mini-wini-dan Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 While driving over a period of a week recently I was able to run and start up my wini easily but on several occasions during the past year after the vehicle sits for a week or more it is discharging the battery. I know a voltage regulator can cause this and I will have to get it tested to check this. In my operator manual there is discussion of a dual battery switch but I do not see this switch anywhere on my unit. Would an 86 mini have this switch? Any other thoughts concerning this problem. The battery is only one year old and has been checked and is ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnie Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 It would if you have 2 batteries...Do you? if you do which one is discharging?...If you only have one battery, just disconnect it for a week or 2 when you are not using it.. What kind of battery is it & how did they check it to qualify that it is good...??......... donnie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgragert Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 (edited) Are you perhaps occasionally leaving something on? Check for phantom leaks, disconnect the ground cable from the battery and use a multi-meter and touch the ground post with one probe and the disconnected cable with the other. If there is current flowing from one to the other there is something draining your battery. Do a Google search for complete instructions. Put a battery disconnect switch on the ground connection and turn it off when the RV is just sitting. Or just disconnect the ground cable when you are going to leave the RV for a few weeks Edited June 12, 2015 by kgragert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Check your water in your battery. Starting batteries have water in them too. If it has gotten low the battery will discharge and eventually it will fail Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 If the voltage regulator is a problem it is unlikely that your MH would start the next day. There maybe a draw on the battery (some thing staying on) or just a battery that is telling you it's time for a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mini-wini-dan Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 I have 2 batteries. One is a deep-cycle battery for running lights, water pump, furnace igniter and a few other coach items. The battery that is discharging is the one running the truck. Advance auto is where the battery was purchased originally by the previous owner from 2012. That 2012 battery went dead in the fall of 2013 and advance replaced it with a new one. This newer battery is now just 2 years old and works fine until the vehicle sits idle. I like the suggestion for cutting the battery power while idle and may try this but I have not seen this in other vehicles and just curious about why it is happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mini-wini-dan Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 ok I will check the water level too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snail powered Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 You could always attend UT University and learn how to figure out which circuit has the problem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcRG-XBzk7U Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 take battery out and have it checked I just had a one year old starting battery go bad on me. and I start it up all winter. LES Schwab said it was no good at all. gave me a new one free. been driving since 1969 never had one go that fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 While driving over a period of a week recently I was able to run and start up my wini easily but on several occasions during the past year after the vehicle sits for a week or more it is discharging the battery. I know a voltage regulator can cause this and I will have to get it tested to check this. In my operator manual there is discussion of a dual battery switch but I do not see this switch anywhere on my unit. Would an 86 mini have this switch? Any other thoughts concerning this problem. The battery is only one year old and has been checked and is ok. ALL lead-acid batteries "self discharge" - even when hooked to nothing. There IS no test for that other then just charging it, and then letting it sit and see what happens when nothing is hooked to it. A good battery will only self-discharge at a rate of 5% - 10% per month and that should not be noticeable unless you don't start the vehicle for many months. Then you have the added issue of drains WHEN hooked up. Some newer vehicles with on-board alarm systems (and other gizmos) draw 150-200 millilamps ALL the time. That's why some newer cars and trucks go dead if sitting even for just one month and not run. AGAIN - this should not be an issue for your RV unless you've added something like an auto-start, alarm, etc. Just take an amp-meter. Unhook a battery cable from one of the posts and then stick the amp-meter between the post and cable and see what the reading is. You can buy a multimeter from Harbor Freight for $5 that has a 10 amp scale and is perfect for the job. If you get a reading of over 50 milliamps - you've got someting wrong in your wiring/electric system drawing the battery down. Back to self-discharge. There is NO test that any auto parts store can do to measure it. So what they say is kind of meaningless. A new battery has a low self-discharge rate and as it ages - it gets worse and worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.