SteveC

I have a Clifford alarm and disconnecting the battery is no problem - as long as the alarm isn't armed at the time! When you reconnect the new battery the alarm will be in the same state as when the old battery was disconnected, eg, disconnect when it's in 'valet' mode, reconnect and it'll still be in 'valet' mode.

You could try disconnecting the battery for a minute. Failing that, check the connections to the heating controls - although it's more likely that the control electronics themselves have packed in.

It's looking like the head unit then - unless something else is connected to the same supply? You'd have to disconnect the head unit at the back and test again to find out. If the amp isn't being used (ignition off), then the capacitor should have fully charged up and not be drawing any significant current at all. If it is drawing something like 60mA(?), then I would have thought it was faulty.

The Rad No. 1 fuse is for the original radio, amplifier and electric aerial. What exactly is the capacitor for?

190mA is a little on the high side, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. The only way you'll lose out is by not being able to leave the car parked up for as long. It's not an exact science, but your car possibly wouldn't start after being stood for a week or so. If you still want to find out where most of the drain is, then disconnect everything that isn't standard on the car and measure again. I would estimate that you should only have a drain of only 10 - 20mA or so that keeps the standard clock going, ECU memory etc. If you can't get it down to something in that region, then something is still connected and drawing current. When I replaced my original alarm I found an extra tracker that I didn't know was fitted. Perhaps you've got some electronic gear in your car that you're unaware of?

You're absolutely right, many of these so-called alarm specialists shouldn't be let near these alarms. I think the problem is they just don't allow enough time for a proper install and they usually take the easiest/quickest option every time. I've heard that some alarm fitters are only allowed a morning or an afternoon to fit an alarm. With any decent alarm it's near on impossible to do that and have a good quality installation that is reliable. If people are going to have an alarm installed, then make sure it's by reputable company that has the car for a day or two and pay that bit more for it. It'll be worth it in the end.

Just to make sure I wasn't talking b*llocks earlier when I quoted current drain with these alarms, I've just been out to test mine with a digital multimeter. Mine is a 650MkII, but the current draw shouldn't be much (if any) different to the original 650. When the alarm is activated and the sensors have come on, the total drain on the battery (including whatever the head unit, internal clock etc takes) is 53 - 63mA. The variation will be down to the flashing alarm LED and probably also the way some the four sensors work. When the alarm is in 'valet' mode the drain is 43mA steady. When the alarm is off and starting is immobilised (sensors are not activated), the drain is 37mA - 43mA (varies due to flashing LED). I hope this info gives you something to go on.

When I mentioned 50mA, that was just from memory. It could have been more, but certainly nowhere near the 1A you originally mentioned. 190mA does seem quite a lot though, and I would estimate that you'd probably struggle to start the car if it was stood for a week or so with a 190mA drain on the battery. I've always got my car battery connected to an OptiMate trickle charger to make sure that the battery doesn't go flat, as my car isn't used for weeks (or even months!) at a time. I do have one of the dual-zone microwave proximity detectors and also a dual shock sensor, a tilt sensor and a glass break sensor - all of which will consume some current with the alarm set. Yes, pull the fuses and disconnect additional circuits (stereo gear etc) to see what's contributing the most to the 190mA drain.

There's no problem in putting your meter in series with the battery on amps - or at least there shouldn't be as long as you don't try to start the car! That's the way I test mine and I seem to recall that the current draw with the alarm armed was something in the region of 50mA.

The sounder itself should be separately fused at 2 amps. Forgot about this one, but there is a 20 amp fused supply which is used to flash the indicators when arming/disarming and when the alarm goes off. So you've probably got: 2 x 5 amp fuses (one for the Clifford 650 control unit and one for the IntelliStart control unit). 1 x 20 amp fuse for the indicators 2 x 30 amp fuses for the IntelliStart (starter, a/c, heater and accessory 12v +ve supplies) So that leaves a 30 amp fuse for something else. If the drain on your battery is really 1 amp with the ignition off (no interior light on?), then your car probably wouldn't start after being parked up for a day or two.

Disconnecting the wires one at a time won't certainly won't cause any problems as far as the Clifford alarm is concerned. Whatever state it's in when you disconnect it, it will still be in when you reconnect - for example, disconnect it in valet mode and it'll still be in valet mode when you reconnect it.

Just a thought, but have you got 'SmartWindows' on your car? That can have two +ve supplies that could be taken from the battery; one fused at 5 amps, and the other at 30 amps. IntelliStart perhaps? That has 2 x 30 amp fused +ve supplies and another 5 amp one for the unit itself. These three could be run back to the battery.

The Clifford 650 (original or MkII) has one black +ve alarm power supply wire which should be fused at 5 amps. Personally I wouldn't run that back to the battery.

If it's got to be an air rifle then read no further, if it hasn't: I've got a BSA Scorpion .22 air pistol and the thought of selling it has crossed my mind the odd time or two over recent years. I've owned it for many years and bought it brand new. It's had very little use and was another one of my 'fad' buys. I doubt it's had more than a few hundred pellets through it at the most. Original box, target etc plus I've got a telescopic sight for it; really it's virtually in new condition. I was told at the time I bought it that it was the most powerful air pistol you could get. If interested, PM me - but I'm not desperate to sell it though! It's like this one - but mines almost certainly in better condition and will have had less use. Found a better photo of one with a sight attached.

Have a quick look here.

12 months ago my local dealer charged me £201.50 + VAT. The part number is 41881-14010.

Engineers mode on Hitachi 55": (assuming it's the same layout etc as the Hitachi 55PMA550E) TV in stand-by and on TV control panel: press input and down buttons together and whilst holding press power/stand-by button - hold 5 seconds hours used is shown at item number 284 The 7 control buttons on screen from left: 1. Power 2. Vol down 3. Vol up 4. Size/sel down 5. Recall/sel up 6. Input 7. menu If they contrast ratio had been tested the way they test them nowadays, then the contrast ratio would be some silly figure like 100,000:1. Blacks on these TVs are actually quite good.

It's looks quite high to me also. Mine only looks anything like that high when it's on axle stands.

I always thought that the engine should be hot. A hot engine certainly gives higher readings...

Have a quick look at my post here first and then take if from there. It could be just a two minute fix - with a bit of luck.

So then, it looks like this time the punch bag actually fought back - and won!

Connect terminals OP2 and E1 in the engine bay diagnostic connector.

TopgunTT - what a disappointment! All that build-up to an epic bid and then nothing...

Where was your winning bid TopgunTT? 17:00 has been and gone...

101 posts about 2 key rings - and only 20-odd minutes left!