I was away from the van for about a month. When I got back, it started up but not as quickly, strongly as it normally does. Well, that's to be expected, honestly I am happy it cranked after a month! I drove a few times in the next few days, the first start was the only noticeably (to me) weak one. Then I had to go away again, this time for a couple weeks.
When I got back, again with the weak start, but I drove it for 1h, then after a bit another 30m. Couple days later for 22m. It sat for a few days and when I went to start it, it didn't have enough juice to start. I got a short charge+jump and drove for 30m. After a few hours, the van wouldn't start again and I got another jump and drove the 30m return trip. The next day it wouldn't start again.
It being black friday weekend, I figured I'd go ahead and get good deal on an AGM battery! The old battery has been with the van since before I bought it 5 years ago and I've always been pleased with it's cranking power and capacity; no signs of trouble until after this long holiday(s).
However, it doesn't really make sense to me why the battery would die like that.. so I did an in-line ignition-off draw test (trying to find some parasitic draw) after installing the new battery, and to my surprise it was pretty solid at 10mA after about 20s! Wow, so maybe the battery did just get old, quickly? The voltage across the battery terminals while the van was on was something like 14V, so charging OK (I had already checked that after jumping the car the first time.. it was charging).
Checking the forums, a few relevant threads:
Click no start- some tips.
Battery not holding charge.
Dead battery or common drain?
Bad Sprinter experence (battery alternator wire harness)
Start Battery Replacement Information
Now the part that I think might have been, a factor.. rain.
The night that the battery was dead for the first time it had been raining for a day or so and it was still raining (when I had to jump it, both times). When I popped the hood the first time, I noticed some water ingress at a few spots and (as I opened the hood) saw/heard water flowing, near the cabin air intake hole in the hood, but I couldn't tell exactly where that water had been sitting. I replaced the battery a few days later (today), after the rains had stopped for a few days.
Here are a couple pics of near the (old) battery:
https://imgur.com/gJ7WxvJ
https://imgur.com/E30sZka
https://imgur.com/0hWS5wG
As you can see, there was definitely water ingress near the battery. The cause was a completely clogged up windshield gutter (aka composter), I suspect. I cleaned the gutter out, so hopefully the water will drain where it is supposed to, instead of into the engine bay. It's raining again now, so I plan on checking in the morning for any wet spots. In the past 5 years of owning the van, it has rained numerous times. Though in the last year maybe not so much.. plus it was only this past year where I've been having to park under a tree (and catching all that debris in my gutter.)
So.. what do you all think? Should I perform another in-line ignition-off draw test once it stops raining? Maybe the rain was causing some short in the wiring, either at a low point (it it got into the old wiring harnesses) or near the battery? As you can tell in the first picture, some bits of the wiring don't look so good.
As for the old battery.. I guess I will take it to the store to be charged/tested (the machines at the autoparts stores tell you how much cranking amps it will do, or battery capacity, not just charge, right?). At what point should I just give them my old battery for the core charge refund, versus maybe re-installing the old one once it's healthy? I'm really hoping cleaning the gutter has solved my issue and it's not some other gremlin..
When I got back, again with the weak start, but I drove it for 1h, then after a bit another 30m. Couple days later for 22m. It sat for a few days and when I went to start it, it didn't have enough juice to start. I got a short charge+jump and drove for 30m. After a few hours, the van wouldn't start again and I got another jump and drove the 30m return trip. The next day it wouldn't start again.
It being black friday weekend, I figured I'd go ahead and get good deal on an AGM battery! The old battery has been with the van since before I bought it 5 years ago and I've always been pleased with it's cranking power and capacity; no signs of trouble until after this long holiday(s).
However, it doesn't really make sense to me why the battery would die like that.. so I did an in-line ignition-off draw test (trying to find some parasitic draw) after installing the new battery, and to my surprise it was pretty solid at 10mA after about 20s! Wow, so maybe the battery did just get old, quickly? The voltage across the battery terminals while the van was on was something like 14V, so charging OK (I had already checked that after jumping the car the first time.. it was charging).
Checking the forums, a few relevant threads:
Click no start- some tips.
Battery not holding charge.
Dead battery or common drain?
Bad Sprinter experence (battery alternator wire harness)
Start Battery Replacement Information
Now the part that I think might have been, a factor.. rain.
The night that the battery was dead for the first time it had been raining for a day or so and it was still raining (when I had to jump it, both times). When I popped the hood the first time, I noticed some water ingress at a few spots and (as I opened the hood) saw/heard water flowing, near the cabin air intake hole in the hood, but I couldn't tell exactly where that water had been sitting. I replaced the battery a few days later (today), after the rains had stopped for a few days.
Here are a couple pics of near the (old) battery:
https://imgur.com/gJ7WxvJ
https://imgur.com/E30sZka
https://imgur.com/0hWS5wG
As you can see, there was definitely water ingress near the battery. The cause was a completely clogged up windshield gutter (aka composter), I suspect. I cleaned the gutter out, so hopefully the water will drain where it is supposed to, instead of into the engine bay. It's raining again now, so I plan on checking in the morning for any wet spots. In the past 5 years of owning the van, it has rained numerous times. Though in the last year maybe not so much.. plus it was only this past year where I've been having to park under a tree (and catching all that debris in my gutter.)
So.. what do you all think? Should I perform another in-line ignition-off draw test once it stops raining? Maybe the rain was causing some short in the wiring, either at a low point (it it got into the old wiring harnesses) or near the battery? As you can tell in the first picture, some bits of the wiring don't look so good.
As for the old battery.. I guess I will take it to the store to be charged/tested (the machines at the autoparts stores tell you how much cranking amps it will do, or battery capacity, not just charge, right?). At what point should I just give them my old battery for the core charge refund, versus maybe re-installing the old one once it's healthy? I'm really hoping cleaning the gutter has solved my issue and it's not some other gremlin..
Last edited: