hello to all....just bought a beautiful 04 x type. ran good for 2 weeks...now the battery goes dead in 3 to 4 hrs...some times..not every day....the old battery seemed weak, so I purchased a new 1...also checked alternator output and have driven the car after boosting home with no problems...which tells me the alternator is working... only some times does it drain....any ideas from the x guys out there...

 

smrfn, how are you with a multimeter? In short, what you are going to want to do is to remove every fuse and relay from both power panels and then install them 1 at a time. With the multimeter put in series (ie, remove a battery cable from the battery, install 1 multimeter lead to the battery terminal, the other lead to the battery cable with the multimeter set to monitor for up to 10 amps, if you need more info, let me know). At this point, you check the multimeter to make sure that the multimeter is reading less than 0.050 (if it is not, then your problem is in the wiring harness of the car and requires hand over hand inspection of the wiring or taking to a shop to diagnose). Re-install 1 fuse and check the multimeter again. If the multimeter jumps above 0.050, remove the fuse, note the location and keep installing the other fuses. Do this until all the fuses are installed. Then install the relays one at a time. Again, checking the multimeter between each install. Hopefully you will have a single circuit that has the fuse removed and we can figure out what is going on at that point. There is too much wiring in these cars to simply start guessing as to where the problem lies.

Based on what you are saying, you have a relay that is sticking and the car is not properly powering down like it should. Keep an eye on things like the radio or other lights that don't turn off when they should. This might be a hint as to what is the source of your problem.

 

Thermo, on a related issue, the local Auto Zone guy says the both my alternator and battery are reading bad. Is this reliable advice? If so, is the alternator replacement an easy job to do? As always, your advice is greatly appreciated. Regards from Tampa Bay.

 

Thanks for replys...sorry I havnt been back on line...I cleaned all the battery connections and body grounds....Mind you they were al ready exceptionally clean...car has been good for 2 weeks now... but then...alternator light cane on...previously no warning lights would appear..it just wouldn't start with out a boost.......we had just returned from a 80k long hiway run...light came on 1.5 hrs after we returned and left to go xmas shopping...alternator lighty is again out..Im going to have to look at all the cables for breaks although it is a 120k car and exceptionally well kept...again thanks for replys

 

Xerxes, I would try replacing the battery first and seeing what you have at that point. NOrmally the alternators on our cars do not go bad.

As for replacing the alternator, there are worse cars out there, but I would not call our cars an easy alternator replacement. If you look around, there are a few posts on alternator replacements. Those will have more beneficial info than I can give you.

 

smrfn, do you have a multimeter that you can use and do you know how to use one? I can give you a few checks to make when things start acting up so we can determine just what is wrong with your car.

 

hey thermo....yup...new battery..I havnt had the time to get a multi meter to measure ir drop as u suggest...drove the car 130 km round trip today...no light...when I get a chance to get her in the air to get leads to both battery and alternator I will post the results...thanks again

 

Much appreciated Thermo. Battery was four years old so it needed replacing. Good deal on the Duralast Gold ($80 bucks prorated towards new one). Definitely not the alternator as AutoZone guy had suggested. BTW, I've seen the YouTube video of the one guy dropping the alternator through the underside of the X-Type caveman style. Happy Holidays gentlemen.