LCD display on all the time

[keenie 0]

Hi

It might be a stupid question but my milage and MFA LCD displays are on all the time even after ive switched off the car and taken the keys out, is this normal for them to be on continuiously.

 

The battery is also going flat after about 4 days.

 

Thanks in advance for you help

[Jon_vr6 1]

If you mean just the mileage and clock are left showing then yes thats normal after you take key out if you mean they are still lit up then thats not normal

[keenie 0]

If you mean just the mileage and clock are left showing then yes thats normal after you take key out if you mean they are still lit up then thats not normal

Yes it on even with the key out 24 hours a day, any ideas on whats causing it, all help appreciated

[Jon_vr6 1]

What lit up?? both of the lcd screens??

[keenie 0]

What lit up?? both of the lcd screens??

Yes both the LCD,s are on continously

[V-Dubstar 0]

As Jon_vr6 said, the mileage and clock LCD's ALWAYS display.

 

The question he's asking is, are they lit up. As in put the key in the ignition, turn your lights on, then the LCD's will be lit up. Turn your lights off, and thats what the LCD screens will look like regardless of the key being in the ignition or not.

 

Hope that makes sense buddy

[Kevin Bacon 5]

The clocks don't draw much current at all. More likely to be the alarm or some other accessory causing the drain, or perhaps a knackered boot light switch keeping the bulb on permanently?

 

Stereos with permanent live feeds which store data when turned off is another favourite....

[keenie 0]

As Jon_vr6 said, the mileage and clock LCD's ALWAYS display.

 

The question he's asking is, are they lit up. As in put the key in the ignition, turn your lights on, then the LCD's will be lit up. Turn your lights off, and thats what the LCD screens will look like regardless of the key being in the ignition or not.

 

Hope that makes sense buddy

 

 

Oh ok, the backlight is not on, this will only come on when the lights are on, but i can see the milage and MFA info on all the time, so it sounds like what your saying is that this is normal.

[Jon_vr6 1]

Thats normal on most cars mate the mileage etc staying on after switching off

[Jon_vr6 1]

As for your battery going flat read kevs post above should give you some pointers

[keenie 0]

As for your battery going flat read kevs post above should give you some pointers

 

 

ok great thanks for that, I had already taken the bulb out of the boot light, so more investigation required now

[Kevin Bacon 5]

What we need is a vehicle version of one of those domestic wattage drain monitors you can get, or a proper digital amp meter gauge.....but that would need to be on with the car off, so would draw it's own current, LOL!

 

The domestic ones just have a ferrous sensor that clips round the mains feed into the house, but I don't know if the same technique would work on DC? Anyone know?

 

I'm not sure how the current measurement on multimeters works. I tried connecting it across my battery and it gave some stupid reading that made no sense. Needs to be inline with the live wire I think?

[JMC 0]

What we need is a vehicle version of one of those domestic wattage drain monitors you can get, or a proper digital amp meter gauge.....but that would need to be on with the car off, so would draw it's own current, LOL!

 

The domestic ones just have a ferrous sensor that clips round the mains feed into the house, but I don't know if the same technique would work on DC? Anyone know?

 

I'm not sure how the current measurement on multimeters works. I tried connecting it across my battery and it gave some stupid reading that made no sense. Needs to be inline with the live wire I think?

 

You can get hall effects transducers that slip over the wire. They work for AC and DC. Wire goes through it and electric field generated by that makes a current flow in the transducer, and its that that is measured. I would have though you'd need a pretty sensitive one though.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Ah good stuff!

 

Yeah a sensitive one would be useful, but if it's pulling even 1 amp with the car off, that's only 45 hours drain time for an average size battery. Or 75 hours from a diesel sized one.

 

This reminds me of the Film Apollo 13 when they had to restrict the battery drain to a certain amount or they wouldn't get back to earth. I suspect Corrados need a bit more than bog roll and gas mask technology though.

 

This is a historic issue with VWs though. Even going back to my MK1 and MK2 days 10 years ago, people were complaining of exactly the same problem.

 

If the car is kept in a garage, the simplest answer is to keep it connected to a trickle charger if left for a few days....