Is there a simple way of testing the battery to see if it is knackered or not ?

My battery is draining overnight, car hasn't been run much lately but I can charge the battery, go for a short run, leave engine running for half an hour ... next day battery is dead again.

I know I am supposed to fully charge the battery but just havent had the time or space.. keeps raining lol .. and am sick of taking the strut brace off to get the battery out.

I have a multimeter ... just dont really know how to use it lol

Dan, I know Rich has just bought a new battery because his had dropped to reading 11.7v first thing in the morning. Mine is 12.7v first thing.

Even a top notch battery only has a guarantee of 5 years, I'm sure mine has been in since Cleanie's conception.

So is yours more than 5 years old....?

Are any (as there are 6) of the cells dry.....?

This doesnt discount a faulty alternator or the possibility of something 'on' and draining it over night but its a start......

You can get it out without taking off the strut brace, its just a pain in the ass

I had battery headache a few months back. Change over batteries with one of your many other F's and see if the same thing happens. At least then you know if it's the car or the battery.
My problem was the wrong size battery, and it was fine for the first 9 months of ownership.

I put it on charge for a few hours tonight so will see if I can start her up tomorrow evening... if battery is dead then something is amiss ...

Will check with multimeter when I find where I last left it lol

I hope it works ...
If not, a couple of things to try (but you'll need that multi meter)
Test the battery 12.4 - 12.6 is the first thing.
If that's ok, put on all your electrical equipment (radio, AC etc) and take a reading (should drop to 10.9 -11.7 or so)
Now, start the car and the voltage should go up to 12.4 or so in a minute or two.
If it does, then you know the alternator is "ok" and it's charging the battery. If not, then you'll have to have the battery cells and/or alternator tested.

I had something similar last year, new battery sorted it all out tho :D

Ditto. Battery looked ok on the meter, but overnight lost the charge. That was a mazda battery (the big one) about 5 yrs old. They do just get to an age then die. But its damn frustrating! If the meter says the alternator is ok (and the tell-tale light on the dash would indicate a fault in the charging circuit anyway), would suggest you bite the bullet and stick a new battery on. Job done and no more strut-brace wrestling!

Rob

I spent too much money lately lol maybe I will just charge the battery from the spare car and stick that one in and see if it still does it lol...

Now why didnt I think of that before :P

MOst battery shops should be able to test your battery and tell you whether or not it's shot. If it's 5 years old, it probably is ...

Story so far ....... charged the battery again till charger said battery full.. tested on Multimeter with a good reading of over 12 ... bugger car wouldn't start tested with multimeter again and it was down to 10

Solution ... swapped batteries over from donor car, started first time with a good reading of over 12 ... will see tomorrow if it starts and report my findings lol