no charge at battery, no red light though

[ermie571]

2.1 DJ

right, no charge at the battery, or the leisure battery (on a split charge system), but no battery light as a warning. Bit weird. Parked it up fine, went on a weeks holiday in the other van. Now it won't charge its batteries. So, she's sulking. But where do I go first tomorrow morning.....the alternator....has a fuse gone?

Will get her to the northants mini-meet tomorrow, as will take a fully charged leisure battery as well (its a heavy duty starter that I use as a leisure) and jump leads. But if I can get her sorted before I go, all well and good.

oh - the battery LED works, as is comes on when I start the bus.

thanks

Em
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[Mocki]

Em, just slow down here (Three posts ect ect)!!

so is the battery light on where the engine is running or not???

its almost deffo the brushpack - which would have flatterned the battery possibly
(assuming the blue wire from the alternator is ok)

[ermie571]

What happened there....anyway, deleted the excess posts.

when I turn the key, the battery and oil lights light up, then when the engine fires, the lights go out.
But the battery is registering a static 12.65 V when the bus is idling

Em
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[ermie571]

Mocki - did you mean that the brush pack could flatten the battery on its own....or starting the van and not charging it is flattening the battery

Can pick up brush pack tomorrow.

Em
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[Mocki]

check the main lead from the alternator to the startermotor or battery ( depending on how yours is wired)
its very common for the big lead ( s) from the alternator to rot and go high resistance or even completely disconnect with age. I normally run a new one from the alternator straight to the starter motor main connection to bypass this problem.....

check the output directly at the alternator firstly to see if its the brushpack tho

[Ian Hulley]

Our Scirocco did exactly this ... brush pack Fortunately the same as the van and therefore (of course ) I had a spare.

Ian

[ermie571]

Thanks for the advice guys....will do as suggested.

But if brushpacks, why doesn't charge light light?

Em
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[ermie571]

Quick update.

Thanks to Mocki, Toomanytoys and VWcamperfan who got the bus going saturday morning....turned the key and nothng. Contact on starter motor was the suspect. Anyway, still not charging properly...so thought would start with the battery..

so this evening took van to garage. Engine started, charging at just a smidgeon over 12v. Not good. Roy put load on the battery....about 200amps I think...(cranking drain).....voltage meter inside dropped to below 11v......after a few seconds (seemed like ages) he let the load off the battery. Low and behold its now chrging at over 13v....

He has said bushes (perhaps the set I got out of the spare alternoatro....while looking nice and long and clean aren't as good as I thought).

So, will get a new set. Roy also said the brass contacts inside need to be clean....how do you clean them and with what? Sand paper??

Thanks folks.

Em
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