Bongo Fury

Hi there people.Got a bit of a problem.Think it is my split charger.Over the past week or two i have noticed that the voltage coming from the alternator was not going up as quick as it used to.I have a volt meter conected to the LB.It would drop down to about 11.5v then steady rise up to 14.2v then drop off.This was happening alot in a short space of time.You could hear the clicking sound of the split charger switching on and off.I thought it might be i was using my lights and everything, it was just pulling the bats down.Anyway(trying to explain this best i can).Put a test on SB terminals and getting 14.2v then that would drop off then kick back in.It is like the split charger is working overtime switching from one bat to the other.Anyway came out of work this evening and my LB is reading 7.0v(very flat) and my van struggeled to start.Got it fired up and turned my volt meter on and it went upto 13.5v.Got home and scratched my head alot.Could it be the LB or the split charger relay.I disconected the split charger from the SB and fired van up,put volt meter on teminals reved motor and straight up to 14.5v.I have a willinton split charger fitted,for about two and a half year and had no probs whatsoever.Got me a bit confused this one.CAN ANYONE HELP please. . Or yes it would happen when i was going away for the weekend .Thanks again BONGO people.

try the earth on the leisure battery first
Twice I have had problems with the split charger on both my cars and both times it was the earth

Try the earth on both batteries, but you say that the voltage on the S/B is also varying ?

Put a test on SB terminals and getting 14.2v then that would drop off then kick back in.

The Split charge relay will operate in sequence with that voltage varying, so my guess would be that there is something wrong with the charging of the S/B from the alternator. Slipping belt, faulty alternator etc. What about the Charge and Sediment lights are they on or slowly flashing in time with the voltage across the S/B ?

Sounds like your alternator is on the way out. You shouldn't need to rev the engine to get 14.5V. It should be around 14.5V on tickover with no lights or anything else on.

Hi there,no sediment or hold light on.Have took LB off to charge.I am getting 14.0v at SB when on tick over.Alternator only 18 months old.Without LB on when engine is running all that was connected to LB side is working ie internal lights, blinds ect.But when LB is disconnected my heater plug light is flashing until i rev engine.Got me really confused now .Could this be indicating a faulty LB i wonder or is the split charger relay not working properly.Forgot to mention when i turn motor off without LB connected blinds wont work or central locking etc.So this to me is saying the split charger is doing its job.Could it have been i let LB get to low and its pulling power from SB side.HELP

Hi
Is it at all possible that the Leisure Battery is on it's last legs???
I had an LB that wasn't really up to the task, and didn't last as long as per usual????
Cheers
Helen

The sediment and hold lights don't always come on when your alternators shot. It seems to be a particular type of altenator failure that gives rise to the two lights. Neither light came on when our alternator went, but it wasn't charging and I could only get the output to 14.5V when revving the engine. Maybe it is your LB that is at fault? One way to check your split charging relay is to measure volts at both batteries with engine off and then with the volt meter on the LB watch the needle when you start the engine. After a time delay the volts should go up to 14.5 (or thereabouts) which confirms that the relay has switched and the alternator is charging the LB.

Yes it sounds like the L/B is not happy and pulling down the voltage, that might be because its flat, but it would have to be VERY flat. Give it a charge off the van and then try again, but you might find the L/B is knackered! How old is it, does it get a lot of use ?

Hi there battery was right down,showing 7.8v.Put it on charge in garage.It is about 4 year old.Tried volt meter on SB with engine running getting about 14v without light on on tick over when its been running a little bit.Drops when lights are on.But reving her up its upto 14 plus volts.Been doing a lot of short runs over past month with lights on.Not giving LB or SB a chance to get any kind of charge .Going to put LB back on the morn and see how we fair.Many thanks every one.Watch this space.

If the L/B is 4 years old and showing 7.5 volts I would be planning on replacing it sooner rather than latter! You might get a few more cycles out of it, but no where near its proper capacity I suggest!

Hi there people.Going down the new alternator road.Took readings this morning,not that impressed.12.8 on tickover,13.5 ish upto 15v when revved.Left standing for 2 hours.12.5v then struggled to make 14v.Bit the bullet and bought one.£135 from a well known company.Hope this does the trick. .I really want to get away this weekend.Thanks again you lot ya brill .

Bully bongo wrote: Hi there people.Going down the new alternator road.Took readings this morning,not that impressed.12.8 on tickover,13.5 ish upto 15v when revved.Left standing for 2 hours.12.5v then struggled to make 14v.Bit the bullet and bought one.£135 from a well known company.Hope this does the trick. .I really want to get away this weekend.Thanks again you lot ya brill .

If that's "The Starter Motor and Alternator Company" in Plymouth I'd be interested to hear what the box, the alternator and the instruction leaflet say on them because I believe it will say 80A instead of 90A. I got mine from there nearly 2 years ago and I haven't had any problems and it seems to work well but I had an argument with them about advertising it as 90A and it actually being 80A. They did offer a refund but I'd already fitted it by the time I realised and then I couldn't be bothered with the hassle. The other thing is that the position of the electrical connection is slightly different which makes it a bit of a squeeze to get in. I'd be interedted to hear your feedback.

Hi there got my last one from there in 2010.Thought i would get a bit longer than a couple of year out of it.But its out of warranty.Had no bother upto now.Spoke to the lad on the phone not 1 hour ago.I will keep you informed.When i spoke to him he said yes the bongo,s tend to hammer the alternators,we will see.Thanks again.

Well pooh bear you were spot on,was the alternator.Fitted new one fired her up and the readings are great about 14.0 to 14.3. We live and learn with our Bongo,s.But i wouldnt have it anyother way.One thing is a must.When you have a Bongo you have to be a member of BONGO FURY.I don,t know were i would be without the support off everyone out there in BONGO LAND.Many thanks again for the advice and happy bongoing.