Leaking current from leisure battery

[andyinluton]

Yes I did mean the mains inverter that you have shown.
I think that light means it is turned on & that is your problem.

 

[yossarian]

I just checked the 230V socket and there is a green light burning there. Is this normal behaviour or does it mean the inverter is drawing current and is engaged?

View attachment 103119

This light should not be on. There is a microswitch in the socket. You could try insert and remove a plug, if that doesn't work pull the fuse. I'll try find which one now.

 

[WelshGas]

I just checked the 230V socket and there is a green light burning there. Is this normal behaviour or does it mean the inverter is drawing current and is engaged?

View attachment 103119

Yes. That is your current draw. The micro switch is stuck ON.

Either remove the fuse serving the Inverter. I'm afraid I don't know which fuse it is on the T6.1, OR try plugging something In/Out to unstick the switch.

 

[yossarian]

Fuse Holder SH – Under Left Seat
1. 30A-Trailer Detector Control Unit J345, DC/AC Converter U13

SH1 under the left seat.

 

[Resfeber]

Fuse Holder SH – Under Left Seat
1. 30A-Trailer Detector Control Unit J345, DC/AC Converter U13

SH1 under the left seat.

Thanks @Loz

 

[66tim99]

I brought it to the dealer but they could not find anything.

This is the real pain in this thread. My Mum for example wouldn’t even realise there’s a problem, let alone how to seek a solution.
Great you’ve found the culprit. Which dealer couldn’t?

 

[Resfeber]

Fuse Holder SH – Under Left Seat
1. 30A-Trailer Detector Control Unit J345, DC/AC Converter U13

SH1 under the left seat.

Just an update.
Rummaging through the fuse list that @Loz posted in the download section I also found.


I believe the inverter is around 300watts so allowing for some inefficiency probably can draw 360watts which at 12 v would place it drawing 30 amps leaving little margin on fuse 1 rated at 30 amps for a direct feed, so wonder if it also involves one of the 40 amp rated fused relays.
Again thanks @Loz for images

 

[andyinluton]

Thinking about it then, it could either be the microswitch in the socket or that relay being stuck in the open position.

 

[sidepod]

Wiring diagram?

So the micro switch powers up the relay when you plug something in to the inverter?

That should be an easy check. In theory, the green light should go out if you pull the relay out?

I’m not sure I understand the purpose of the green light?
Does the system monitor the state of the leisure batteries and only switch on if there is sufficient juice? ie no green light, low battery level?

 

[dspuk]

Just to second everyone on this as I was curious and wanted to check myself - normal state for the invertor socket is light off. Great fault find though and defo will keep this in mind in the future.

@sidepod Had mine plugged into the mains all day yesterday to charge the batteries - so not a light that comes on with low battery.

 

[sidepod]

 

[sidepod]

So it looks like there are two DC feeds into the inverter from Fuse 30.
One is a 2.5 mmsq which will easily hold 30A, the other is 0.5mmsq which won’t! My guess is this is a voltage sensing wire?

Hard to say what triggers the green light but there is no relay involved.

 

[andyinluton]

@sidepod, that looks like the T5 / T6 wiring diagram for the door pillar mounted inverter.

The two relays are for the the roof, one for up, one for down so nothing to do with the inverter.

So the money is back on the microswitch on the socket?

I think this is the correct wiring diagram for a T6.1.

 

[yossarian]

@sidepod here's the diagram for the op's vehicle. https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/resources/camping-electrical-t6-1-ocean-2-battery.212/download

I didn't find the DC feed last night.

 

[sidepod]

DC feed is the red/white stripped 4.0 line to grid line 2. Sheet 75/2. ?

 

[yossarian]

The microswitch should be connected to pins 6 & 7 of the black 10 pin connector (T10ab).

An alternative to mucking around with fuses might be to disconnect the three pin brown connector T3f which is plugged into the inverter. It has brown , white/red and white/purple wires.

 

[rjurgens]

Thanks for all the help so far! Are there any suggestions on how to get this green light on the socket off? I plugged and unplugged a plug in the socket many times, but the converter seems to stay on. Can I teach that micro switch by hand?

 

[yossarian]

Thanks for all the help so far! Are there any suggestions on how to get this green light on the socket off? I plugged and unplugged a plug in the socket many times, but the converter seems to stay on. Can I teach that micro switch by hand?

Here's someone removing and replacing the socket https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...-good-how-to-get-your-plug-to-sit-flat.44048/

 

[Resfeber]

Here's someone removing and replacing the socket https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...-good-how-to-get-your-plug-to-sit-flat.44048/

Is the op vehicle still under warranty?
We all agree the inverter is the likely culprit and should not be energised and drawing current (hence the green indicator), so a warranty item unless different terms for VW in Netherlands

 

[dspuk]

Thanks for all the help so far! Are there any suggestions on how to get this green light on the socket off? I plugged and unplugged a plug in the socket many times, but the converter seems to stay on. Can I teach that micro switch by hand?

Have you removed the fuse for it to confim that is the power leak? It may be on but not actually enough to cause a drain as fast as you describe - pulling the fuse will let you know quickly so you don't go down an inverter wild goose chase.

 

[sidepod]

The symbol next to the led suggests consult the owners manual? What’s that all about?

 

[G3WRT]

Hello,

Does anybody how to check where current is leaking from the leisure battery? After I fully charge it by power cable, then the leisure batteries run close to flat in a couple of days. The car is one year old and according to the dealer, the batteries are still in good shape. I have quite something about electronics, but where can I measure the current running?

Regards, Rudolf

The 1947 MG I once owned had a +/- analogue ammeter. Far better than all this electronic sensors stuff but I guess too expensive to incorporate in a modern vehicle. I know that doesnt help but there is a lot of potential drain on the battery, first is the alarm and central locking receiver but anything else connected and of course the battery self drains itself over time. But on the plus side the leisure battery can recover from being virtually flat which the starter battery cannot. I very much doubt many dealers have any real grip technically on a T6.1 = how many do they sell or work on? Software updates seem to be few and far between and how do we know about those?

 

[Paul G - 2022 Ocean]

This thread is why I love this forum so much. In the absence of any wiring diagrams or fuse layouts in the owners handbook or on the fuse box covers (thanks VW….not!) we rely instead on the good people here with their knowledge and experience. It’s like having a Haines Manual at your fingertips.

 

[rjurgens]

View attachment 103121

Thanks @Loz

I pulled this fuse but the green light in my VW 6.1 Coast persists. Yes, it's still under warranty

 

[sidepod]

You’ll need to pull this one.