cornishjojo Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Hi We have recently bought an 18month old swift kontiki 665S, we have had umpteen problems with it, all in hand with the dealer we bought it from and also under the swift warranty. One of our problems is the engine battery keeps going flat, and no we aren't using that instead of the leisure battery. Our dealer said that the alarm can drain the battery? If we have the vehicle at home plugged into the electric and then switched to engine battery instead of leisure battery, will that charge it? Many thanks for you advice in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Hi and welcome to the mad house! :-D Engine battery - how quickly is it going flat? It shoudl be okay for a few weeks before you need to worry. Some alarms can put quite a draw on batteries but without knowing how quickly it is happening it is difficult to say if this is likely to be the cause. Plugging it into your mains at home and switching it to charge the engine battery should indeed charge it, however, if memory serves, this will not get it back to a totally full state as they tend to have an upper limit set at the charger unit. If your vehicle battery has been fully discharged it may not be possible to recover it to a good state and replacement may be the only course of action, something which your dealer should sort out for you. But you really do need to get to the bottom of why it is discharging first, if this is over and above the 'norm'. It would be interesting to know fo the problems you've had as others on here may be able to offer some advice/assistance to get the rectified and save you being fobbed off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornishjojo Posted June 3, 2009 Author Share Posted June 3, 2009 Thanks for that. We go away most weekends, it was 3 weeks after we first got the van that the battery had gone flat, BUT, hubbie had actually started it and drove it off our drive, and it was parked up for about an hour before we were ready to set of, and then the battery was flat. We drove the van to the dealers on a Monday and the following Wednesday (so just over a week) and they said they had checked the battery out and it was fine, but they too had problems starting it when we went to collect it. Obviously not sure when the last time they had turned the engine. We went away for 9 days, on the 7th day my husband tried to start it and it was dead. We came home on Sunday (got jumped started), hubbie just gone out again to start it, and it is dead again!! Nothing has been on other than the alarm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Hi Cornishjojo, there are other things that drain the battery, the clock, the odd computerised engine management system, and something else to think about, a while ago I had a similar problem, on my Transit there is a relay by each battery and one of them was not breaking when engine was stopped. Something to do with the charging system from the alternator I was told by some one who knows more than I do......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Hi, if this Swift is on the newer X2/50 chassis then its not such an unusual story. I've seen quite a few whose battery goes flat in short periods of time. I think the main culprit is the combined Blaupunkt sat nav/rear camera/radio system, I've rewired several to the leisure battery and it seems to have improved matters somewhat. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Cole Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Hi Cornishjojo, The problem you have is not unusual, I have the same problem on my Swift I need to keep the engine battery charged. If left for more than a couple of weeks the voltage has dropped to below 12v so I have fitted a 4a smart charger (Ring about £25) and I hook up on a regular basis. I lose about .2 of a volt a day through various losses which after a thourough investigation of the on board systems I am unable to reduce. The retro fitted alarm is the main culprit as well as the engine management systems. which are in sleep mode when the ignition is turned off. Make sure that you turn of the fridge and that the light is not incorrectly wired to the engine battery instead of the leasure one. The radio, reversing camera and other electronic goodies will also add to the problem. I did have a problem in as much as my alarm system had been incorrectly wired to the engine management system and whilst away in France a couple of years ago it drained the battery and scrambled the Fiat immobiliser preventing the vehicle from starting, resulting in the vehicle being uplifted to the nearest Fiat dealer. It took a week to sort out and as it was not a Fiat problem I had to foot the bill (which I later reclaimed from the dealer) make sure all battery conections are clean and tight, and that your battery is in good condition. Regards geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 The culprit on my X250 Swift Bolero was the auto select fridge, it took 0.4amps even when switched of as the computer system still worked. If you look at the bettery monitor part of the display you should see a discharge of 0.4A. The fiat element also takes quite a drain for the imobiliser etc. I fitted an 85w solar panel and that solved the problem. Good Luck Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy mccord Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 I agree with daves comments, my ace airstream has a habit of not switching off from the blue colour screen for some reason, it can be quite warm to touch the back of it occasionally, oddly it seams permanently powered up with the little red light on all the time. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 I have a 04 Swift Kontiki 665. I only use it during the school holiday periods and occasional weekends so it is left standing on my drive for many weeks (sometimes months). I have alarm fitted and obviously turned on. I check the battery every 2-3 weeks and do not generally have a problem, although I did once leave it just that little bit too long and battery was dead. If like me you have the in van charger just hook up to the mains, switch panel in van over to 'Vehicle Battery', as default is to charge leisure battery, turn on charger (mine is located in wardrobe) and this will charge the battery okay. As to why the battery is going flat so quickly and so often is a mystery though (?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornishjojo Posted June 4, 2009 Author Share Posted June 4, 2009 thank you all for all your wonderful replies, I will print them all off and go through them with hubbie tonight. Unfortunately, one of our other problems (we actually have loads ;-( ) is the control panel, it has no display on it at all, so it is a bit like the blind leading the blind. We are awaiting swift to send a new control panel to our dealer, it has been on order for 3 weeks now plus! Thank you once again, this site is brill!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Tell me about it !!!!- I've had this problem with my 2008BessacarE530 since day one- and there is an old thread somewhere on this forum with some more info.- Swift group thought is was an issue with the reversing camera and Satnav- these remain live even though the ignition is off. My dealer re-wired the supply -on instruction from Swift Group to ensure it switches off with the ignition- (about a 30min job). However this hasnt made a lot of difference- leave it unattended for 3weeks and the traction battery is flat- Compare this to a car left for a month while your're away and it will start straight away. Basically although its really a Fiat problem they dont want to know- their take on the problem is that the Ducato is a 'white' van- designed to be used everyday and therefore the battery will not have a chance to go flat. One tip- if the traction battery goes completely flat it will switch off the onboard control unit even though the habitation battery is charged. To get around this you need to reset it by momentarily disconnecting the main 40a(?) fuse in the habitation line Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye6007 Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I understand that the X2/50 cab has a 50ma draw – that about to 1 1/4 amps per day loss. The standard engine battery fitted is 88A and you need at least 50A to start the engine. You see from these figures that will only take a few days to use up the other 38A and that’s before you take extras into account to say nothing of lower temperatures in winter. My neighbour found his MH battery flat after 2 days! His dealer fitted a gas alarm and wired it into the vehicle battery without an on off switch. It's strange that John Parsons 'Which Motorhome' May 2009 says that this is not a common problem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Just to put my 'twopennethworth' in. The basic current draw on X250s is 'relatively' high as noted above, my answer (if/when I get one) is solar panel, fit and forget. As others have stated check out any aux's wiring. You say that van was started and moved off drive then stopped, if battery was a 'bit low' then engine started and stopped without suffienct time to recharge then it probly will not restart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Probably a silly suggestion but does the battery hold its charge with nothing connected ? Is it the original battery ? If the battery has been sitting around in the vehicle since the vehicle was built, then at a dealers for a few months, and only charged up to move the vehicle, the battery may be suphated up and only fit for the tip (recycled of course) Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 MIKED states that:- "Swift group thought is was an issue with the reversing camera and Satnav- these remain live even though the ignition is off. My dealer re-wired the supply -on instruction from Swift Group to ensure it switches off with the ignition- (about a 30min job). However this hasnt made a lot of difference- leave it unattended for 3weeks and the traction battery is flat" Swift group built the vehicle, are they so bad that they do NOT have the answer. What do they do?, just put together a kit of parts and hope that it works !!!!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 mike 202 - 2009-06-08 6:43 PM Swift group built the vehicle, are they so bad that they do NOT have the answer. What do they do?, just put together a kit of parts and hope that it works !!!!. If only ... we can but wish that they built them THAT well ....!!! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wirralian Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 I have a 2004 Ace Milano (Swift Group) and have been dogged for the last 12 months with the vehicle battery frequently going flat. In June 2008 I put in a new battery which did not seem to cure things but as I was able to recharge the battery from the mains I wasn't too bothered. However for some reason suddenly the vehicle battery ceased to take a charge via the mains. That being the case, I took the van to an auto electrician who immediately diagnosed the cause of the flat battery to the faulty radio. (it did have a habit of coming on on its own accord!). He also spotted that the battery put in last year did not have a big enough capacity for my 2.8 Ducatto. As for losing the facility of charging the vehicle battery via mains electricity, that has not been solved. Can it be a faulty on board charger in the van. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliB Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Wirralian, I have a Swift 630L (2008). The engine battery was not charging from the mains. It was easily diagnosed as a faulty on-board charger as the leisure battery was also not charging. Note also that on some models the engine battery and leisure battery circuits are isolated until you select otherwise from the control panel. By default only the leisure battery is charged from the mains. If my vehicle is left for more than 3 weeks the vehicle battery gets very low. I now disconnect the earth lead on the battery for periods of longer storage. The battery then stays good for a long time. Yes, I know this will disable an alarm if fitted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Mel B - 2009-06-08 7:15 PM mike 202 - 2009-06-08 6:43 PM If only ... we can but wish that they built them THAT well ....!!! :D I appreciate that there are a lot of forum users that are, or have, experienced problems with some Swift vans. However, I have to say that I have had my Swift Kontiki from new, it is now 5 years old and I have not experienced any of the problems that seem to be getting raised on this forum, and I don't just mean the 'judder' related issues. Perhaps I am the lucky chosen one :D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Big Momma, the problem of batteries discharging (and judder as you mention it) is related to the X250 models, 2006 on. Yours is not afflicted by the dreaded high standby current characteristic of the x250. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Brambles - 2009-06-10 3:31 PM Big Momma, the problem of batteries discharging (and judder as you mention it) is related to the X250 models, 2006 on. Yours is not afflicted by the dreaded high standby current characteristic of the x250. Jon Thank you for enlightening me, I will now keep my own council and think myself lucky that I purchased when I did ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 My 2007 Burstner Marano power supply unit does not charge the habitation battery. So I've fitted a 4amp smart charger unit directly to the engine battery. Which is really easy to do on the X250 as the battery is inside the van under a cover in the cab floor. I just connected it up and tie wrapped it to the rear of the drivers seat plinth and plug it into a mains socket in the van when I leave the van for a while. You wouldn't believe the amount of wires that are connected to the engine battery, there are loads of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGD Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Maybe (and others with greater knowledge will be alomg shortly) one option is to fit a battery isolation switch in the engine compartment. They are available from most electrical factors, you fit it to the big red wire coming rom the positive side of the battery. Normally a big red plastic key inserted into the switch and turned thus allows power to flow whenever you are in the MH and wnat to start the engine. Cost? About 7 squids. OK, so you have to open the bonnet to activate it/de-activate it, but when parking up for any length of time, you just turn the switch to "off", and any power drain rom the vehicle battery is stopped. Obviously, if you want power still to run to (for example)your alarm system, then the lead to that syetm has to come from the positive side of the vehicle battery before the point at whcih you install the "kill switch". Piece of cake to fit. And ace as a way to stop scum stealing your MH. Just a thought............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 I've got a piece of kit that does exactly what the above poster sugests. I got it from Liddl's and it has a plipper like a car alarm that activates it to swith off your battery to only allow a very small current to flow to your alarm/radio code/engine management. It is meant to be a security device, as any attemt to start the engine cuts out the battery completely and resets all the vehicles electronics. That's why you must not switch off the battery completely as suggested above, it will clear the memory in your radio and reset the onboard computor for the engine management system. Which could make your vehicle run like a dog for a while until the system re-learns your driving technique. TURNING OFF THE BATTERY IS A DEFINATE NO-NO on a modern vehicle with a management computor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yrocker Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 peter - 2009-06-10 10:45 PM I've got a piece of kit that does exactly what the above poster sugests. I got it from Liddl's and it has a plipper like a car alarm that activates it to swith off your battery to only allow a very small current to flow to your alarm/radio code/engine management. It is meant to be a security device, as any attemt to start the engine cuts out the battery completely and resets all the vehicles electronics. That's why you must not switch off the battery completely as suggested above, it will clear the memory in your radio and reset the onboard computor for the engine management system. Which could make your vehicle run like a dog for a while until the system re-learns your driving technique. TURNING OFF THE BATTERY IS A DEFINATE NO-NO on a modern vehicle with a management computor. All you need to do to overcome this problem is to run a small wire with a low power fuse around the isolator switch. This will keep the radio and engine magagement system powered but in the event of someone trying to start the vehicle the fuse will blow and the van won't go!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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