Thinking about it, any battery that has just come off a charger reads higher than it's 'real' voltage for a couple of hours. Something isn't right. Probably time to get the seat out and drop a fresh battery in.
Problem With Flat Battery & VoltGuard Battery Isolator
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Good idea!
I hadn't thought of that!!
Could it be a calcium battery?
The voltage is reading the same as the battery voltage but I have tried charging from there before & not got the same results as I have today when I've tried connecting the charger up direct to the battery terminals.
Sommit fishy goin' on!
Calcium batteries do have a lower self discharge rate but the other thing you might be running into is a phenomena whereby a fully discharged battery only takes a small charge on the surface of the plates if given a high current charge. A trickle charge over days is a better bet.
Did you try unlocking the doors whilst it was charging?
Have you tried putting the charger on the external charge point to put voltage the other side of the isolator?
Did you try unlocking the doors whilst it was charging?
Have you tried putting the charger on the external charge point to put voltage the other side of the isolator?
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ntb
Thanks for your help!
Yeah, putting the charger on the point under the bonnet was the first thing I tried.
Tried operating fob, yes. Everything DAAD (Dead As A Dodo!)
The charger BTW is not high current but a CTEK MXS 5.0, excellent bit of kit.
Brought my Skoda battery which was similarly dead back to life so I have high hopes for the van. The only difference is this isolator which may be putting a spanner in the works.
Perhaps I'll attach the charger early one morning and leave till late the same night see what happens.
The only issue is the van is on the road, so the lead runs across the pavement, plus can't lock the van properly with the lead in the way.
Thanks for your help!
Yeah, putting the charger on the point under the bonnet was the first thing I tried.
Tried operating fob, yes. Everything DAAD (Dead As A Dodo!)
The charger BTW is not high current but a CTEK MXS 5.0, excellent bit of kit.
Brought my Skoda battery which was similarly dead back to life so I have high hopes for the van. The only difference is this isolator which may be putting a spanner in the works.
Perhaps I'll attach the charger early one morning and leave till late the same night see what happens.
The only issue is the van is on the road, so the lead runs across the pavement, plus can't lock the van properly with the lead in the way.
You're welcome. I like problem solving and this way I don't have to do any of the graft. 
One of the other issues with a battery being left for so long is that the electrolyte tends to stratify which won't help matters. I suspect that to rejuvenate the battery is going to take some time and patience.
The way I see it, you have two distinct problems, possibly three.
1. Battery is DAAD
2. Volt Save thing may be dodgy but modus operandi definitely unknown.
3. Volt Save thing might be fine and you have some other problem.
If it was me I think I would bite the bullet and remove the seat and:
1. Get battery in house for charging and voltage reading at regular intervals. Give it some gentle shaking, movement periodically.
2. Borrow substitute known good battery, drop in and see if things work. Just use jump leads to temporarily connect if the terminals are incompatible (but don't leave unattended - sorry for the egg sucking reminder)
3. If they don't work, Pred's check for the earth would be a sensible and quick thing to do.
4. If that makes no difference, with the seat out you should have a better chance of figuring out the wiring.
Let us know how you get on.
One of the other issues with a battery being left for so long is that the electrolyte tends to stratify which won't help matters. I suspect that to rejuvenate the battery is going to take some time and patience.
The way I see it, you have two distinct problems, possibly three.
1. Battery is DAAD
2. Volt Save thing may be dodgy but modus operandi definitely unknown.
3. Volt Save thing might be fine and you have some other problem.
If it was me I think I would bite the bullet and remove the seat and:
1. Get battery in house for charging and voltage reading at regular intervals. Give it some gentle shaking, movement periodically.
2. Borrow substitute known good battery, drop in and see if things work. Just use jump leads to temporarily connect if the terminals are incompatible (but don't leave unattended - sorry for the egg sucking reminder)
3. If they don't work, Pred's check for the earth would be a sensible and quick thing to do.
4. If that makes no difference, with the seat out you should have a better chance of figuring out the wiring.
Let us know how you get on.
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Thanks, both.
Maybe I'll put a load on the battery and see what happens to the voltage.
I'll try bridging with the jump lead.
And I'll have a go charging it up.
Even if it is a phantom voltage that's gonna drop to zero when a load is applied, I can't believe it's showing 12.69V almost a year to the day it was last driven.
Can you explain that?
Maybe I'll put a load on the battery and see what happens to the voltage.
I'll try bridging with the jump lead.
And I'll have a go charging it up.
Even if it is a phantom voltage that's gonna drop to zero when a load is applied, I can't believe it's showing 12.69V almost a year to the day it was last driven.
Can you explain that?
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Well, I've just stuck a 50W dichroic across it & it lit up the cab well for the 30 seconds I connected it for. Plus, the voltage didn't dip away sharply.
So, the VoltGuard isolator has isolated the battery and it seems it has lasted 12 months.
But how to reconnect?
Usually, you just push the red button, but in this case, it is not working, suggesting a flat battery.
All very mystifying.
So, the VoltGuard isolator has isolated the battery and it seems it has lasted 12 months.
But how to reconnect?
Usually, you just push the red button, but in this case, it is not working, suggesting a flat battery.
All very mystifying.
Apparently it comes with a national support network
http://www.fleet-angel.com/wp-content/4.pdf
Try ringing the manufacturer:
http://www.impact-g.com/products/voltguard-battery-isolator
Or try pressing and holding the red button for a few seconds
http://www.fleet-angel.com/wp-content/4.pdf
Try ringing the manufacturer:
http://www.impact-g.com/products/voltguard-battery-isolator
Or try pressing and holding the red button for a few seconds
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Cheers. I'll try that. I've already pressed the red button, for a second, for two seconds, for longer.
I even thought there might be a reset process with the key in the ignition then pressing the button but that failed too.
So, I think my only option now is to pick up the phone. But you know us blokes. We'll try anything before resorting to
a. the instruction book or
b. the map
But I thank you muchly for your great assistance.
I even thought there might be a reset process with the key in the ignition then pressing the button but that failed too.
So, I think my only option now is to pick up the phone. But you know us blokes. We'll try anything before resorting to
a. the instruction book or
b. the map
But I thank you muchly for your great assistance.
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Time for an update!
First, thanks to everybody who has offered help on this topic.
TCALSS, I rang to get the van serviced. Guy came and could not get it going, so I called the Volt Guard company who were not much help. I kept saying I could not get to the battery easily to check it and she kept saying she could not understand why- no-one else had had a problem... (with a Transit where they are fitted under the driver's seat...) So I called it a day with them and called the RAC.
He knew nothing about the system, or how it was wired in, but to his credit, he worked it out.
My Transit has TWO batteries, in parallel. The one near the bulkhead is the one that starts the vehicle. This was showing 12.46V, today.
There was a second one, hiding at the front under the driver's seat. This was showing 2.1V.
When the guy put a powerpack on the front battery, the isolator LED lit up and when the button was pressed, the dash energised and the van was able to be started.
I'm just charging up the front battery now, in case it is salvageable.
But it's funny. Both batteries have the same date and batch codes on & both are exactly the same. Obviously, one was a good 'un and one was a dud.
First, thanks to everybody who has offered help on this topic.
TCALSS, I rang to get the van serviced. Guy came and could not get it going, so I called the Volt Guard company who were not much help. I kept saying I could not get to the battery easily to check it and she kept saying she could not understand why- no-one else had had a problem... (with a Transit where they are fitted under the driver's seat...) So I called it a day with them and called the RAC.
He knew nothing about the system, or how it was wired in, but to his credit, he worked it out.
My Transit has TWO batteries, in parallel. The one near the bulkhead is the one that starts the vehicle. This was showing 12.46V, today.
There was a second one, hiding at the front under the driver's seat. This was showing 2.1V.
When the guy put a powerpack on the front battery, the isolator LED lit up and when the button was pressed, the dash energised and the van was able to be started.
I'm just charging up the front battery now, in case it is salvageable.
But it's funny. Both batteries have the same date and batch codes on & both are exactly the same. Obviously, one was a good 'un and one was a dud.
So what's the second one for, then?
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Feeding everything else, apparently, via this isolator.
The first battery feeds the starter motor and the second one everything else.
If you operate the isolator, everything goes dead except the feed to the starter.
I think the front battery is a dud, though. I started up the van & instead of numbers on the speedo where the mileages are, a load of dashes came up.
Also, the accelerator did not function. Must be FBW (no, nothing to do with a questionable lady on a social site...).
The first battery feeds the starter motor and the second one everything else.
If you operate the isolator, everything goes dead except the feed to the starter.
I think the front battery is a dud, though. I started up the van & instead of numbers on the speedo where the mileages are, a load of dashes came up.
Also, the accelerator did not function. Must be FBW (no, nothing to do with a questionable lady on a social site...).
Doesn't make one bit of sense why anyone would fit two batteries on two separate circuits, i.e. one for cranking and the other for running the rest of electrics, I have never come across such like set up on any car, except where boy racers have 10 thousand watt ICE equipment and need to have two batteries which are split charged, in other words there is a splitter that charges the ICE equipment battery when the engine is running, and when these car club members go to various shows to demonstrate their shiny cars with mega watt ICE equipment, they run those on the second battery so that the main starting battery does not get spent up and they won't be able to start their engine if it ran flat! So they install two batteries but both are not connected together as such, the second battery for ICE equipment can be charged via a splitter system, or a blocking high powered diode reactifier system.
It could be that you have one of those A Team vans like here
BTW, a battery that reads 12.5V or above when it has been sitting idle for a year shows it is in a good charged state, with very low internal leakage,
and thanks to the isolator, that saved it,
whereas the other battery went down to less than 2v because it was still supplying some load to some electrical load such as a car clock, etc etc.
But if you put the other battery on an overnight charge at 14.0V it should recover fully in 24 hours, at first it may not draw much current, but will pick up slowly. You can leave a battery for indefinite period on a permanent charge at home at exactly 13.8V.
It could be that you have one of those A Team vans like here
BTW, a battery that reads 12.5V or above when it has been sitting idle for a year shows it is in a good charged state, with very low internal leakage,
and thanks to the isolator, that saved it,
whereas the other battery went down to less than 2v because it was still supplying some load to some electrical load such as a car clock, etc etc.
But if you put the other battery on an overnight charge at 14.0V it should recover fully in 24 hours, at first it may not draw much current, but will pick up slowly. You can leave a battery for indefinite period on a permanent charge at home at exactly 13.8V.
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Thanks Mike.
I'm not sure the starter battery is via the isolator. It may be. But the other battery definitely is.
This is the odd thing, when the battery voltage drops, the isolator cuts everything out to save the battery. So, if everything cuts out and there's no load on it, why did it drain?
Unless 1 LED (which lights up on the isolator to show it has tripped) would have drained the 60 Ah battery over 13 months....
I'm not sure the starter battery is via the isolator. It may be. But the other battery definitely is.
This is the odd thing, when the battery voltage drops, the isolator cuts everything out to save the battery. So, if everything cuts out and there's no load on it, why did it drain?
Unless 1 LED (which lights up on the isolator to show it has tripped) would have drained the 60 Ah battery over 13 months....
