Club 80-90 Forums

Fairly new to the forum and T25's and a girlie too - but please don't let that colour your judgement as I'm a reet tekkie!. But what in the buggeration is draining my battery?????

My other half bought Vince the Vanagoon just over a month ago as a lovely present. I love him to bits but he's a right SOB - not the other half but the wedgie thing that doesn't work very well at the front of the house!!

We broke down (technically not that accurate as his batteries were sh$%^&&gged so we phoned the RAC, got running again, and bought brand new replacements for both normal and leisure batteries). Running lovely for a short while - but bear in mind I've got an early bay and a Honda Jazz to play with from day to day and don't need to pay full attention to the brick at front of the house Nor should he need it!!!!

The bugger won't work! Tried to start him up today and he refused to go - less than two weeks sinced I last sat in him AND drove from Leeds to Kendal and back again - no problems (like you would expect that with two brand new batteries; an alternator that's fine and an overhauled starter motor. Something's sapping his power; nothing is turned on inside as far as I know but he still won't start up and turn over. He's proving to be a right pain in the backside and is currently being wupped by an early bay from 1971!!!!

Surely this can't be allowed?

What's draining his battery? Or can't the big boy from the eighties keep up with his mate from over a decade earlier?

Shameful if that's the case!!! He's an automatic if that makes any difference - should be driving himself!!!!! Not relying on a bint from Lancashire that always said the early dubs were the best

Why's the little bugger playing up???????

Cheers, Debby

Yo!

Your gonna need to do a whole load of poking around to try and find the cause.

I would try and start by ensuring all the camping electrics are out of the pic - pull them fuses

Would be also worth ruling out an alarm/leccy windows and leccy door locks too if they are fitted

Try disconnecting the leisure battery also and see if it holds a charge after that.

One other thing could be is to remove as many fuses as possible (inside the glove box;)) for a bit too and see how that goes

We've tried unplugging a newly fitted stereo (only new addition we can think of and it also sounds archaically cool).

Fridge definitely doesn't work from leisure battery, lights do, water pump seems fine, battery charge comes up fine (then it would from a brand new battery!!!) etc...

Sounds like a right job!!


We may well be calling on any technically minded in Leeds to come and shed light on the problem in the near future.; One way or another the little sod will work ... Can't believe that a bus from '71 would run like a dream whilst a youngster from '82 would act like a prima donna....

Call it an unwelcome welcome to owning a t25

Cheers, Debby

I had this problem for MONTHS. It drove me mad. I even disconnected the clock in dash pod in desperation.

It turned out to be the stereo. They have two live feeds - one to memory and one to amplifier. Even when you switch it off, power can still be going to steros and will flatten battery within a day or two. Make sure amp supply is ONLY live when ignition is on. I know you say you've disconnected it, but do check this out.

In fact if I sit in my van for anything up to an hour with stereo on, battery will be stone dead so I only ever use it with engine running now. That said, I keep a spare battery (topped up with a solar panel) under kitchen unit - just in case.

bigbluebullybus wrote:Fairly new to the forum and T25's and a girlie too - but please don't let that colour your judgement as I'm a reet tekkie!. But what in the buggeration is draining my battery?????

Why's the little bugger playing up???????

Cheers, Debby

Yes I agree with the uplugging thing but a more scientific way of doing it is to switch everything off then connect a multimeter initially on its higher - say 10A setting - between the positive battery post and the positive battery terminal this way you can see how much current is flowing. If no current shows then set it to miliamps. There is no way current can escape from your good battery other than from the terminal. I would guess that a significant value will be seen. If you see a significant value here go round pulling fuses and disconnecting likely candidates until you spot the miscreant. Chances are it is the stereo. If you ain't up to this mildly techy stuff flutter you eyelids at the local grimy fingernailed geek.
Good liuck
Ken

had the same problem with a car,, it's almost certainly the stereo. the modern ones seem to draw a fair bit even in sleep mode and the battery on the t25 can hardly be called big can it? as someone said earlier make sure that only the memory live is pemanent, wire the other to something from the ignition switch.
good luck with it

Had same prob for months...... was in fact the stereo too! Wired in a separate on/off toggle switch, which worked a treat. Have since bought a more modern stereo, which doesnt appear to drain battery the same.
FW

tbh, you may be better using a bulb and bit of wire, and do as described above, disconnect the battery connection and insert the bulb between the battery connection and the wire you took off....... is better to disconnect the neg earth lead tho, so you keep the live connections good and together........ bigger the drain, the drighter the bulb lights, then disconnect and pull all the fused till it goes away..........starting with disconnecting the leisure battery live and neg to proove its not dragging the main battery down

could be a split charge relay leaking, could be the alternator regulator, could be a interior light you dont know about is on (look in the roof!)and it could be the clock or stereo.

Stereo here as well, had to fit isolator switch on the dash.

Turned out to be a faulty alternator with mine.

I used to go awy to India & when I returned home the batt wud b flat.

I disconned the clock & the bugg still went flat...then I removed my Sony face off..and ...walla all okay..I still use a solar panel to keep topped up both on the motor and the Les batts..& now all is fine..Who needs a clock anyhow...ur on yer olidays.........