Battery %

[Tomdoc]

@Tomdoc & @ECrider ~ is the solar panel mounted inside the vehicle or outside?

Mine normally rested on the dash in the Defender - it kept it going such that after 3 months away I was fine..

 

[Wilaspira]

Am I right that “we” think the battery state of charge screen only shows the state of charge of the starter battery ie if one also has the auxiliary battery the state of charge is not an average and/nor there is another screen which can access the state of charge for each battery separately (I am guessing not). If one charges the car through the jumpstart connection etc will one only be charging the starter battery and not the auxiliary battery and if so how does one top up the auxiliary battery? Cheers

 

[Logsplitter]

Am I right that “we” think the battery state of charge screen only shows the state of charge of the starter battery ie if one also has the auxiliary battery the state of charge is not an average and/nor there is another screen which can access the state of charge for each battery separately (I am guessing not). If one charges the car through the jumpstart connection etc will one only be charging the starter battery and not the auxiliary battery and if so how does one top up the auxiliary battery? Cheers

My understanding is that when I charged via the jump start terminal under the bonnet then both batteries got charged but I can’t check that again for a while.

 

[Tomdoc]

I monitor the second battery separately using an Ancel Bluetooth monitor system - this was previously mentioned on this forum but apologies I can't find the OP!

Amazon.de

 

[Logsplitter]

I monitor the second battery separately using an Ancel Bluetooth monitor system - this was previously mentioned on this forum but apologies I can't find the OP!

Amazon.de

I’ll look to get something like this myself for both batteries. Thanks

 

[Wilaspira]

My understanding is that when I charged via the jump start terminal under the bonnet then both batteries got charged but I can’t check that again for a while.

Thank you

 

[Miki]

My understanding is that when I charged via the jump start terminal under the bonnet then both batteries got charged but I can’t check that again for a while.

I don't have a Grenny so I don't know for certain but can't see any reason why not.
The interruption of the ECU/smart alternator wouldn't figure in this situiation.
The charger would supply a constant voltage and the CTEK would therefore charge the batteries as it was deigned to do.

 

[acwiltshire]

And with a Halfords Trade Card you get 20% off most things!

I think I want one

 

[Eric]

I think I want one

They seem to be pushing their motoring club for the general public these days. But they still accept my trade card for on line purchases and their trade card prices are still shown along side public prices when I login. And it was/is free. I just checked to see and they are accepting new account applications.

 

[Orcmurd]

SOC was 75% this morning after taking the dog for his morning run. When I turned the ignition off, the Greny was doing a DPF regen and I locked it up and left it to roar away, all under the power of the battery.

Took the wagon out tonight and SOC was 65% on startup meaning the regen used 10% of battery power. The battery was charging at a rate of c. 45-60 amps and continued to charge at this rate until the SOC was around 70% when it dropped to c. 25 amps and then at about 73% SOC, the rate of charge dropped to 2-4 amps.

Over a 15 minute run, the SOC went from 65% to 72%. Smart alternator clearly working but I would prefer to see it take the SOC up to more like 85% before it drops to a rate of charge of 2-4 amps.

 

[MarkH]

SOC was 75% this morning after taking the dog for his morning run. When I turned the ignition off, the Greny was doing a DPF regen and I locked it up and left it to roar away, all under the power of the battery.

Took the wagon out tonight and SOC was 65% on startup meaning the regen used 10% of battery power. The battery was charging at a rate of c. 45-60 amps and continued to charge at this rate until the SOC was around 70% when it dropped to c. 25 amps and then at about 73% SOC, the rate of charge dropped to 2-4 amps.

Over a 15 minute run, the SOC went from 65% to 72%. Smart alternator clearly working but I would prefer to see it take the SOC up to more like 85% before it drops to a rate of charge of 2-4 amps.

Yes, resistance rises in the battery and the alternator throttles back, it's a dumb charger, you need a smart charger with bulk/absorption/float stages to achieve a full charge. Good idea to charge the battery up once a month or so with a smart charger, lead acid don't like sitting undercharged.
Same reason the Smartpass won't charge the service battery fully, need the 250SE.

 

[TheDocAUS]

I monitor the second battery separately using an Ancel Bluetooth monitor system - this was previously mentioned on this forum but apologies I can't find the OP!

Amazon.de

I have done a review of a few of these cheaper battery monitors here. It di dnot cover the Ancel though. The generic BLE unit seems to offer the most for the least money.

 

[Lollo050968]

I investigate this week with my additional battery monitors: 1. Priority is the Auxiliary Battery, smartpass charge this at 100% and 2. Priority the starter after Aux.battery reach 100%.
If the starter is down to approximately 78% and no alternator charge, the second battery provide energy, but only in 10% pieces, not more. Full charging only with alternator.

From 07:15-08:00 Driven country road
From 08:00-16:15 Parking
From 16:15-16:35 short drive
From 19:45-20:10 Motorway drive
My starter battery loose between 1-2% per day, auxiliary nothing, only if starter have to be provided.

 

[Barney]

I don't know if it was mentioned somewhere in the text above, but I spoke to the head of the repair department at K & E about why my battery can't reach 100%. He explained to me that I shouldn't charge the battery directly, but rather via the red charging box and the body ground so that the ECU in the car registers that the car is being charged. I didn't fully understand it but it works. Since I charged the car via the charging box in the engine compartment and the negative pole on the body, I have 98% charge on the display. After the update, the car does not lose 10% points within a day.

 

[Tazzieman]

I shouldn't charge the battery directly, but rather via the red charging box

In the engine compartment?

 

[AWo]

Battery monitors do not just measure the voltage as this gives you not the complete picture and does not reflect the state of charge.

They measue the current going in and out and calculate the state of charge with mathematic models build from thousands of tests.

Therefore the current must enter and leave the battery through an official entry and exit point where a small chap pushes the button on his counter for every amp in and out.

The official name of that guy is shunt. That is a very small resistor which reduces the voltage a little bit. As the resistance is known and the reduction of voltage is measured you can calculate the amps and the direction of flow.

You use that method for current of 10 amps or more. You do not measure the amps directly anymore, you use voltage instead and calculate the amps.

AWo

 

[Tazzieman]

I wonder what the lifespan of the Grenadier batteries is. Obviously depends upon pattern of usage but hopefully more than a couple of years. It gets expensive, compared to back in the day!

 

[AWo]

Whst kind of battery is it?

AWo

 

[Barney]

In the engine compartment?

Yes, there is a red button on the left side of the engine compartment that is intended for jump starting. You can also charge the battery easily, at least on my left-hand drive car. But you should use the body of the vehicle as a minus so that one of the ECU can register the charging time and the charged percent and display it properly. That's how I understand it now

 

[Tazzieman]

Yes, there is a red button on the left side of the engine compartment that is intended for jump starting. You can also charge the battery easily, at least on my left-hand drive car. But you should use the body of the vehicle as a minus so that one of the ECU can register the charging time and the charged percent and display it properly. That's how I understand it now

Good , just like my '82 928