Flat Vehicle Battery after 5 Weeks [Resolved]

Glennpea123

Glennpea123

Member
T6 Pro
Hi all, first post for yonks.
I have a full camper converted T6 Transporter and for the second time I have a flat battery. Not started for about 5 weeks or so and this time totally flat, no lights on dash, nothing.
Connected battery charger to terminals and needle on battery charger kept regularly spiking on and off? Noticed the negative terminal on battery had a big red cross on terminal flap so connected to engine mount for an earth,,,,same thing happened. so not being very electrically minded I did manage to check battery status with Multimeter,,,reading was 6.7V without charger connected and 7.6 with charger connected (at spike). Have I a totally knackered battery or is it the alternator or something else afoot? Note that interior lights came on but very dim.
Not sure whether to give it a full days charge when charger keeps clicking in and out. Maybe my charger is old hat but it seemed to work the first time it went flat.
Really appreciate some expertise on this please.

Cheers
Glenn
 
what rating is the charger ?
You could try leaving it on charge overnight and see if you can get some juice back into it and it may just get you fired up again but at that voltage being that dead the battery will be damaged and require replacing I would have thought
How old is the battery ? 5-6 years is about the best you can hope for these days is the vehicle is used regularly
 
Pauly said:
what rating is the charger ?
You could try leaving it on charge overnight and see if you can get some juice back into it and it may just get you fired up again but at that voltage being that dead the battery will be damaged and require replacing I would have thought
How old is the battery ? 5-6 years is about the best you can hope for these days is the vehicle is used regularly
Click to expand...
Hi and thanks for reply. Think its quite normal for charger to cut in and out so I'll leave it on overnight.
Think I need to upgrade charger, its old as the hills and delivers 5.6 amp. I've had van for 4 years now and same battery, only recently dying on me though. The van is 16 plate and guessing original battery. Van really not used as much as i'd like so not ideal either. I'll see if it starts tomorrow and get battery checked out properly,,,,ouch I feel an outlay is on the horizon. Ta for help again.
 
Glennpea123 said:
Hi and thanks for reply. Think its quite normal for charger to cut in and out so I'll leave it on overnight.
Think I need to upgrade charger, its old as the hills and delivers 5.6 amp. I've had van for 4 years now and same battery, only recently dying on me though. The van is 16 plate and guessing original battery. Van really not used as much as i'd like so not ideal either. I'll see if it starts tomorrow and get battery checked out properly,,,,ouch I feel an outlay is on the horizon. Ta for help again.
Click to expand...
It’s probably not a smart charger then. If your battery had gone that flat you’ll need a smart charger to try to recover it.
 
Battery update
Charged up 5 days ago, not used van and now dead again (reading .4v when tested with multimeter). Back on charge and charger pulsing on and off, guessing til volts are high enough for charger to be continuous. Noted interior light coming on and off also, hopefully someone will know what's going on please.
Booked in to Halfords tomorrow for a 5 point free test,,,, if it starts!
Any help appreciated ta.
 
I suspect...

1) You have a constant parasitic load draining your battery, if the drain isn't too great and you used the van regularly, the battery would get topped up by the alternator and it would be able to start next time you needed it (assuming you didn't leave it too long). VWs own electrical system takes charge out of the battery, but if you have additional loads (camper equipment?), they could be playing their part also.

A good analogy of this is a leaky bucket. You bucket (the battery) has a small hole in it (the parasitic load) and as such the water (state of battery charge) slowly leaks from it. As long as you keep topping up the bucket, it wont run out...but leave it too long and it will be empty.

2) Due to the above, the battery has been run lower than is healthy for it, as such its capacity has been progressively reduced to the point now where it runs flat quicker and as such to a level beyond which it can be recovered successfully.

I'm sure if you jump start it and take it to Halfords, they will tell you your battery has a poor 'state of health' and suggest you replace it. This will overcome issue 2 above, but you must be mindful of issue 1 so you don't have the same problem a few months down the line.
 
sparkzer said:
I suspect...

1) You have a constant parasitic load draining your battery, if the drain isn't too great and you used the van regularly, the battery would get topped up by the alternator and it would be able to start next time you needed it (assuming you didn't leave it too long). VWs own electrical system takes charge out of the battery, but if you have additional loads (camper equipment?), they could be playing their part also.

A good analogy of this is a leaky bucket. You bucket (the battery) has a small hole in it (the parasitic load) and as such the water (state of battery charge) slowly leaks from it. As long as you keep topping up the bucket, it wont run out...but leave it too long and it will be empty.

2) Due to the above, the battery has been run lower than is healthy for it, as such its capacity has been progressively reduced to the point now where it runs flat quicker and as such to a level beyond which it can be recovered successfully.

I'm sure if you jump start it and take it to Halfords, they will tell you your battery has a poor 'state of health' and suggest you replace it. This will overcome issue 2 above, but you must be mindful of issue 1 so you don't have the same problem a few months down the line.
Click to expand...
Thanks for reply and it makes complete sense. Think the battery must be 7 yrs old now. I'll try to jump it in morning and take it to Halfords.
 
Glennpea123 said:
Thanks for reply and it makes complete sense. Think the battery must be 7 yrs old now. I'll try to jump it in morning and take it to Halfords.
Click to expand...
At 7 years old, the battery is most certainly dead. You are going to have to replace it. It’s an easy enough job to do with very basic tools.

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My van (April 2017 T28) is fitted with a Moll battery. I am experiencing some issues with it not starting after a few days sitting on the drive. Now this could be due to the tracker I have fitted draining it but I doubt it, I'll do some drain current tests before taking the plunge. If I were to...
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I would recommend using Tayna or Battery Group over Halfords for replacement batteries, overnight delivery is great. e.g Halford sell the 096 battery for the transporter at £186 while Tayna sell the 019AGM Bosch S5A13 (the largest battery that will fit, with a 5 year guarantee for £194 delivered) Try their ebay site for similar deals. Battery Group have it at £179 on ebay at the moment.
If you take some details off the old battery label and look for the same on their websites you will get the easy replacement option, you could go larger if your budget allows up to a 019 AGM which is the largest that will fit.
For best results you will need to recode the new battery (assuming you have stop start function on your van)
If you are leaving it for long periods, a solar trickle charger or a proper solar panel and charge controller of a suitable size will go a long way to avoiding wasting your money by allowing the battery to go flat again in the future.
 
Last edited:
Grim Reaper said:
I would recommend using Tayna or Battery Group over Halfords for replacement batteries, overnight delivery is great. e.g Halford sell the 096 battery for the transporter at £186 while Tayna sell the 019AGM Bosch S5A13 (the largest battery that will fit, with a 5 year guarantee for £94 delivered) Try their ebay site for similar deals. Battery Group have it at £179 on ebay at the moment.
If you take some details off the old battery label and look for the same on their websites you will get the easy replacement option, you could go larger if your budget allows up to a 019 AGM which is the largest that will fit.
For best results you will need to recode the new battery (assuming you have stop start function on your van)
If you are leaving it for long periods, a solar trickle charger or a proper solar panel and charge controller of a suitable size will go a long way to avoiding wasting your money by allowing the battery to go flat again in the future.
Click to expand...
Thankyou for you comments much appreciated. I have been quoted £186 plus £27 for fitting, and a free 5 point test. Trouble is can't get it started yet to run it in. Charging with old battery charger at mo and up to 2.4 volts
Gonna try jump start. And ordering a smart charger
 
Grim Reaper said:
I would recommend using Tayna or Battery Group over Halfords for replacement batteries, overnight delivery is great. e.g Halford sell the 096 battery for the transporter at £186 while Tayna sell the 019AGM Bosch S5A13 (the largest battery that will fit, with a 5 year guarantee for £94 delivered) Try their ebay site for similar deals. Battery Group have it at £179 on ebay at the moment.
If you take some details off the old battery label and look for the same on their websites you will get the easy replacement option, you could go larger if your budget allows up to a 019 AGM which is the largest that will fit.
For best results you will need to recode the new battery (assuming you have stop start function on your van)
If you are leaving it for long periods, a solar trickle charger or a proper solar panel and charge controller of a suitable size will go a long way to avoiding wasting your money by allowing the battery to go flat again in the future.
Click to expand...
Grim Reaper said:
I would recommend using Tayna or Battery Group over Halfords for replacement batteries, overnight delivery is great. e.g Halford sell the 096 battery for the transporter at £186 while Tayna sell the 019AGM Bosch S5A13 (the largest battery that will fit, with a 5 year guarantee for £94 delivered) Try their ebay site for similar deals. Battery Group have it at £179 on ebay at the moment.
If you take some details off the old battery label and look for the same on their websites you will get the easy replacement option, you could go larger if your budget allows up to a 019 AGM which is the largest that will fit.
For best results you will need to recode the new battery (assuming you have stop start function on your van)
If you are leaving it for long periods, a solar trickle charger or a proper solar panel and charge controller of a suitable size will go a long way to avoiding wasting your money by allowing the battery to go flat again in the future.
Click to expand...
I have a solar fitted, maybe I have another problem?
 
Or is it a Moll EFB battery fitted for the starter battery? They are a known failure point.
 
I had issues with mine. Two battery's changed under warranty and then reported as battery just past test again. I raised with VW this cant be right. they kept my van for a week for testing and found the mobiliser had a small drain on the battery.(over spec) Over days/weeks. Reprogramed and hasn't been an issue since.
 
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