[s-cars] battery problem - alarm?

[Theodore Chen]

i took the alarm circuit breaker out, and let the car sit for a while.
after a couple of days, the battery was still ok, so i thought i was all
done.

however, a couple of days later, the car was dead again.  after putting
the battery back on the charger, i decided to test with an ammeter and
pull circuit breakers until i could figure out what was draining the battery.
as i sat inside the car, i accidentally bumped the door, and the power
window moved.

strange, i thought, because i hadn't put the key in the ignition at all.
the windows and sunroof worked, and the switches stayed lit.  even when
i locked the doors and set the alarm (with the soft beep as confirmation),
the switches stayed lit.  i waited 20 minutes, and the switches were
still lit.  i opened and closed the door several times, and the switches
continued to work.  retained power is supposed to shut off after a few 
minutes, after the alarm is set, or after a door is opened.

express window down on the driver's window wasn't working, either.  the
windows operated, but the driver's window wasn't going all the way down
at a brief press of the switch.

i took out the power window and sunroof control module, which was warm.
i checked the car today, and the battery is fine.  i'll wait a few more
days, but i think i've found the problem.

i hope these things aren't too expensive.

-teddy

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Theodore Chen" <tedebearp at yahoo.com>
> To: "s-cars" <s-car-list at audifans.com>
> Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 12:46 AM
> Subject: [s-cars] battery problem - alarm?
> 
> 
> > i'm trying to figure out if i have the problem described at
> > http://www.sjmautotechnik.com/elec.html#windowrelayclick
> > although i haven't noticed the relays clicking or windows closing by
> > themselves.
> >
> > i recently replaced the battery with an optima red top.  before installing
> > it, i put it on a trickle charger to make sure it was fully charged.
> > the car started fine, and all seemed to be ok.  1 week later, sitting
> > in the garage the whole time, the car is dead again.  i made sure
> > the radio and lights were off, so something is draining the battery.
> >
> > when i connected the charger under the hood, i noticed the battery meter
> > fluctuating rhythmically, and then heard the alarm going off in sync with
> > the fluctuation.  i yanked the circuit breaker for the alarm system, and
> > both the alarm and fluctuation stopped.
> >
> > the car is sitting on the charger right now, and i'm pondering how to
> > go about troubleshooting.  i was thinking about leaving the alarm circuit
> > breaker out, and seeing if the battery drains again.
> >
> > there were no electrical changes to the car at all.  radio is stock.
> > the car is a '92 S4, which seems to be the year most susceptible to the
> > alarm problem.
> >
> > is it normal for the alarm to be going off as soon as the car gets power
> > again after the battery discharges?
> >
> > -teddy
> >
> >
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