Giving the camper a run

John_Rambo

Anyone else terrified to bring the camper for a run?

I've been told that my one (05 Ducatto Turbo diesel) won't do well from simply idling the engine and that it needs a good run on a motorway or a clear road for 15 minutes. I'm not keen on bringing it for a run BUT it's loaded with surfboards on the roof and people might get the impression I'm giving the finger to the world and heading off to the West of Ireland to catch some waves and infect the locals!!!

Any advice appreciated. Should I disconnect the battery? Is it ok to idle?

Saz2020

not an expert but i wouldn't leave it idle. As well as the battery going dead it could cease up too. my old car(bought a new car recently and was gonna sell the old one) had been left idle since the lockdown. Battery is dead and you can see rust gathering on the break discs. Can you store the surf boards anywhere else. id avoid the motorway but deffo a drive around your local area for a good half hour might do it well every two days or at least twice a week. again im no expert.

John_Rambo

Sorry, I didn't explain myself properly, by saying let the engine idle I mean letting it run without actually driving anywhere. From what I can gather, although it heats up the engine and charges the battery it's not that good for it and the engine would be better served going for an actual drive.

Thanks a million though. Good points.

CelticRambler

John_Rambo wrote: »

I mean letting it run without actually driving anywhere. From what I can gather, although it heats up the engine and charges the battery it's not that good for it and the engine would be better served going for an actual drive.

It's not that it's bad for the engine, just not as good as it could be if it was asked to do what it was made for! And, as Saz2020 indicates, there are other systems like brakes, suspension, lights, etc., that would benefit from some road testing. I'd be most worried about the tyres, taking the full weight of the vehicle (& surfboards :pac: ) on a small arc. My own 'van has been out of service for almost a year (for programmed maintenance that keeps getting postponed) but I've made a point of rolling it forwards/backwards about once a month to park up with the wheels having done a quarter-turn (which also gives me a reason to run the engine for fifteen minutes or so).

As to the road-test challenge, hmm. Take the surfboards off, see if you can get your hands on a red&white striped warning plaque and decorate the front/back with a sign that reads "vehicle under test" or something similar ... or sneak out at 3am.

Del2005

Unless there's already something wrong with it leaving a vehicle sitting for a few months will do it no harm. If you're worried about the tyres getting flat spots over inflate them and leave a note on the steering wheel to remind yourself.

If your worried about the battery draining disconnect it, it's spring/summer now so a battery won't suffer from the cold, or get a battery charger. Leaving an engine running while idle is not ideal but if needs be make sure to run it for ~30 min to allow the alternator recharge the battery and make sure it gets hot, if something goes wrong it was already on the way out. Plenty of cars/vans only get short spins in their normal usage.

The rust on the discs is just surface corrosion and again unless the van had other issues with the brakes is a non issue, my car can get rusty discs overnight.

John_Rambo

OK.. Excellent advice. Really appreciate it.

Alkers

Just bring the van (without surfboards) on your next shopping trip instead of the car

Campers should have solar, no brainer, no dead batteries.

Jaden

I do my weekly shop early Friday. I'm going to take my 6 berth camper for the run this week, it's about 20 mins each way.

I expect dirty looks, but I'm sure I'll survive. All the upholstery is out at the moment in the house, won't be hard to convince a Guard that it's just to keep her ticking over.

m8

Jaden wrote: »

I do my weekly shop early Friday. I'm going to take my 6 berth camper for the run this week, it's about 20 mins each way.

I expect dirty looks, but I'm sure I'll survive. All the upholstery is out at the moment in the house, won't be hard to convince a Guard that it's just to keep her ticking over.

You might have picked the wrong week for this as the Guards are stopping all over the place today and I expect this to continue for the weekend.

It's just you don't want the hassle of it all.

If I was a gambling man I'd pick a rainy day.
PS. just running an engine for a coupla hours isn't enough to keep the battery tippy top. It's nearly impossible completely eliminate a parasitic draw unless you compensate for it.




Stick them on a high end load compensating charger like a Ctek or someat

You could build it into the motor if you weren't about to strip her down for a refit...

..Yee all have me worried about me tyres going square now...sigh... all 9 of them...:rolleyes:

bogman

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

If I was a gambling man I'd pick a rainy day.
PS. just running an engine for a coupla hours isn't enough to keep the battery tippy top. It's nearly impossible completely eliminate a parasitic draw unless you compensate for it.




Stick them on a high end load compensating charger like a Ctek or someat

You could build it into the motor if you weren't about to strip her down for a refit...

..Yee all have me worried about me tyres going square now...sigh... all 9 of them...:rolleyes:

Fantastic homebrew setup, please describe it, ive 2 110/ah/r Banner batteries , a 120w solar panel and a very basic Vechline 10a PWM regulator that is wired up so as to charge only the leisure batteries (Chausson 530 Flash)

Alkers

bogman wrote: »

Fantastic homebrew setup, please describe it, ive 2 110/ah/r Banner batteries , a 120w solar panel and a very basic Vechline 10a PWM regulator that is wired up so as to charge only the leisure batteries (Chausson 530 Flash)

Don't get him started!!! :L

John_Rambo

Alkers wrote: »

Don't get him started!!! :L

Lol! It IS impressive though.

John_Rambo

John_Rambo wrote: »

Lol! It IS impressive though.

Really..

It's made of scrap, job leftovers and e-waste I speed-built in a day to keep the moss off my truck engine battery...

bogman

bogman wrote: »

Fantastic homebrew setup, please describe it,

Hi bogman,



Thanks. Not my finest work by a long shot.


It's just a used Morningstar Sunsaver MPPT with a DC disconnect for the solar and DC Circuit Breakers instead of fuses.
The shunt does nothing, it was for a janky Mastervolt meter i decided was better off in the bin.

There's a remote temperature sensor heat shrink heat sink (not a typo) clamped to the negative battery terminal. It's made from one of these.
Individually fused twisted pair voltage sense lines ran to the battery terminals.
Switch instead of a charge selector jumper.
Custom profiles loaded.
Master ANL fuse at battery terminal.



The PV is a brace of barely working/working well enough to trickle, broken solar panels I acquired and now have to dispose of. :rolleyes:


No loads attached except a service LED.
12v/24V autoselecting


The white meter works ok, it's a spare from another controller, not as good as the proper remote meter but it tells me what i want to know.


MorningStar are so good you just leave any battery on one for a month and more often than not it comes out like brand new.


Not all solar charge controllers are equal.



My campervan battery is what, 6-7 years old now? Still testing like brand new; moderate duty, long duration cycled, year round never missed a beat.


Plus they're so reliable they never fail so used ones are a safe bet.
I mustov bought every MS MPPT on ebay that's gone for less than 50% RRP the last 2 years.
In fact if it's Studer or MS you're putting a punt on Ebay, you're probably bidding against me.

bogman wrote: »

ive 2 110/ah/r Banner batteries , a 120w solar panel and a very basic Vechline 10a PWM regulator that is wired up so as to charge only the leisure batteries (Chausson 530 Flash)

:pac: I remember when 120W was a large panel.
I'm fitting 600Wp now (not my van).




Getting rid of gas, Mwahaha! :cool:



I don't go near little 12V panels anymore. They can't compete with domestic panels and MPPT and they certainly can't touch 24V PWM.

bogman wrote: »

that is wired up so as to charge only the leisure batteries (Chausson 530 Flash)

Try this. The seller seems to have an infinite supply. I've probably bought 10 over the years, great unit (add a relay of your choice).

John_Rambo

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

Really..

It's made of scrap, job leftovers and e-waste I speed-built in a day to keep the moss off my truck engine battery...

Right, it was just an offhand & good natured compliment in the spirit of the thread with a nod to skills I don't have. Sorry if my tone of voice was wrong, I didn't mean to "really?" confuse you. Very impressive. Well done you. Thanks for sharing.

What? Where...whooo..am, I ain't offended..
That's what I call rough and ready.

Wanna see the big guns?










:pac:


Now stop quoting photos or ya'll get moderated!




Oh dear that man was right...went off on one didn't I?...:o