Battery draw, then no start (fuel issue?)

WAKeele

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2008
Location
Missoula, Montana
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS
For about a week and a half, I've had something running my battery dead overnight. Battery is about two years old and checked out to be better than rated, along with the starter (about two years old) and the alternator checking out fine. I've been told the amp can eventually start draining, so I pulled the fuse one night. Still dead the next day. I don't have a meter with me to try to see what the draw is.

Now I've had an issue with the engine running unsteady/sputtering at lower RPMs (~1,800-2,400) while pulling--generally fine at 2,500 and above. Fuel filter has gone a little overdue and I've been to A LOT of different stations out in the middle of nowhere in Canada and Alaska lately, so it's not out of the realm of picking up some crap in there. So I finally got my filters (and my engine/transmission mount yesterday, and I thought changing the line after I couldn't get it to start for the first time throughout all this. Had a buddy under the hood at the time and he noticed it drew the fuel feed line down from the filter to the pump. Well that's never happened with my past filter changes. Fuel was there at the return side and I filled the feed line and hooked it back to the filter. Drew it empty again without cranking.

Now here's the fun thing: the battery wasn't dead yesterday. Only thing that was done was the new fuel filter and it wouldn't start before or after that change. So what do you think was drawing the battery down enough to be almost completely dead in about 10 hours? Sitting for about 4-5 hours wasn't enough to cause a problem.
 
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scubagli

Veteran Member
Joined
May 7, 2009
Location
leeds ny
TDI
1986 audi 4000Q ALH SWAP in progress...
Could be the door lock module, a friend had a VR that had the same problem. Never completely solved it either...
 

WAKeele

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2008
Location
Missoula, Montana
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS
That's troubling.

Yesterday I tried to see if it had enough juice to turn over again, and it was the deadest it's been--not enough power to unlock trunk. The fuel feed line was half filled from the brief turnover the day before. I'm feeling it may be the fuel shutoff solenoid or something like that with the pump?
 

WAKeele

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2008
Location
Missoula, Montana
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS
Finally got a meter and about to go through pulling fusing. With a freshly charged battery I'm getting a 3.77 AMP draw with "normal" parked car!
Let the fun begin...
 

WAKeele

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2008
Location
Missoula, Montana
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS
So the 3.77 steady draw went away while I ran in to get my manual (the negative was off for about 5 min so I'd figure only the crucial powered things would be drawing at this point), and read a steady 0.44 amps once I got back (about 10 min after I started). Although I didn't check all the fuses (mostly due to limited time), but once I check all those seemingly associated with the engine, I tried to start it from a separate fuel source because I wanted to rule out something between the filter and tank. I eventually got it running so I guess I can rule some of that out. (I had remember I had my fuel gauge after a fill-up go to completely empty and it remained that way until I stopped at a rest stop and killed the engine--maybe unrelated, but I don't know.) I still have a subtle sputter at from 1800-2400 RPMs.

Anyways, I ran to Advanced Auto Parts to get a check done, and the battery and start came back good, but there was a 29 mV ripple going on with the alternator. This weekend I guess I'm going to try to teach myself more of the ins and outs of electrical systems on the TDI since I hate messing with electronics, and avoid it like a leper...
 

WAKeele

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2008
Location
Missoula, Montana
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS
UPDATE (finally):
So putting in a new alternator solved the problem--well, at least the battery draw. There's still an issue with it not always starting well, particularly after parked at an angle.
 
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