Here goes, first issue that presents itself, if the car is not driven in a few weeks the battery goes dead.

Recently replaced the battery a few months back. Went to drive the car two days ago after not driving the car for a few weeks, dead battery. As suggested in the forum, I remove the battery and place it on a charger for a day and a half until fully charged and today re-installed the battery. When the car started, the engine revved very high.

Drove the car for a few miles and the low coolant light went on. Stopped, opened the hood and the coolant hose had come off at the engine junction with the clamp still on with no breaks in the hose.

As I drove back home, the speedometer no longer functioned, the needle stayed at zero. In addition, a clicking sound could be heard at the instrument cluster.

The question becomes multi-faceted, how do I find out why the battery goes dead after only a few weeks of the car not being driven? What do I need to do about the speedometer? Did charging and reinstalling the battery affect the speedometer? Do I need a new instrument cluster? Should I just re-clamp the coolant hose?

 

When you pull the key out of the ignition do you here a pretty decent sounding CLICK. There is a little door if you will there when you take the key in and out. If it is not clicking shut when you pull the key out and is staying open that will kill a battery, I forget what that does but if is not clicking it will kill a battery over time frames of weeks from what I hear from this site.
The High engine rev can be caused from the system relearning idle and the like since there power was removed (dead battery), thus the rev may be fine unless it was like 5k RPM'S or the like? how long as rev, at what RPM?
The coolant hose issue of course is unrelated to the battery. Not sure exactly where you are saying it is leaking from though???
Speedo? most likely related to the battery issues. You have low voltage issues when that thing is dieing that can any various component act odd.

 

+1

Good response!

Beyond the key door there may be other drains on the battery. Best repair strategy is to allow the car to go into sleep mode and hook up a DVOM to measure the current between the battery post and the cable, with the cable removed, to find what is sucking the electrons.

Anything above 30ma is a problem.

Then you start pulling fuses to find where the little buggers are getting out.

 

Thanks for the reply!

I do hear a clicking when pulling out the key of the ignition.

Did not notice how high the RPMs were and it was not for a long period of time. So, that’s probably all that it was, relearning idle.

As for the speedometer, will it regain its mind. Do I need to do a hard reset?

The hose came off right as it goes to the engine at the clamp. The clamp is still on and the hose seems intact.

 

So a hose from the Radiator? If so hose from bottom or top of radiator? Is it still leaking? You put the hose back on? Or is it leaking from that hose/connection point? I am confused you are not clear on that one.

 

Speedo clicking may be a sticking (stepper?) motor. When clicking try a not too hard thump or two but don't go mad

 

Mine does the same thing after 2 weeks. After doing research I decided that these cars were not designed to sit for more than 2 weeks. I think you will find this is normal behavior. If you think about it the receiver for your remote has to be powered up all the time or it wouldn't unlock your car. Likewise the engine computer, chassis computer, and radio also are drawing power all the time. Any newer vehicle will make the battery go dead if not driven. I, like many others use battery maintainers when parked. My Lincoln Mkviii does the same thing but it takes about a month.

 

If you only drive the car infrequently with gaps of several weeks then a battery tender is an essential. This will help avoid all kinds of erratic electrical behaviour. It is certainly preferable to removing the battery for charging which has the same effect as a 'hard reset' and loses the learned settings.

Hoses blowing off are usually more than a weak clamp. Either restricted flow (sticking thermostat) or overheating due to poor circulation (failing water pump).

Graham

 

I had the same problem with a coolant hose blowing off and the clamp still in place. I discovered that the BARB area at the end of the plastic mount had eroded away leaving the coolant pipe smooth.
Once i found that i changed out the thermostat tower to metal and renewed the remaining plastic pipes.
If yours is smooth and doesn't have a ridge at the beginning of the fitting it will continue to blow off.

 

A six month trip kills the car. A four month trip probably kills the car. The XKR will survive a three month trip, start and run ok. The Daimler won't survive six weeks. Sigh.

New batteries all round again.

Kind regards

Mark B

 

That is sad that a 70k dollar car has to be started every few weeks to keep it from having problems.

 

Doesn't need to be started. Needs a battery maintainer. On many cars it's due to a small drain that should not be there but is a PITA to find and fix. A maintainer is easy & cheaper......

Or disconnect the battery.

 

I replace the clamp on the radiator hose and use the screw down type instead of the clamp on type. I filled the coolant up to the top of the reservoir and drove the car around the neighborhood. The “coolant low” light has yet to go off. I am happy to say the speedometer return to normal functionally.

May I ask what exactly is a battery maintainer? I know I can look it up, just feel more comfortable with suggestions from the forum. Thanks!

 

I have a couple of these and they work well. I have used more expensive ones that have failed. Get on amazon or go to Auto Zone... They come with a connector you can permanently attach to the battery. You just pop the hood and plug in. I have mine attached to the power points under the hood.

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I really feel that the drain you describe is relatively normal....

Dale

 

When you park the car for an extended period lock it. That allows it to go fully into sleep mode. Mine starts fine after several weeks in a heated garage.

 

You know, over the years we've tried every combination I think. What seems to work best is to not put the hand brake on as it will bind and the old disks used to pick up a surface skin of light rust and then the brakes would shudder a bit until the disks had evenly polished again. She lasts better with the battery on and the car unlocked. My Lady Wife goes and starts her up and runs her about once or twice a month. That seems to be just enough to keep the car alive. Then the summer comes and it's time to vroom.

Mark B.

 

If your cars have long periods on non-use look at replacing your battery next time with an AGM (Absorptive Glass Mat) type. These are now widely available for just slightly more. Sitting in a discharged stated kills standard wet cell batteries rapidly, AGMs are much more tolerant of this.

 

try some wd 40 for the ignition switch if the flap doesn't close it thinks the car is being driven and drains the battery also when parked lock the car so it will drop into sleep mode .