Need help tracking down a fault...

[joshman]

Hey all, there's a fault in my dual battery system somewhere, I'm not 100% sure where it might be, so I'd love some input to help out.

The system is wired as follows:
Main battery - C/B - few meters of cable to tub - fuse - Redarc bcdc1220 - aux. battery - various loads

The battery is a calcium gel battery. The fault as I've found it, seems to indicate the redarc as being the fault.

With the car off, stationary and the redarc not charging, I had 11.79v at my battery terminals. After a short drive, the redarc was on and charging and i have only 11.89v at my battery terminals.

Thoughts and ideas?

 

[RustyNav09]

As the circuit breaker an auto reset version? The breaker may be tripping. I'm unsure of redarc units but I haven't heard any bad stories about them. Run over ever bit of wiring from front to back. If you find nothing than it is probably the charger

 

[sparra04]

i found my 20amp fuse from redarc to batt being charged had blown on 2 occasions
i upped fuse to 30amp and no more issues

 

[joshman]

The fuse between the redarc and battery might be the next place to look, apart from that, im out of ideas. I'll give it some good investigation this afternoon after work.

If it is the redarc, I'll look at replacing it with one that has a solar regulator built in, like the bcdc1225.

 

[4x4 ST-R]

What's your main battery charging at? Alternator problems?

 

[joshman]

I didn't have time this morning to investigate that far, but the car starts no problems, and the simple fact that the redarc unit switches on an starts charging means that the alternator is charging the main battery up properly, so I don't see a problem at that end.

 

[04SilverSTR]

check your fuse holders I had charging/ voltage issues a few weeks back and it turned out to be the giant blade fuse holder at my aux battery. replaced and I got full voltage again.

Bryan

 

[joshman]

check your fuse holders I had charging/ voltage issues a few weeks back and it turned out to be the giant blade fuse holder at my aux battery. replaced and I got full voltage again.

Bryan

Good place to start, what was the actual problem with the fuse holder?

 

[happy john]

Sounds like a earthing problem run a jumperlead in place of your existing earth to the chassis and see if it still occurs

 

[joshman]

Sounds like a earthing problem run a jumperlead in place of your existing earth to the chassis and see if it still occurs

As proposed it was the fuse between the redarc and the battery.

Now onto why this happened, so it doesn't happen again. I'll definitely check the earth lead. But that looks like a very slow burnout, not a pop.

 

[joshman]

Upon further inspection, and tryin to remove the fuse, I found that it was fully burnt, melted the fuse carrier and everything (see pic)

My earth is pretty good (1ohm) bu I'll need to clean it up and try to get a lower reading on that.

Could that have been enough to cause this? Or should I be looking else where?

 

[04SilverSTR]

Good place to start, what was the actual problem with the fuse holder?

not to sure in the end. looked fine, cut it open but couldn't see the fault.

what is your melted fuse protecting? it could be too small phisicly maybe need to go to the giant blade fuse.

Bryan

 

[sparra04]

josh is that the fuse to batt being charged??
if so thats the problem i had
i changed to a better fuse holder and a 30 amp fuse and its been fine for over a year now