engel fridge causing trouble

[hagus]

G,day all.
Has anyone got any ideas on what might be going on here.

I have a 2002 130 def with a dual battery set up and a battery isolator switch in it. I run our engel fridge off the deep cycle battery. If we leave the fridge on for more than late afternoon till early morning the truck will not start. It carrys on as if it has a flat battery.

We just did a trip up the Dampier peninsular and this happend. I checked the starting battery with a multi meter and it was reading 14V. The deep cycle battery was reading 10V.
The truck will roll start OK but this is unsatisfactory in the middle of nowhere here in the Kimberleys on your own.

Could the fridge be interfering with the computer somehow?

Any thoughts

[ladas]

G,day all.
Has anyone got any ideas on what might be going on here.

I have a 2002 130 def with a dual battery set up and a battery isolator switch in it. I run our engel fridge off the deep cycle battery. If we leave the fridge on for more than late afternoon till early morning the truck will not start. It carrys on as if it has a flat battery.

We just did a trip up the Dampier peninsular and this happend. I checked the starting battery with a multi meter and it was reading 14V. The deep cycle battery was reading 10V.
The truck will roll start OK but this is unsatisfactory in the middle of nowhere here in the Kimberleys on your own.

Could the fridge be interfering with the computer somehow?

Any thoughts

Does the cranking battery work okay/keep charge without the engle on it.

On mine I have a 'gizmo' that isolates the two batteries when the voltage in the cranking battery drops to below 12v (approx). Which I thought that was how that they are meant to work.

Maybe the 'computer' is faulty. and not isolating when the volts drop, or it's measuring the voltage of the wrong battery

Or the dual battery set up is wired incorrectly

[hagus]

The cranking battery does not loose any charge at all overnight.

I have on another occasion replaced the cranking battery to no avail. This is what makes me think it might be messing with the comp.

I have one of those gizmos you speak of and will get it checked out by an auto elec when i get to Kunnunura. Tey are a bit thin on the ground in Halls Creek.

[Scouse]

The ECU dosn't have any control over the starter motor. Everything else but the starter is control through the ign switch & a relay. The ECU gets a signal from the starter circuit but that's about it AFAIK.

[Utemad]

I have on another occasion replaced the cranking battery to no avail.

I was going to say that perhaps the cranking battery is buggered. If the battery isolator was a simple solenoid design then it might bring both batteries together to start. Therefore you wouldn't notice the buggered cranking battery until the second battery was flattery.

However since you said you replaced the crank battery to no avail then I guess it isn't that :)

Unless the same system I described above is what you have and you have a dodgy cranking battery earth? Don't know if this could cause your problems but it is easy to check all your earths all the same.

[hagus]

Utemad
Wouldn't a crappy earth show up all the time. This situation has happened on three occassions all when the fridge runs a bit longer than overnight. I have tried jumper leads on one occasion and had no success. I might try turning the isolator switch on/off (whichever) as the fridge still runs but the truck wont start and see if that works. A bit of a pain though because if it dosent work I have to be towed.

[LandyAndy]

Im wondreing if the flat deep cycle is drawing too much power from the main battery whilst cranking and not alowing the starter motor to crank.
Are you able to isolate the second battery during the start proceedure????
Andrew

[PhilipA]

Whew, for a moment there I thought someone had actually had trouble with an Engel less than 20 years old, and all the Waeco apologists would see it as justification for all their woes>LOL.
BUT its nothing to do with the fridge, its the batteries or the isolator.
I think the fridge is connected to the wrong battery.
regards Philip A

[Utemad]

I am just guessing when I answer but a dodgy earth might only show up sometimes. I'd of thought that a high current dodgy earth would show up more often then not though.
The fact it only happens when your 2nd battery is drawn down from your fridge more than usual fits with what I posted before (in my head at least).

It is pretty weird that jumper cables didn't help though. Did you let the engine of the donor vehicle run to charge your battery for a little bit. Instead of just attaching the jumpers and hitting your key?

As LandyAndy suggested I'd be disconnecting the 2nd battery and seeing how the vehicle performs with only the cranking battery. At the very least you'd quickly find out if your second battery is helping start your car.

[isuzurover]

Stupid question but are you sure the starter is connected to the correct battery? Have you looked to see what happens to the loads when it is starting - i.e. which battery has current drawn from it.

[Utemad]

We just did a trip up the Dampier peninsular and this happend. I checked the starting battery with a multi meter and it was reading 14V. The deep cycle battery was reading 10V.

Just rereading the initial post I'd have thought that since your fridge had been running long enough to kill your second battery that your cranking battery should have settled down to 12.5v or there abouts. I wouldn't have thought your cranking battery would ever read 14v except when the engine is running or perhaps immediately after.

What voltage does your 2nd battery read when you have been driving all day but had the engine switched off for an hour or so? Maybe it is the 2nd battery that is buggered and it never reads more than 10v and the fridge is actually connected to the cranking battery? Although then your cranking battery wouldn't be reading 14v (as said weird if it does anyway).

All this is just my ramblings though.

[hagus]

Landy Andy
I have what i think is one of those diodes?? that is suppossed to allow charging to the second battery but not allow it to drain the first battery.
I could isolate the starting battery but the isolating switch is wired into this which makes it a bit of a task as both batteries are under the seat.

Phillip A
The fridge is connected to the deep cycle battery as i did this myself.

Utemad
Yes i let it charge up plenty. No difference

Isuzurover
I thought the same so i swapped the wire to the other battery. No difference

It looks more and more like the second battery system may be at fault.
As i said earlier the main battery was showing 14V and it didn,t make any diff which batt the starter was run to.

In a previous life when i had a hilux the starter motor was stuffed and it acted just like it had a flat battery.

[Utemad]

Yes i let it charge up plenty. No difference

Have you actually checked the voltages with a multimeter though when you have let it charge up?

[hagus]

I could isolate the starting battery but it is a pain because it is wired through the isolator and there is not much room to move without pulling both batteries out. Th fridge is definately connected to the deep cycle battery as i did this myself. As i understand the system the second battery should not be able to be drawn on through the diode?? at all. It allows charging one way and no current back the other.
isuzurover i thought the same and it lookrd to me as if the connection was wrong. After changing it over it made no difference even though the starter wire was hooked to the battery which was reading 14V on the multi meter.
Looks to me like it is beyond the expertise of a builder! Need to track down that auto electricians and get it checked out.

[hagus]

Thought i lost last reply. Sorry.

Yes it was reading 12-13V. This is the frustrating thing it doesn,t make sense.
After tow starting i drove 500metres turned it off and it started no trouble until some months later when the fridge thing happened again.

[LandyAndy]

We need input from Drivesafe!!!!
Andrew

[Utemad]

I've never heard of an isolator that just uses a diode. I wouldn't have thought you get one rated high enough anyway.

If you could find out the brand and/or name of the isolator then I'm sure someone who has one or has installed one could give you more help if it is the isolator.

[Blknight.aus]

Im wondreing if the flat deep cycle is drawing too much power from the main battery whilst cranking and not alowing the starter motor to crank.
Are you able to isolate the second battery during the start proceedure????
Andrew


Im going to follow this idea and the proof is fairly simple and depending on your battery location might even be a permamant fixture.

After checking all the earths and primary positve connections

grab yourself one of those battery connectors with the "turn to make/break" switch in it.. Put it on the positive side of the second battery, when you go to start it turn this off, if that solves the problem then your second battery is drawing down your start battery.

If this solves the problem then Im sure drivesafe has a more detailed answer on a long term solution.

[DeeJay]

I had the same trouble many years ago and turfed the diode isolator in the end ,and used one of those key type battery isolators blknight described. Problem solved.- as long as you remember to use it;) .
It seemed to me at the time that when I hit the ignition key the second -flat- battery took all the amps out of the first (original) battery and once (if) the engine started the charge coming the other way seemed to stop it doing it again. This gels with all the symptoms you have.
I would recommend you put the multimetre on the starter motor when you crank it over or as bl says isolate the second battery entirely.
Let us know will you, its not often we hear back once someones problem is solved.:cool:

[Captain_Rightfoot]

Don't forget to check your earths too! :)