Need some advice regarding battery.

[Harry]

Hello, I need some solid advice regarding my dad's California. Sadly he suffered a brain stroke this xmas and he is still in rehabilitation. This left his pride and joy unused and all we did was drive it into the garage after the accident.

When we tried to start it around 1-2 months later it was completely without power. Checked the battery and it read 1.75 so we go a proper industrial charger with start boost and charged it with low voltage over a day and got the battery up to 13.6, fired the engine up and everything was back in order.

Turned everything off and now 4 days later we were gonna take it out for a spin and the battery is dead again. It messured 4.75 yesterday and today it is at 4.4. So I take it the battery is suppose to last a bit longer than that or
is this a car that needs to be driven everyday? (my dad drove it everyday) Or shall we charge the battery again or replace it since it went flat once?

We also wonder about the main plugin on the left side. The manual states that it only charges the leisure battery, but I have browsed through some posts regarding battery issues and there it seems that it is supposed to charge the main battery after the leisure is topped off? Do is the main battery need to be 12+ volt to get charged by the main plug as well?

Before even checking the battery was flat we plugged in the main lead in the left side of the van and left it on for 2 day. But that did absolutely 0. So is that plug to maintain the voltage of both batteries after parked or just for the extra battery for the fridge and such? (my dad also used to plug it in frequently)

Also a bit unsure about the model. It is a 2006 , 5750 Volkswagen, California, 7HM according to the registration. I have not seen that code being used around these forums.

Any tips with regards to getting it up and running and how to maintain power after we have done so would be highly appreciated.

Thanks and best regads
Jorgen

 

[WelshGas]

Hello, I need some solid advice regarding my dad's California. Sadly he suffered a brain stroke this xmas and he is still in rehabilitation. This left his pride and joy unused and all we did was drive it into the garage after the accident.

When we tried to start it around 1-2 months later it was completely without power. Checked the battery and it read 1.75 so we go a proper industrial charger with start boost and charged it with low voltage over a day and got the battery up to 13.6, fired the engine up and everything was back in order.

Turned everything off and now 4 days later we were gonna take it out for a spin and the battery is dead again. It messured 4.75 yesterday and today it is at 4.4. So I take it the battery is suppose to last a bit longer than that or
is this a car that needs to be driven everyday? (my dad drove it everyday) Or shall we charge the battery again or replace it since it went flat once?

We also wonder about the main plugin on the left side. The manual states that it only charges the leisure battery, but I have browsed through some posts regarding battery issues and there it seems that it is supposed to charge the main battery after the leisure is topped off? Do is the main battery need to be 12+ volt to get charged by the main plug as well?

Before even checking the battery was flat we plugged in the main lead in the left side of the van and left it on for 2 day. But that did absolutely 0. So is that plug to maintain the voltage of both batteries after parked or just for the extra battery for the fridge and such? (my dad also used to plug it in frequently)

Also a bit unsure about the model. It is a 2006 , 5750 Volkswagen, California, 7HM according to the registration. I have not seen that code being used around these forums.

Any tips with regards to getting it up and running and how to maintain power after we have done so would be highly appreciated.

Thanks and best regads
Jorgen

View attachment 19690

Sorry to hear about your Dad.

As far as his pride and joy is concerned.
1. Are these the original Batteries. If so he has done extremely well and probably his daily driving has contributed to their Long Life, 10 years is really pushing it and although holding a charge for 24hrs cannot cope with any longer. Probably needs replacement.

2. The built in Charger ONLY charged the Leisure Batteries upto, I believe 2008 or thereabouts. After 2008 the Charger will re-charge the Leisure Batteries and trickle charge the Engine Battery.

3. If the Leisure Batteries are original then they may also be hanging on and although working on Mains Hookup may not be able to last long on their own and thus may also need replacing.

 

[Harry]

Sorry to hear about your Dad.

As far as his pride and joy is concerned.
1. Are these the original Batteries. If so he has done extremely well and probably his daily driving has contributed to their Long Life, 10 years is really pushing it and although holding a charge for 24hrs cannot cope with any longer. Probably needs replacement.

2. The built in Charger ONLY charged the Leisure Batteries upto, I believe 2008 or thereabouts. After 2008 the Charger will re-charge the Leisure Batteries and trickle charge the Engine Battery.

3. If the Leisure Batteries are original then they may also be hanging on and although working on Mains Hookup may not be able to last long on their own and thus may also need replacing.

1. I don't think it is the original battery. I have the full service history and there was one from 2014 stating that the battery goes empty after only 1 day. They replaced it then. It was tested again in 2016 and they found undervoltage on the battery, charged it up again and it was fine. So it is probably 2 years old.

So basically I should get a new battery(s) and that should get the van up and running again. Still, how long can this van stand before draining the battery and how long is a new one likely to last?

Thanks for your replies so far

 

[WelshGas]

1. I don't think it is the original battery. I have the full service history and there was one from 2014 stating that the battery goes empty after only 1 day. They replaced it then. It was tested again in 2016 and they found undervoltage on the battery, charged it up again and it was fine. So it is probably 2 years old.

So basically I should get a new battery(s) and that should get the van up and running again. Still, how long can this van stand before draining the battery and how long is a new one likely to last?

Thanks for your replies so far

Mine started 1st time at -3c after 3 weeks in the Car park at Heathrow.

 

[WelshGas]

You could check the battery by charging up for 24hrs and then disconnect from the vehicle to make sure nothing is draining it , but I think you will find you will need to replace it as it may not perform well.
It could be that the Alternator has been failing to charge it sufficiently over time as the garage found it undercharged on one occasion.
Some batteries only have a 3 yr or less warranty, especially the cheaper ones. So the replacement could be nearer 3 yrs old.

 

[Hotel California]

Hi and welcome @Harry ,
Even if the battery is only 2y and now been flattend twice in a short periode it is not that good .
Best to have is mesured out (thogether with the alternator as WG suggested) before buying new .

Hope your dad and the Cali will soon be on the road again

 

[WelshGas]

@Harry . This could be the problem.



Bad diodes are a common cause of alternator failure. The diodes are part of the rectifier assembly that converts the alternator’s AC output to DC. The alternator’s charging output flows through six diodes in the rectifier assembly before it goes to the battery and electrical system. Consequently, the higher the charging load, the hotter they get.

Normal driving and charging loads won’t burn out the diodes, but infrequent driving and short trip nighttime driving with lights and other accessories on can increase charging loads and significantly shorten their life.

The charging output of the alternator drops when diodes fail. If only one or two diodes have failed, the alternator may still produce enough current to meet the vehicle’s electrical needs, but it may not be enough to keep up with higher loads or keep the battery fully charged. This could cause the battery to run down over time.

Diode failures may also allow AC current to leak into the electrical system. AC voltage creates electrical “noise” that can confuse electronic modules and digital communications. A leaky diode also can allow current to drain out of the battery through the alternator when the vehicle is not being driven.

A faulty voltage regulator can also cause charging problems. Some older vehicles have external voltage regulators, whereas many late-model vehicles use the PCM to control charging output. Internally regulated alternators have a small solid state module that controls charging output. Internal voltage regulators also can fail from too much heat.

The best way to identify alternator problems is by conducting a bench test. A bench test will check the diodes and internal regulator and then tell you if the alternator is capable of producing its rated current and voltage. If the alternator fails any test category, your customer needs a new alternator.

If starters and alternators test satisfactorily, but are not working on the vehicle, the problem must lie elsewhere. It could possibly be a fault in the wiring harness or connector or a damaged PCM control circuit.

 

[Harry]

Sounds like the California need a lot of love and attention, kinda similar to my italian motorcycles. I will start by replacing the battery and checking the alternator hoping that will fix the issue. I also read in the manual that if you intend to leave it idle a few days/weeks it is recommended that you unscrew one of the wires to the battery to keep it from draining. Is that a good option? I ask due to the fact that if we get it back and running it will most likely be used to small commutes and not frequently long trips.

Thanks again for all your promt replies and insight

 

[B J G]

1. I don't think it is the original battery. I have the full service history and there was one from 2014 stating that the battery goes empty after only 1 day. They replaced it then. It was tested again in 2016 and they found undervoltage on the battery, charged it up again and it was fine. So it is probably 2 years old.

So basically I should get a new battery(s) and that should get the van up and running again. Still, how long can this van stand before draining the battery and how long is a new one likely to last?

Thanks for your replies so far

If it was replaced by VW or any reputable service agent it should have 3 or more year warranty so check that before replacing at your cost.

 

[Harry]

A quick update on the status of my dad's California. The battery was quite erratic after the first charge and quickly lost it's charge again. This time though it actually took charge from our low power charger (it did not before). After this charge I monitored the voltage after each drive and it went up after driving for 2 hour so the alternator did what it was supposed to do.

I kept watching it for the first week of driving and it fluctuated only to minor degrees within it's voltage. So now it has been ok ever since. It seems the battery went dead and had to be resuscitated. I also found out that it is a original battery and not a third party brand.

Other than that a spring broke on the right front wheel dampers so that is next in line to get fixed. Either way it is running normally and await my dads checkup in 3 months to see if he keeps his licence. Thanks again for all the helpful replies.