Auxiliary Heater help

oracle · Jan 30, 2015

2008 Cali 4 Motion.

My Auxiliary Heater is very temperamental, often not firing up just blowing cold before shutting down. It is a little more reliable straight after a run i.e when we have max charge in the battery.
My local dealer seems to be stuck. They have added an earth just in case, tested glow plug and heater element which are fine.

If I read my owners handbook correctly the Aux heater is powered off the battery in the wardrobe but they seem convinced its the one under the passenger seat which is new.

Does anybody know which battery it is or have any other ideas what the problem might be?

Thanks Steve

calikev · Jan 30, 2015

Does it work on hook up?

oracle · Jan 30, 2015

Just tried it and it kicked in on hook up.

It seemed to take a long time to get to temperature but it got there in the end and ran fine.

snowy55 · Jan 30, 2015

I always thought the 2 leisure batteries, under seat and bottom of the wardrobe, were connected together in series or parallel (can't remember which), therefore acting like 1 big battery. Is it not always best to replace both batteries as a pair or else the new battery can be "dragged down" by the old battery.
As you can guess I'm not much of an electrician.

oracle · Jan 30, 2015

That'd make sense if they are in parallel just to give more grunt. Good thought
Thanks

calikev · Jan 30, 2015

Do you charge it at home on hook up

andywa119 · Jan 30, 2015

I think the heater is very sensitive to available voltage from the leisure batteries. Too low and it just blows cold for a few minutes and then shuts down. If I charge on hook up, then no problem all weekend. Rely on the drive to a site to charge battery, then I will often have a problem with the heater. I don't trust the control panels display indication of how well the battery is charged. After a weekend on the battery it may say 75%. Run the engine 10 minutes and it has gone back to 100%. Use a hook a hook up on the battery before you go away!

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oracle · Jan 30, 2015

That sounds very similar to what I'm seeing. I haven't had it for long so haven't really got a routine yet.
First time out I noticed it wouldn't kick in on battery after only a relatively short drive but would on hook up, so I've been trying to improve reliability since.

I charged it on hook up last weekend then took it off on Sunday. Left it for the week. Battery status was down to 70% by today and heater wouldn't fire which was the first time I'd tried it after the charge.

My previous 2006 seemed to be a lot more tolerant and fired in without fail.

WelshGas · Jan 30, 2015

Both leisure batteries are wired in parallel. Unless 1 battery is faulty then both should be replaced normally around 6 yrs of age. Fully charged leisure batteries, in good condition should NOT lose 30% of charge over a week if everything is switched off.
Therefore:
1. Get both batteries checked out. One of them could have failed and be unable to hold a charge.
2. Something is using current either because it is switched ON or is faulty. So if both batteries are ok, then check all circuits that use the leisure batteries.

oracle · Jan 30, 2015

Sounds like it might be worth new batteries then. I don't think they've been changed and they are now into their 7th year.

There shouldn't have been anything switched on so the drop must have been just loss of charge. Does the inverter switch on and off anywhere? They lost 20% very quickly but then seemed to plateau at 70%

WelshGas · Jan 31, 2015

Do you have anything plugged into the "inverter" socket, an adapter or something even switched off, as apparently when something is plugged in then the inverter is switched on an will itself consume some battery power.
7 years is good and I would think that is your problem. I would get them checked and I would think that both would have to be replaced for best long term performance.

oracle · Feb 1, 2015

No nothing plugged in at all.
Sounding more like a dodgy battery I guess. At least that seems a sensible place to start. It's not going to be a waste of money if the current ones are original, anyway.

dannosail · Feb 2, 2015

Batteries may be a problem but 2 things:

- battery indicator is not that sophisticated since it drops significantly when the fridge kicks in or heater running - therefore I think the residual reading with nothing turned on is the only reliable figure.

- on the heater I had snags and sometimes had to start it twice, fan worked but no heat - others posted a similar problem. It is a diesel heater so if the fan is running it is unlikely to be the batteries unless the glow plug to light it requires a lot of power?

Andy · Feb 2, 2015

Yes the heater uses a lot of current when it starts but very little after that. It will also not start if the batteries are low. That's why we ask people with a problem if if works on hookup.

Sent from my SM-G900F

dannosail · Feb 2, 2015

Got it! Thanks.

Eystein007 · Mar 7, 2015

Hi.

The Camper AUX stop "heating" when it's drop down to a serten Voltage. It continue blow air to "cool" down before shut down.

The Camer Batteries are paralell so you got more Amp and same Voltage.

I recomand all to install a "Sigaret bracet" directly to the camper batteries to monitoring Voltage. In my "panel" monitor it show 0,5 voltage lower tha ower the batteries. "Sigaret bracet" at the shiftstick are hooked up with the "startbatterie"

The camper batteries are NOT connected to the engine starter batterie while camping and will only conect when the engine are running.

Eystein from Norway

And love my car!

Hotel California · Mar 7, 2015

The aux.heater must at least be left on for 30 min ...if you frequently switch it on an back of say afther 10 min , it will get damaged afther a while .
Also it it best to not leave it unused longtime , so people who don't have the need for heating or living in the warmer area of the world....should let the heater burn frequently and on one of the high levels to " burn it clean" inside
That way it prevents some failures , not all offcourse.
Indeed the lesure battery must be loaded up to certain level for the heater to work and the amount of diesel in the tank must be above a certail level ...the burner stops to prevent it to empty your dieseltank and stall your Cali!
If the heatersign is flashing on the roofdisplay it has a failure.
It starts with blowing cold air , then the burner starts you will hear the clicking sound of the diesel pump , afther swiching off it wil stay turning a while to cool down