Battery drain

[Pitkin2020]

Hi, hoping someone maybe able to offer some help/advice.  I've been having a battery drain issue with my Berlingo.  I assumed to begin with it was just an old battery so replaced it for a new battery but within a day or 2 it's flat.  Today I've checked for parasitic draw with a multimeter and found unplugged the 20a fuse which controls the radio the draw disappears.

Not sure how I can narrow it down further and what else is in the same circuit as the radio.  Strangely the draw was fluctuating before unplugging the fuse but with it unplugged the draw was next to nothing as expected.

It seems odd it would be the radio itself it's the original factory fit radio and it seems looking online the alarm is on the same circuit but I didn't think it had one tbh.

It's a 2009 B9 1.6 hdi 

Cheers

[theraginganarchist]

My suggestion would be to pull the radio out using release keys and unplug the fakra cable which supplies the power to it, then check again for the current drain.

This will tell you if it is the radio itself which is causing the drain. While you are in there have a good look at the cables (they are long) to check for any damaged insulation which may be causing a grounding issue.

Hopefully another member will be along with a more technical solution soon but this is a free and easy way to possibly narrow down were the leak is coming from.

[Pitkin2020]

Appreciate the advice, currently charging the battery so will check that once it's all back together. Atleast that will point me in the direction of radio or alarm.
Anyway to check if the Berlingo has an alarm?

[Guanock]

Get someone to try stealing it!!

Sorry, In my K9 handbook it shows details of an alarm and shows a switch, it is a picture of a car with 'OFF' below. So I guess if yours as the switch it also has the alarm. Mine does not.

I hate these generic handbooks, it would be nice to know exactly which systems are actually fitted to my car or not.

Geoff

[Pitkin2020]

I don't have a switch so assuming no alarm, thanks for the help

[Aigburth Lad]

I had the exact same problem with a 2003 T4 VW Transporter. I used one of those radio removal u shaped things and took the radio out. At the back of it, I found that it had a small fuse of its own at the back of the radio which I removed. Then put the radio back in and tested as you did to find that the parasitic draw had gone. In brief, the radio itself was at fault. All's I'm saying I guess is don't rule out the radio being at fault itself although I agree with you, it would be odd. These type of draw down faults can be a nightmare.

[smith335]

Does your van have the factory fit tracker system fitted ?
or the navman sat nav ?

mine does and i think this is what makes my battery go flat if i dont use the van for 2/3 days.

just a thought...

[Pitkin2020]

Does your van have the factory fit tracker system fitted ?
or the navman sat nav ?

mine does and i think  this is what makes my battery go flat if i dont use the van for 2/3 days.

just a thought...

Good thought but no it doesn't have either of those.  Everything is pointing towards the stereo head u it at the moment but will double check again once the battery is charged again.

[cancunia]

The radio & the time display will probably both draw a little current to keep the clock & station info intact.

[Sol]

If it's a van, then likely it has no alarm as they were never fitted as standard...go figure that one out. Thanks Citroen...

But to test it, put the drivers window down, lock the doors with the remote, then wait a minute till the red led starts flashing on the dash locking button, then once that's flashing steady, lean in the window and open the door from the inside (don't press the locking button on the remote twice or the doors will deadlock and can't be opened even from the inside)

If the alarm siren goes off when you open the door through the window, then you have one! If it ignores you, no alarm...