ips Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 The only way to test if a battery is duff is to put it on a "drop test" any decent car accesory shop or kwik fit type place will do this for free. They connect a metre which effectively puts a big load on the battery and if within a few seconds the voltage drops below a certain level then its knackered. Reading the voltage with no load tells you begger all, I assume that this test has not been carried out however if is has and the battery is proven to be a good un then I too would suspect a bad earth somewere or something in your van / cab is drawing current whan parked up. Alarm system maybe ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Sorry, I could probably have phrased better .....it's low probability (if the test described results in a measured voltage of around 12.7V or above) that your battery will be at fault. (There is always the minor possiblity of some peculiar fault in the battery only manifesting itself when its on load - but I would be looking elsewhere first). I'm intrigued by you only getting a voltage of 12.80V from it presumably whilst it's coupled up to the charger. IMO, if it were getting a proper charge from the onboard system, I'd expect it to be pushing in between 13.7 and 14.5V (and thus measurable across the terminals). I would doubt that such a voltage would fully charge a partially discharged battery anyway. It's not unknown for certain charging systems only to deliver a "float" charge to the vehicle battery (intended to maintain one that is already in good condition). If there is a parasitic drain on the battery somewhere (which appears to be complained of by several users), I wouldn't be surprised if such a "float" voltage would struggle to bring it back up to full capacity (though a good couple of hours on the road at your measured alternator output would make a difference). I've no doubt that a bench charge, and voltage check after 24 hours, is a good next step. I would also keep an eye on the voltage at the vehicle battery whilst it is hooked up, as I fear you won't be able to rely on this to fully "revive" your battery if it doesn't ever rise above the measured 12.8V. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 andy mccord - 2012-03-28 12:01 PM.................Eddie, My LT315 shows full green on cab battery on hook up all the time Andy It will Andy, because it is recording the output of the charger when on hook-up, not the state of the battery. Disconnect the EHU and let the van stand for at least one hour with no load on the battery for the battery to "settle", and then check the meter. You should then get something that reflects the charge state of the battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Don't really want to muddy the waters, and it may not be relevant to the OP's question, but two things, my onboard vehicle battery voltage always shows 12.5 volts when charged. But I have a Toyota Avensis that always flattened the battery after three or four days if not used. This was subject to all sorts of troubleshooting over three years or so, the culprit finally was tracked down to the alarm / imobiliser, but with a twist. IF the alarm was set using the key fob, result dead battery, then quite by chance I discovered that setting the alarm by physically turning the door key, no more flat battery. Go figure ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 1footinthegrave - 2012-03-28 7:37 PM Don't really want to muddy the waters, and it may not be relevant to the OP's question, but two things, my onboard vehicle battery voltage always shows 12.5 volts when charged. ! In which case either your battery is never fully charged which may well shorten it's life or the volt meter is reading low. What voltage does it show whilst charging? Have you tried checking it with a multi meter both at rest and while being charged either by the alternator or by the onboard charger just to make sure that all is well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Tracker - 2012-03-28 8:52 PM 1footinthegrave - 2012-03-28 7:37 PM Don't really want to muddy the waters, and it may not be relevant to the OP's question, but two things, my onboard vehicle battery voltage always shows 12.5 volts when charged. ! In which case either your battery is never fully charged which may well shorten it's life or the volt meter is reading low. What voltage does it show whilst charging? Have you tried checking it with a multi meter both at rest and while being charged either by the alternator or by the onboard charger just to make sure that all is well. To be honest, no, I just always assumed 12.5 was OK, and the vehicle battery has been on for three years without ( fingers crossed )a problem. I will look at it in more depth now though Tracker ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I have gratefully taken all advice on board, and have arranged to do as IPS suggests and taking it into local kwik fit Friday morning... They have a dump tester that puts a load on and tells battery condition, it also tells if you have duff cells. also you get a print out which I can send to Fiat *-) If the battery turns out to be healthy. then it must be (as a few of you have suggested) the alarm, as I had switch fitted to radio to kill the feed.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Kwik fit waste of time, they just had same kind of tester as Fiat and its showing 30% " Err.... its enough to star the van" the tester shrugged. I give up will have a battle with Fiat when I return from Espana :-D thanks again for all the advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildBill Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Sorry for the late advice but think again before going to Kwik fit. Had an oil change done by them recently and they forgot to put some oil back in the car engine!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Perhaps your battery was old when you took delivery of the van, due to the time between the base vehicle being manufactured, then converted and registered. I once saw a (Citroen) X2/50 pre delivery inspection sheet, which included checking the date code on the battery and replacing it if it is over a certain age. Don't know if your converter/dealer actually did this. You may be able to find the date code stamped on the battery and google the instructions on how to read it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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