Main battery stopped supporting satnav/phone charge

[TravellingChick]

Satnav and phone charger work fine in the car and have previously worked fine in the van until this weekend just gone.

I use a cig lighter with crocodile clips that I connect straight onto the main battery terminals and whilst there is power to whatever I have plugged in at the time it's very very low level. The satnav keeps switching off and the phone takes AGES to charge up.

I only have one thing plugged in at a time and only do this when the engine is running.

I'm puzzled as to whether it's a battery fault or a fault with the cig lighter attachement.

Any advice?

Cheers
Sarah

[T'Onion]

sounds like the ciggy attachment , check the croc clips and inside the unit (if you can inside it) maybe a worn or lose wire

[ghost123uk]

Agreed, It's got to be the ciggy attachment.

btw, do take care using those chargers on a ciggy lighter thing with crok clips, as connecting them the wrong way round can instantly blow up both the charger and the phone / sat nav

I only have one thing plugged in at a time and only do this when the engine is running.

Not to worry there, the amount of power these chargers sap from the battery won't drain it, even if you have both chargers connected for hours and hours without the engine running.

[CovKid]

My satnav charger also died and now have to use the USB port on stereo to keep it alive. Its possible I suppose that an unstable supply (charging can go as high as 14v) may have killed it.

[albertramsbottom]

Heat is also a big factor. Sat Navs, Iphones and stuff can easily overheat. I recently drove to the Gambia and all devices would not charge unless cliped in front of the airvent to cool them.

Albert with the lemon

[ghost123uk]

Heat is also a big factor.

Yes, with the weather we have been having, this could be,,,,,,,,,, Nah, that's not it

[TravellingChick]

Cheers all, I'll test the satnav in the car over the next few days and see how it performs.

Could well be the croc clip ciggie attachment which will be annoying if it is!

Cheers
Sarah