Diesel RVs

A cheap voltmeter could be your best friend here. Harbor freight has a cheap digital for about 4 bucks. Anyway, the battery voltage with the engine off, key off, should be somewhere around 12 to 13 volts. When it's running it should be 13.5 to 14.5, or maybe a little higher. And measure it at the battery posts, inside the cable clamps. Corrosion between the clamp and post could prevent charging. And a healthy voltage may be present at the clamp but not at the battery post. So measure it at the post. If the running voltage is at least a volt above the engine-off voltage, then you probably have a bad battery. Otherwise suspect the alternator or wiring.

Bogy.

--- On Sun, 3/18/12, Kevlog6 <kevlog6@yahoo.com> wrote:

> I had a few things replaced on my 84
> 300d and it was firing up just fine. i replaced the
> battery last fall. yesterday i took it out for a ride,
> fired right up and drove it 10 miles, parked it for about 4
> hours and came back out and it was dead. i jumped it
> and drive it back 10 miles. turned it off and no power
> at all, not even any lights coming on. today i did the
> same, jumped it and let it run for about 45 mins.
> turned it off and nothing. any suggestions?
>
> what surprised me is that the battery was so dead in 4 hours
> when it had sit for weeks at a time and always started.
>
> could it be the alternator voltage regulator?
>
> thanks for any suggestions
>

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Something's pulling it down. It's possible that whatever is draining it now has been for some time; it's just that now, the battery is dead.

Keep in mind that, once these cars are started (like, after a jump), they don't need any power from the battery or alternator to keep going. Only the loss of fuel will shut it down. Other power accessories, like the radio, lights, heater, etc., WILL need electricity to work, but, the engine does not. (It's EMP-proof....)

So, just because you can get it going with a jump, doesn't mean the battery is getting a charge while you're driving it around. That last time it started may have been all that was left in the battery.

First, make sure the battery has good connections; that the terminals and clamps are clean.

An alternator with a shorted diode (or diodes) will drain the battery when the engine's not running, and not put out enough to charge it back up. Have it checked (places like Sears, AutoZone, etc., will do that service, while still in the car, for no charge). Make sure the glove box light and the radio REALLY turn off. Also may want to make sure the glow plugs aren't stuck on.

Mark in Lakewood, CO

From: "Kevlog6" <kevlog6@yahoo.com>
To: "diesel mercedes" <diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2012 4:22:39 PM
Subject: [diesel_mercedes] battery dead/ no power

I had a few things replaced on my 84 300d and it was firing up just fine. i replaced the battery last fall. yesterday i took it out for a ride, fired right up and drove it 10 miles, parked it for about 4 hours and came back out and it was dead. i jumped it and drive it back 10 miles. turned it off and no power at all, not even any lights coming on. today i did the same, jumped it and let it run for about 45 mins. turned it off and nothing. any suggestions?

what surprised me is that the battery was so dead in 4 hours when it had sit for weeks at a time and always started.

could it be the alternator voltage regulator?

thanks for any suggestions