battery drain?

hi every1.search the forums.but no luck? My battery is draining down in n matter of minutes? Used n ''tester'' to try n find the problem, but cannot pinpoint where the drain could possibly be happening? Suspect that it is near the ignition switch(from the little black box under stearing wheel,with all the relays). I have to either disconnect my bat. To keep the bat. Charged or kick start my baby. Does anyone know what could cause such n drain in bat. power. Somewhere there is n wire that is constant 12vlt ''running'' is my understanding? But where???? This as added n few grey hairs on my head.
Ps.where could i get n diagram for the entire loom layout,so i could once n for all sort out all the ''wires''?

theres diagrams in the back of the haynes manuals

as to such a drain it could be anything but not sure what the black box is under the steering wheel as the fuse box is on the otherside of the car

I'm not an auto-electrician, but hope the following will help:

I'd start by fully charging the battery, then popping a meter (measuring ohms) between the +ve terminal and the positive lead.

That way, you'll find out if there really is a current drain, or if your battery's failing to retain its charge.

If there is a current drain, fit the +ve battery lead, then work across the fusebox - remove a fuse, then test with your meter across the terminals where you removed the fuse.

Repeat with each fuse in sequence.

Obviously, you should have little or no drain at any point, so if you find a drain at 1 fuse, you'll know which circuit has the problem.

jellybelly ..the little black box has relays that come on when i turn the ignition on!! My bro' inl law says they control certain parts of the electronics..was working perfect up until i installed n imobilizer.worked fine until i installed my mp3/radio player..next thing-power drain. Alarm deactivated…radio connection seems fine. But drain continued???
@Fonzooroo..sound advice…will give it n try in the morning. Amazing just quick a reply one gets on this awesome site.xxx
Wish we had a fabulous club like this in South Africa, Cape Town. You guys rock n keep up the amazing…. Everything.

I've come across a couple of head units which drain the battery…Perhaps try that first. If you've put it onto the standard wiring, it'll be fuse no.3 (from the left) - either a 10 or 15A. (according to the Haynes)
Obviously, If you've wired back to the battery, you'll have put a fuse holder in, so test there.

thanx.. Off to have a look now!  :roll:

had to drive ''wifey'' to the shop'n mall. Got back n tested the battert, digital multi-meter displayed 13.87vlt. Tried to start n the engine turned but slow? Tested the bat. charged n it displayed 12.5vlt? Baffled i tested the entire fuse array, all readings displayed 0.9 / 0.8! The fuse for radio gave n small spark when i refitted the fuse? Tested again n the fuse was @ 0.9/ 0.8? Going to disconnect the radio from the ignition on, charge battery and then try again? I can only guess @ this point that it is the battery not holding charge (have n huge jaguar car battery,2nd hand now)  I am so baffled now???? :-(

tried to start…bat. Is charging up, so i think it's safe to say that the battery is fine. Disconnected the radio…tested battery n the charge has moved from 12.64vl to 12.70vlt in 30seconds? Check charge again in an hr's time..try to ''swing'' engine? Will let you know if success!!

battery still charging. A mate of mine said to check what the voltage drops to when starting. Do you know what the voltage should b @ time of engine swing/starting?

if your battery is showing 12.6v and the car is turning over slow its not your battery, its either the starter motor or an earthing problem. could also be the ignition switch these faults all give the symptoms of a flat battery.
when you say battery is flat what voltage has the battery got , i have seen cars turn over on 10v! if you have around 12v at the battery check the voltage on the big red starter lead, is it the same? if its lots lower its wiring if its 12vish(it will be SLIGHTER lower) its the starter or earth, check earth by putting jump lead from the negative terminal on the battery to some metal part of the engine if this fixes it its the earth lead. good luck

Hi racer
I removed the mp3 player uand reconnected it onto a diff. power supply.So far the car is starting as it should.Guess that's sorted for now. A new problem has crept up now.
Unfortunately the part of Cape town i am living in has been experiencing a huge problem with a drug called "tik" , a.k.a.
This is a highly addictive new drug on the market.Last week, one of these "tik monsters", as we call them. broke into the garage and broke the rear pass.door. He could gain access to my car, but gain access to bro'-in-law's car and removed his sound system,amp and speakers. Vw golf 3.
I purchased a immoboliser from chiner town.The reason for this is that it is not a common sec. system found here, so knowledge of how to bypass it should be ltd. The system works with a scan card,read switch.It has a "double pole-double throw" relay switch. It has a constant power on that connects via the ignition wire.the ralay is in a "normally closed position", but continues to have a power supply running through it.
My question is," will this constant power "on" that flows through the relay cause the batt. to drain? my Mk1 golf is a fav. type of car to steal.I therefore need to safeguard my "girl".
Could you or anyone who has knowledge of this please assist with A) proper connection B)will this drain the battery aswell?

kind Regards

Hi guys.
Took "my baby" to a bud of mine.Battery drain was being cause by a short on the electronic "mother" board of the clock. unable to find a replacement "board" for now, so i he had to disconnect the clock altogether? No battery drain problems now.
Taking my "baby" to have an anti-hijacking/immobilisers/central locking alarm system install. Not badly priced @ R1500.00. Have considered replacing the door handles with the Polo door handles.Heard that it was possible??? Any advice for me.
I must say that this is the best "site" if you own a VW..

the alternator wont charge the battery with the clocks disconnected, it needs a 12v feed from the battery light to trigger it. for the short term put an ign live to the blue wire to the alternator and that'll make it work untill you can get some more clocks