batteries going flat ?

[col3356 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close col3356]

hi,i have the year 2000 prado,3ltr diesel,and after 3or4 days my twin batteries are going flat ?, i rarely use the vehicle now so it does not get plenty of miles used to fully charge the batteries, but even when i charge the batteries up off the vehicle it still goes flat ?, any ideas please.
thanks for reading this
Colin

[MickL Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close MickL]

Re: batteries going flat ?

Maybe you should consider a charger with a "float" facility and leave it on all the time....

Mick

[Prado BB Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Prado BB]

Re: batteries going flat ?

How old are the batteries? Are they servicable and is the water above the electro plates? These two factors will determine how well they will hold their charge.

[col3356 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close col3356]

Re: batteries going flat ?

hi, thanks for your replys, the batteries new acted in the same way, and its not in a position to be able to leave it on charge all the time, i lost my job/home etc etc in the recession so im not in a position to place it in a garage, and also in the uk you only have to mention you have an import and you can exspect a larger bill and you are immediately looked down on, the garages are not helpful with an import at all so it makes you nervous to be told they dont know the problem they will just have to look into it !, just because its an import, its crazy.

anyway thanks for your advice

Colin

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

Re: batteries going flat ?

Have you got yourself a cheap "Home Handyman" type volt meter ?

Check the voltage of each battery. Then start the car and check the charging voltage of the main battery.
Note: You may have to get the engine to rev a bit above idle to give you a true indication of the cgarging voltage.

What isolator do you use for your Aux battery. Is it an automatic type and does it indicate when it kicks over and begins to charge the Aux battery ?
What until it does, or manually kick it over to charge the Aux battery, and check the charging voltage.

Having a good idea of the charging voltages will give you a good idea of "What next ... "

If you aren't getting good numbers then I would be suspecting some component of your charging circuit.


If the charging numbers are good then you may want to try finding out where all the juice is going.
I've got a little LCD readout sitting in the line between my Aux power socket and my fridge ..... and I can see how much juice is being sucked from the battery.
Mind you ... at the moment its also showing me a significant voltage drop between the battery and the power outlet ... so I think I've got a bit of rewiring to do.

Good luck in your search

Cheers
Chippy

[col3356 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close col3356]

Re: batteries going flat ?

hi, chippy, thanks for your advice ill try that and let you know,i dont have any visual aids on my vehicle so i will get amp/voltage meter and test it.
cheers
Colin