Hi,
Are these results normal?
Engine off, no loads - Battery showing 12.4V
Engine running, no loads - 14.05V
Engine running at 2000rpm, every load I could think of - 12.37V
Engine running at idle, with every load on - 11.82V
Engine and loads off again - 12.62V

Standard (6month old) 90A/h battery fitted.
08MY TDV8 VSE
roughly monthly/bi monthly non-starts.
Am considering putting a Bosch 110A/h battery in but am getting fed up with non-starts.
ANy thoughts,
Kind regards,
Ed '96 Volkswagen Polo 1.4CL - SOLD
'00 Audi A3 1.8T - SOLD
'97 Lotus Esprit V8 - SOLD
'03 BMW M3 - SOLD
'93 Range Rover 3.9 Vogue SE - SOLD
'92 Peugeot 205 GRD - DIED
'99 BMW 540i Touring - SOLD
'94 Peugeot 405 GDRT - SOLD
'00 Peugeot 406 HDI estate - 63mpg! - SOLD
'08 Range Rover TDV8 Vogue SE - SOLD
'11 Skoda Fabia Greenline II - 94.2mpg!- SOLD
'07 E61 BMW 530d msport touring - SOLD
‘20 Tesla Model 3 SR+
‘20 Tesla Model 3 Performance

Look pretty normal to me. Have you checked for current drain when the car is meant to be totally shut down?

Dan mentioned buying a gizmo that you slot into the fuse brackets or can one do this from the battery - what settings do you use on the multimeter? '96 Volkswagen Polo 1.4CL - SOLD
'00 Audi A3 1.8T - SOLD
'97 Lotus Esprit V8 - SOLD
'03 BMW M3 - SOLD
'93 Range Rover 3.9 Vogue SE - SOLD
'92 Peugeot 205 GRD - DIED
'99 BMW 540i Touring - SOLD
'94 Peugeot 405 GDRT - SOLD
'00 Peugeot 406 HDI estate - 63mpg! - SOLD
'08 Range Rover TDV8 Vogue SE - SOLD
'11 Skoda Fabia Greenline II - 94.2mpg!- SOLD
'07 E61 BMW 530d msport touring - SOLD
‘20 Tesla Model 3 SR+
‘20 Tesla Model 3 Performance

EDWARD757 wrote:

Dan mentioned buying a gizmo that you slot into the fuse brackets or can one do this from the battery - what settings do you use on the multimeter?

The gizmo measures the amp draw - most multimeters dont do this...

Your figures above match mine and SteveGT's

Dan 

I replaced mine a year or so ago with a Varta battery from Land Rover (with LR stickers..) 110AH and 920 Cold Cranks Amps.

I used Varta as it was the type orginally fitted which had done 7/8 years with no problems until it gave up last winter.

Obviously there may be equivalents but I did'nt want to mess about buying one which was'nt up to spec or quality.

If there is a drain then it needs investigating also.

Dans recommended tool for pluging into fuses is a very good idea which I would suggest doing.

fyi, varta and bosch batteries are made by the same people..

Update
Put on a Bosch 100Ah battery tonight (Costco £101-4yr warranty) and the idle no-load charge is 14.8-15V. Max load idle is 11.97V.
She is plugged into the battery conditioner now overnight but I am hoping it will serve me/my wife better.
Incidently I have discovered a disconnected wire whilst poking about in the battery bay and before reconnecting it I wondered whether anyone knew what it was.
On the positive (Red) terminal there is a junction box. Out of this comes a chunky red cable heading off forwards into the engine bay. The other cable out of the terminal box is shouded by plastic corragated cable protection. about half way along this is a pair of (i think) orange and green wires that look to be joined by a small male/female connector and then go back into the cable protector. This small connector is disconnected. Could this be the venture cam (currently unable to charge) system?
Anyhow, does anyone (DAN) know what this is before I reconnect it - perhaps it is not supposed to be connected.
Kind regards,
Ed '96 Volkswagen Polo 1.4CL - SOLD
'00 Audi A3 1.8T - SOLD
'97 Lotus Esprit V8 - SOLD
'03 BMW M3 - SOLD
'93 Range Rover 3.9 Vogue SE - SOLD
'92 Peugeot 205 GRD - DIED
'99 BMW 540i Touring - SOLD
'94 Peugeot 405 GDRT - SOLD
'00 Peugeot 406 HDI estate - 63mpg! - SOLD
'08 Range Rover TDV8 Vogue SE - SOLD
'11 Skoda Fabia Greenline II - 94.2mpg!- SOLD
'07 E61 BMW 530d msport touring - SOLD
‘20 Tesla Model 3 SR+
‘20 Tesla Model 3 Performance

Latest theory is that it is a transporter relay or the like that is used for shipping the car and then disconnected during PDI and tucked away, never to be seen again. Some for of battery preserver or something (sounds like just what I need in fact!). Still disconnected until I am sure.
Kind regards,
Ed '96 Volkswagen Polo 1.4CL - SOLD
'00 Audi A3 1.8T - SOLD
'97 Lotus Esprit V8 - SOLD
'03 BMW M3 - SOLD
'93 Range Rover 3.9 Vogue SE - SOLD
'92 Peugeot 205 GRD - DIED
'99 BMW 540i Touring - SOLD
'94 Peugeot 405 GDRT - SOLD
'00 Peugeot 406 HDI estate - 63mpg! - SOLD
'08 Range Rover TDV8 Vogue SE - SOLD
'11 Skoda Fabia Greenline II - 94.2mpg!- SOLD
'07 E61 BMW 530d msport touring - SOLD
‘20 Tesla Model 3 SR+
‘20 Tesla Model 3 Performance

EDWARD757 wrote:

Latest theory is that it is a transporter relay or the like that is used for shipping the car and then disconnected during PDI and tucked away, never to be seen again. Some for of battery preserver or something (sounds like just what I need in fact!). Still disconnected until I am sure.
Kind regards,
Ed

The car's ECU has a setting for transport mode, so doubtful.

D 

Hi Dan,
Apparently the strange wire is a transit relay and should be unplugged - normally it is tucked away but mine seems to have come loose.
Fixed my venture cam though - it seems one of my junior mechanics, probably the 3 year old, had pushed one of the charging spikes into the dashboard - managed to pull it out and the camera charges now.
I find it strange how my CTEK battery conditioner will now work through the cigarette lighter adaptor. This has a red plastic band around it but it does not seem to connect to the car. The lighters are 'live'. Anyone had trouble using cigarette lighter sockets?
Kind regards,
Ed '96 Volkswagen Polo 1.4CL - SOLD
'00 Audi A3 1.8T - SOLD
'97 Lotus Esprit V8 - SOLD
'03 BMW M3 - SOLD
'93 Range Rover 3.9 Vogue SE - SOLD
'92 Peugeot 205 GRD - DIED
'99 BMW 540i Touring - SOLD
'94 Peugeot 405 GDRT - SOLD
'00 Peugeot 406 HDI estate - 63mpg! - SOLD
'08 Range Rover TDV8 Vogue SE - SOLD
'11 Skoda Fabia Greenline II - 94.2mpg!- SOLD
'07 E61 BMW 530d msport touring - SOLD
‘20 Tesla Model 3 SR+
‘20 Tesla Model 3 Performance