Battery drainer

[mcbainia]

Evening folks...me again...Mr Battery Issues...

Not long had a replacement LB installed - the first one kept running out of juice by some mystery source. Tried everything and don't know what it is thats draining it....the replacement LB was doing the same so I sent it into my local garage to have them look at it and they couldn't find anything wrong with it apart from this...

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalo ... ps-sellers

This was plugged into the 12v slot constantly and my mechanic thinks that this might be the culprit.

After around 4 days of the bongo sitting idle, the volt meter would start to decline.....

Is it possible that this could be the culprit ???

[bigdaddycain]

Possibly... Isn't it switchable though? Either on or off? Surely it doesn't use any juice if it's switched off?

[bigdaddycain]

Do you have a Sony head unit fitted?

[mcbainia]

it doesn't have an on-off switch - it's constantly on.

Head unit (stereo?) is a panasonic...it has a detachable face though which i pop out when I leave the van....I thought that might have been the culprit but I dont think it is

[bigdaddycain]

Hmm... I know that some Sony stereo's (even with a detachable faceplate) have to be switched off if connected via a leisure battery, simply because the stereo doesn't know the ignition is switched off. Do you happen to know if the radio/stereo is powered via the leisure battery at all? Or does it power down when the ignition is switched off?

[bigdaddycain]

Sorry, the stereo switching seems academic now, it seems you have discovered the battery drain problem with the gizmo you have discovered... weird that it's a battery gauge, yet not switchable so it won't drain the battery it's supposed to be gauging

[mcbainia]

the stereo is powered by the LB. Is there a way of switching the stereo off other than pulling the wire out of the fuse box ?

[bigdaddycain]

It's been a while since i've owned a Panasonic head unit.... Is there a button that says "power" or "on/off" ? If so switch the stereo on in the conventional manner (in your case replacing the faceplate?) Try holding the power/on/off/source button in for ten or so seconds...That should power the unit down completely, then see if 30 or so seconds later a faceplate alarm sounds (a warning chime to remind you you've left the faceplate attached) If that happens you've cracked it! The unit must be completely powered down thus not draining the leisure battery! It's a similar set up with my Sony unit... Because it's connected to a leisure battery it has no idea whether the ignition has been switched off or not, thus doesn't power down as it would if you'd switched off the ignition in a "normal" car. I hold the "off" button on mine for 5 seconds, stand by flashes a couple of times, then the display goes blank and the unit shuts down properly... all presets/settings are retained. I hope it does the trick

[g8dhe]

You wouldn't expect a meter of that sort to flatten a decently charged battery in 4 days, but I would never say its impossible! I can't find any manual for the RING RBA3 so the only way will be to unplug it and see! It really shouldn't be that difficult for a garage to identify what is wrong, they only need an Ammeter (multimeter) to measure the current that is being drawn from the battery and then to start pulling fuses and see what circuit is drawing power - take it you don't have access to a multimeter for an evening ?

[bigdaddycain]

I've a sneaky feeling the stereo is on standby Geoff...

[g8dhe]

Yes it wouldn't surprise me, but the Garage should be able to locate that sort of fault - I hope they didn't charge you for checking it out!

[mcbainia]

the stereo does switch off but theres a red light that comes on at the switch that suggests to me that it is in standby mode...does popping the face plate off stop this or does the stereo still think that its in standby mode ?

it's just a cheap halfords effort so perhaps a new one could be in order....one that does power down completely. Any suggestions ?

Either that or i just put the fuse back in instead of the wire from the Willinton kit...that way, the stereo will only work when the engine is running....and when I want to use the LB, plug the cable back in...

[jaylee]

I read on here a long time ago that a failing strip light in the back, even though turned off could drain the LB.. Or the main for that matter...? or did i dream that up???

Personally if i had a leisure battery set up, i'd rig up some kind of simple second immobilizer with the alarm on locking to shut the power down in case i left anything on like the radio or lights....!

[mcbainia]

Local garage are decent chaps - I dont think i'll be charged...or rather, if I do, i'll not be paying it !

[mcbainia]

Thanks for all the help folks...I'll post my results once I've sussed it...