Thread: Battery Query (revisited)

Gday...

Thought I’ begin this thread again .......

Given all the auto elec 'discussion' on the forum over the past couple of days .... I just know there are plenty of 'advisers' to help me .

I find I frequently (probably four times in 9 months) need to top up cells in my aux battery.

The following is the configuration of the batteries in my 2006 TDV6 SE D3.

Main battery – Land Rover – Varta – Made in Germany (I assume original battery)
The label states: 12V 90Ah, RC150 mins, 950 Amps (SAE). Screw access to cells to check water.

Aux battery – Besco Made in Australia (no idea how old but could be 5 years)
The label states: 50Ah 20hr capacity – Ideal for dual battery use (it also has a label showing a boat, 4x4, caravan, trailer)
Screw access to cells to check water

The main and aux batteries are “managed” by a Piranah DBE 150S Mk 2 12V 150amp Dual Management System.

This is all I can determine from reading the outside of the batteries and management system. Anything else is ‘smoke and mirrors’ to me – sorry

I also had the alternator replaced about 5 months ago – apparently it was only putting out 13.1v and that was causing the ECU to bring up the ‘charging system’ fault light on the dash. At that time both batteries were ‘fully charged’ – main at 13.8v and aux at 13.2v – tested by RACV who attended my initial call before I went to Dealer.

I had the batteries checked again only two weeks ago and both were holding full charge and were receiving 14.7v at main, 14.3v at aux and 14.1v at my caravan ‘house’ battery.
Main battery is fine and has required no topping up in the same time.


My experience with batteries is that I have very rarely had to top up batteries with distilled water .... I check them at least fortnightly and they just always have had the required amount of water in the cells.

Interested in comments

Cheers
John

My little experience with batteries is first, that they never last for five years, (well they do, but they rarely function very well), and second, that if they need water all the time, either there is a case leak, (and that shows pretty fast), or they lose charge by themselves and hence are constantly being recharged - sort of like it is never off the charger and the water "boils" out.

If I am correct that the battery is just past its prime and hence requires a constant charge, as well as boiling the fluid off, then I would tend to think it is putting maybe a more than desirable constant never ending load on your alternator.

I can be wrong, and the problem could be more complicated than above, but a new battery just might just solve all. I doubt the problem is the split charger, the main battery, the alternator, or any wiring concern.

If you still have the original Land Rover supplied main battery installed, I would be buying a new one of those and hopefully the removed LR battery would physically fit in the second battery location - probably not but...

I have never enjoyed walking in the noon day sun.