Why battery flat?

[mojo]

Another problem. On mains since Sept but our Hymer engine battery shows flat on the control panel though its supposed to receive a charge from mains. I have not started the engine since Sept on advice its better not to protect exhaust system as can not drive it anywhere to get high enough temperatures. Leisure battery is fully charged.
No alarm on so what could have been drawing from the battery is anyone's guess.
I will have to remove and trickle charge for when it will be needed April/May hopefully. That will be eight months not running the engine! Any thoughts on the reason?

 

[steve69]

You don't say how old the battery is.

 

[mojo]

2 years

 

[chatteris]

on my bessacar i have to switch the rocker switch over to cab to charge the starter battery it does not charge when the leisure batteries are charging on ehu

 

[mojo]

By the way it is a 2014 Hymer Starline. I don't suppose the electric windscreen blind opened and closed each day takes its power from the engine battery? Anyway it should still charge enough to cover that.

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[SIFTA SAM]

When laid up, I always fire up my M/H every month, which gives me a 'heads up' on potential problems. (Sod the exhaust)
What ELB is fitted?

 

[mojo]

Pics

 

[Lenny HB]

Check the 20 amp fuse by the battery better to actually change the fuse a very small resistant across this fuse can cause the problem.

 

[mojo]

Just checked ignition. Red warning battery/alternator. Then all lights started flickering on & off. Flat battery for sure.
Have received some advice to use the jump start probe under the bonnet to connect charger and clip negative to body. Have jumped this van like that before. Would save getting to the battery?

 

[Lenny HB]

Just checked ignition. Red warning battery/alternator. Then all lights started flickering on & off. Flat battery for sure.
Have received some advice to use the jump start probe under the bonnet to connect charger and clip negative to body. Have jumped this van like that before. Would save getting to the battery?

You need to get at the battery to check the fuse I mentioned.

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[mojo]

Will the dash lights not power up if the fuse has gone or is that a separate fuse?

 

[Lenny HB]

Will the dash lights not power up if the fuse has gone or is that a separate fuse?

Nothing to do with dash lights.
I was referring to the EBL not charging the starter battery although the fuse is listed as the fridge fuse it also handles the charging to the battery.

 

[mojo]

Nothing to do with dash lights.
I was referring to the EBL not charging the starter battery although the fuse is listed as the fridge fuse it also handles the charging to the battery.

I can see from the book what you say. If it has failed the 12v fridge setting will not work. All OK on 240.Will check

 

[mojo]

Will check 4 fuses.
EBL29 - internal charger module 20A yellow
EBL29-Auxilary charging unit 20 A yellow
EBL29-AES refrigerator 20A yellow

Starter battery 20A yellow (refrigerator)

 

[Lenny HB]

I can see from the book what you say. If it has failed the 12v fridge setting will not work. All OK on 240.Will check

Not always fridge can be working but the fuse has a slightly higher resistance than normal talking about decimals of an ohm for some reason it stops it charging. If you contact Udo at Schaudt he will tell you to change that fuse even if it reads OK on a meter.

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[Kenp]

I had a similar problem with my SCHAUDT EBL226. The vehicle battery was not charging when plugged into mains but the habitation battery was charging. The fault was within the Schaudt unit as the vehicle battery was still being charged by the Alternator when the engine was running (EHU unplugged).
It seems this fault can be caused by spikes in the mains voltage (think Spain and electrical storms).
I sent unit away for repair; £148 in 2019.

The repairer was Martin Bushnell of Dragon Classic Workshops in Abergele tel: 07771825303; email: mail@martinbushnell.co.uk - worth a chat.

 

[autorouter]

Do you have a multimeter? If it's difficult to access the starter battery, you could measure the voltage between pins 1 and 2 of the 3-way socket on the EBL. (Labelled Solar Regler Block 6). They connect to the starter battery, via the 20A fuse near the battery as Lenny HB says. If there's no voltage then the fuse might be blown/corroded.

Not all EBLs have these pins wired to the starter battery, but the EBL29 is one of those that does.

There is a relay inside the EBL that switches the starter battery connection from the mains charger to the fridge when the engine is running. That might be stuck open or closed.

 

[mojo]

All fuses OK. Pics of battery & volt meter

 

[Lenny HB]

All fuses OK. Pics of battery & volt meter

View attachment 459370 View attachment 459371 View attachment 459372

Referring to what I said earlier, don't go by the meter fit a new fuse.

 

[autorouter]

Just to be clear, there's a 20A and 50A blade fuse visible in the picture to the right of the battery. That 20A fuse is the one that carries the charging current from the mains charger. But it's probably OK since otherwise the display panel can't measure the starter battery voltage, which it clearly is doing.

There is a relay that connects the starter battery to the mains charger when the mains charger is on. It doesn't control the leisure battery charging. If that relay isn't switching then the mains charger won't be able to charge the starter battery. It's the one labelled 'Charging relay Starter battery' at the top of the wiring diagram.

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[Rjcamper]

Got the same problem, yesterday, had to jump start van, went for a run, charging when driving etc but not when on ehu. Will check fuses!

 

[mojo]

Update. Checked all fuses yesterday. All OK but it began to charge again. I assume a poor connection through cold or damp. Next job will be to see if it holds the charge.

 

[mojo]

Test today seems to confirm it's holding charge. On mains 13.17. Unplugged for 1 hour it read 12.6.Plugged back in it slowly rose back to 13 +. My conclusion is a dodgy connection on the fuse. The act of removal and refitting seems to have made all the difference.