Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 09:32:45 -0800
Reply-To: David Jaffe <orhiker1@ATTBI.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: David Jaffe <orhiker1@ATTBI.COM>
Subject: Re: Overnight Battery Drain
In-Reply-To: <000101c2c09a$dd1eb930$e58f9aa6@laptop>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
MessageProblems like this should be found and quantified rather than have a
rule-of-thumb such as "I can go up to 4 days and still start the van". It
might be a stereo or clock inappropriately pulling too much, but it could
something else which you need to know about. The key to finding your
battery drain is to use a Multimeter that can read amps (as all but the
least expensive can). To be at all self-sufficient with these beasts, you
have to have one. (Buy 10mm & 13mm wrenches, too - for use on your battery
terminals & nearly every other small nut on the Vanagon.) Put the MM in
series on your battery on either side (remove one battery cable, then go
battery cable to Multimeter to battery terminal) and see what the drain is
with the key off - this is called the parasitic drain. Your reading will be
in amps of current. I don't have an official figure, but I'd track-down
anything more than 0.1 (one tenth) of an Amp.
With the Multimeter in series, pull fuses until you find the one(s) whose
removal zeros the reading on your Multimeter (possibly two different fuses
account for the total drain). At this point you know the circuit(s) where
the culprit is wired into the system. Based on either visual inspection
carefully following wire colors from the fuse panel (very, very difficult)
or looking in the factory manual (the best $60 you'll ever spend), you can
see what's on that circuit. If multiple devices live there, you can start
unhooking either connectors or individual devices to find the one causing
the problem.
If the parasitic draw doesn't stop regardless of which fuses you pull, you
have an issue on something not fused, and that must be found & eliminated.
Oftentimes problems occur after stereo installations, because the person
used wires they shouldn't have, but you can also have other issues unrelated
to clocks or stereos.
Two general electrical suggestions not directly related to parasitic drains:
1. Clean your battery terminals if you see any corrosion. (Trust me on
this on - it gives more power to everything in your rig.) 2. Use your
Multimeter to test your battery voltage with the key off (you should get at
least 12.4V, representing a 75% battery charge), and with the van running
(you should get between 13.8 & 15V, showing your alternator is working
correctly).
David Jaffe
Portland
4 Vanagons (3 for sale or will trade one for X-Cab pickup - see
http://davidjaffe.tripod.com)
1 Honda Civic
1 Honda MC
-----Original Message-----
From: Larry Chase [mailto:lchase@attglobal.net]
Sent: Monday, January 20, 2003 7:45 AM
To: vanagon@yahoogroups.com; wetwesties@yahoogroups.;
vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com; Syncro@yahoogroups.com; ev_update@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Syncro] Overnight Battery Drain
Volks,
Just got the van out of the shop for Stereo install.
Trouble shooting what appears to be some overnight battery drain.
My question ..... what would be a normal overnight voltage drop?
The first night I lost over 5 volts overnight.
Yesterday I isolated all the stereo components and fully recharged the
battery.
Reading before going to bed ... = 12.5 volts
Reading this morning = 11.49 volts
So seem there was a voltage drop of approx 1 volt overnight.
Is this normal?
As far as I know there should not be anything drawing current other than a
little "In Panel" digital volt gauge.
Hitting the Trail Soon ... OR IS HE!
Larry Chase
Email: lchase@attglobal.net
Web: www.roadhaus.com - Under Construction
What: The Great North American Road Trip
When: Early 2003
How: RoadHaus - 1990 2.2 L VW Westfalia Syncro
Today: Mesa, AZ - Soon > Los Osos, CA / Go Westy
From: Mesa, AZ
