Leisure batteries not charging from engine

[Hauptmann906]

Hello All,

I am an American living in Germany with a 2009 LHD California. The vehicle has been awesome for touring about Europe and the UK with our small children. However, there have been a number of really annoying electrical issues that make life difficult. The most recent is the apparent failure of the the leisure batteries to charge from the engine while driving. I tested this by fully charging the batteries from mains power, switching on the fridge and proceeding to drive over 150 miles. At the end of the trip the batteries were at only 60% charge. I repeated the experiment with similar results without the fridge running to insure the problem was not the fridge, itself. I have heard that there is some sort of relay under the seat that goes bad, but otherwise I have not idea where to begin.

I have searched the forums, but without much luck. This problem is on top of the camping heater not working properly and the water pump failing! I have tried to check the fuses under the seat, but I can't even get to them with my multi-meter (might have to remove the entire seat). The local VW shop in Stuttgart claims there is no problem; I am just not charging the batteries often enough at home. I think they are full of S%#T and just don't want to deal with it. Perhaps it is related to the dreaded grounding issue, which is apparently difficult to repair. Either way, we had planned on going camping this weekend while the decent weather holds, but it looks like we will be working on the Cali instead. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[calikev]

Hi there sorry to hear you are having charging problems. I was led to believe that when the engine is running it will charge the van battery first then a relay opens allowing the leisure batteries to charge. Does the G symbol appear in the control panel when the engine is running :?:

 

[Hauptmann906]

Thanks for your response! I was also told that the engine battery will charge first, then the leisure batteries. However, I think that three hours of driving should suffice, given that the alternator on the Calis is supposedly quite strong. The generator symbol does appear in the control unit screen, but the leisure batteries just continue to drain no matter how long the engine runs. Kind of complicates keeping your food cold while on the road; really complicates going without mains power for a day or two.

 

[calikev]

Have you tried checking the voltage of the leisure batteries with the engine running. Try the one in the back. Try first without the engine then again after to see if anything is being put in

 

[Hauptmann906]

Great idea. I will give it a shot after work tonight. Any ideas after that? Many, many thanks for your help.

 

[smgcowfoldparts]

Maybe there is an issue with the leisure batteries themselves which is why they are dropping so much and quickly. If you have the interior camping lights on and you put the heater on, do the camping lights flicker?

Cheers

 

[Hauptmann906]

I am only able to run the heater when the mains is connected. Even then, all the lights flicker as the heater warms up; control panel background light as well. The heater sometimes fires up so long as the batteries are at close to 100% charge, but drains down to 40% within 3-5 minutes. The key fob heater control stopped working altogether. Needless to say this is quite a problem given our lovely German winters! I am about ready to sell the darned thing, but we love it too much.

 

[smgcowfoldparts]

If the lights flicker then have a look at the earth shunt.

cheers

 

[Hauptmann906]

Thank you for your suggestions. I will give it a shot, but I am a little unclear how to check it. Other posts I have read seem to indicate one needs to remove the fridge to get to it. I tried to download the instructions on how to repair the earth shunt, but the my normal password was rejected. Any ideas or recommendations. I really appreciate any input.

 

[Les]

Thank you for your suggestions. I will give it a shot, but I am a little unclear how to check it. Other posts I have read seem to indicate one needs to remove the fridge to get to it. I tried to download the instructions on how to repair the earth shunt, but the my normal password was rejected. Any ideas or recommendations. I really appreciate any input.

Have a look at this site, think they sell the kits as well.
http://www.vwcamper.de/content/tipps/co ... /index.php

 

[Andresz]

I would also think about the earth shunt issue in your case.
Besides you can go to the control panel and have the charging voltage and current displayed, very useful to see if the charging process really takes place or not, although this is mesured on the earth shunt, so in case of the problem with connections there the reading will most likely be false.

 

[Hauptmann906]

Much appreciated, gentlemen. Wrenching on it now. Will let you know how it goes. Thanks again.

 

[Hauptmann906]

Well, no luck so far isolating the problem. Hooked a volt meter to the leisure battery with the engine off; 12.82V. Started it up, still 12.82V. Additionally, the control panel does not show charging, just a constant draw of -0.2 volts when the engine is running. The batteries take a charge quite well from the mains power and seem to hold it well enough unless I fire up the heater. I suspect I have two things going here: the dreaded earth shunt problem, as well as a bad relay or something else that is keeping the leisure batteries from getting a charge from the alternator. We have had the van for over three years, and charging has never been an issue until last season. I will try to get the earth shunt repaired, but I am not sure that will fix everything. We are planning on rolling out next weekend, so I doubt I will get it repaired before then. Any thoughts on relays or other electrical bits that might have failed or been pushed over the edge by this damned grounding issue?

 

[Andresz]

That does not look like the earth shunt anymore, at least not for the charging.. Could be as you say a fuse, a relay, or connection breake between the generator and charging unit. Or the charging unit failure itself... This one is located under the fridge.
You may still have the earth shunt problem affecting heater operations