Low Battery, Charge Now warning / Cube fuse/ Battery replacement etc.

[Jeff_Brown]

Hi All

Got back from being overseas and had the dreaded "Low Battery: Charge Now" warning on the console (never seen that before). It had been sitting for approx 3-4 weeks. This is on a 2019 6.1 California with original batteries (2 x 75AH).
Charged overnight for at least 12-14hrs on hookup and still have the same warning.
Tried removing the monitoring cables on the negative terminals of both batteries front and rear and reattaching to see if that reset them. No joy.
Have now removed the batteries (using the guide posted here doing cable in the right order etc and bagging them).
Metering the batteries I get 12.9v on the front and 12.5 on the rear (see attached pics).
Metered continuity on the cube fuse and it seems OK.

I've already ordered 2 x Varta LA80s which come tomorrow as well as couple of replacement cube fuses. I'm due to go away tomorrow so hoping to get it sorted (nothing like a deadline for pressure!.

I have noticed far less run time on the batteries the last year or two (had the van 4 years having got it 1yr old 4000 miles) and the batteries have probably not been kept in good shape (I didn't plug in during the winters etc and sometimes it would sit for a few of weeks at a time).

My concern now is that it may not be the batteries as they are reading OK and actually it's something else (fuse or relay somewhere?).
I will go ahead and put the new ones in tomorrow but if anyone can tell from what I've written here that's it's something else please let me know.
Any help appreciated!

Jeff

 

[Jeff_Brown]

Also just to add - when I first got the message I took it for a drive (couple of motorway junctions). On the panel whilst driving its was reading 14.4v / 50-60Amps (changing randomly but looked like high numbers) and 0 hrs above that.
Not sure if that is more or an indicator of a problem elsewhere...

 

[kurienp]

Hi All

Got back from being overseas and had the dreaded "Low Battery: Charge Now" warning on the console (never seen that before). It had been sitting for approx 3-4 weeks. This is on a 2019 6.1 California with original batteries (2 x 75AH).
Charged overnight for at least 12-14hrs on hookup and still have the same warning.
Tried removing the monitoring cables on the negative terminals of both batteries front and rear and reattaching to see if that reset them. No joy.
Have now removed the batteries (using the guide posted here doing cable in the right order etc and bagging them).
Metering the batteries I get 12.9v on the front and 12.5 on the rear (see attached pics).
Metered continuity on the cube fuse and it seems OK.

I've already ordered 2 x Varta LA80s which come tomorrow as well as couple of replacement cube fuses. I'm due to go away tomorrow so hoping to get it sorted (nothing like a deadline for pressure!.

I have noticed far less run time on the batteries the last year or two (had the van 4 years having got it 1yr old 4000 miles) and the batteries have probably not been kept in good shape (I didn't plug in during the winters etc and sometimes it would sit for a few of weeks at a time).

My concern now is that it may not be the batteries as they are reading OK and actually it's something else (fuse or relay somewhere?).
I will go ahead and put the new ones in tomorrow but if anyone can tell from what I've written here that's it's something else please let me know.
Any help appreciated!

Jeff

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The voltage displayed after charging is the voltage that moment of time. That does not indicate how long it can sustain that voltage when being used. If the battery is charged, put it back in place and then use the van and measure the voltage. If it drops significantly, then the battery is most probably shot.

When charging, I believe it should show a voltage of over 13.1 14 v. Do check this when charging.

You could also leave the battery without any load for about 24 hours and then see how much the voltage drops. This then has to be a really bad battery to drop voltage.

4 years without much maintenance (as you say, not plugging in when not being used), may have decreased battery life. Yes, there are exceptions where people have used batteries for much longer but it seems that a general average seems to be about 4 to 5 years. your's may be well in that range for a replacement.

 

[kurienp]

Also just to add - when I first got the message I took it for a drive (couple of motorway junctions). On the panel whilst driving its was reading 14.4v / 50-60Amps (changing randomly but looked like high numbers) and 0 hrs above that.
Not sure if that is more or an indicator of a problem elsewhere...

That is normal charging profile. No issues there.

 

[Jeff_Brown]

Thanks @kurienp useful to know. I'm trickle charging the old ones now to full and will try them again after but most likely make the swap to the new ones.

 

[secret lemonade drinker]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09FKXHW2R/?tag=eliteelect-21

These cheap chargers have a repair cycle that can usually recover batteries to extend their life

 

[yossarian]

Low Battery: Charge Now" warning on the console

The camping control panel or the dashboard?

2019 6.1 California

These have a know miswiring affecting the leisure battery gauging performance when the cube fuse is blown.

I get 12.9v on the front and 12.5 on the rear (see attached pics).
Metered continuity on the cube fuse and it seems OK.

It's quite difficult to achieve a 0.4V difference in resting voltage if the parallel connection path is intact. This suggests a bad connection on the rear battery somewhere. Did the clamps feel OK? The cube fuse can be a little brittle.

if anyone can tell from what I've written here that's it's something else please let me know.

While the batteries are out you could check continuity from positive to positive and from each negative to chassis ground..

 

[Jeff_Brown]

Thanks Yossarian

The camping control panel or the dashboard?

It was on both - with warning beeping

These have a know miswiring affecting the leisure battery gauging performance when the cube fuse is blown.

It's quite difficult to achieve a 0.4V difference in resting voltage if the parallel connection path is intact. This suggests a bad connection on the rear battery somewhere. Did the clamps feel OK? The cube fuse can be a little brittle.

Yes they felt very tight and it looks like the fuse is OK unless I have metered it wrong (top of bolt to clamp either side off the fuse)

While the batteries are out you could check continuity from positive to positive and from each negative to chassis ground..

I'm not sure how to do that? I could use a longer bit of wire and go positive to positive?

 

[yossarian]

longer bit of wire and go positive to positive?

Yeah, if the leads won't stretch.

Chassis ground is available at the battery bolt down point.

There is no obvious problem with your diagnostics. I'd do the continuity test if it's not too much hassle, just because of that unexplained 0.4V split. I'm pretty sure you'll be up and running with new batteries.

 

[Jeff_Brown]

Thanks I'll give that a try and also check all the fuses. I've trickle charged both outside the van on a mains charge. Rear got to 13.0v and has now dropped to 12.8v within an hour just sitting. So yes I suspect the batteries are shot and the new ones will sort out.

 

[Jeff_Brown]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09FKXHW2R/?tag=eliteelect-21

These cheap chargers have a repair cycle that can usually recover batteries to extend their life

Good find - thanks

 

[Jeff_Brown]

So swapped for the Varta L80s and all good. Back to 60+ hours. And just in time to get away in time!

Thanks for your help everyone.

 

[sidepod]

These have a know miswiring affecting the leisure battery gauging performance when the cube fuse is blown

Could you expand on this?
My initial impression was a less than expected battery life!
I couldn’t be bothered to investigate. If it’s something simple then I might.

 

[yossarian]

Could you expand on this?
My initial impression was a less than expected battery life!
I couldn’t be bothered to investigate. If it’s something simple then I might.

VW wired the aft sensor incorrectly on early T6.1s. MY2020 seems to be affected and MY2022 definitely fixed.

Unless you have something earlier than a MY2022 this won't affect you.

 

[Homesteader]

That is normal charging profile. No issues there.

The one above that reading 00 that to me looks like you have both terminals from your meter reading zero. You don’t have both terminals from the meter to the same terminal. They should be one the positive (red) & one on the negative ( black)

That is normal charging profile. No issues there.

 

[Jeff_Brown]

The one above that reading 00 that to me looks like you have both terminals from your meter reading zero. You don’t have both terminals from the meter to the same terminal. They should be one the positive (red) & one on the negative ( black)

That one was testing continuity on the cube fuse (from the bottom of the clamp to the top via the fuse itself). It was fine (though I have now bought some spares for the glove box!)

 

[D&ACalifornia]

I had the same problem when I picked up my t6.1 about 18 months ago - the Cali was also approx 6 months old with 5k on the clock. Mine was definitely the cube fuse - once I ordered the correct one it worked fine and has ever since - not sure if that helps or whether your issue is slightly different?