Bongo Fury

i seem to be having a problem with my second battery i have a split charger fitted which has been working well and i'm even sure its at fault now. the stereo runs of the second battery as does the blinds and internal lights. i noticed the other day that the rear internal strip light was dim now the stereo loses all its memory when i start the van, it normally keeps playing and does not lose its memory can anyone help me with this one. also i have a audio decoder running direct from the battery and not through the split charger system and that loses its memory too. i've put a meter across the second battery and it turn out about 11.80v the main battery puts out about 12.8v i've not done to many long runs in the last few weeks but i have been using the van sat up e.g lights etc while i've been working on it. the blinds, stereo etc are still working parked up so are the lights it just the memory side of it i can't get my head round.

So exactly which circuits / fuses have you transferred to the L/B ? If you have made the changes at the internal fuse box which of Fuses 1,6,7,& 8 have been moved across ?

At what point do you loose the memory settings ? Is it over night, after you start the Van or when ?

Which split charger system have you installed ?

You say that the decoder is running direct from the battery, and not via the split charge system - so where are your other circuits connected ? The Split Charge is about feeding power to the L/B when the alternator is running, its not normally about connecting circuits to the L/B ?

i have the split charger that everyone recommends can't remember the name right now i'm sure it starts with a w. it started playing up last night in as much as the rear light but the stereo started today. i have a 5.1 decoder that takes its power from the direct from the battery.
if you look at the pic below it will make sense how i'm picking up the second battery for power without the split charger.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k96/p ... GE_964.jpg

It appears that you are using some of the the leisure battery to power your stereo and some connections via the ignition.You have to have a permanent live(with inline fuse) and negative to the memory side of your system to maintain it.When you turn off the ign,the memory will fade because you have disconnected the power to the system.Try connecting all the live wires(with the correct inline fuses) and negs directly to the L/B.The only thing is,you will have to remember to turn the system off when you leave the motor,or the battery will drain after a period of time.There should be a wire that is dedicated on the system to perform the function of keeping the memory intact.
The other thing is to meter your fuse box to find the wire that goes positive when the ign is turned off,this will act as the positive feed to maintain the memory.As the post above,the split charger is nothing to do with any wiring from the L/B.Hope this helps you,regards.

I seem to remember a thread a while back which mentioned the strip light flattening the battery when the tube is on the way out. It might be worth temporarily disconnecting the interior light and leaving it overnight to see if the battery goes flat then.

moonshine wrote:I seem to remember a thread a while back which mentioned the strip light flattening the battery when the tube is on the way out. It might be worth temporarily disconnecting the interior light and leaving it overnight to see if the battery goes flat then.

That's exactly what happened to me. I replaced the tube and no further problems.

i normally leave the light turned off, so even when i open the door the light does not come on, do you still think it could be the bulb.
Or could it be the split charger not charging the battery.
as i've charged the battery this morning and it seems ok.

peanutcrusher wrote:i normally leave the light turned off, so even when i open the door the light does not come on, do you still think it could be the bulb.
Or could it be the split charger not charging the battery.
as i've charged the battery this morning and it seems ok.

My lamp was always off as well - they somehow seem to develop a short circuit which causes a drain on the battery. I've no idea how that happens but somebody mentioned it when my battery kept going flat, so I replaced the tube with one from Maplins and "hey presto" - no more flat battery