Took a break from my job, got an 11.99V reading off the battery, started the engine.......whoa !!!!!!!
-------Headlights, dome light, horn work
-------3 windows went up but drivers window wont.......hope its just a fuse.......
-------Will perform more tests tonight
-------Will keep checking battery voltage next few days
-----I am feeling hope that I may regain full functtion but staying kind of reserved until I do......
THANK YOU FOR ALL GUIDANCE AND INSIGHTS........Jaguar owners are the GENTLEMEN of the car world giving nothing up in performance :-)

 

--6:15 pm Drove to Advanced Auto Parts, unfortunately it was young 20 something youngsters the manager had do a load test on the battery
--their machine could not do the test, it kept saying "interference" noted.......oh boy,what could that be?
--their machine said my alternator was charging
--changed cartridge fuse for driver's window and it works now :-)
--Bought their gold level battery with some electrolite grease and a post cover for $250......
--have the old cosmetically damaged center console hooked back up
So far it appears everthing is working that is not on the center console, I did not dare test the ac buttons, temp or radio, did not want to cause another crisis
THANK YOU ALL-------Demetrios

 

Fingers crossed you’ve got the problem licked. Seems odd a battery could have failed and discharged itself so quickly while you were coincidentally doing some other work. Stranger things have happened, though.

Keep in mind new batteries typically are not fully charged at time of sale. It would be a good idea to hook up your spiffy charger overnight to be sure.

 

I lost track meanwhile...: That battery, which was down to 3.3V, which you replaced now: Was that 3.3v battery old or pretty new?
If new, keep measuring your voltage permanently, and if you notice in the evening that you got somewhere a massive current draw, disconnect the battery over night until you found the failure (the current draw) - else, you have to buy another battery soon.

 

batteries typically are not fully charged at time of sale.
-- Thank you, good advice, I need to top off the charge 100%
THANK YOU KARL :-)

 

Dear Peter,
The old battery was 2 years only, sitting in the hot humid sun of my driveway, I dont have a garage, perhaps the heat killed it, I dont know yet or perhaps something in the car is draining it..........I will keep checking it from now on with new battery...........THANK YOU :-)

 

Yes, keep an eye on the load condition of the battery. If you do not use a battery for a long time, then charge it every so often, I have 3 CTEK chargers. When the sun produces heaps of electric power (solar on the house) I charge my batteries, including those in those cars, which are being driven... (this will save petrol at the end of the day, as there would be less demand from the alternator to do it (which of course requires an extra amount of petrol do be powered...)

 

Did they give you a printout of the results? I'm wondering if they checked for AC ripple from the alternator. Let me 'splain. I got to wondering what could have killed your battery so quickly. Most battery-killing drains are fairly small, and require several days of inactivity. A wire with a bare spot rubbing against ground could have done it, but nearly all circuits are protected by fuses, so this is not super likely.

A more likely fault is a failed alternator diode. The diodes serve two purposes. They convert the alternator's AC output to DC, and they prevent the battery from discharging backwards through the alternator when not running. If one of these diodes has failed, you'll have a heavy discharge rate of the battery. The alternator's output will also be choppy, which is why I asked if they checked for AC ripple.

Testing for AC ripple yourself can be a bit tricky. Some meters can catch it, but most are designed to ignore the troublesome spikes. It's best to use an oscilloscope or a special meter designed just for this purpose. The store's meter likely was capable of testing for AC ripple, but who knows if the kid ran that part of the test.

A crude method for testing for a battery-killing drain is to judge the size of the spark when reconnecting the battery ground cable. Was it just a normal little spark, similar to what you might see when touching a door knob after walking across the carpet while wearing corduroy bell bottoms? Or was it more like a flash, making you wish you had worn a welding helmet?


If still unsure about the new components, can you swap over just the trim pieces? I know the pop-out drawer can be removed, as I had mine out for repair one time.

 

Which is the good flash?

 

The little one. That's the normal stuff powering up.

When your eyebrows and nose hairs get singed off, that's the bad one.

 

I sure am glad JagV* asked which spark is the good one..........but going back to what you said about the diode and backflow, it makes sense.............

That is an incredible insight, THANKS........

 

---I will look into this too............THANK YOU :-)

 

Any updates? Did the new battery do the trick? Or was something else running down the battery?

 

Dear Karl,
Thank you for following up.
Its been raining non-stop and I dont have a garage, to charge battery up to 100%
I have become so behind and overwhelmed at my job.

I will need more time.

Thank you Sir, you are a true Gentleman !!

Demetrios