Help please

[TV8]

I have just gone out to my Chimaera (kept outside with no cover) after the rain of the last few days and have a few problems.

The car opened ok but did not prime the fuel pump when I switched the ignition on.
I wasn’t too bothered initially, as I had just fitted an up-rated stereo and thought I had wired the unit permanently on and had drained the battery in the week since it was last used.

When I tried to start the car, in the starter motor position, both the speedo and the rev counter went around to max and then slowly dropped back if you held the key in the start position. I was a bit more concerned at this point and remembered the car had a conditioner, so didn’t expect any problems charging what I thought at this point was a flat battery.

The conditioner didn’t kick into life, so had a look in the passenger footwell and found it disconnected. Connected it up and the conditioner lights worked, so didn’t expect any more problems. I shut the doors and planned to return after a couple of hours to start-up and go for a drive whilst the sun lasted.

I did notice that there was a bit of moisture in the footwell, which is a bit of worry, before what happened next. The indicator lights were now blinking and the central locking sounded like it was clicking in and out, without actually doing anything.

I powered down the conditioner and one side of indicator lights stayed on and I was locked-out of the car! A quick pop of the velco, lower the rear hood and climb in to reset the power and now nothing happens. The car is locked shut and the central locking doesn’t do anything and in fact, nothing works when the ignition is switched on.

I know that the car doesn’t have a main fuse – 93 build, so that cant have blown but there doesn’t appear to be any power and I am not sure what to do next. I need to be able to get in the car to test, so any advice on how to unlock a locked car with no or low battery would be appreciated as would any suggestions on what my problem could be. The alarm is my prime suspect but it could be water in the wiring?

Thanks in advance.

Graham

[loud430]

hi, i had the same type of problems with mine a couple of years ago, i found that the fuseboard & relays needed drying out as they were full of moisture. i spent a couple of hours with a hair-dryer & a can of contact cleaner & it sorted it out. my battery also needed fully charging otherwise you may find it still plays up. good luck with it!

[spend]

Charge the battery first, they do that when flat, even in Land Rovers

[Bluebottle]

spend said:

Charge the battery first, they do that when flat, even in Land Rovers

What he said^^
If its an Accumate of similar and not a proper battery charger, you are looking at a good 24hrs to breath life into a battery that flat.

[TV8]

Bluebottle said:

spend said:

Charge the battery first, they do that when flat, even in Land Rovers

What he said^^
If its an Accumate of similar and not a proper battery charger, you are looking at a good 24hrs to breath life into a battery that flat.

I am surprised it appeared to get flatter following a brief charge - no power at all! Also, any thoughts on why the speedo and rev counter should both go around on switched ignition?

[miniman]

TV8 said:

Bluebottle said:

spend said:

Charge the battery first, they do that when flat, even in Land Rovers

What he said^^
If its an Accumate of similar and not a proper battery charger, you are looking at a good 24hrs to breath life into a battery that flat.

I am surprised it appeared to get flatter following a brief charge - no power at all! Also, any thoughts on why the speedo and rev counter should both go around on switched ignition?

Mine used to do that. I thought it was deliberate, effectively a "test" cycle.

[TV8]

I have had a good look at this today and ended up changing the battery. I will make sure I disconnect the power if leaving for more than a day - I think I now know why the battery cut-off switch was added...

Hopefully, all ready for Thunder in the tunnels now!

[scotty_d]

I use one of these and leave my boot a jar when not in the barn if sat outside at home for a few days i just knock it of. (i stay out in the stick so low theft issues) but works for me.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Campervan-Motorhome-Battery-...