Hi
We have been away for a while and today we got back to our car with a DEAD flat battery-----I put it on charge (while still connected to the car) and the alarm was making all-sorts of cheeping noises, I disconnected the battery and continued charging it,----I re-connected it to the car (while still charging) but the alarm keeps going-----I tried locking and unlocking with key fob but couldn't stop it ------------I am hoping that after being on-charge all night it will all work OK-------but what do I do if the alarm keeps going ?

Nigel

 

I had the same problem a few years ago. With the main battery disconnected and all the doors closed, try holding down the push button alarm switch under the bonnet while connecting the main battery. When you have re-connected the battery unset the alarm/unlock the doors with the fob. Also, have you tried starting the engine, that may help. Part of the problem is that the alarm system has its own battery so even when the main battery is disconnected the alarm will still function. If the main battery goes completely flat while the alarm is set then it can get into this loop which is difficult to escape from.
I hope that makes sense

Alan

 

Hi Alan
Many thanks for your reply
I locked and unlocked (with the key) the drivers door----held down the button on the bonnet but alarm still screamed ---------in the end I connected the battery and let it 'time out' --------then started as normal------everything fine now--------except the exhaust is now blowing from the manifold ?? -------oh well it wouldn't be our G Voyager if everything was ok
Thanks again
Nigel

 

It's almost certain your battery has become sulphated which will lead to future problems. The practical effect of sulphation of the hard crystalline type is that it reduces the battery's effective ampere-hour capacity considerably. So it may say 70a/h on the case, but in fact be as bad as 20a/h (real findings on a recent test). This is due to lots of "spots" on the plates being hard-sulphated, making these spots act like an insulator.
The sulphation can be reversed gradually by holding the battery at 13.8volt 24/7 float-charge for something like two months (again real findings). The current finally drops to about 5m/A. Keeping the battery at float-charge 24/7 will make it last longer than the vehicle.
I'm putting a suitable and cheap device to do float-charge on here with pictures for anyone to make in due course. Of course you'll need a way of getting electricity to your parked vehicle.

Many people think batteries "store electricity" -- they don't -- only a capacitor can do this. A battery or cell of the re-chargeable kind actually stores chemical changes caused by electricity. In lead-acids, lead dioxide is converted to lead sulphate by discharging, lead sulphate is converted back to lead dioxide by charging. If these operations aren't done just right the lead sulphate produced during discharging morphs from powdery sulphate to hard crystalline sulphate -- bad news, as hard crystalline sulphate is almost an insulator. Hence the time it takes to convert back to lead dioxide by float-charging.
Pay attention out there! This will save you money!

Leedsman.

 

I'm beginning to think your a Super Computer Leedsman...And we all hope you never Discharge.

 

Soooooo
when we next leave our car for a few months-------do I just dis-connect the battery ?? it will be parked without any power available-----We have left it with a small solar panel in the summer which worked ok----but the winter has too little light available for the little solar panel to maintain it------I could fix a bigger solar panel to the roof bars while it's parked up.
Nigel

 

Chrysler have a built in solution. Pull the IOD fuse [Ignition Off-draw fuse], it has a 1/2 out resting place so does not need complete withdrawal. This fuse kills all power to all 'live' components when the IGN is off and the key is out. Replacing it will re-set all comms.

 

Sundowners -- I noticed on E-bay a few days ago someone was selling 20watt solar panels fairly cheap, if remember it was £25. And I've toyed with the idea myself of mounting same on roof-rack struts with bungee ties. I'd go for two of these (there's plenty of room) to assure enough wattage to still work in winter as you suggest. It should be a "fit and forget" solution.
To fit these you will need two diodes to stop back discharge (these bigger panels don't have internal diodes like the smaller ones), one for each (remember one could be in shadow, the other in light), then you connect the two outputs in parallel to a regulator made to produce 13.8volt., such as a 7812 common regulator chip with some diodes in the ground leg totalling 1.8volt forward conduction. This will make the 7812 produce 13.8volt instead of 12volt......plug the output into the LH cigar lighter socket.....And away you go!
Get back to me if you get serious about it.

Leedsman.

 

I changed the factory gell battery for a lead acid one from eurocarparts and all is well in the world.