Battery Issue in 1.5 year old Vehicle

dobermankby

Seattle WA, USA, 2021 144 gasoline mtb/kite rig
I'm getting a battery warning as seen in the image. "(battery sign) Start Engine See (manual)"
I measured the battery terminals and it's ~11.8 volt a couple of hours after running the engine, which is definitely low.
Voltage measures around 14V while the engine is running, which means the alternator is fine.
I did not measure parasitic draw. I'll let the dealership do that.

This van is less than 1.5 years old. It's not connected to a battery tender, but I make sure I run the engine at least once a month for 5-10 minutes and drive around the corner to charge the battery and get all the fluids/lubricants moving.
I'm guessing battery usually is not covered under warranty, but I'm wondering whether in this case it might.. I will contact the dealership.
More importantly, replacing the battery may not solve the problem, this might indicate some sort of parasitic draw - unless running the engine for 5-10 minutes once a month is not enough.
Anyone have similar experience?

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rafski

Well-known member
I would say you should do a little more driving than just ~15min per month. Or get a solar trickle charger that you can place on the dashboard.
For what it's worth, my house battery has a extra meter for monitoring another battery, in my setup it's monitoring the AUX battery under the passenger seat. You can see I use my van almost daily, but you can also see the parasitic draw of a AUX battery that is powering the MBUX, sliding door and the dash lights. The few days I was out of town, the battery went down to ~12.30 v, that's about 70% SoC.
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bigb

2011 Winnebago Via 25Q on 2010 3500 Tucson, AZ
I agree, 10 or 15 minutes doesn't even put back into the battery what you took out to start the engine, you are losing ground. Hook up a plug in battery charger overnight then see where you are at.
 

tinman

Well-known member
Rather than running the engine for a few minutes every month you should charge up the battery and disconnect it. There is a fair bit of parasitic draw, and running for a few minutes will not replace the lost charge and power used in the start. You should have a disconnect near the gas pedal (not sure on the VS30). There is also a fuse to pull to disconnect the small aux battery. As to keeping the fluids moving, for a few months' storage that's not an issue, and running it without getting up to full operating temperature probably does more harm than good.
 

dobermankby

Seattle WA, USA, 2021 144 gasoline mtb/kite rig
Thanks for the comments. I'm also starting to think that this might be my fault.
Just did a bit of napkin math, and the main issue is the frequency of me running the engine (once a month).
Assuming 100 mA parasitic draw, I'm losing 2.4AH per day, 72 AH per month. That's more than 75% of my 95AH factory battery. That'll definitely kill a lead-acid battery.
I'll get a new battery and keep it connected to a tender. Lesson learned, luckily, not a very expensive one.
 

#yardsale

The cruelest dream, reality.
⬆ Likely correct. Mine is for sure, verified by my eyes.

Noco Genius 5 amp charger seems to work well, at least for me.
 

bigb

2011 Winnebago Via 25Q on 2010 3500 Tucson, AZ
Yes they are, they use absorbed mats with an electrolyte gel instead of liquid electrolyte. If I were you I'd put it on a charger, it might still be good. Batteries can take quite a bit of abuse when they are young. If it's no good, which I doubt, you should be able to get another for free or slightly pro-rated.
 
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dobermankby

Seattle WA, USA, 2021 144 gasoline mtb/kite rig
Yes they are, they use absorbed mats with an electrolyte gel instead of liquid electrolyte. If I were you I'd put it on a charger, it might still be good. Batteries can take quite a bit of abuse when they are young. If it's no good, which I doubt, you should be able to get another for free or slightly pro-rated.
Thanks, I was also thinking the same thing before giving up on it. Will charge it and see how it goes.
 

bigb

2011 Winnebago Via 25Q on 2010 3500 Tucson, AZ
AGMs are more tolerant to being left discharged than flooded because by design they are more resistant to plate sulfation. Still best to keep them charged though.
 

PWROBSON

Member
I read the thread with no intent of any comment, as all was covered.
However … when I’ve read up on AGM in the past, which is what my VS30 main battery type is, I see statements that AGM are more sensitive to “over charging”, but saw no definition for what constitutes over charging.
My rig is a class C camper, so sits a good bit of the time, I check battery charge level every couple of weeks or so, if down a bit, I put my standard automotive charger on, pulls 3-5 amps charging, leave it on for 6-8 hours, that seems to work.

The QUESTION is, anyone Familiar with why constitutes over charging on an AGM? Or familiar with this issue?
Thanks
Peter
 

dobermankby

Seattle WA, USA, 2021 144 gasoline mtb/kite rig
Depending where you are measuring, 14v seems low. At my 12 volt outlet, until I've been on the road for hours, V is typically 14.6
It was over 14. I don't remember the exact number, I was just trying to quickly check that the alternator was working.
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
If you're seeing over 13v when driving, the alternator is working (in some fashion).
If you see 14.2, that's the level i see during the for-a-few-minutes-after-starting "replace the cranking losses" stage.
After those few minutes have passed, mine drops to 13.8 (with no "extra" loads) to 13.6 (if "extras" (wipers, defrost fan, AC) are running)

--dick
 

dobermankby

Seattle WA, USA, 2021 144 gasoline mtb/kite rig
Update: Got the Noco charger, charged it up. Voltage was around 12.65V once fully charged.
Then I unplugged the charger and left it for 3 days to see if it'll hold charge, and after 72 hours it's still at 12.6V, which probably means the battery is all good.
 

4wheeldog

2018 144" Tall Revel
Update: Got the Noco charger, charged it up. Voltage was around 12.65V once fully charged.
Then I unplugged the charger and left it for 3 days to see if it'll hold charge, and after 72 hours it's still at 12.6V, which probably means the battery is all good.
That is as good as you could expect from even a new battery.
I keep mine charged with an Amp-L-Start. Even fully charged at startup, it takes about 30 minutes of Sri to get it back to fully charged.
 

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