In a 40 year old Fiat 124? Delayed off/fading courtesy lights are now common but not back then.
If it was delayed off, just one circuit ofr all interior courtesy lights.
I agree on *all* the time must be wrong. It might not flatten the battery in a day but two or three easy. On with the iginition switch in the "accessory" or "run" position is much more likely.
No, Boot lights generally are on the same ciruits as interior lamps. They go on when things are opened irrespective of keys in ignition
The only way you could tell if they were on all the time was by being in the closed boot.
In practice there is a door type switch somewhere.
Are they original type of bulb? Or has someone replaced them with LEDs or some other spec?
What do you think the capacity is for a car battery under a very small load like that? Even the cheap nasty ones you used to get would be around 80AHr for that small a load. An "80AHr" one in a modern car would probably be 160AHr for such a small load. The capacity is usually stated for a much higher drain.
Most batteries now have capacity in how many amps you can draw while starting.
How about between 1966 and 74? Batteries have changed a lot over the years. It?s by no means uncommon for a boot light to flatten a battery, how long it?ll take will obviously depend of the state/quality/capacity of he battery.
All this is beside the point that no manufacturer would design a boot light to be ?permanently on?. As TNP suggested, it was probably just linked to the door switches instead of having it?s own boot light switch (as an economy measure), or the OP is just wrong about it having no switch.
Tim
Erm, roughly the rated value at that load, given it's normally the C20 one.
Nope.
Whilst it might be more if the load isn't on the C20 rating for that capacity, it's unlikely to be double for 'that' (~.4A) load.
Nope, it's stated at the C20 rate and they are the sorts of numbers we are talking about here.
Yes, Cold Cranking Amps or Marine Cranking Amps. Not the same as their std C20 rating.
When I was racing EV's, because the race I entered lasted one hour and the average draw 25A, the 'Reserve Capacity' of the batteries was of interest to me and I built a discharge jig to test batteries for just that. Fully charge all the batteries to be tested, put them on the jig one at a time and select the best 2 that had the same characteristics (then took the rest back, after fully recharging them of course). ;-)
Cheers, T i m
Rubbish.. a 40AHr batter C20 rate is 24W not 5W. One fifth the discharge rate will nearly double the capacity of a lead acid battery.
Sorry - missed the bit about it blowing the fuse. ;-)
If it's anything like my E39, a fractured wire or two where the loom goes into the boot lid isn't unknown. Because of constant flexing.
Some of us remember the days of parking lights. No street lighting, so had to be on all the hours of dark. And with a weedy dynamo.
and some of us remember paraffin parking lights 'cos the battery wouldn't start the old bus the next morning with electric ones
No as it probably came on only when the driving lights were on
On a 3 year old 7 series? Standards have slipped since my day ;-)
On a 1960s Fiat 124 I'd expect about 30Ah. It could be less.
NT
Possibly, when new and when at 20 DegC and down to 100% discharge.
Agreed, but see above (and depending on what capacity rate you are referencing).
The point being is that it's quite easy to flatten the battery of an old vehicle in the cold with just a boot / interior light, overnight.
A mate did exactly that with a Rover SDi and that wasn't that old.
Cheers, T i m
Boot light in an SD1 is 6 watts. Interior lights 2x6 watt. Mine has a 70 amp.hr battery. 1 amp for 12 hours would barely make a dent in it.
I once left the lights on at work on a winter morning. Was told about it lunch time, and it started OK. Ran it for about 15 minutes to charge the battery and then had lunch. Started OK at night.
even a modern car left for 10 days in an airport car park can have very low battery. The alarm system is quite thirsty.
Most are meant to be able to be left for 3 weeks - assuming a decent fully charged battery.
Yours had a *good* 70Ah battery in it. ;-)
(Side lights ...) Yup, that's what I would have expected (hoped for) on a good battery (and 'these days').
Cheers, T i m
Agreed.
Cheers, T i m
Indeed, little things you attached to the window ( they clipped over the edge and stuck out). Single bulb in an egg shaped plastic lens, red one end, clear the other, held in a black rubber arm which also formed the clip to go over the window.
Not that I?m old enough to have used one but I remember my father using them and fitting a little 2 pin connector to plug them into in his cars. (No cigarette lighters in cars then.)
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