Leisure Battery Not Charging When Driving

[ianmarybutler1]

Evening everyone I’m new to this so be gentle
We have a 2014 Elddis Majestic 165
A year ago we put her in for a delam repair on the floor it was under warranty but a two week job turned into a 3 month nightmare! Never go back. So when we finally got her back the leisure battery was flat as it had been left to fully discharge as it was their fault they replaced the battery
Things were fine for a while we mostly stay on sites with hookups but on the odd wild camp the battery didn’t hold up. I assumed that they had fitted a 2nd hand battery so 2 months ago I bought a new leisure battery. It seems that the leisure battery charges well from the onboard mains charger and from the solar panel it not from the engine. Their is a battery master fitted to charge the engine battery when the motorhome is parked up and on standby and the leisure battery is fully charged
I have checked the cables and fuses all seems to be ok
The only thing I’m not sure about is the wiring to the engine battery that is under the floor where the passengers feet are.
There is a wire that has been wired in to a loom but it is not connected to the battery
Does anybody know what it does and if it should be connected to the battery?
Has the battery been removed during the repair and then missed reconnecting it when refitting the battery? Does it tell the battery master what charge is in the cab battery? The wire has a clip the looks like it is held in place on the battery retainer
I have attached pictures any help would be appreciated
Sorry for the war and peace
Ian Butler

 

[autorouter]

Sorry, I don't know about that clip connector, although I think it's probably not a problem - manufacturers often leave extra connectors around, for options that are not fitted on your version. The BatteryMaster is fitted by the converter, so the original vehicle manufacturer would not be concerned with it.

However I can tell you how you can find out for yourself if the leisure battery is being charged from the alternator/starter battery when the engine is running. The best way is to measure the voltage of the leisure battery at the leisure battery terminals, when the engine is running.

A battery that's not being charged and doesn't have any loads running from it will settle down to its resting voltage after an hour or so. The resting voltage goes from about 12.0V (fairly flat) to about 12.7V (full). If something is charging it, the voltage will rise gradually to about 14.5V, and stay there for some time, maybe several hours. When the battery is full, the voltage will drop to about 13.5V. If the charger is switched off, it will drop back to its resting voltage again.

Using this information you can look at the leisure battery voltage when parked (hookup disconnected and solar switched off, or wait until dark). It should be below 13.0V. Start the engine, and see if the voltage rises to over 13.0V. If it does, then the alternator is charging it.

If the leisure battery voltage doesn't rise, then do the same for the starter battery. If its voltage doesn't rise to about 14V then there's a problem, maybe the alternator, or engine earth strap. If the starter battery is charging OK, then at least you know that the leisure battery is not being charged by the alternator, so you can look for reasons.

To measure voltage, you need a voltmeter. Any cheap multimeter from a DIY store will be OK for this, you can pick one up for a tenner or so. Set it to the 20V DC range. The DC symbol is two lines, one solid, one dotted. As opposed to the AC symbol which is a wavy line. Battery and alternator voltages are DC, not AC. Put the black probe lead into the socket labelled 'COM', usually the centre one. Put the red probe lead into the socket with 'V' in the label, usually the right-hand one. Then put the probes onto the battery terminals, red on positive, black on negative. The voltage should be between 10V and 15V. If you get them the wrong way round, no problem, a minus sign shows in front of the displayed number.

You will find a multimeter is very useful when trying to trace faults in automotive electrics.

 

[Two on Tour]

There is a wire that has been wired in to a loom but it is not connected to the battery
Does anybody know what it does and if it should be connected to the battery?

We have the same connector and wiring into the loom on our 2014 Elddis 175, and it has never been connected to anything.

 

[ianmarybutler1]

Sorry, I don't know about that clip connector, although I think it's probably not a problem - manufacturers often leave extra connectors around, for options that are not fitted on your version. The BatteryMaster is fitted by the converter, so the original vehicle manufacturer would not be concerned with it.

However I can tell you how you can find out for yourself if the leisure battery is being charged from the alternator/starter battery when the engine is running. The best way is to measure the voltage of the leisure battery at the leisure battery terminals, when the engine is running.

A battery that's not being charged and doesn't have any loads running from it will settle down to its resting voltage after an hour or so. The resting voltage goes from about 12.0V (fairly flat) to about 12.7V (full). If something is charging it, the voltage will rise gradually to about 14.5V, and stay there for some time, maybe several hours. When the battery is full, the voltage will drop to about 13.5V. If the charger is switched off, it will drop back to its resting voltage again.

Using this information you can look at the leisure battery voltage when parked (hookup disconnected and solar switched off, or wait until dark). It should be below 13.0V. Start the engine, and see if the voltage rises to over 13.0V. If it does, then the alternator is charging it.

If the leisure battery voltage doesn't rise, then do the same for the starter battery. If its voltage doesn't rise to about 14V then there's a problem, maybe the alternator, or engine earth strap. If the starter battery is charging OK, then at least you know that the leisure battery is not being charged by the alternator, so you can look for reasons.

To measure voltage, you need a voltmeter. Any cheap multimeter from a DIY store will be OK for this, you can pick one up for a tenner or so. Set it to the 20V DC range. The DC symbol is two lines, one solid, one dotted. As opposed to the AC symbol which is a wavy line. Battery and alternator voltages are DC, not AC. Put the black probe lead into the socket labelled 'COM', usually the centre one. Put the red probe lead into the socket with 'V' in the label, usually the right-hand one. Then put the probes onto the battery terminals, red on positive, black on negative. The voltage should be between 10V and 15V. If you get them the wrong way round, no problem, a minus sign shows in front of the displayed number.

You will find a multimeter is very useful when trying to trace faults in automotive electrics.

Good evening thank you so much it’s a trip to Halfords tomorrow I’m not good with auto electronics but your instructions look straight forward I will let you know how it goes thanks again Ian

 

[ianmarybutler1]

We have the same connector and wiring into the loom on our 2014 Elddis 175, and it has never been connected to anything.

Hey guys that is a load off my mind I didn’t want to connect it if it’s not supposed to be
Thanks again. Ian

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[autorouter]

If you're not confident with a multimeter then YouTube is your friend, there's lots of demos. Multimeters can measure many different things - resistance, continuity, amps etc. Measuring voltages is safe, easy and relatively foolproof. Stick to measuring voltages until you get to know how it works.

 

[ianmarybutler1]

Hey guys that is a load off my mind I didn’t want to connect it if it’s not supposed to be
Thanks again. Ian

 

[ianmarybutler1]

If you're not confident with a multimeter then YouTube is your friend, there's lots of demos. Multimeters can measure many different things - resistance, continuity, amps etc. Measuring voltages is safe, easy and relatively foolproof. Stick to measuring voltages until you get to know how it works.

Thanks again will give it a go

 

[headlight]

ianmarybutler1 you only get 5 free posts.
Membership is £20 and well worth it as it gives you access to the whole sire and all its resources.