hi
i have a 90 towny and if i don't drive it for about 5 days, the battery is a pancake. i told my local garage and he reckons it is the immobiliser. i will describe the immobiliser.its an incuse oval piece with a regular flashing light.....i have to put this key in that looks like a boob and then the redlight speeds up.
also there is a square box sitting om the rhs of the dashboard on a short lead. there is a square on it that looks like a pe cell and it has written on this box "auto" and "head"...is this something to do with automatic headlamps,and if so...is this something to do with my battery failure. its got so bad now, i disconnect the battery every night....i have also switched off permanently all my courtesy lamps etc.
heeeellllpppppp me pleeeeaaassseeeee.
- (#579) Colin, 8 Apr 05 19:01
This may sound silly but are you turning the key all the way to the off position and not just to the acc position, with the townace the lock gets worn and will let the key out in that position leaving certain things powered up... i have the same sort of immobiliser and has not caused me any troubles, it is made by selca..
- (#579) neil (torbay), 9 Apr 05 03:43
eureka..........
after reading your message, i jumped in the towny and tried the key. my key will not turn back further than acc!!!!!!!! in fact i cannot even get the steering lock to work. could you please tell me what devices work in the acc. position?
nb my aircon is permanently off as is my radio. thanks. colin.
- (#579) Colin, 10 Apr 05 09:44
You are pressing the black button on top of the steering column as you try to turn pass ACC?
- (#579) Clive (Bristol), 10 Apr 05 11:03
Thanks Clive I found that button. I must say it is a stupid device...You need TWO hands just to turn the engine off!!!!
Not easy when you are holding a coke in one hand and a fag in the other hehheh.
- (#579) colin Day, 10 Apr 05 17:42
You will learn to do it all in one movement.
Was that the problem?
- (#579) Clive (Bristol), 11 Apr 05 02:18
HI Clive
I hope its the problem....I will not know until AND IF
I get another flat battery....A friend of mine told me that even with the radio OFF, electricity is being used with the key in the ACC position, So I would bet odds-on that this is the problem. I would like to visit fellow Towny nutters at Brean so I may see you there (battery permitting). :)
Colin
- (#579) colin, 11 Apr 05 04:09
my cruiser had battery problems and the bloke i bought it off knocked off 50 quid because he said the battery was a bit iffy and didn't hold a charge.. what he omitted to tell me was that he charged the battery off of the vehicle.
not being familiar with the dashboard lights when the ignition was switched on..there was the brake light and a light on the top of the dash panel that showed a car with the doors shut and one down the bottom with doors open (that is if you hadn't closed the door).
but it turned out to be the alternator because i had no autochoke or tickover control. a fully charged battery seemed to exhaust itself in four days unless you took off the earth conn.
i had it rebuilt today at a cost of £60 but everything now works and it was new everything that could be renewed to was done and the alternator put back on the vehicle.
i would imagine the cost would usually be more, but i have known the bloke for forty years and he treats me well.
.
- (#579) Rik vonTrense, 11 Apr 05 12:31
thanks Clive that seems to have solved my battery prob. I just have to keep remembering to press that pesky button for the ign key. Are you going to Bream, I would like to shake your hand and even buy you a drink if I am flushed. Now that I know my Towny will start first time now, instead of praying every time I put the key in, I am forming a love relationship with it instead of hating it whenever I look at it . :)
- (#579) colin, 16 Apr 05 13:10
Whoo hoo free beer!
Yes I'll be at Brean.
So you all there.
- (#579) Clive (Bristol), 16 Apr 05 14:40
You could do what many of us have done, and that's either glue the button down, or remove the gubbins from inside it...
- (#579) David Miller, 16 Apr 05 15:40
And even if you press the black button it won't turn fully to the off position until you put the auto box into P or N.
- (#579) Jim Tang, 16 Apr 05 17:53
Ihave a 1989 townace petrol.
My problem is it wont turn over.ITt sounds like a flat battery but the headlights and air con work fine.When i get ajump start it goes first time.
- (#579) mark, 7 May 05 03:54
The battery terminals probably need cleaning. There is a very big current draw for the starter and the connections cannot quite manage it, hence the other electrics (of lower amperage) showing OK. Also, the main cable, to the starter solenoid, might also need it's terminals cleaned
- (#579) John Davis (Leics), 7 May 05 04:01
I've just been informed by an auto electrical whizz that he reckons the immobiliser,clock,and radio memory is enough to drain a fresh battery.I've had identical electrical prob's on a 1990 diesel
- (#579) richard Pace, 7 May 05 04:34