Escort Battery keeps going flat Any ideas?

Question

Hello all.
I have a Ford Escort 1996 1.3, With a brand new battery. However every
morning my battery is completely flat. We've jumped started it,and left it on
idle for 20 mins but the power still goes as soon as you switch
something electrical on.
We've charged the battery and it would only last a day - next morning
it would be completely flat again.
Also when you turn the ignition on you usually get 3 warning lights
light up - handbrake , oil and battery, which normally go off as soon
as you start the car - however the battery warning light does not light
up anymore- was working fine before but even with a fully charged
battery it still doesn't light up.
I guess something may be draining the battery??? any idea's ???
Thanks in advance

Answer 1

Not sure about the escort, but on many cars the voltage going to the alternator excitation circuit goes through the dash bulb. If it is blown the system won't charge. It could be the fuse that supplies the voltage to the lamp, the bulb, or the alternator.

If I had a diagram of your system, I could tell you in a few seconds.

How It Works (this is not intuitive!)
The alternator needs a voltage reference that passes through a "suitable" resistor, in order to provide the correct amount of charge current. The voltage reference wire gets grounded by the regulator when the alternator is not charging or when the voltage is too high or too low. This happens when the ignition key is on but the engine is not running, or when the alternator is not charging properly with the engine running. This is when the alternator regulator gets fried, due to electrical shorting, if there is no resistance in the circuit. When the engine is running (and the alternator is charging), the voltage reference wire is hot, and the alternator reads the voltage and provides the necessary charge. If you have an alternator light on your instrument panel, it is included in the charge circuit and would be illuminated by the grounded voltage reference wire.

This is the most basic circuit I could find:
http://www.canardaviation.com/cozy/alternator2.jpg

Answer 2

well a few things come to mind, though i am not all that familiar with that particular vehicle.

the alternator maybe bad, or part of it, causing it to not charge the battery, or the voltage regulator.

Or you have a short somewhere, causing the light to stay lit and the battery to drain. i think there is something wrong with the electronic parts of the alternator is the most likely culprit. i forget what they call the part, but the easiest fix for most people is to replace the alternator with another one.

some places will check them on the car or off the car for free. have this done first. it may give you a better clue. i hope its the alternator or voltage regulator, or even simply a dead cell in the battery. they are the easiest to fix.

if it is a short somewhere. lotsa luck. they can be a ..bleep to track down. Auto zone and some other car parts places will do the checks for free, i recommend you try those first.

Answer 3

Hi, sounds like your alternator is knackered. This is what keeps the battery charged up once the engine is running. Without the alternator operating properly the car is running solely on the charge you put into the battery yourself.

Before rushing out to get a new alternator just check the connections on it. The connections on an escort are fairly exposed and it's not uncommon for the connections to get corroded. I expect the dodgy alternator is what knackered your previous battery in the first place. They do go at the same time occasionally.

Answer 4

if your battery is being charged via the alternator then it is for sure no longer that, if the battery has been checked and located to hold a can charge and the cells all have stable readings, then it isn't any longer that, the only factor left is a capability being drawn from the battery via an unknown discharge which keeps after the ignition is grew to become off, once you're chuffed that the battery has an entire can charge at night, disconnect the battery, then reconnect it interior the morning, no rely if it remains totally charged, then you definately understand that the battery is being drained while it is left related, no rely if it is flat lower back then the battery would desire to be a dud and the examining that the testers have been given have been incorrect and via the way, we've continually used the term "flat" while a battery has no capability.

Answer 5

Get the RAC or AA or similar to check the battery for drainage and check the alternator. Halfords may be able to do it too, or some other garage or mechanic. It could well be the alternator that is not charging the battery in the first place, so there would be no charge for the battery to hold.

I had to do the same earlier this week and bought new battery and new radio.

Answer 6

Most likely an alternator problem; assuming your new battery is OK (get it checked with the rest of the system as dud ones are not unknown) and the alternator drive belt is intact and correctly tensioned, you need to get the alternator output tested and also test for battery drain with everything switched off. Not difficult, but you need to know what you're doing, so either get some solid diy help or go to a reputable outlet and get checked out.

Answer 7

Sounds like your alternator may be broke, this is what charges the battery while the engine runs...

This would account for your engine running but the battery being flat afterwards...

fret ye not, an alternator (especially for a ford escort) is very inexpensive, find a breakers yard i estimate the part to be about 20 quid and assuming you cant fit it yourself most garages labour would be about 80-100 for fitting an alternator.

Answer 8

Your alternator is broken!! It isnt re-charging your battery, every thing is running off just your battery thats why when you turn things on they will fade quite soon. Also i once had a car that would be drained every morning, i found out that it was a switch in the boot light that had jammed leaving it on constantly, so every night it would sap everything that had charged during the day!!

Answer 9

Test the battery, it may be defective or past it's service life.
Another possibility is you may have a what is termed a dead short somewhere in the wiring.

With the winter weather and salt on the roads, wiring sheathing may be cracked somewhere and getting wet or has gotten wet in the past and therefore creating a short.

Many variables with this type of problem. But, check the battery by testing it, hopefully it's just an old worn out battery.
hope this helps.

Answer 10

firstly the battery light should only come on when,the ignition is turned on,then go out with engine started,if it stays on or comes on at any other time then theres a fault with the altinator, check belt tension then check the battery voltage with a multimeter which should be over 14volts with engine running. also have the ignition coil checked as these can fail and course discharge of the battery. hope this helps.