91 Talbot Express Harmony.

Hi everyone,
 I am looking for any help I can get.  I bought my van a couple of years ago and managed to sort out most of the niggling faults but the main one now is. The 30 amp fuse going to the leasure battery relay keeps blowing the 30 amp fuse by the leasure battery has blown a couple of times, well they get so hot and melt, which doesn't sound good.  I have checked all the connections that I could find, cleaned and greased them replaced the wires which were so short that I couldn't get them back on, (these had all been so say fixed by a caravan dealer) they had also replaced the battery.
I have tested the batteries, the van battery has a full charge and the alternator is working well, the leasure battery reads around 9.5 volts and when the engine is running it is charging properly.  The fuses don't blow while the engine is running, only after I have driven it for half an hour or so. I charged the battery with a home charger and through the mains system and everything seems fine, then if I take it for a run or leave it for a few hours, and the voltage drops back down.  I can't find anything that might be causing this, nothing in the van is switched on, also the battery, has an indicator on it which indicates a good battery.
I suppose a full charge in a garage, or a new battery maybe the answer. I haven't got much hair left so I can't afford to tear it out, so if there are any ideas out there it would be much appreciated.
Cheers John.

Hi, and welcome to the forum.
I cannot point you to the reason your fuses are blowing, but the state of your leisure battery cannot be helping. If you are only getting a reading of 9.5 volts from this battery with the engine running, then I suspect it's well goosed or the current is being diverted elsewhere. I should expect to see something in the region of 13.8 - 14v.
What voltage does it read if left unconnected for a couple of hours?

Frank

Hi frank,
thanks for getting back, the battery reads 9.5 v, when the engine is running, the voltage is around 12.5 v. when the van is plugged into the mains it charges around 12 v, and when unplugged the voltage is around 10.5-11.5 v but drops down to 9.5 if I drive or leave the van, after a short while. 
I can't find anything draining it but I did have a problem with the fridge, which I have fixed.  I must say the wiring seems very slapdash, I can't imagine Autosleepers wiring it up like it was.  I suppose I can't really test everything properly until the battery has a full charge, that is if I can get a full charge into it.
John

Sounds to me like the battery is dead.
Whether there are other issues which has caused this, or whether the battery has died of old age, I cannot see you resolving your problems without replacing this battery with a good one.

Frank

Orunaide wrote:they had also replaced the battery.

No indication of how recent, but it's obviously been replaced once.

However, if it's regularly being flattened by something it may have been irreparably damaged since it was replaced, and of course you cannot rule out a new battery being faulty. It does sometimes happen - for example if it's dropped in transit before you even get it.

In my experience the only way to address this is a methodical approach to testing. I would start by disconnecting the leisure battery from the van's electrics and charging it fully, to see if it will charge, and whether it holds charge if left disconnected for several days. I would then get hold of a multimeter and test what current drain you have when connected up again but with everything in the van switched off. You can then isolate items further if you find there is still a current drain.

If I had to guess, I would go with a damaged battery, or possibly a fault with the fridge 12V relay (can you confirm that you have the 12V side of the fridge turned off?), but my past record on guessing is that I'm wrong more often than I'm right!

-mojo- wrote:

Orunaide wrote:they had also replaced the battery.

No indication of how recent, but it's obviously been replaced once.

At least a couple of years ago, according to OP and no mention that it was replaced with a new one?

Agree with all you say Mojo - apart from the bit about being wrong more than right

Frank

Hi  

Orunaide wrote: I haven't got much hair left so I can't afford to tear it out, so if there are any ideas out there it would be much appreciated.

Join the club.  Luckily the electrics in older vans are very simple so a bit of logical thinking and a few measurements should soon sort it out.

Orunaide wrote:I have tested the batteries, the van battery has a full charge and the alternator is working well, the leasure battery reads around 9.5 volts and when the engine is running it is charging properly

That says either the leisure battery isn’t connected or there is an awful lot of current going somewhere. Since there is a lot of heat being generated I’d suspect the latter.

Orunaide wrote: The fuses don't blow while the engine is running, only after I have driven it for half an hour or so.

That would  be consistent with the fuses carrying a little above their rated current. A 30A fuse carrying say 32 amps is likely to take a long time to blow (the actual time depends on the type of fuse).

Like Frank and –mojo-, my first guess would be that the battery itself is faulty but without any measurements it is only a guess. I would remove the battery (or at least disconnect it from the van) and charge it using a mains charger. Preferably with a smart charger such as a CTEK.

At the end of charge the terminal voltage should be around 13.8V. Then leave it for a few hours and check that the voltage doesn’t drop off (below say 12.6V). If all is well you can do a basic load test by connecting something like a headlight bulb, if the voltage drops off quickly to below 12V you probably have a duff cell.

Anyway whether you use the old battery or get a new one, when you reconnect it in the van look out for any noticeable spark, that would indicate something drawing current. If all seems ok disconnect it again and check the drain current with a meter – it shouldn’t be more than a few milliamps with everything switched off.

Then start the engine and check that both batteries read approximately the same voltage. Assuming both vehicle and leisure batteries were almost fully charged they should get up to 14V or so within a few minutes.

Then, just as a precaution measure the battery voltage several times over the next few hours and if all seems well every day or so for a while until you are confident that the problems are solved. Whatever happens disconnect the battery if it looks like going below about 10.5V

Brod

Hi Everyone,
I was hoping it wasn't the battery but what must be must be.  I'll take it off and have it charged professionally, my charger is ancient.
I was checking the paperwork that came with the van and a company in County Down, did a habitation check and repairs in 2014. they say on their list that loads of work was done, no/ 5 says checked leasure battery, still not holding charge, fitted new straps as it was held in with cable ties and fitted new battery.
The new battery is a Numax 110 ah, so I would think now that whatever fault there was is still there, testing obviously can't be done unless the battery is fully charged, so that has to be the way, suss the problem out first then get a new battery, the test I did didn't show any power drain but then it wasn't fully charged.
It looks like I'm going to have a thinner wallet now.
I'm a bit wary about using companies here because the work done on the van could have been done better by a first year apprentice. a company in Dublin rebuilt the carburettor at a cost of 335 Euro's, before I bought the van and never even checked the fuel filter, which was full of sludge, "makes me shudder".
Thanks again guy's, I'll follow your suggestions.
Cheers John.

my charger is ancient

I bought one of these smart chargers a while ago:
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For the van and bike. Considerably cheaper than the CKtec smart chargers and in some ways better.

Frank

Thanks Frank,
I will check that out.  I have taken my battery to a local garage, who are reliable they will charge it and test it, then I'll go from there while I was there he put a load tester on it and seemed ok but he will test it when fully charged, if it will take a full charge, just have to wait and see, fingers crossed.

John.

Hi,
back again, I had the battery charged and load tested.  The test showed some duff cells, so it means a new battery as suspected, the battery is likely the cause of the fuse problem, (fingers crossed) Now to source a replacement, they are a bit more expensive here than in the UK, I just got a quote of 150 euro for a 110 ah yuasa battery which seems ok, I will sort out a decent smart charger now and double check the electrics and hope for the best.
Thanks again everyone for your input, I'm very grateful, cheers John.

Tayna Batteries  https://www.tayna.co.uk/ are very good with quick delivery and competitive prices. Not sure if they deliver to your part of the world but you could ask. They accept PayPal so the currency difference would be no problem.

HTH
Frank

Good morning Frank,
I looked Tayna up yesterday, It seems they only deliver to Uk addresses but I might phone them.  I did find one UK supplier who would deliver here but they wanted £115 for delivery, so it may be as well to get one here. Halfords are 105 euro for a 115ah battery, and the motor factors around 108 to 150ish euro. I'm not so sure there is a fantastic difference between most anyway.
 cheers, John.

Hello again, fuse problem solved, the battery had a couple of duff cells, I put a new battery and and new fuses and everything is fine.
I took the night ferry to Pembroke and will spend a couple of weeks in Wiltshire and south Devon. 
So thanks again for your help, we learn a little something every day, even, or especially at my age, cheers again. John

Thanks for getting back to us, It's nice to know when a problem has been solved.

Frank