we have a 2005 swift challenger 480, and the battery is leaching power somewhere, even with nothing switched on, we put a meter on the battery and you can see the power drop, we have tried 2 new batteries and the same happens.
can anyone point us in the right direction/ or where to look. help;;;.
You say it is dropping on the meter as you watch it. I presume you are using a voltmeter. I think there must be something like a short circuit to draw power at that rate. An ammeter across the battery would give you an indication of how many amps are being pulled. If the plates in the battery have been damaged it is not going to hold a charge even if the voltmeter is showing a good charge but an ammeter will give you more clue as to what is going on.
------------- 'A sure cure for sea-sickness is to sit under a tree'
DON'T EVER PUT AN AMMETER ACROSS A BATTERY
If it has a fuse the fuse will blow if not either the meter will go bang or something will get very hot (red). Your battery will try to push upwards of 250 amps through it.
Ammeters go in series with the battery lead
Ooops, classic case of not typing what I meant. As someone who normally says not to use an ammeter unless you know what you are doing I should have been more careful in what I was typing.
------------- 'A sure cure for sea-sickness is to sit under a tree'
Think the battery has failed.check to see if its getting very warm or hot,if so do not use it at any time.(big bang) best to remove it and have it checked at a garage or halfords.before you do anything fully charge the battery and after fitting turn on all 12volt things one at a time to find a faulty item.check fuses are the correct rating first.swift have had a lot of faulty chargers fitted.
Post last edited on 15/03/2013 21:55:17
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
Quote: Originally posted by vonc on 15/3/2013Snap Ronni..we did the same...left the aerial booster on..mind you the battery was 5 years old...
I also forgot to turn the switch from "van" to "off" so, after 3 weeks the battery was dead as a dodo. We spent the weekend with no water pump (luckily we aren't far from the water tap!) but bought the battery home and put it on the smart charger - fully charged again now.