Leisure battery not charging from engine

[Solent]

Bought a lovely Westy Club Joker hightop last week. I'm a bit puzzled by how the leisure battery is behaving. I drove the van 150 miles home on the day I bought it, but when I got home and checked the battery readout (on the display near the fridge) it was only showing an orange light. By Friday it was red and starting to fade away.

I hooked the van up to the mains on Friday evening and the leisure battery charged to green very quickly. Since then it's been steadily decreasing (it's showing orange at the moment), despite several fairly decent journeys. So I'm wondering if the leisure battery is charging properly (or at all) when the engine is running.

There's no problem with the starter battery - that seems to be charging fine.

Any ideas where the problem might lie?

[joseph1985]

hello! this is my first post and i have only owned my first camper for a week now but i would recommend getting the battery tested somewhere like kwickfit they wont charge you for this service and can tel u if the battery is anygood or not... hope this is helpful

[Red Westie]

Just get a voltmeter on the leisure battery....should read around 12.6 volts on a healthy battery (engine off) then rise to around 14volts as soon as the engine is started. If the charge reading is fine I would suspect the battery is old and tired. If you are not seeing 13.8 - 14.2volts when running then I would be looking at the leisure circuit and or relay.
Martin

[Solent]

Thanks - I'll give those suggestions a try and let you know how it goes.

[Ian Hulley]

hello! this is my first post and i have only owned my first camper for a week now but i would recommend getting the battery tested somewhere like kwickfit they wont charge you for this service and can tel u if the battery is anygood or not... hope this is helpful

Hiya, welcome to the club

I don't even drive PAST Sh!tfit unless I absolutely have to ..... 90% of the gibbons who work there are only there cos they failed the audition for MacDonalds and are too young for BnQ, I certainly wouldn't let them touch my van.

Ian.

[Solent]

Update: Volt meter confirms the battery isn't charging at all on engine, but charges fine on mains hookup (I knew that already...).

Brand new relay installed today (under drivers seat, LHD) but exactly the same as before. Presuming now it's the wiring somewhere...?

Meanwhile lots of recent rain has revealed a couple of leaks (top window and footwells) - more to sort out. Sigh. Starting to go off this "lovely" van.

[jamesc76]

The battery could have had it ! plus do you have a zig unit is it switched to charge the battery ???

[camper]

Dont get fed up with the van Solent.Ive owned three t25s and they all needed work from engine changes to electrics & repairs to the body work.From the late 70s to date i am still bitten by VW camper van bug.

[Red Westie]

Hiya.....what relay did you fit, the original is a DOUBLE CONTACT (both outputs are switched at the same time) and not a change over which is much more common and often fitted by mistake.
This is the correct type:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Relay-12V-40Amp-5 ... 2305f6cd85" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also check the fuse.
Martin

[Solent]

To be honest I'm not sure if the relay I fitted is double contact or not. I ordered it from http://www.vwbusshop.de" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and it's described as being for a secondary battery (see below). Does that look right?

Where would I find the fuse?

[Red Westie]

Well they look identical apart from the skematic which shows both outputs switching together.
If I am correct and the number on the relay is: 20 207 100? then it looks to be a 30amp double contact relay so correct....a little weak perhaps (30amps is borderline) but the correct type.
The fuse holder should be close to the starter battery (in the other battery box if a petrol engined Westy), although I've never had cause to change mine. They are known to blow occasionally (30amp fuse)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/VOLVO-PA ... 0446603790" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Martin

[aaron]

i replaced a battery cos it was going flat only for new battery (from sh*tfit) to do the same so i spent ages looking for source of power drain only to realise new battery was buggered. took it back to sh*tfit and alls been well since. Avoid kwikfit even if it is just around the corner.

[Solent]

I don't think the battery is knackered - it charges from the mains hookup fine, and holds its charge well. And don't worry, I have no intention of going to Kwik fit - I've suffered at their hands before!

I'm possibly being a bit thick, but I can't find this fuse. I've had a good poke around and there doesn't seem to be anything except the battery under the passenger seat, and nothing except the second battery and relay under the driver's seat.

[a1winchester]

Are you sure there's nothing draining the leisure battery? 'Fridge? water pump? short circuit? Stereo?
If the battery's ok, that will be why it's discharging.
Use an ammeter to see if there's a current when you think everything's switched off.

[JonnyAtlantic]

I think you should read this thread on Brickyard, link below to take you there.

http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/weird ... 50048.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I had similar issues on my Westfalia Atlantic, relay burnt out. I bought the wrong relay from maplins, thinking all 5 pin relays were the same but there not. As was said previously, you need a five pin make and break relay. The one you bought from gunzl may be wrong, as others have had this problem. The brickyard thread has links where to obtain correct relay too.