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Battery ran down on camper

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  • 20-04-2010 12:42am
    #1
    skippyman
    Registered Users Posts: 63 ✭✭


    Hi everyone can anyone tell me why is does my battery keep running down and it is only a new battery.
    cheers


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    #2
    martyc5674
    Registered Users Posts: 2,520 ✭✭✭martyc5674


    You need to supply a bit more info i think.
    Van battery or leisure battery?
    How quickly it goes dead etc etc


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    #3
    skippyman
    Registered Users Posts: 63 ✭✭skippyman


    martyc5674 wrote: »
    You need to supply a bit more info i think.
    Van battery or leisure battery?
    How quickly it goes dead etc etc

    Hi Marty its the van battery. It goes dead over a period of two or three days and the camper not being driven at all!


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    #4
    *Kol*
    Registered Users Posts: 2,549 ✭✭✭*Kol*


    It shouldn't go dead over such a short period of time. Have you had had it checked? Is it an old battery? Could there be something draining it in the van? It would need to be a light really to drain it so quickly as an alarm or radio security light wouldn't drain the battery so quickly.


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    #5
    skippyman
    Registered Users Posts: 63 ✭✭skippyman


    *Kol* wrote: »
    It shouldn't go dead over such a short period of time. Have you had had it checked? Is it an old battery? Could there be something draining it in the van? It would need to be a light really to drain it so quickly as an alarm or radio security light wouldn't drain the battery so quickly.

    We have not had the battery checked as it is a new battery. There is no lights left on. We disconnect the battery when not in use and when we connect again it starts first time.


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    #6
    SeamusG97
    Closed Accounts Posts: 384 ✭✭SeamusG97


    Sounds like a faulty rectifier in your alternator - allows battery current to leak away when idle. Should cost about €50-€75 to repair by and Auto Electrician plus the cost of removing and replacing the alternator.


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    #7
    skippyman
    Registered Users Posts: 63 ✭✭skippyman


    SeamusG97 wrote: »
    Sounds like a faulty rectifier in your alternator - allows battery current to leak away when idle. Should cost about €50-€75 to repair by and Auto Electrician plus the cost of removing and replacing the alternator.
    Thanks for that Seamus is there a way of testing this to see if it is a faulty rectifier. Could I do it myself:confused:


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    #8
    SeamusG97
    Closed Accounts Posts: 384 ✭✭SeamusG97


    I am not an expert but you could try this if you have a multimeter. If the alternator has a blown diode, current will be able to leak from the battery back through the alternator when the engine is stopped. You need to identify the wire that runs from the alternator to the positive pole of the battery - this is used to charge the battery when the engine is running. Disconnect the connection block at the alternator and connect the multimeter (set to measure current in amps) between the end of the wire and the corresponding pin on the alternator. If you get a current reading then the alternator is the problem. If not then it is something else. All of this is easier said than done if the alternator is buried at the back of the engine bay. If I had a choice I would take it to an auto electrician and have done with it - quite often the cause of a problem is something apparently quite unrelated to it.


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    #9
    Aidan_M_M
    Registered Users Posts: 2,213 ✭✭✭Aidan_M_M


    I'd suspect the radio .


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