Club 80-90 Forums

No racism intended, just a problem of location. I think I have finally figured out that something is very amiss with my van's electrics. Probably due to my wrongly putting back together a sytsem that was pretty dodgy to start with.

My non-starting problem seems to be due to a drain on the starter battery. It is beyond my very humble skills to trace/fix this sort of stuff. So I need to know if there are any campervan electrical wizards located, preferably, in central Scotland? I reckon the van will start and drive ok with freshly charged batteries, so I can take the van some distance if necessary.

I would be happy to use a reasonably priced decent professional mechanic or would be happy to come to some amicable arrangement with a skilled amature. At the moment I haven't really been in proper contact with any of the VW network, so I don't know anyone that would be useful locally. My own local car mechanic looked a little panicy when I mentioned trouble with campervan electrics, I think he prefers the nuts and bolts side of things.

Hope somebody can offer advice,
Cheers,
Donald.

as a sop gap, disconnect the battery while parked up....at least you know it will start.

secondly, take the battery to a battery testing place, and make sure its ok - alternatively, charge it up fully (take for a drive?) whip it off and indoors - run a voltmeter across it, and note the voltage. Leave for 24 hours then do same check. If voltagehas dropped, new battery needed, and your electrics may be ok.

at least you will eliminate the battery....

there are some scottish members - sure they will be along.

Good luck - it will come good

Em
x

Its when people say things like

ermie571 wrote: run a voltmeter across it

that I start to panic a little. I once accidentally bridged a spanner across a car battery terminal and the thing exploded - just a bit scary. I've always been a bit wary of them since. I also keep expecting wires to start glowing like an electric fire or for things to go 'pop' with a puff of blue smoke.

Anyway, I take your point. The batteries may well be goosed as they have already been totally flattened and recharged recently which I have heard is not good for them. I will try to get someone that knows the right end of a multimeter to hold to test them. As you say, it will help eliminate some of the possible causes.

Thanks,
Donald.

if you have got a halfwits local....they may test it for you if you ask nicely.


But I suppose if you drove it, so you know its charged....then parked and disconnected the earth.....then left it 24 hours....reconnect and try starting....if it starts, that would suggest the battery aint too bad!

repeat the test....but leave battery connected ....after 24 hours don't start then you have a drain.....

and I dunno how to do that bit!

Em
x

I wish I could help, I'm based outside Falkirk, but currently trying to trace my own battery discharge problem.

Issue I've got is all the Haynes wiring diagrams are for the late model fusebox. There is a good tip in the Wiki about disconnecting the negative lead and running a wire+bulb between the positive and disconnected lead.

If you remove one fuse at a time, when the light goes out you'll know which fuse it is. Its a start at least.

Matt

Charged the starter battery overnight and today, hey presto! Starts up first time. The question now is, is the battery losing power all by itself? A possibility as it has been flattened a couple of times now and might well be goosed. Or is there a drain on the battery from something else?

Did the diagnostic check detailed in the wiki and discovered that, yes, there is a power loss somewhere. Tracked it down to the radio - ie, light on when radio in das, light off when radio removed. Now I'm wondering why the radio is drawing power, is it the memory? What can i now do about this???

Any ideas will be appreciated.

Cheers,
Donald.

is the battery holding a charge......to check if it is.remove it put it on charge for 24hrs.check the voltage with a tester.leave it stood(not on charge) for another 24hrs.check the voltage again.if its lower than the first time you tested it.you need to replace the battery..

Hi Donald

Pop along to one of ur local bleathers. Loads of help avalible, will soon work out the problem is.

First mon of every month in Rosyth, Every Second Wednesday of the month Flotterston Inn, third Wednesday of every month Hawes Inn.

There is a cruise every 2nd Wednesday to the Flotterston. The fifers usally meet at the layby at the north side of the bridge.

Failing that I would recomend.

http://www.busstopecosse.co.uk/ Open til 10pm every tue can pop over for a chat and a cuppa.

John Forbes Automotive Edinburgh's top air-cooled VW specialist, 0774260964.

Kev

Hi Donald. Mybus is the same, its all down to my stereo, halfwits wired it up before i got my bus, I think its all down to HOW its wired up. I took out the fuse, left it for a week, and it fired up first time. So if im not going to use it, i just remove the fuse. Charge it up take out the fuse, leave overnite and try it. Rick

Rick, did you manage to rewire your radio successfully ie, without it flattening the battery? I'm going to try wiring the radio direct to the leisure battery and see if that makes a difference. I'm wondering if the live feed behind the dash has a dodgy earth or something.

Cheers,
Donald.

Rewired the radio to the leisure battery and I think that has sorted the power drain problem. When i tested the circuit (using a bulb and crock clips) using the starter battery, there was a brief flash on the bulb, followed by a regular pulsing of the light - very weird. Now, if I test it on the leisure batt, there is a brief, but fainter flash and no pulsing light. I really should get myself a multimeter, as i'm sure that would shed more light (sic) on the problem - if i only kwew how to use the darn things.

Anyway, my latest electrical adventure is trying to wire up the fridge. The previous owner had a strange ciggy socket affair that 12 lead from the fridge plugged into. I was hoping to just have it permanently wired into the supply when the engine is running. I have found the correct wires for this, yes they supply power only when the engine is running - so far, so good. However this wire also seems to supply a constant 12v from the leisure battery.

The leisure battery and the main battery seem to connected by means of a relay, which i am sure is meant to be a split charge set up. Now I'm wondering if it is wired wrong, or do I need a separate relay for the fridge? Maybe that is why he used the socket, to save him the trouble of separate wiring?

Any ideas?
Cheers,
Donald.

Donald360 wrote:Rick, did you manage to rewire your radio successfully ie, without it flattening the battery? I'm going to try wiring the radio direct to the leisure battery and see if that makes a difference. I'm wondering if the live feed behind the dash has a dodgy earth or something.

Cheers,
Donald.

Hi Donald,havent got round to it yet, but ill be doing the same, It sounds like you know more about lecky than me, so good luck. Rick.