| Author |
Message |
allsierra123
Samba Member
Joined: August 19, 2006
Posts: 1462
Location: Tecate, Baja California MX
|
 Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 4:32 pm Post subject: Anyone ever get a dead battery From random things?(update) |
 |
|
Could be a total coincidence But it seems if A blinker is left on or if the rear or front fan switch is left on the battery goes dead? Anyone else have a similar experience?
_________________
95 GMC Yukon 6.5 TD 2 Door Tow pig/ Daily driver.
91 Vanagon GL. 1.9TD Conversion Sold
81 Vw rabbit 1.6 Diesel. Sold
Last edited by allsierra123 on Thu Nov 19, 2009 5:14 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Wildthings
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 50350
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 5:49 pm Post subject: |
|
|
It doesn't take much to run down a battery that is old and failing. A new battery should be able to start the engine if you leave the headlights on for several hours. I once had a Diehard that started my car after the headlights were left on for 10ish hours.
If something small being left on is killing your battery, it is probably warning you that its time to start looking for a replacement. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Perales
Samba Member
Joined: May 07, 2007
Posts: 2046
Location: Nova Scotia
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Wildthings wrote: |
| I once had a Diehard that started my car after the headlights were left on for 10ish hours. |
That's either one hell of a good battery or one hell of a good fish story.
_________________
-- 1987 Westfalia automatic (Captain Vino) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
whafalia
Samba Member
Joined: January 28, 2009
Posts: 685
Location: San Francisco
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:32 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I had a battery die while I was chasing running problems with the engine running as I had the instrument cluster off, and have since learned, thanks to samba wisdom, that without the charge light the alternator won't kick in. That was the end of diagnosis attempts that day. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
allsierra123
Samba Member
Joined: August 19, 2006
Posts: 1462
Location: Tecate, Baja California MX
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 8:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I took it down and had the charging system checked out all was ok with it. The weird part is it doesnt happen all the time. Just seems to be randomly.
_________________
95 GMC Yukon 6.5 TD 2 Door Tow pig/ Daily driver.
91 Vanagon GL. 1.9TD Conversion Sold
81 Vw rabbit 1.6 Diesel. Sold |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
1621
Samba Member
Joined: May 15, 2006
Posts: 2174
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 8:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Have you checked to see if the fridge has been left on 12v? My better half killed our last battery with this.
_________________
'85 Westy |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
allsierra123
Samba Member
Joined: August 19, 2006
Posts: 1462
Location: Tecate, Baja California MX
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 8:15 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Its a GL I have No fridge. But it would have to be a fairly large draw to kill it overnight.
_________________
95 GMC Yukon 6.5 TD 2 Door Tow pig/ Daily driver.
91 Vanagon GL. 1.9TD Conversion Sold
81 Vw rabbit 1.6 Diesel. Sold |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ftp2leta
Samba Member
Joined: October 11, 2004
Posts: 3271
Location: Montreal
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 9:28 pm Post subject: |
|
|
frigging van part 2...
It's 11pm, my aux. battery just died, i charge it before coming in NY, at 90amp an hour, it should be fully charge.
Before i left home, the day before i checked the van and the main batt. was very low, but the van was beside the house for 3 weeks. In my case, alarm system take juice... so i thought.
BS, it's the main + wire from starter to battery thats getting weaker and weaker, amp doesn't flow properly. Most of the time it's a bad ground from tranny to frame that cause that but lately I see a lot of bad + main cable.
Also check main + wire from battery to fuse box, another know problem.
Did you drain down your battery a few time? Acid battery won't take many full discharge.
Ben
_________________
Working with rust, grease, dirt and dust is a sad truth.
------------------------------------------------------
FI part for sale: http://www.benplace.com/parts_sale1.htm
My site: http://www.benplace.com/vw2.htm
Subi conversion: http://www.benplace.com/vanaru_eng.htm
Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/ftp2leta |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Wildthings
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 50350
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 11:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Perales wrote: |
| Wildthings wrote: |
| I once had a Diehard that started my car after the headlights were left on for 10ish hours. |
That's either one hell of a good battery or one hell of a good fish story. |
You must not have seen the Diehard ads from the sixties and seventies. Those were extremely good batteries. I had one I bought for my Thing in 1980, after a couple of years I moved it over to my Toyota. During the summer of 1993 my wife came in one day and said that she had had to have the Toyota jumped. I looked at her kind of funny because the Toyota had never once given starting problems since I had bought it. I went out opened the hood and looked at the battery. I thought a bit and then realized the battery was 13 years old, no wonder it failed to start the engine. Unfortunately you can't buy batteries that good anymore, the batteries I buy today seldom make it more than a 3-4 years no matter what they are warrantied for. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
allsierra123
Samba Member
Joined: August 19, 2006
Posts: 1462
Location: Tecate, Baja California MX
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 5:17 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Ok took into a local auto electrical place because it was dead again this morning... The guy hooked it up to a machine flipped the switches And said the battery is good, But the alternator diodes may not be closing when I shut the van off. He didnt seem positive but assured me he could order one. I, really kind of baffled The alternator tested good, Is there a more defintive way to see if this is what is actually happening?
One other thing Is I dont have my charge light hooked up if that makes a difference he didnt seem to think so.
_________________
95 GMC Yukon 6.5 TD 2 Door Tow pig/ Daily driver.
91 Vanagon GL. 1.9TD Conversion Sold
81 Vw rabbit 1.6 Diesel. Sold |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ajdenette
Samba Member
Joined: February 15, 2009
Posts: 768
Location: Hope Valley RI
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
whafalia
Samba Member
Joined: January 28, 2009
Posts: 685
Location: San Francisco
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 6:13 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Yes, something about the light exciting the alternator's field, whatever that means, if you search something like that you should find something by some smart people. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tencentlife
Samba Member
Joined: May 02, 2006
Posts: 10078
Location: Abiquiu, NM, USA
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 6:37 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Yup, without the idiot light, it may self-excite (now, take it easy you nasty-minded folks) or it may not. The light circuit does double-duty: feeding a little current into the field winding to get it charging, at which point it self-excites, and letting you know when the field voltage is lower than the battery's, which means no charging.
_________________
Shop for unique Vanagon accessories at the Vanistan shop:
https://intrepidoverland.com/vanistan/
Please don't PM here, I will not reply.
Experience is kryptonite to doctrine. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
allsierra123
Samba Member
Joined: August 19, 2006
Posts: 1462
Location: Tecate, Baja California MX
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 8:25 pm Post subject: |
|
|
It must be self exciting it was reading 80 amps and 14volts while the van was running.
_________________
95 GMC Yukon 6.5 TD 2 Door Tow pig/ Daily driver.
91 Vanagon GL. 1.9TD Conversion Sold
81 Vw rabbit 1.6 Diesel. Sold |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ConiferButta
Samba Member
Joined: November 19, 2009
Posts: 3
Location: Conifer Colorado
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 9:03 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I too had a random dead battery every once and a while- I think the kids were pushing in the cigarette lighter and it was not popping back out...or could have been something else, but it has not happened since. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
allsierra123
Samba Member
Joined: August 19, 2006
Posts: 1462
Location: Tecate, Baja California MX
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 11:35 pm Post subject: |
|
|
May have found something. Went out this evening after the van sat for a while And just poked around looking at everything. The radio was off But I noticed it was warm to the touch. Popped the face plate off and the back side of the face plate was hot. Im thinking maybe the radio itself possibly has a short in it... Does that sound possible to anyone?
_________________
95 GMC Yukon 6.5 TD 2 Door Tow pig/ Daily driver.
91 Vanagon GL. 1.9TD Conversion Sold
81 Vw rabbit 1.6 Diesel. Sold |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Wildthings
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 50350
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 12:01 am Post subject: |
|
|
| allsierra123 wrote: |
| May have found something. Went out this evening after the van sat for a while And just poked around looking at everything. The radio was off But I noticed it was warm to the touch. Popped the face plate off and the back side of the face plate was hot. Im thinking maybe the radio itself possibly has a short in it... Does that sound possible to anyone? |
Newer radios typically have two power hook ups, one to full time 12V power and another to 12v switched power. When you turn off the switched power the radio should go into a very low amp draw mode. However this doesn't always happen for a variety of reasons. How are you supplying switched power to your radio? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
allsierra123
Samba Member
Joined: August 19, 2006
Posts: 1462
Location: Tecate, Baja California MX
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:12 am Post subject: |
|
|
the PO has it wired up so it is hot all the time, Works without the key. Other than that I have no clue how it was wired.
_________________
95 GMC Yukon 6.5 TD 2 Door Tow pig/ Daily driver.
91 Vanagon GL. 1.9TD Conversion Sold
81 Vw rabbit 1.6 Diesel. Sold |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Raynor Shine
Samba Member
Joined: November 07, 2005
Posts: 552
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 7:05 am Post subject: |
|
|
| My random stupidity. I just left the key in the on position overnight while working on the window regulator. Dead battery in the morning.... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Wildthings
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 50350
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 10:06 am Post subject: |
|
|
| allsierra123 wrote: |
| the PO has it wired up so it is hot all the time, Works without the key. Other than that I have no clue how it was wired. |
Some radios have a way to depower them without having an accessory position on the ignition. On mine I just have to press the off button for several seconds and it will do so. On some you can just open the front after turning it off, but this is easy to forget to do.
Then other stereos just quit working right. On my kids 77 van, I ended up installing a LED lit switch in line to both power supply wires. The radio works fine that way, but you lose the memory for the presets every time you kill the power. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
