Battery issues?

[shining]

Hi Brains Trust,
I was out camping this weekend. I had the D3 in place for approx 48hrs no movement or starting. When we were ready to leave there wasn't enough power to crank to engine.

I have the Waeco going all the time in the D3. I have a Traxside system and optima yellow top.

I had the fridge out on the tailgate most of the time and there was a fair bit of opening and leaving doors open so interior lights stayed on. I also left the keys in the ignition a fair bit.

Did I do anything wrong? Did the carputer not shut down properly or keep waking up?

Started easily with a jump. I haven't had this sort of issue before but it is the first time I have had the Waeco running for so long without running the vehicle.
Vehicle battery is original (5yrs) Traxside and Optima is approx 2.5yrs.

[ADMIRAL]

Hi Shining,

If you do a search on battery D3/D4, you will find a lot of posts on this issue. You have not commented on your second battery, so I assume it was ok.

My advice would be to first check the condition of your main battery, and don't assume that because it tests ok, all is good. I have found that if the main battery is the slightest down in performance, it will run flat enough to cause starting issues, very easily, and quickly.

With a battery slightly down, leaving the doors open, and the keys in the ignition will chew down the battery in less than a day. The interior lights can be turned off by holding the main switch down as per the proceedure in the owners manual. The key is better off out of the ignition in my opinion. ( others may have comment on that ) I think the computer will also use power if you are in and out of the car, as it probably won't go into sleep mode.

I have replaced pretty much all of the interior globes with LED equivalents. This drops the draw a hell of a lot. If you count up the globes inside the vehicle, I think it is about 15, and they all come on if you have the all of the doors open. Once the kids start jumping in and out, opening and closing doors etc, the lights keep resetting unless you have deactivated them as described previously.

The Traxide system links the main and aux for a period until the voltage drops to a set value ( sorry, can't recall what that is off the top of my head ) , and again if your main is a little sus anyway, that little extra taken off the main, is enough to get it into trouble. Tim will advise that the voltage left in the main by his Traxide system, is easily enough to start the vehicle. In technical terms that should be the case, but in practice, a sus battery, and lights radio or computer drawing juice, and you are in trouble.

I make sure my batteries are in good nick, and are both fully charged using a good smart charger before any long trips. I also carry a portable battery starter as insurance.

Have a good read of the other postings on this subject.

[drivesafe]

Hi Shining and while your cranking battery may be on the way out, having your D3 parked up for 48 hours and going to it regularly, it is more than likely you just used up power while stopped.

Also, leaving the key in the ignition, even in the “OFF” position, is not a good practice as this uses quite a bit of power in a D3.

It is common place when one of my systems is installed, for the cranking battery, when on it’s last legs, to go flat after being parked for 48 hours, but this is when the D3 is locked up and not used.

As ADMIRAL posted, getting the battery tested is not any assurance that the battery is good.

Because of the way my isolators work, the best way to find out if the cranking battery is on it’s way out is to disconnect the dual battery system's main battery to battery lead at the plug on the driver’s side, near the SC80-LR, and leave it that way and see if your cranking battery goes flat over night.

While a good charge with a battery charger won’t hurt, but again with the way my isolator works, after a few decent drives, your cranking battery, assisted by the Optima, if your cranking battery is in good condition but was just take to a low state by leaving thing on, will recharge to a good level without any need of charging by a charger.

Let us know how you go.

[Tote]

I have managed to send my main battery flat in about 4 hours by leaving a Coleman shower plugged into the rear power outlet without the engine running (that outlet doesn't use the second battery). Jump started fine and the battery is still OK 2 years later. As said above don't discount just running your battery flat. I wouldn't have thought that a little 12 plug in charger would have drawn that much current.

Regards,
Tote

[CaverD3]

Five years is about time for a new battery so it could be on the way out as others said.

[gghaggis]

48 hrs with keys in ignition and door-lights on and off would seriously deplete a new battery!

Cheers,

Gordon

[shining]

Thanks everyone. Thats all good advice. My searches prior to posting did give me a fair bit of info about Traxside and I realised that power from the cranking battery is also used. Until I posted I didn't realise how old the cranking battery is...it still looks brand new. 15 globes is a lot too. It was just a very relaxing weekend and I wasn't thinking. I might try and put together a sticky for comment if it hasn't already been done.
Looks like time for a new battery anyway and winter is tough on an ageing battery on the Tablelands.

[drivesafe]

Hi shining and can I suggest you do not replace your battery yet.

It may last another week or two weeks, or it could last another year or two or more.

If your battery was functioning properly before you flattened it, then there is every chance it will still be fine.

If after getting it back into a fully charged state, it seems to be OK, just keep using it until it does actually fail.

[shining]

This was the first time I have any issues like that. Warm weather is coming so I can persevere.

If I turn the interior lights off as suggested by Admiral once I RTFM and leave the key out of the ignition will that stop the system from waking up if doors are opened and closed?

[Glynhouse]

I am about to replace the battery in my Dec06 build D3, still original the battery is actually dated Sep06 so it has just gone past 6 years old. Still works fine but I am about to head to Alice from Cairns and will go straight across from Mt Isa, virtually no fuel certainly no service across that track.
Had it tested today tests at 550 cold crank the new one we tested went 850 so it is getting down (dubious about modern testers but it did give a comparison).
Out of interest we run a 40ltr Evacool hard wired, in the back always when we go to town, last month forgot to turn it off ! ? found it the following evening so ran for 36 hours, would still start when I tried after I found it. No dual set up.
I am quite particular about not leaving the cab lights on if I am working on it or when left in the shed.
Not sure whether to carry the new one as a spare and leave the old one in for the trip, or install the new one and carry the old one ? Will be lighly loaded so the weight does not mater.

Have never had a battery last 6 years before, D3 has just turned 100K, let alone be usable and appear to be fine, just not game to trust it for the trip .

DD

[baldivistribe]

Just out of interest, im paranoid about flat batteries so i simply plug in the ctek charger about once a month and leave it on charge for a few days. The D4 seems to not charge itself like the old cars do. I cant have the radio on as after a few minutes i get the battery low voltage warning.
I wouldnt go changing batteries yet, just give it a good charge with a good charger.
cheers
Steve

[ADMIRAL]

This was the first time I have any issues like that. Warm weather is coming so I can persevere.

If I turn the interior lights off as suggested by Admiral once I RTFM and leave the key out of the ignition will that stop the system from waking up if doors are opened and closed?

Yes, should do, and you can check by obviously looking for any interior lamps on, and if any indicator lamps are on in the instrument pod.

Another one I just thought of. If you have a CB wired into your main, and are leaving it on to monitor, it will also run your battery down. I have to have the radio in standby quite often, ( Icom - which have a bit of a rep for being power hungry ) and have now wired it to the aux battery, through a fuse panel.

[AGRO]

When parked up remote camping or fiddling about I generally leave one door slightly ajar ie not completley shut.

The D4 electonics shuts down after a few minutes and any body can open and close the doors as much as they like and vehicle won't wake up. The auto light OFF is also used.