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Subject Topic: Ducato Battery Drain Post Reply Post New Topic
PersonTomster
03/3/2017 at 2:44pm
 Location: Lake District
 Outfit: Talbot Motorhome View Tomster's Profile View Profile   Reply to Tomster Reply   Quote Tomster Quote  
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I have a 2005 2.8 JTD Ducato based motorhome which flattens the main battery over a short period of time. By a process of elimination, I have found that the starter motor feed is drawing around 6v when the ignition is not on. Has anyone any idea what could cause this? I assume it is tracking across somewhere? Thanks very much, Tomster.


Persontango55
03/3/2017 at 3:12pm
 Location: Lichfield
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I'm no electrical expert but this sounds rather baffling actually. However, I would be inclined to take the vehicle to a local auto electrical company who would test the circuit and provide an answer within a few minutes.


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PersonTomster
03/3/2017 at 4:53pm
 Location: Lake District
 Outfit: Talbot Motorhome View Tomster's Profile View Profile   Reply to Tomster Reply   Quote Tomster Quote  
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I admire your optimism. I have plenty of experience of most of the garages in my area and unless I diagnose it myself, first, I have got no chance. I had a Ford for a while with an ongoing fault and I'd pretty much narrowed it down to the charging system. After two garages charging me for things I didn't need, I took it to the Ford dealership and gave them a long list of symptoms, told them what my suspicions were, and asked them to check the charging system. When I went back for the car, I asked if they had found anything, they said no, but we have changed the high beam bulb. For goodness sake! Eventually I did what I should have done in the first place and changed the alternator and cured it.


Personwineciccio
03/3/2017 at 8:57pm
 Location: Liverpool
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ok, if the motor starts well and the alternator charges ok then I would assume an open circuit in the starter motor, I bet my bottom dollar it is the starter motor brushes, if the starter is as old as the camper, if not then it will be a long time effort to find out which circuit is drawing ie, fit a voltmeter , remove the negative earth wire from the battery and attach a voltmeter in series and ask a friend to remove fuses one at the time, until you find the one that is giving a discharge, as I said its time consuming but it will eliminate the fault, it would help if you had a book for the wiring diagram of the charging system. Good luck and tell us how you got on.


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wineciccio


PersonTomster
03/3/2017 at 9:13pm
 Location: Lake District
 Outfit: Talbot Motorhome View Tomster's Profile View Profile   Reply to Tomster Reply   Quote Tomster Quote  
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The way I found the voltage discharge was by removing positives from the battery and seeing which one was drawing voltage and it was the heavy cable for the starter motor feed. As it starts first time every time, there cannot be a motor winding open circuit on the motor, so I was thinking a partially sticking solenoid?


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Personfleck2
04/3/2017 at 4:35am
 Location: Derbyshire
 Outfit: Elddis accordo Motorhome View fleck2's Profile View Profile   Reply to fleck2 Reply   Quote fleck2 Quote  
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"Drawing 6v" do you mean 6 amps? If so I would suspect whatever it is will be warm.


PersonTomster
04/3/2017 at 10:20am
 Location: Lake District
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No, I mean 6v when it should be drawing nothing (a parasitic draw)


PersonCapt Lightning
04/3/2017 at 11:22am
 Location: Turriff Aberdeenshi
 Outfit: Romahome R30 Dimens View Capt Lightning's Profile View Profile   Reply to Capt Lightning Reply   Quote Capt Lightning Quote  
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Measuring with a voltmeter in series means very little. A voltmeter has a very high resistance and if it shows 6 VOLTS that probably only represents a very minute current.

If you connect the +ve probe of a Voltmeter to the battery, hold the other probe and touch the chasis with your other hand, you will appear to "draw" several volts, but probably only a few millionths of an amp will be flowing.

You need to find what current is drained with an Ammeter in series.

Have you considered that the battery might just be on its last legs?

Post last edited on 04/03/2017 11:28:51

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Two drifters off to see the world.

I'm tired of reality, so I'm off to look for a good fantasy.


Personfleck2
04/3/2017 at 12:49pm
 Location: Derbyshire
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Yes the capt is right, a voltage measurement means nothing.. I've got 12v across my leisure battery but there isn't any current flowing so everything's OK.


PersonTomster
04/3/2017 at 4:34pm
 Location: Lake District
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I isolate the battery when I am not using it, because of the parasitic draw, and the battery always starts the van no problem, even after a couple of months. Irrespective of how many amps (or fractions thereof) that it is drawing, surely there should be no potential difference when
nothing is switched on?


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PersonWendyhouse
04/3/2017 at 4:55pm
 Location: Staithes
 Outfit: Vantage Neo View Wendyhouse's Profile View Profile   Reply to Wendyhouse Reply   Quote Wendyhouse Quote  
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There may be some confusion about therms going on here.
Try this.
https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/articles/charging-articles/testing-your-battery-for-parasitic-load.html


PersonTomster
04/3/2017 at 6:17pm
 Location: Lake District
 Outfit: Talbot Motorhome View Tomster's Profile View Profile   Reply to Tomster Reply   Quote Tomster Quote  
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So we've had volts and amperes, now we've got therms. No wonder I'm confused!


PersonCapt Lightning
04/3/2017 at 7:45pm
 Location: Turriff Aberdeenshi
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Theoretically yes, but in reality deep in the circuitry may be components that have a high resistance, or a small leakage to earth.

As I said, A voltmeter will have a very high resistance- a DVM will typically have > 10 Megohms while an analogue will have maybe >1 Megohm.

In the very worst case if you measure using one in series and read 6 volts you will only be drawing 6 Millionths of an amp.

Wendyhouse's link is quite good at explaining the way to measure with an AMMETER.

-------------
Two drifters off to see the world.

I'm tired of reality, so I'm off to look for a good fantasy.


PersonMike-Debbie
04/3/2017 at 10:59pm
 Location: Dorset
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Do you have a radio fitted,I had a similar issue with the battery going flat. The radio memory draws a small current all the time and over time can flatten the battery. I isolated the radio when the van wasn't being used and the battery remained charged. Might be helpful



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