88 XJ-8 battery drain
 

Greetings everyone. I bought an 87 XJ-6 (british model), so an 88 in the US about a week ago. It has a battery that was replaced in April of this year, however I have had to jump start my car three times this week. It seems that something is drwaing power while the vehicle is off and I am thinking it may be the radio. I turned the radio on and pulled all 5 fuses one at a time, but the radio never lost power. I was hoping to locate the correct fuse and remove it when i turn the vehicle off to see if the battery drain continued or not. I have ordered the service CD, but do not have it yet.

So my question is this, are there any other fuse boxes in the car and has anybody else experienced similar problems? Many thanks in advance.

David

RE: 88 XJ-8 battery drain
 

Greetings!

if youpost a picture of the car we will know what style body you have, whether Series 3 XJ-6, or Series 4 XJ-40.

The radio should always have power, for the preset stations memory, but that is not enough to cause a drain.

I would check the trunk/boot light, and that requires two people that trust each other:One to get in the trunk and check if the trunk light stays ON when the lid is closed, another outside to open the trunk when the one inside is done checking. This is not a job for one person alone.
If the light goes OFF as it should when the trunk lid is shut, then you might have some open circuit or module that's gone bad elsewhere.

Another place to check is the light switches at each door, assuming each door has a small light at the rear that comes on when it is opened, but if it stays ON when you close the door, you would notsee it. I guess a way to check those switches is to open and close each door and see if the interior light goes ON and OFF. Then at least you know the switches are good or not.

Jose

RE: 88 XJ-8 battery drain
 

Thanks for the advise Jose. I do know that the trunk lights do not work at all, so I think I can eliminate that variable. I will see if I can notice if any door lights stay on when the doors are closed. I will keep looking and post the problem when I figure it out. Thanks.