Battery Draining Issue

[LeedsWelshExile]

Hi,

I'm a newbie and this is my first post so apologies if it's one that's cropped up already. I've checked the archive but can't find a suitable thread.

My 1990 Westy is draining its main battery and I've no idea why.

I'm on my third battery in two years and they are very decent (Yokohama) batteries. If I don't run her at least twice a week it really struggles to turn over and the effort of doing it often wipes out whatever charge is left in the battery.

A battery specialist from The AA (who recently came out) tested the charge rate from the alternator and it was very healthy. He also checked for draw on the battery from the after market immobiliser and this was almost negligible.

I'm wondering if the started motor is putting extra strain on the battery? Or if should keep it connected to a decent trickle charger (I've been told that Optimate chargers are the nuts)?

Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

thanks

[tonytech]

The usual suspect for a draining battery is the radio.
Some radios/cd/mp3 units draw a fairly large current in "standby"
Have you got a electrical multimeter?
If not, get one, £10 should sort it, and it will come in handy.
On Amps range (10A) disconnect your -ve battery post and connect meter between the post and the lead.
If its more than about 0.25A you have a problem.
Pull fuses one by one and see if the reading drops.
Reconnect the battery and see what doesnt work.
T

[LeedsWelshExile]

thanks for the rapid reply Tony.

I can get hold of a multimeter so I'll have a look at that sharpish. The stereo in the Van is a CD / MP3 player so that will be worth checking out.

BTW what are your thoughts on float chargers?

[tonytech]

I dont have a camper interior in my van and cant hook up at home (van is parked on the road)
I could plug in at work, but I've only ever done that when my last battery died of old age.
I cant really comment on float chargers, other than to say you really shouldnt need one unless you have the van parked up for weeks at a time.

T

[CovKid]

One of these is really useful to get some measure of drain as you'll see exactly what is being drawn from the battery. Once connected, you can remove one fuse at a time to find the culprit.

About £5-£10 on ebay. Also handy for finding out how much your stereo uses etc. Reads volts, amps and watts all in one go. Mine is in a circuit at mo but I'm buying another and fitting croc clips so I can use it as an all-round tester.

[California Dreamin]

I used to get a similar drain issue on my Westy and it turned out to be the Eberspacher Night heater. I've run my supply (from the red fuse on the B pillar) through a heavy duty switch to isolate the heater when not in use...sorted it for me.

Of course a 100 watt solar panel and dual output controller would be even better.

Also: go for a Type 100 (UK size) next time you replace the starter battery, it will give you a little more in reserve.

Martin

[LeedsWelshExile]

Thanks Martin - but I don't have a night heater so that rules that out.

Tony - I finally got around to testing it with a multimeter and it only shows 0.07 Amps.

I'm in the process of isolating where that comes from but it's nowhere near the 0.25 that you mentioned as a problematic level of draw...

[nicq]

Are you checking that on the ground / neg . As that is not enough to be a problem.
You have disconnected the gnd strap and connected a meter on neg post to car body and read amps on the meter.

[CovKid]

0.07 is neglible. The starter does draw the most from the battery but providing the vehicle is being run (and some suggest a 9 mile run is enough to replenish charge), then it shouldn't drop that much. That said, Winter poses its own problems - bigger draw running headlights etc and short runs won't be enough to really recharge the battery. In fact that was my primary reason for fitting a solar and it does seem that even with the reduced sunlight we get this time of year, it IS keeping my battery topped up. Before that I seemed to be replacing the starter battery every two years.

Reading what you've posted, its quite possible that either the battery to starter cable is not good, or you've got a sluggish starter. If the battery isn't actually being depleted too much, I think I'd home in on the starter.

Take a look at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNKSeAAd3rk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[marlinowner]

Assume it isn't a Calcium battery?
If it is you should change the voltage regulator on the alternator as the original one will give too low a voltage and the battery won't fully charge.

[CovKid]

As Marlinowner says although I'm fairly confident a weak starter will be your problem. I always rebuild my own and come across several like that. The other common cause is a worn olite bush (the end of the starter runs in this). They wear oval and can cause starter to bog down and bind whilst still consuming amps.

[LeedsWelshExile]

Thanks Marlin Owner,

It is indeed a Calcium Battery. It's a Yuassa Silver YBX5000

How big a job is changing the voltage regulator on the alternator? Specialist?

[marlinowner]

No easy enough to change, held on by two screws. Standard voltage regulator is 14v output, with a Calcium battery you should fit a 14.5v one part number 068903803DX.

Can't say that is the cause of your problem, but it can't be helping.

[CovKid]

Get that starter off, pop the endcap off, clean the commutator and check condition of braided wire as well as brushes. Change the bush - cheap but a pain to get old one out sometimes. Check condition of starter cables. Any green, manky, or frayed cables are trouble.

[LeedsWelshExile]

Thanks for all of the advice.

There's quite a few mini-projects there that would all make a difference I'm sure.

Thanks again folks. I'll report back when I make some progress.

Cheers

LWE