Date:         Sun, 1 Jun 2014 21:02:08 -0500
Reply-To:     jpalmer@MYMTS.NET
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeff Palmer <jpalmer@MYMTS.NET>
Subject:      Re: Electrical problem?
In-Reply-To:  <538A9762.3030906@dugbert.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

My Blaupunkt Toronto stereo remembered my radio settings and Bluetooth connection over the winter - with the battery disconnected. How did it do that??

Jeff

> Date: Sat, 31 May 2014 20:00:50 -0700
> From: dug@DUGBERT.COM
> Subject: Re: Electrical problem?
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> 
> Hi Marc,
> 
> A drain of 1/2A sounds pretty high - I'd start by pulling fuses and see
> what circuit's causing this draw.  The only things I can think of that'd
> be on all the time are the clock and power to the radio to keep the
> memory settings.  I'm pretty sure even I could do that at home :o)
> 
> 7V sounds low, but with a constant drain of 1/2A, that's 12Ah a day, so
> yeah, it could happen.
> 
> I've found that new belts often stretch a bit as they bed in, and the
> squealing suggests that's at least part of the problem.
> 
> I get a battery voltage of comfortably over 13V when the engine's running.
> 
> On 5/31/2014 7:52 PM, Marc Perdue wrote:
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I've been experiencing what may or may not be a problem on my '87 Westy.
> > For reasons tied to it running rough, possibly injectors, and its impending
> > painting, I haven't been driving it much. It might sit a week or two
> > without being driven. When I do go to drive it, usually the battery's much
> > too weak to get it started. I plug in the charger, set it to 10 Amps, and
> > let it charge for a few hours, after which I can usually get it started.
> > Once it starts, there's usually a lot of belt squeal. This is odd because I
> > had both belts replaced and adjusted by a reputable Vanagon mechanic in
> > Staunton about 1,000 miles ago. The battery is a Diehard and was replaced
> > within the last year. Thinking I might have an alternator problem, I took
> > it to Advance Auto and had the alternator tested, in the van. It passed,
> > but just barely. Under full load, it was putting out just over 12 volts.
> > With everything turned off, there was still a current draw of about half an
> > amp. Is this normal? I've been going through the van cleaning all the
> > grounds and repairing any connections that look at all iffy.
> >
> > I'm going to tighten up the alternator belt tomorrow and thought I would
> > give the alternator a spin and see if I could tell anything. Thoughts on
> > what to look for?
> >
> > Should the battery normally run down to 7 volts or so in a week or two?
> >
> > Any thoughts on other things to look for? I don't have a way of measuring
> > current draw at home, or else I would start disconnecting things and see if
> > that half amp draw changed.
> >
> > Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this!
> > Marc Perdue
> >
> 
> toodle pip,
> --
>         Dug Smith         | Terry Pratchett: It's almost
> (mailto:dug@dugbert.com) | impossible to ride a rock and roll
> (http://www.dugbert.com) | motorbike and stay on for three verses.