Battery warning Light

[centro]

I have noticed the battery warning light stay on for around 20 seconds when the engine is running. Could this signal a problem? If so where would be a good place to start? Battery connections, Alternator? Cheers

[colinthefox]

Check the simple stuff first. Loose belt. Worn Brushpack/regulator. Bad connections, esp to the D+ terminal or earth connection from battery to engine and from gearbox to chassis.

[kevtherev]

this happened to me and the brushpack was the culprit.
I also discovered that there is a metal earth tang that the pack connects to... this needed cleaning as the new one played up until it was cleaned

[VWCamperfan]

Or possibly low RPM if the engine has just started up. Can be enough to keep light on until idle increases slightly.

[centro]

Or possibly low RPM if the engine has just started up. Can be enough to keep light on until idle increases slightly.

Thats interesting. I dont know what the proper term is, but the engine can be a bit 'jumpy' some mornings. This goes away within a minute or so.

[kevtherev]

do you set the idle speed with the accelerator before starting?

[centro]

I don't. It's a 2.1 injection if that's any help?

[choplee]

Thats exactly what mine does...startup and battery light stays on ..Then give it afew revs after 20-30 secs and out she goes...Must be the Sheppey air ...

Or possibly low RPM if the engine has just started up. Can be enough to keep light on until idle increases slightly.

[VWCamperfan]

Thats exactly what mine does...startup and battery light stays on ..Then give it afew revs after 20-30 secs and out she goes...Must be the Sheppey air ...

Or possibly low RPM if the engine has just started up. Can be enough to keep light on until idle increases slightly.

Must be...! My dash (different!) wouldn't light up this morning... Salty sea air and corrosion I reckon!

[choplee]

Ha ha ....Don't we just love that sea air ,but it does come at a cost...A magical mix of salty water and metal..yummy ..

Thats exactly what mine does...startup and battery light stays on ..Then give it afew revs after 20-30 secs and out she goes...Must be the Sheppey air ...

Or possibly low RPM if the engine has just started up. Can be enough to keep light on until idle increases slightly.

Must be...! My dash (different!) wouldn't light up this morning... Salty sea air and corrosion I reckon!

[gaz f]

My bus does this also, but it didn't start doing it till I installed the leisure battery, the original vw split charge wiring was already there but the battery was missing when I got it. It's been in for months and charges fine btw, so there isn't an issue with it. What I did noticed investigating the issue when I put the battery in was after you start it up, the light stays on for around 20 seconds as mentioned then you can hear (listening closely for it beneath the seat) a click from the split charge relay and the light goes out. Maybe yours is like mine and just stays on till the split charge kicks in?

[VWCamperfan]

My bus does this also, but it didn't start doing it till I installed the leisure battery, the original vw split charge wiring was already there but the battery was missing when I got it. It's been in for months and charges fine btw, so there isn't an issue with it. What I did noticed investigating the issue when I put the battery in was after you start it up, the light stays on for around 20 seconds as mentioned then you can hear (listening closely for it beneath the seat) a click from the split charge relay and the light goes out. Maybe yours is like mine and just stays on till the split charge kicks in?

When engine has started, tap the accellerator pedal for a second or two and this will kick the alternator into life. Until this happens, the alternator won't give out enough to switch the split charge relay over. The relay is controlled by the alternator, usually from the signal wire connected to the battery warning light.

[choplee]

That sounds just about right ... Looks like it's a common light to have on on the dash when starting up ....

[VWCamperfan]

Yeah, it can be! Basicly, alternator RPM has to be above a certain level to switch the charging light off. After that it usually behaves itself unless there's a possible alternator fault.