Mitsubishi Delica Owners Club UK™

[cainey]

started fine this morning, only to move it up the drive.

has had a few good runs recently so battery should be well charged - came home tonight - flat

the puzzle is that all lights still at full strength with ignition on.

forgive my ignorance but i have 2 batterys under the bonnet, is one running lights and 'toys' and other for engine, is the engine one flat?

also have pioneer carozeria stereo on which the button lights stay on constantly - could this have drained the battery given that i hadn't started it for about a week? does anyone know how to turn the stereo off completely?

any ideas welcome

cheers

cainey

[Google]

[chiefie]

doesn't sound like a flat battery to me, does the car try to turn over? do the dash lights dim when you turn the key?
these are impotant questions to try to determine your fault,as it sounds like a starter fault / ignition fault and these answers will confirm this (hopefully :? )

rik

[rikyuu]

The twin batteries are usually connected in parallel ie. + to + and - to -. This just gives twice the capacity and twice the current available (for cranking).

I suppose it is possible that one batt could be goosed and has gone high resistance, so the remaining one has enough oomph to power the headlights, but is struggling to turn the engine (you could disconnect the batteries and measure their voltage seperately, both should be the same around 12-12.5v). But I agree with Rik, sounds more like start motor/solenoid/connection trouble.

I think the button lights on your stereo would only flatten the batts if the batts had a fault. Sounds like the stereo has a permanent batt connection, if you changed this to ign live, then the light would go out with ign off. You just need to make sure it doesn't lose it's code/memory settings when it's got no power. Disconnect the battery for a couple of days, then re-connect and check the radio is okay.

[cainey]

tried again this morning, batteries had lost even more charge overnight and now won't even power up the dashboard when turned from acc position, theres a constant clicking as the relays try to turn on, then fail and this repeats.

unfortunately my starter pack needs charging but it did manage to turn the engine a bit more than the batteries on board so i don't think its the starter motor or connections to it that are the problem.

so i am thinking leak to earth somewhere, i have known a courtesy light left on to drain a decent battery over a few days in the past.

light is fading but i will check for a goosed battery tomorrow using your suggestion rikyuu

i did notice some standing water under the fuse box but no evidence that its getting in anywhere near the fuse box?

thanks for the advice guys - hope to get it going tomorrow without the help of the AA, gotta keep the payments down after many call outs to a VW tansporter!!!

cheers

cainey

:D

[Ginja Nutz]

Don't think you will find it's the little light on the stereo - it will consume a lot less power than the clock and car alarm (if you have one) !!!

I think you find all your problems will be solved if you fit new batteries.
This is common problem with both single and dual battery setups that still have their original jap batteries.
Just think - the poor old battery has been turning over that diesel lump for 10 yrs, then it's shipped 10,000 miles to an miserable cold climate like ours... poor soul

Take a look here for spec that other owners have used .........

http://www.MDOCUK.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2410&highlight=batteries

HTH :D :D
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Any information in this posting is correct to the best of my knowledge and I accept no resposibilty for any actions or results based upon it.©

[Oldskool Beat]

Best thing for the batteries is to get them tested at the likes of Halfords etc.

You stated the light stays on the radio, at the button that turns the radio off have you tried holding the button in?
Some radios go into standby mode and when the button is held in goes off completely :? worth a try
_________________
Beat
I will not be held responsible for any loss of limbs or any other damage to Deli' or persons.
I am in no way a mechanic or auto electrician.
Just trying to help ;)
L400 LWB with toys  

[ns1444]

Had exactly the same thing happen on my L300, everything worked except there was insufficient power to turn the engine.

Checked the terminals on my twin batteries, accessable terminals were fine. But the terminals at the back were loose, it's necessary to slide both batteries out to reach these terminals.

Once removed, cleaned and refitted everything was fine.

[cainey]

rikyuu - tried your suggestions, disconnected back batery and tested, it only read 9V - goosed!

then did same on front, read 6V when still attached but went up to 9v when i had disconnected the cables - does this mean its under load even though everthing is off ie a leak to earth as previously mentioned?

[rikyuu]

sounds to me like there may be some current drain, have you got an ammeter on your voltmeter? You could check the current with ign off.