Battery voltage 12.02 after 2 days of standing (ok its been cold)

[djgriff]

Hello i have noticed that intermittently that my van seems like it is struggling to turn over. This morning i opened the victron app and it stated the current going into my dc dc charger for the leisure battery was at 12.02v which is low. initially the van would not start while only just turning over, on second attempt started straight up. The battery is only 1 yr old and changed when i bought the van as the battery was not holding charge (seems like there might be an issue, assumed at the time as the van was 5 yrs old, new battery due) and not sure if this is the issue as it seems like it should be fine. I noticed that the charging voltage of the alternator into the battery through Victron app stated 14.8 fluctuating to 14.9 v. This seems a little high potentially for a lead acid AGM battery. Could this be the issue that the battery has been damaged due to the voltage not being set by the dealer when changed initially? The other thing that i notice is the massive voltage drop when starting the van, peaked down to 10.9v when turning over. Could there also be an issue with the starter motor?

Thanks for anyone taking the time to read the above.

Cheers
Daniel

 

[Deaky]

Do you have any connections to the -ve post on your starter battery other than the original VW OEM earth strap?

 

[djgriff]

Just the standard wires from what I can tell,
Thanks

 

[Deaky]

What DC-DC charger are you using. Is it shutting down when the engine is off?

 

[djgriff]

What DC-DC charger are you using. Is it shutting down when the engine is off?

I am using a Victron 12-12/30 dc to dc I have the voltage setting at 12.4 off and come on at 12.5v so i dont think its this, assuming it is doing what it is suppose to do. But worth checking, will do it now infact.
Cheers

 

[t0mb0]

I am using a Victron 12-12/30 dc to dc I have the voltage setting at 12.4 off and come on at 12.5v so i dont think its this, assuming it is doing what it is suppose to do. But worth checking, will do it now infact.
Cheers

If the victron DC-DC does come on as soon as the voltage hits 12.5v then that's a problem - it'll be leaching off your starter even when the alternator isn't running. Ideally use an explicit engine-run signal input but if that's not feasible, at least set the voltage high enough that it's only coming on when the alternator is running, i.e. 13v at the least I would have thought.

 

[djgriff]

If the victron DC-DC does come on as soon as the voltage hits 12.5v then that's a problem - it'll be leaching off your starter even when the alternator isn't running. Ideally use an explicit engine-run signal input but if that's not feasible, at least set the voltage high enough that it's only coming on when the alternator is running, i.e. 13v at the least I would have thought.

Ok cool will do that, thanks

 

[Deaky]

You might be best with the 'regular alternator' settings in the app. You're pretty much guaranteed that after an engine start, your alternator is going to kick in and this will turn your Orion on, while your Orion is drawing current to the leisure battery the alternator will stay on. On the regular alternator setting, the Orion will go off at 13.5v so no chance of it continuing to draw when the engine is off. As @t0mb0 says, a more reliable way is an ignition live or a run signal

 

[djgriff]

So the setting seem to be shutting out the 12/22 30a dc charger . However I drove from Bristol to mumbles yesterday, and expecting the battery to get a good charge. According to Victron it stated the voltage at 14.3 coming from the battery/ alternator while driving. Stopped at the campsite reception to check in and went ti start the van, but it would hardly start.. checked the voltage and was at 12.2 so I am guessing the battery is fecked, what do you recon, should I buy a battery charger and try to charging or just get a new battery? Any thoughts would be great
Cheers
Daniel

 

[djgriff]

Hello, just reviving this, basically if the van is standing for more than 1 week the voltage will tail off from 12.66 volts down to 12.19/12.2 volts roughly 46% capacity. Causes the van to struggle when starting, turns over and over about 6-8 time before firing up.
I'm guessing its a short, or would the alarm system cause a tricle discharge?
Maybe a faulty starter motor?
Thanks in advance
Daniel

 

[Dellmassive]

How old is the van and starter battery?

What third party kis it's running?

 

[djgriff]

Hey @Dellmassive , The van is late 2017, and bought it 2 years ago. when i bought the van it had a bad battery and thought nothing of it and they replaced it as part of the purchase. The only mods i have done to the van is a full campervan conversion, liesure battery and so forth. however i have the leisure battery disconnected from the starter battery to see if this was the cause, but seems not.
I have noticed though that it will struggle to start from time to time regardless of the charge, but very intermittent and random.
I have upgraded the airfilter to a K&N one, otherwise no performance upgrades..
I have mapped out the Adblue, due to it giving me issues witht he 650miles count down.. maybe the issue here with a dodgy conneciton.
Otherwise pretty standard.. So starter battery is 2 years old.. Another thing i have noticed is, when i put on the Victron Smart charger 12/15 it goes from Bulk to Absorption in about 2 mins from starting charging.. yet the battery is at 46%, which seems odd.

Thanks for your time

Cheers
Daniel

 

[Dellmassive]

have you got any battery monitoring?

to see the rate of volt drop over time?


the BM2 units are good for that?

Battery Monitoring -- How I Done It --

Battery Monitoring -- How I Done It -- Part #1 Battery monitoring is a very important part of your 12v system . . . . whether its just the vans starter battery or your leisure setup keeping an eye on the power in your battery bank will keep you from breaking down and make sure your weekends...

www.t6forum.com

...

 

[Dellmassive]

https://amzn.to/3MSwcDG

 

[Dellmassive]

also post some pics off the vans setup,

battery's and chargers etc,

 

[djgriff]

So this is the starter with BM 15 days and 1 day . Gradually drops off. The leisure battery cable goes in through the upper front left then down under the carpet to Victron 30/30 dc charger . However the isolation switch in the photo has been off for a while, as the 360w solar panel has been maintaining the leisure battery.(just turned it back on on). So my thoughts I assume is either poor voltage settings in ecu, bad battery, bad alternator, or short somewhere. All assumptions, cheers

 

[Dellmassive]

looks like its not dropping below 12.00v, so that's good,

have you cot the previous 15days plot too? - to get a 30day plot?


++++

..also i see you mains charger is bridging the NEG battery shunt, which means the van is not seeing the charge going into the battery,

you should move the black croc clamp to the light bracket bolt, or chassis, or engine block.


+++

 

[djgriff]

looks like its not dropping below 12.00v, so that's good,

have you cot the previous 15days plot too? - to get a 30day plot?


++++

..also i see you mains charger is bridging the NEG battery shunt, which means the van is not seeing the charge going into the battery,

you should move the black croc clamp to the light bracket bolt, or chassis, or engine block.


+++

Can do, and didnt realise the issue with going to the terminal. will go connect it to the engine block or alike,an d grab a 30day screen shot
cheers Dell appreciated

Best Daniel

 

[djgriff]

 

[djgriff]

15 days is max.. adjusted date though, but shows the drop off once again from charging it