Parasitic battery drain |
Post Reply | Page 12> |
Author | |
SebRogers
Vanorak Joined: 07 Oct 09 Location: Somerset Status: Offline Points: 1676 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Posted: 12 Apr 13 at 13:51 |
Advice appreciated... my battery's going flat over a week or so standing on the drive.
While my bus was in the paintshop over the winter the battery died on several occasions. No-one really worried too much about it - everyone concerned just assumed it was cos it had been sat around a lot in the cold. Got it back, battery dead after a few days. Full charge, lasted nearly a week this time. So I bought a new battery. Which is also now dead, after a bit over a week... So either both batteries are duff, or I have a leak. I'm going to charge both batteries up. I've cleaned all the battery terminal connections and replaced one that looked a bit skanky. Had a look at the battery earth - looks fine, nice and clean. Can't do much more because the riveted plastic shroud around it makes it hard for me to even get an open ended spanner on there. With one of the batteries freshly charged I'm gonna disconnect the -ve feed and put a multimeter between that and the battery. That should hopefully show a current drain (if it doesn't I'm really stumped!). Drain established I'm then gonna pull fuses to see if I can isolate the circuit that's the cause of the trouble, starting with the Webasto engine heater (which has never worked and I haven't got round to fixing). If none of the fuses show anything the only other thing I can think of to check is the earth strap on the starter motor. Anything else I can check fairly easily?
|
|
'85 T3 Doka EJ22
'94 T4 Westy Cali Club ABT 2.4td |
|
SebRogers
Vanorak Joined: 07 Oct 09 Location: Somerset Status: Offline Points: 1676 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Oh, not sure if the 2.4d has an auxiliary water pump, but I've been fiddling around sorting undertray rattles and there's nothing whirring under there, so I don't think it's that issue...
|
|
'85 T3 Doka EJ22
'94 T4 Westy Cali Club ABT 2.4td |
|
gregozedobe
Vanorak Joined: 22 Dec 06 Location: Canberra, Oz Status: Offline Points: -998266 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
If you weren't driving van during the week the new battery then it is almost certainly parasitic drain. Stereos, alarms and any other wiring mods are the most common culprits, so I'd start pulling fuses to those first.
Please let us know what you find (it might help some other poor soul).
|
|
jason k
Admin Group twinklerims Joined: 14 Jan 05 Location: Wales Status: Offline Points: 15934 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Seb if the leisure battery is goosed then I'm pretty sure due to the way they are wired westys leach power to the knackered battery.
Be thankful yours is an earlier bus, it has two leisures as opposed to the five hundred quid gel type in the later ones!! |
|
Bcs shallowest surf award winner 2006
camperjam 2011 chug and tug team member aberdare. south wales newest member of karmann korner no longer the only moderator to manage to ban himself |
|
SebRogers
Vanorak Joined: 07 Oct 09 Location: Somerset Status: Offline Points: 1676 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Thanks for the replies!
Jase, AFAICT the leisure isn't connected to the main battery at all (and I've only got one, and yeah it's goosed...but not a priority right now). Could be wrong though (thinking about it I probably am wrong, cos of course the alternator charges the leisure...) Made some progress, anyway. Drain is 180-190mA, which tallies with the week or so it takes to drain the battery. Started pulling fuses, got to no. 21 (interior lights, clock, radio)... BINGO! Zero drain. So... I'm guessing the stereo is the most likely culprit? It works without the key in the ignition... is this the problem, or is it not that simple? |
|
'85 T3 Doka EJ22
'94 T4 Westy Cali Club ABT 2.4td |
|
gregozedobe
Vanorak Joined: 22 Dec 06 Location: Canberra, Oz Status: Offline Points: -998266 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
It might be as simple as the stereo not powering down completely, but sometimes aftermarket Stereos can prevent VW controllers from "going to sleep" properly after switching off the ignition, so it might be caused by the stereo (keeping something else "awake") but the actual current drain is elsewhere.
|
|
SebRogers
Vanorak Joined: 07 Oct 09 Location: Somerset Status: Offline Points: 1676 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Thanks!
How would I find out? The 2.4d's a pretty simple beast - no ecu to power down afaik. Also... this was happening with the 'old' Blaupunkt stereo too. The new Alpine head unit only went in recently, which makes me think it might be a stereo wiring issue (rather than an inherent problem with the stereo itself). I read somewhere about VW's switched and permanent live stereo feeds being the 'wrong' way round? |
|
'85 T3 Doka EJ22
'94 T4 Westy Cali Club ABT 2.4td |
|
SebRogers
Vanorak Joined: 07 Oct 09 Location: Somerset Status: Offline Points: 1676 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Also... if the stereo was the cause but the drain was on another circuit, then logically I'd get zero drain pulling both the radio fuse AND the fuse on the culprit circuit...right? Or is it not that simple?
|
|
'85 T3 Doka EJ22
'94 T4 Westy Cali Club ABT 2.4td |
|
jason k
Admin Group twinklerims Joined: 14 Jan 05 Location: Wales Status: Offline Points: 15934 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
On the radios seb you switch the red and yellow wires for switched and permanent lives.
I'm still putting my money on the leisure supping it. |
|
Bcs shallowest surf award winner 2006
camperjam 2011 chug and tug team member aberdare. south wales newest member of karmann korner no longer the only moderator to manage to ban himself |
|
D&D
Moderator Group "deuce" Joined: 11 Sep 09 Location: Shropshire Status: Offline Points: 20097 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
I agree with Jase as i recently had a problem charging. The leisure charged but the engine battery wouldnt & my bus was pulling on the leisure when trying to start because the engine battery Amps were low, the issue was down to a simple switch, both batteries will be on the same system. The 2.4 has got a small electric after run pump under the rad. These are nearly always goosed, on my last 2.4 it was still supping power even though it was not working. |
|
Carthago 32.1 T4 LWB
BY Golden Nut Winner Chug & Tug Team Member |
|
SebRogers
Vanorak Joined: 07 Oct 09 Location: Somerset Status: Offline Points: 1676 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
All good advice, cheers!
Though if I pull the radio fuse and the drain drops from 180mA to zero, I'd have thought that'd rule out secondary pump or leisure battery issues (leisure voltage is fine - 12.7v w/out load, it's just the capacity that's shot). I'll investigate further... |
|
'85 T3 Doka EJ22
'94 T4 Westy Cali Club ABT 2.4td |
|
SebRogers
Vanorak Joined: 07 Oct 09 Location: Somerset Status: Offline Points: 1676 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Update: I'm not 99.9% certain it's the stereo.
Ignition feed wasn't connected; instead the live feed was split and run to the igniton / live inputs on the stereo. So it worked independently of the ignition (good), but was drawing 0.18A permanently (bad). Quick test rewiring as it should be drops the current drain to 0.01A, which is where it should be I reckon. The trouble is that wired that way it won't work unless the ignition is on. Which is a pain in a camper... So before I put plan B into action (wire the ignition feed through a switch in one of the blanks on the dash), is there another way to wire it up so that it'll run without the ignition on but not flatten the battery in a week?
|
|
'85 T3 Doka EJ22
'94 T4 Westy Cali Club ABT 2.4td |
|
jason k
Admin Group twinklerims Joined: 14 Jan 05 Location: Wales Status: Offline Points: 15934 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
On the t4s I've done seb I just switch the red and yellow as the iso wiring live and switched live are reversed on the standard wiring. The stereo then just works off the acc live
Edited by jason k - 14 Apr 13 at 17:35 |
|
Bcs shallowest surf award winner 2006
camperjam 2011 chug and tug team member aberdare. south wales newest member of karmann korner no longer the only moderator to manage to ban himself |
|
SebRogers
Vanorak Joined: 07 Oct 09 Location: Somerset Status: Offline Points: 1676 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Thanks Jase.
Being an early van I think the wiring might be a bit different. Not sure if there's an acc live...
|
|
'85 T3 Doka EJ22
'94 T4 Westy Cali Club ABT 2.4td |
|
jason k
Admin Group twinklerims Joined: 14 Jan 05 Location: Wales Status: Offline Points: 15934 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Acc live is first click of the ignition key seb.
|
|
Bcs shallowest surf award winner 2006
camperjam 2011 chug and tug team member aberdare. south wales newest member of karmann korner no longer the only moderator to manage to ban himself |
|
SebRogers
Vanorak Joined: 07 Oct 09 Location: Somerset Status: Offline Points: 1676 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Don't have that on my ignition. Off, glow plugs, start...
|
|
'85 T3 Doka EJ22
'94 T4 Westy Cali Club ABT 2.4td |
|
SebRogers
Vanorak Joined: 07 Oct 09 Location: Somerset Status: Offline Points: 1676 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
... which would explain the stereo wiring
Looking like a switch on the dash, then...
|
|
'85 T3 Doka EJ22
'94 T4 Westy Cali Club ABT 2.4td |
|
Piledriver
Vanorak Joined: 11 Jun 07 Location: South Wales Status: Offline Points: 1483 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
......sounds like a plan seb
Edited by Piledriver - 14 Apr 13 at 19:17 |
|
SebRogers
Vanorak Joined: 07 Oct 09 Location: Somerset Status: Offline Points: 1676 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
I want one like that
|
|
'85 T3 Doka EJ22
'94 T4 Westy Cali Club ABT 2.4td |
|
Alonline
Vanorak VW Customer Service Joined: 18 Apr 10 Location: Belfast Status: Offline Points: 2517 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Wire it to the leisure, that way it can kill that, but you will be able to get started and it can charge or as others said
Good old switch but how good is your memory to remember to switch it?
|
|
Post Reply | Page 12> |
Tweet |
Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |