battery

[VERAT25]

hi all
had new battery fitted 4 weeks ago/ old one dead as a dodo,got exchange on 3 year guarantee(1 week left)

just gone to use van and hey ho..........flat again.

any tips on what might be draining bat// as am confident everything was turned off???

verat25(cardiff)

[Hacksawbob]

put a 12 v festoon bulb between the positive battery terminal and the battery post and see if it lights. if it does get someone to remove each fuse in turn to see which circuit the problem exists on. Also check the output from your alternator to make sure it is actually charging your battery!

[VERAT25]

thanks hacksawbob.

can you en lighten me on the festoon bulb idea and the connections

thanks

pete

[Hacksawbob]

you just need a common or garden festoon bulb (not an LED one!) any 12V bulb will do just a festoon may be easier to hold in place while you test. . probably best to put it between the negative side rather than positive, remove the negative earth lead to your battery. touch one end of the bulb to the battery terminal and the other end to the earth lead, if the is current flowing you will have a lit bulb indicating a drain. remove the fuses in turn to see which circuit the drain is on.

[VERAT25]

thanks matey.
will give it a go sat/day

thanks

peter

[richlaz]

As Hacksaw bob said, but you could also use a multimeter set to Amps, between the earth lead and negative battery terminal

[elsid]

That happened to me a couple of times. I put a bulb in the earth and it lit up very bright. I removed the fuses one at a time but couldn't find the cause. Someone suggested it might be leaking to ground through the alternator. I fitted a Dis-car-nect in the earth lead no probs since. I also use the dis-car-nect when I am on site to make sure I am only discharging the leisure battery.
Sid

[richlaz]

Just Google'd that dis-car-nect... simple but useful bit of kit.

Linky: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Discarnect-immo ... B0019ULCPW" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Would be a bit of a pain to have to take the battery cover off and turn the knob every time you enter/exit the vehicle. But... on the other side... it would stop/delay a tea leaf trying to steal the bus.

My personal opinion (don't shoot me )... great as an immobiliser... but in this situation wouldn't it just be hiding the electrical fault instead of solving it?

[VERAT25]

Just Google'd that dis-car-nect... simple but useful bit of kit.

Linky: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Discarnect-immo ... B0019ULCPW" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Would be a bit of a pain to have to take the battery cover off and turn the knob every time you enter/exit the vehicle. But... on the other side... it would stop/delay a tea leaf trying to steal the bus.

My personal opinion (don't shoot me )... great as an immobiliser... but in this situation wouldn't it just be hiding the electrical fault instead of solving it?

my thoughts exactly.
got battery checked again yesterday......told me there was a short inside battery??????????? with a bit of persuasion at 3.50pm on sunday they gave me another new one.

so disconnect radio+leisure bat..........then go from there.(pain again)

verat25(cardiff)