612 battery problem | FerrariChat

612 battery problem

Discussion in '612/599' started by dell550, Oct 2, 2009.

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  1. dell550

    dell550 Karting
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 24, 2005
    209
    London
    Full Name:
    george c
    #1 dell550, Oct 2, 2009
    My question is how long can you park a 612 without turning the battery masterswitch off and the battery still hold charge ? I have a problem in that my newly aquired car is fine if driven every day - even if the journey is in bad traffic with heaters , AC , lights , audio system and wipers running but if I leave it for 3 days the battery is flat . The battery is good and the charge rate is spot on and no boot or interior lights are left on . Is this normal ?
     
  2. oss117

    oss117 F1 Rookie

    Jan 26, 2006
    4,185
    Plantation, Florida
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    Alfredo
    #2 oss117, Oct 2, 2009
    The problem may be related to the condition under which you normally drive: if your daily routine requires to operate headlights, A/C; wipers and basically all of the electrics, then there is little left to keep the battery charged up.
    Which would explain why in a short amount of time the battery is out of juice.
    The easiest fix would be to use the "Battery Tender" and if it is wired correctly, you can have the connection hiding in a spot where you can easily reach for it without opening the hood.
     
  3. Bronzage

    Bronzage Formula 3

    Sep 18, 2007
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    MJ
    #3 Bronzage, Oct 2, 2009
    I use my car with everything, AC, Stereo, Lights....left it for a week plus....several times....no probs. Your alternator might not be charging well.
     
  4. tazandjan

    tazandjan Three Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Jul 19, 2008
    38,056
    Clarksville, Tennessee
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    Terry H Phillips
    #4 tazandjan, Oct 2, 2009
    George- You may have a small short somewhere that is draining your battery. Ferrari publishes absorbtion data that can be easily checked with an abosrbtion meter by any competent shop. Here are the published absorbtion numbers and recommended battery recharge intervals.

    You check absorbtion by disconnecting the battery switch and then connecting an absorbtion meter between the positive cable and battery. Charge the battery at the following intervals depending on what absorbtion you measure:

    <40 mA 25 days
    40-60 mA 20 days
    60-80 mA 15 days
    80-100 mA 10 days

    If I was measuring absorbtion over 60-80 mA, I would problably start looking for whatever is draining the battery. Glove box light, interior light, stereo, etc.

    Taz
    Terry Phillips
     
  5. dell550

    dell550 Karting
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    Aug 24, 2005
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    george c
    #5 dell550, Oct 2, 2009
    thanks for the replies:

    I have checked the altonator out put under load and its fine and if I use the car daily there is not a problem - I use my 550M in a similar style and it lasts 2 week before the battery dies- I note in the service manual that it says if you leave the car for more than 7 days you should turn off the master cut out . As I keep the car on the street a constantly connected charger is not an option.

    I will be checking the amount of current drain this weekend and will update with findings
     
  6. Bronzage

    Bronzage Formula 3

    Sep 18, 2007
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    West Africa
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    MJ
    #6 Bronzage, Oct 2, 2009
    Good Luck. Hope it works out. But 7 days is way too short for a battery to wear down, unless an alarm keeps getting sounded or there is a light left on.
     
  7. donv

    donv Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Jan 5, 2002
    24,068
    Portland, Oregon
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    Don
    #7 donv, Oct 2, 2009
    7 days seems a little short, but on the other hand there are a lot of electronics on the 612. I leave mine on the charger more or less whenever it's in the garage. I've left it for 3-4 days with no problems, but I don't leave it for longer than that.

    It should have come with a charger, and there is a hard wired connection in the trunk for the charger. Heck, it even has an annunciator on the dash to tell you the charger is connected. All of that ought to tell you how important Ferrari thinks keeping the battery charged is.

    I've found it to be very sensitive to low battery conditions, which is why I don't mess around.
     
  8. eric

    eric Formula Junior

    Aug 3, 2001
    705
    Albion, CA
    #8 eric, Oct 2, 2009
    Geez, I leave mine untended for several weeks at a time and have no problems with starting. Only battery problem I've had was with our first 612 (2005 model)and it had a loose battery cable connection at the grounding post under the hood. Everything seemed fine until all of a sudden it just wouldn't start. Took a lot of tracing, and several weeks of intermittent failure to discover the loose battery cable connection. By the time we figured it out the battery was used up and we had it replaced. After that, it would go for several weeks without a problem. Never left it undriven for longer than that...
     
  9. phil612

    phil612 Karting

    Apr 22, 2004
    239
    UK
    #9 phil612, Oct 4, 2009
    The limit for mine seems to be about three weeks, any longer and there's just not enough juice to turn over the engine, I now leave it on trickle when I'm not driving.

    If you've got a third party tracker system you should probably check with the fitter that it's not draining.
     

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