger on whenever I park the car. It is stored away from where I live and I can’t always drive it consistently.
as for the cigarette lighter port the head of that wire is snapped on my car. How do I go about replacing it, it’s necessary since this keeps happening, no signs until suddenly the car just won’t start
190E 2.6L 1989, 190E 2.6L 1988, BMW 535dXdrive 2014, BMW 428i 2015
Originally Posted by BetterDaze
The battery was 10v off the charger and the dealer replaced it for me. New one got the car started right up and monitoring voltage while running its above 14v and little to no fluctuation. Hopefully it is that simple this time
I guess I will start throwing the trickle charger on whenever I park the car. It is stored away from where I live and I can’t always drive it consistently.
as for the cigarette lighter port the head of that wire is snapped on my car. How do I go about replacing it, it’s necessary since this keeps happening, no signs until suddenly the car just won’t start
I believe a new lighter fixture is plug and play. You just unplug the old one that has a pigtail, and plug in a new one.
Okay I plan to spend more time with my car this weekend to fix that lighter port.
i believe my battery just went bad from me leaving the car sitting for days at a time and not really driving far. I’m using the trickle charger every time I park it going forward!
as for the stabil…I think you are supposed to pour it in before filling up and there’s a certain amount to use depending on how much fuel is in the tank. This will give it time to filter through the system and mix with the fuel as you drive it home and park it. I usually do this the first sign of snow and know I’m going to leave my car still for at least a month.
also wanted to share one of my latest photos, you guys helped me get it here.
Still saving up for a paint correction but I’m thinking of a vinyl wrap to enjoy a different look for a while. It would be close to MB's brilliant Silver, thoughts? I won’t do it at all if it will harm the car in any way.
looking at 355 and dolucasi’s car also made me want tint!
Last edited by BetterDaze; Jul 27, 2023 at 10:24 AM.
190E 2.6L 1989, 190E 2.6L 1988, BMW 535dXdrive 2014, BMW 428i 2015
I tinted mine less for the looks but more for protecting the inside vinyl and plastic. Also keeps the interior much cooler. Looks are pretty good too.
On the battery drain, just remember that if you lock the doors there will be a 20mA-40mA constant drain from the vacuum pump. I measured it.
If you unlock them it will be zero. So storing in a garage helps. 40mA is not much and it will go many weeks that way but still if you can afford to not lock the car there is less drain.
I tinted mine less for the looks but more for protecting the inside vinyl and plastic. Also keeps the interior much cooler. Looks are pretty good too.
On the battery drain, just remember that if you lock the doors there will be a 20mA-40mA constant drain from the vacuum pump. I measured it.
If you unlock them it will be zero. So storing in a garage helps. 40mA is not much and it will go many weeks that way but still if you can afford to not lock the car there is less drain.
That is great to know and might explain my problem actually after checking all the basic things….My front passenger door lock tab is very weak, you can lock it from that side with the key and it goes down but you cannot unlock it. Tab wants to go up but struggles and sticks in one spot. I usually lock/unlock based on wherever is convenient since there’s no remote. I didn’t think anything of it!
Here is a quick way to check for parasitic draw
Key off
Un hook the battery ground terminal.
Put your Multimeter in series between the battery terminal and ground strap.
Multimeter on amps
should have no more than ~ 50-100 milliamps
If more amp draw, start pulling fuses until you find the culprit circuit.
Here is a quick way to check for parasitic draw
Key off
Un hook the battery ground terminal.
Put your Multimeter in series between the battery terminal and ground strap.
Multimeter on amps
should have no more than ~ 50-100 milliamps
If more amp draw, start pulling fuses until you find the culprit circuit.
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