getting nothing!

[81GTi]

mk2 scala,no dash lights, no life what-so-ever. recent battery, no life with a jump either, looks likely there has been water ingress around the fuse box, any ideas on the best way to procede appreciated.

[the edmundator]

I'd have thought:

i) remove the fuse box and carefully dry it out and check all the connections for corrosion

ii) find the leak and stop it

iii) put the fuse box back in and try again

[81GTi]

thats what i needed... cheers. though we do have an immobiliser alarm which has been switched off for years and i'm wondering if it may have shorted somehow? No? ok, i will go and tackle the fuse box, lol

[the edmundator]

If you can easily remove/bypass the immobiliser, that might be worth trying first. It will be likely to complicate matters, at any rate.

[81GTi]

fuse box in hand...here we go... not as damp as i thought but still more damp than it should be. gonna give it a good blow with the leaf blower and sit it in front of the logburner for and hour. there are a few bits of corrosion, green phospherussy type stuff on a few pins but nothing 'burned'.

[81GTi]

no joy :( still dead as.

[mr.brown]

If the battery is fubar then jumping won't work. Swap in a known good battery and try that.

[81GTi]

battery is new bud, 2 months old. not even a flickr of the dash lights. will get part number...

[mr.brown]

battery is new bud, 2 months old. not even a flickr of the dash lights. will get part number...

I've killed newer batteries with the tiniest of power drains

[81GTi]

hmmmm, battery is showing 4v on the multimeter.... it has also starting pissin down and there is a constant drip right above the fusebox.... did I mention I bought my first jap car last week...lol

[jimmy h]

hmmmm, battery is showing 4v on the multimeter.... it has also starting pissin down and there is a constant drip right above the fusebox.... did I mention I bought my first jap car last week...lol

Happy New Year mate.

4 volts is nowhere near enough, and are you testing it correctly? putting a multimeter across the terminals is never going to tell you how the battery is coping under load. You need a proper battery tester. Also if it is that flat the chances are it dragged the other one down when jumping - you need to have the 'donor' other car running at high revs when cranking

Please don't assume that coz that battery is new it is OK, I've fallen for this badly a few years ago and wasted a lot of my time and money
A mate of mine who works for Batemens BMW was telling me they chuck batteries after so many months, they are no good sat on shelfs, they need to be cycled, discharged and charged to work efficiently.

Oh! V important, please don't let head start thinking Immoboliser and stuff, It was working previously??

Will be back on later.

[81GTi]

happy new year to you too mate, i'm armed and dangerous with a new battery tomorrow, MrB the legend has a fuse box in the post so we'll soon have Sue back to work!

wish I had tried the battery earlier but the fusebox needed doing anyway, tiger seal to the rescue yet again! i tried hard to get sue to part with the mk2 last mot time but she wouldn't budge, it's getting to that point where its more hassle and expence than it is worth, it has served us very well but it is time for a new one and with the current economic climate it's a good time to buy.

[jimmy h]

If you get a new battery, get and keep the receipt - most batteries if supplied by a reputable seller will supply you with approx 3 year no quibble guarantee.

I bought a new one (battery) for my Elise a few months ago and it was covered in dust? I was and still am dubious!
But it's still working.

I think it must be the Elise's 6th battery in 10 years, I've tried keeping on top of charging it, battery conditioners etc - they just don't like being sat not used, and not being charged / discharged by the vehicle system.

Also bear in mind: If you run the car with lights, heater on full, rear de-mist etc as we all do at this time of year, it takes a very long journey (something like) <30 minutes of running to put a full charge back in the battery.

[the edmundator]

I think it must be the Elise's 6th battery in 10 years, I've tried keeping on top of charging it, battery conditioners etc - they just don't like being sat not used, and not being charged / discharged by the vehicle system.

Off topic - does the Elise use a standard car battery? I have an MX-5 and Mazda use a gel battery which is designed to cope with being run down and recharged, much like a caravan leisure battery. These usually last around 10yrs, but cost over £100 a go.

[81GTi]

the battery was a bosch one from ECP 2 months ago... I will for sure be on the phone. MrB has been a star and my replacement fuse box has just been delivered!