draining battery

Duc_Z09

I didn't see an electronics specific tech section so I'm posing this here... Mods can move it if they want.

Apparently the "auto" feature on my headlights isn't working, and I woke up to a dead battery yesterday morning. Load test says the battery is fine. It charged right up again anyway, and the charging system on the car has everything running just above 14 volts, like it should be.

Last night I went out to the garage just to make sure everything was still OK and guess what, my headlights/taillights were still on. I checked and sure enough, lights were set to "auto." Of course I turned it to off, and that's the reason I was able to drive to work this morning.

Anyone else ever have this problem or know how to fix it? I could just not use the "auto" feature (I never trusted that **** anyway and this is exactly why) but dammit, it should work the way it's supposed to! I also don't want an "automatic battery drain" button anywhere in the car where it can be accidentally turned back on.

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2009 370z #206 (all mods are Home Depot)
2009 Ducati 848 (full Ohlins, Termignoni, etc)
2003 Grand Cherokee (long arms, big tires, 4.56, lockers)

enkei2k

I thought Auto means that once it senses that it's dark, the headlights will turn on by themselves?

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...need boost...

Duc_Z09

They do that. My understanding is that after a short delay they also turn off when you park. They've been doing that since January, and just now stopped.

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2009 370z #206 (all mods are Home Depot)
2009 Ducati 848 (full Ohlins, Termignoni, etc)
2003 Grand Cherokee (long arms, big tires, 4.56, lockers)

enkei2k

that's new to me. didn't realize they do that after you park

I'll have to try this out when I get the chance and see for myself. I'll report back with my findings.

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...need boost...

Duc_Z09

Auto off headlights?

Why the hell mine stopped working properly is beyond me.

__________________
2009 370z #206 (all mods are Home Depot)
2009 Ducati 848 (full Ohlins, Termignoni, etc)
2003 Grand Cherokee (long arms, big tires, 4.56, lockers)

kenchan

bad relay maybe? not sure... i dont use auto-on on my cars because each time i start my car in the garage the ballast would need to fire up for like the 10-15sec im backing out of the garage.

how to kill ballasts. turn on off many times in short intervals.

Duc_Z09

Good point. I still want it fixed though. Hate to take it back to the dealer for warranty, but that might be what I've gotta do.

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2009 370z #206 (all mods are Home Depot)
2009 Ducati 848 (full Ohlins, Termignoni, etc)
2003 Grand Cherokee (long arms, big tires, 4.56, lockers)

SouthArk370Z

Look through the FSM and see if you can get any clues.

Edit: Check the door switches. If they are not working properly, auto mode will not work correctly. See "Auto Light System" section in FSM. Starts on page EXL-10 of the 2009 edition.

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Steering Lock Links - Search The370Z Bookmarklet - FSM @ NICOclub
Mankind has progressed past the need for war but we haven't evolved that far. - NachoMahma

Duc_Z09

Looks like a likely culprit. I've been having issues with the driver's side door window switch ever since I got my tint done a few weeks ago. They probably didn't readjust it properly after disabling it to install the tint. I didn't know that could cause other issues, but I'll play with it a bit and see if that fixes things. Thanks!

__________________
2009 370z #206 (all mods are Home Depot)
2009 Ducati 848 (full Ohlins, Termignoni, etc)
2003 Grand Cherokee (long arms, big tires, 4.56, lockers)

Duc_Z09

I think I fixed it; took all of 5 seconds with a phillips screwdriver. Thanks again SouthArk!

I'm still pissed that something that minor can disable the entire car though.

__________________
2009 370z #206 (all mods are Home Depot)
2009 Ducati 848 (full Ohlins, Termignoni, etc)
2003 Grand Cherokee (long arms, big tires, 4.56, lockers)