Dreaded battery drain issue 2011 V70 D3

[nelpiece]

Hello all,

I'm having some serious battery drain issues with my 2011 V70 D3.

I get a persistent Low Battery warning on the dashboard.

In the past month I have had...

2 brand new batteries fitted
A new steering column control module fitted
A new left hand steering column stalk (the one with the Read button on the end)

... all to try and get rid of this parasitic drain issue but it is still not resolved. I have spent around £1000 so far.

I must add that I haven't taken it to an official Volvo dealer (wish I had in hindsight!) as I know they'd charge me £100's just to lift the bonnet and have a look.

I checked the battery voltage 2 days ago and it read 12.6v (the Low Battery warning wasn't showing at this point) but this morning the warning came back. I've checked the battery voltage with a multimeter again and it's now 12.4v.

I've bought an OBD checker module and downloaded the Car Scanner app. Yesterday the app said the battery was 82% charged, this morning the app says it's 42% charged.

After spending the money on the remedies listed above, the local auto-electricians said the issue was resolved but I was still getting the Low Battery warning a few days later. Being curious I did some searching on YouTube and found the videos where you can reset the Battery Monitoring Sensor (BMS) by unplugging the module with the engine running, leaving it for 10 seconds, and plugging it back in. Before I did this the Car Scanner app said the battery charge level was 41% and after I unplugged and reattached the BMS the charge level on the app jumped to 80%, so I was delighted, thinking the parasitic drain was resolved and that the BMS just needed a reset.

Alas, this morning I've tested it again and the Low Battery warning is back with the app reading a charge level of 42% and a battery voltage checked with a multimeter of 12.4v

Can anybody offer any more help? I'm thinking I might just have bite the bullet and take it to Volvo but as I've spent so much already I'm ever so slightly peeved...

Many thanks in advance for any input.

[Kev0607]

Did the auto-electricians suggest replacing these parts? If so, it sounds like they don't have a clue what they're doing & its cost you a fortune.

First steps would be to do a Parasitic Draw Test. Watch this video below & it'll give you an idea of what's involved. Don't spend any more money, start with the basics first! This is what the garage should have done in the first place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCMQE2tgRSE

[piotrek]

2011 V70 D3 is equipped with BMS so parasitic drain can be instantly read with the Car Scanner app (quiescent current average)

Remove the obd2 adapter from diagnostic port, after each trip or diagnostics.

[Ian21401]

Kev 0607,
I have read this thread purely out of interest as I don’t think that I have a problem ( famous last words ) but SiRobb’s video you linked to was very enlightning and up to his usual excellent high standard. His videos are so good aren’t they.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Ian21401

Kev 0607,
I have read this thread purely out of interest as I don’t think that I have a problem ( famous last words ) but SiRobb’s video you linked to was very enlightning and up to his usual excellent high standard. His videos are so good aren’t they.

Fantastic videos. I’ve watched loads, just for the sake of watching them!

Thanks for the content Simon.

[cheshired5]

Originally Posted by piotrek

2011 V70 D3 is equipped with BMS so parasitic drain can be instantly read with the Car Scanner app (quiescent current average)

Remove the obd2 adapter from diagnostic port, after each trip or diagnostics.

Not sure how you can get an accurate standby current drain reading when the thing doing the reading is adding to the current drain.
Even if it was accurate, it still won't tell you what is drawing current.
I like tech and diagnostics but the old fashioned methods work much better for certain troubleshooting tasks and tracing a parasitic drain is one of those tasks where a simple multimeter wins every time.

[piotrek]

CEM monitors the parasitic drain in cars with battery monitoring sensor BMS, the quiescent current is sampled every minute when car is parked. The average value from the last 24 hours can be read when you connect VIDA on the next day. Actually, this value is also available in Car Scanner Elm Obd2 app.

VIDA or Car Scanner needs to be connected just for a minute in the morning, so it probably has no impact on the measurement of parasitic drain. But car needs to be equipped with BMS sensor to read these values - if VIDA or Car Scanner displays the state of charge SOC of the main battery, you can also see the quiescent current average.

So without a multimeter, you can probably disconnect one fuse at a time and leave the car overnight to detect if quiescent has dropped.

Generally, as the diagnostic port has constant power feed even when car is locked, the elm327 adapter should be removed after each use, otherwise it might drain the battery.

screens in Car Scanner Elm Obd2

[nelpiece]

Thanks for your responses everyone.

The latest reading from the Car Scanner app is Quiescent current average of -32mA. The days since the last reset are around 3589 (the car is 10 years old so this means it's never been reset).

In the YouTube video link showing the parasitic draw test he says the draw for his car is around -37mA. Does anyone know what it should be for a 2011 V70?

The battery state of charge had dropped again to around 24% (!!) however I left the OBD module plugged in which reading the reply above means that I didn't help matters.

Kev0607, yes the auto-electrical garage I took it apparently honed the parasitic drain down to issues with the steering column, first changing the control module and then 2 weeks later after the issue remained, changing the left hand stalk. It does indeed sound like they were clueless. They have a really good local reputation which is why I took it to them. They are adamant that the battery drain stopped when they replaced these parts.

[piotrek]

The quiescent current average can be up to 25mA in P3 platform, according to VIDA.

I have 10-11 mA.

[ferg55]

I'm not an electrician by any stretch, but if it were me I'd remove the fuses from as many circuits as your comfortable with and leave overnight, and see if it resolves, then reinstate fuses starting with the essential circuits first just to get the car up and running safely so you can use it, assess the situation and if still resolved then progress through the other circuits one by one over a series of nights. That way you should get rid of the drain as soon as possible to allow you to start using the car again, and if you're lucky the drain will be on a non-essential circuit which, by this method, you will be reconnecting later in the process and without affecting daily use of the car in the meantime.