Battery problems

[ethann]

Hello,

I just bought a Maverick with a piranna dual battery set up with battery volt metres.
When I'm on a long trip the battery will recharge nicely, And I am able to stop and start it fine. The metre sits on about 13.6+ in the main battery, Sometimes more. Thats with the radio on uhf on etc.

When I am in the bush with the Uhf on, Thermo's on, Leave it idling for abit then turn it off sometimes it needs to be clutched. But then it will be fine after driving for abit the alt will charge it fine.

Then at night when I'm idling around (Crawling) with the lights on and stuff the volts drop down but as soon as I give it some higher revs it will recharge fine.

Now for the question, Is the battery buggered?
Apprently the way it's set up is that it's got one battery for starting and the accesories run off the other.
But they both drop down in volts if sitting there with out higher revs.

One of the mainer reasons I bought a new vehicle is because I kept having alt problems with my pajy. The alt is nice and high in the mav and doesn't look like it's had water or anything.


Thanks, If nothing made sense let me know. It was hard trying to type out the problem haha =p.

Thanks,
Ethan.

[stuee]

Whats your alternator rated at? It may be that there's too much load on the system for the alternator to keep up at idle. I wouldn't go so far as to say your batteries are stuffed at this stage, just that you may be drawing out more than your alternator can replenish at idle.


edit* If I've been idling in traffic on the way home with the aircon cranked and the thermos on I'll usually try to do the last two streets home in a low gear so the alternator is spinning at high speed and puts a bit of juice back in the battery.

[chimpboy]

Enough lights and a couple of thermo fans add up to a load on the alternator that is well above what the original vehicle would have had. I agree with Stuee, you could well just be operating beyond the alternator's limit at low revs with a lot of stuff running.

[ethann]

Enough lights and a couple of thermo fans add up to a load on the alternator that is well above what the original vehicle would have had. I agree with Stuee, you could well just be operating beyond the alternator's limit at low revs with a lot of stuff running.

Thanks guys.
How do I check this?
Is there an after market one I can buy?

[chimpboy]

I think the simple test to do is probably put your multimeter on it, checking the voltage at the battery. Start it running, let it idle, and start turning stuff on - spotlights, headlights, air con, blower fan in the cabin, thermo fans, etc. If you start to get significant voltage drop at some point then you know your alternator is not keeping up at idle.

There are aftermarket alternators, also you can sometimes get some luck by putting a smaller pulley on the alternator you've got.

These guys - http://www.cooldrive.com.au/ - used to have a 110A drop-in alternator for a Patrol for $220. Not sure if they still do. You can still see their Autumn 2006 catalogue with it in there (near the end.)

[stuee]

Out of curiosity what size alternator do patrols have standard?? I know my disco has a 100amp unit which handles what i throw at it ok. Probably one of the few things Land Rover got just about perfect.

[chimpboy]

Out of curiosity what size alternator do patrols have standard?? I know my disco has a 100amp unit which handles what i throw at it ok. Probably one of the few things Land Rover got just about perfect.

Good question! Mine had an 85A unit when I bought it, but I don't think it was original. At least some of them came with 60A alternators, which is pretty shocking really. I think they may have gotten beefier when the carby was replaced with EFI in 1992? 93?... whenever it was, anyway.

Edit: According to one site, some came with a 45A alternator. And EF falcon alternator is almost bolt in, so that's only 20 bucks from a pick-a-part I guess. 85A or occasionally you find a 110A.

[ethann]

Out of curiosity what size alternator do patrols have standard?? I know my disco has a 100amp unit which handles what i throw at it ok. Probably one of the few things Land Rover got just about perfect.

Good question! Mine had an 85A unit when I bought it, but I don't think it was original. At least some of them came with 60A alternators, which is pretty shocking really. I think they may have gotten beefier when the carby was replaced with EFI in 1992? 93?... whenever it was, anyway.

Edit: According to one site, some came with a 45A alternator. And EF falcon alternator is almost bolt in, so that's only 20 bucks from a pick-a-part I guess. 85A or occasionally you find a 110A.

Mine is a 4.2 Desiel.
Tomorrow if I get time I'm going to do the check.
When it's sitting there idling it sits on about 12.5-12.6 then when I rev it, It goes up to 13.5 +.


Whats involved in putting a EF Falcon alt in? It'd be nice to have a good alt. I'm sick of alt problems, I spent 7g's to fix my Pajero alt problem =p.

Thanks for all your help guys!

[92mav]

your diesel maverick WILL NOT take the alternator from a petrol motor as it will have a vacuum pump on the back of it, its more than likely a 65 amp alternator. I have fitted a 90 amp pajero alternator to my mav but had to do some fabrication for this to happen. Also i have been told there is a 100 amp rodeo alternator thats a bolt in but haven't confirmed this myself.

hope this helps Brad

[ethann]

Yep, Forgot about that vaccum.

Might have to search around for something.

[chimpboy]

Sorry, I didn't notice it was a diesel. 92Mav is definitely correct.

If you have a diesel with a vacuum pump on the alternator you need to get a replacement that has the same thing. Try the guys I posted above or http://www.aea.com.au/

An alternator with a vacuum pump is much more exxy unfortunately, probably up around $500.

There are TD42 engines out there with the vacuum pump mounted on the oil pump instead of the alternator but not, I think, in any Mavericks because it only started after 1994.

[ethann]

Ok so, I've topped the batterys up with water and they hold a bit better now but it is still doing it. It goes up to a maxium of about 14.2v through the day with out many accessories on.

It is getting annoying.

The fella I bought it off said that he used to run a weaco fridge off it all night cooling his rum cans for him for after he finished work. Thats severly hours then start up fine etc.

Could it just be the batterys life is up?

He said that they put the guts of a 140amp alt in there or something. It's been beefed up apprently. He said he never had problems and his a genuie guy also.