beaver34
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| posted on 22/4/11 at 06:16 PM |
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battery drain
not in a kit but a split screen vw camper, drains it batter after 3-4 days, where do i start as regards tracing and finding the fault?
owner fried the coil awhile ago by getting + and - wrong way which i dont think will have helped the wiring
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rusty nuts
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| posted on 22/4/11 at 06:32 PM |
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Start by getting the battery and the charging rate tested followed by disconnecting the earth lead and connecting an ammeter between it and the
battery then reading off the current. If you have a reading other than about zero something is draining the battery, try removing each fuse in turn
noting the ammeter reading if no fault found try disconnecting the dynamo , regulator , starter motor etc till you find the cause. A well known fault
on a lot of VWs is thew starter motor bush in the bell housing which can cause flat battery symptoms especially on 6 volt models . Make sure all
electrical connections are clean and tight and it might be worth changing the starter solonoid connector
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steve m
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| posted on 22/4/11 at 06:46 PM |
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As Rusty says,
and
has anyone added or emoved anything electrical recently? if so that would be a start
Also a bad earth can seem to give the same reults as a flat battery, so perhaps start there
as the power is there, but can not get through
steve
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beaver34
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| posted on 22/4/11 at 07:28 PM |
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thanks guys,
its had a alternator conversion, ill check the earths etc....
it also has a full beam issue, replaced the relay as it didnt work and as soon as you fit the relay the lights come on, regardless of what do with the
light switch, i think the loom may be damaged at somepoint as the relay is as it should be wired in
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snowy2
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| posted on 23/4/11 at 03:49 AM |
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alternator conversion has got me suspicious.....was it previously +ve earth? even so i would bet the excite wire has been connected to a permanent
live not an ignition live and is draining the battery through the alternator (very common mistake when converting from dynamo to alternator)
sometimes you are the pigeon, most of the time the statue.
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britishtrident
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| posted on 23/4/11 at 07:36 AM |
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First you need to establish it is a current drain not a dead cell in the battery.
Only way to do this is measure the leakage current at the battery terminnal.
If no leakage current greater than about 0.005 amps then the battery should be tested for voltage drop under high current load.
If there is current leakage then the prime candidate is the alternator diodes, note most modern alternators will still pass a charging voltage test
even with one or two blown diodes. The only way to check for leakage through the alternator is to disconnect the alternator and see if the leakage
current either stops or reduces.
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beaver34
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| posted on 23/4/11 at 05:10 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by snowy2
alternator conversion has got me suspicious.....was it previously +ve earth? even so i would bet the excite wire has been connected to a permanent
live not an ignition live and is draining the battery through the alternator (very common mistake when converting from dynamo to alternator)
its a brand new alternator conversion kit, i fitted the same to my van and no issues it has a 10mm socket for power to battery, a earth bolt and a
spade for the light on the dash thats it, and that seems to work fine the light goes off when engine starts flickers a little at low revs when its
cold
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britishtrident
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| posted on 23/4/11 at 07:06 PM |
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New or not check for current drarn through the alternator it is a simple check could save a lot of time.
[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]
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beaver34
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| posted on 23/4/11 at 07:15 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
New or not check for current drarn through the alternator it is a simple check could save a lot of time.
how do i do that? amp setting on volt meter and bridge termainals?
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britishtrident
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| posted on 23/4/11 at 08:04 PM |
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(1) Disconnect the battery.
(2) Measure Current by putting the DMM on current range between the battery and battery terminal.
Then disconnect alternator and repeat the test.
One thing to be aware of is the digital Multi-meters are fused internally at 10 amps and don't give any indication if the fuse is blown.
[Edited on 23/4/11 by britishtrident]
[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]
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beaver34
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| posted on 24/4/11 at 03:55 PM |
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Think the fuse is gone in our multiple meter dosnt register anything at all, going to buy another tomorrow me thinks
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