Problem With Flat Battery & VoltGuard Battery Isolator

[securespark]

Any clues?

No, pressing the red button does not work.

Want to charge the battery.

Battery under front seat.

Do you have to remove seat to gain access to battery terminals?

There are charging terminals under the bonnet, but they will presumably be no longer connected to the battery as the isolator has tripped long ago to try and preserve charge.

Since then, the battery has drained completely.

 

[securespark]

Will a battery charger connected to the points under the bonnet charge the battery or not?

 

[securespark]

What about if I connect another battery to the charging points?

It's a Transit & I can't get in the back with a flat battery. Will it pop the locks?

 

[alan333]

At a guess I'd say the battery charge points are for exactly your scenario. Try it and see?

 

[pred]

Have you tried jumping it?? Or can you not get jump leads on the battery?

 

[Burnerman]

The connection points inder the bonnet are indeed for jump starting......connect a donor battery to them and all should be fine. I think the isolator system was designed for two battery vehicles?
John

 

[pred]

The connection points inder the bonnet are indeed for jump starting......connect a donor battery to them and all should be fine. I think the isolator system was designed for two battery vehicles?
John

If the battery resembles a pancake and you simply attach a battery it will probably not be enough and drain the good battery, connect it to another vehicle with the engine running and go and have a cuppa char before you hit the starter button, just keep an eye on the leads that they're not overheating..

 

[Burnerman]

Good advice.....using a donor car without the engine running can evoke such nasties as losing the radio code - the momentary drain is so severe.
John

 

[securespark]

Cheers, guys, for your help.

I am a bit in the dark about the isolating system and how it works. I may be stuffed as far as energising the vehicle goes...

All I want to do is fire up the locking system to pop the rear door locks.

It's an 11 plate Transit. Unfortunately it has been standing almost 12 months.

The battery is under the front seat. I cannot see a way to access it and from what folk I have spoken to have been saying, the easiest way to gain access is to remove the seat!

I have tried connecting up my CTEK charger to no avail.

If I could connect the charger direct, that would be good. I know the charger will work on that battery because it has done the same on the battery in my car: it needs a minimum of 2V to start charging, the car's had way less so I attacked it with a hairdryer and got it up to approaching 2V, whereupon the charger kicked in.

See, logic tells me that if during the last 12 months, the isolator tripped in an attempt to prevent drainage, that would have disconnected the battery. And thus, connecting a charger to the jump start connection points under the bonnet would be futile as the connection between there and the battery terminals would be broken by the isolator.

So, I suppose my earlier suggestion of connecting a good battery would be futile too...

Need someone who knows more about the isolator system and how it's wired in really!

 

[andyandy2]

Might be worth a look on the transit forum

http://fordtransit.org/

(although the forum seems to be down at the moment)

 

[securespark]

Thanks!!

Dozy B*gger!

Now I've worked out how to access the battery terminals direct.

But I don't understand it. It's been standing a year. Everything's as dead as a dodo. But the DMM's reading 12.69V off the battery. With a voltage like that, surely, there must be something there?

 

[securespark]

Well, I put the charger on the battery anyway. It quickly shot up to level 4, which should be enough to start the vehicle. I left it an hour more.

Battery voltage unchanged @ 12.69V.

No response from batter isolator switch.

Stumped.

Anybody familiar with Volt Guard?

 

[andyandy2]

I'm not familiar with volt guard, does it only have a reset button, no other led's which might indicate a fault.

Is it possible to by-pass or disconnect the volt guard system

 

[ntb]

Got no idea about the system but it sounds like poor design if the isolator disconnects the external charging point as well as the van's electrics. Can you measure any voltage across the charging point terminals?

It's also a bit mind boggling that any lead acid battery could maintain 12.69v after standing for a year.

 

[maltaron]

It may well be 12.69 across the terminals with no load, but likely will sink like the titanic with any load connected.