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Having drained down the motorhome the plan was to take it for a run each weekend over the winter. This morning I discovered the vehicle battery is flat and the van wont start. It's been sub zero here for over a week, day and night.
I've used jump leads to hook the van battery to the car battery. The van manual advises not connecting the -ve terminals of the two batteries, rather, to connect it to an earth point on the van engine, but it still wont start.The car and van batteries are both 12v, so there shouldn't be an issue there
A few questions, if you dont mind:
I'm nervous about damaging the LED electric/heating panel in the van when using jump leads - should I be?
Is there a specific earth point on the van engine I should be using?
Should I just be hooking the terminals up +ve to +ve and -ve to -ve like I would when jump starting a car?
There is ice on the -ve terminal, could this be an issue?
Any general tips about recharging the battery?
Hi, you don't say what van you have and the year. Most modern vans have designated points for jumpstarting, especially some boxer based vehicles where the battery is under the floor between the front seats.
______________________________________________________________ I was taught to be cautious.
The reason you should NEVER connect +ve to +ve, -ve to -ve is that after you have started the van/car the 'flat' battery will have been charged at a huge rate and may be producing flammable gas. If you then disconnected the -ve at the flat battery end you could get a spark and ignite the gas!!!
So when ever jump starting never go battery terminal to battery terminal on -ve. Always remove the -ve that is clipped to the engine of the 'flat battery vehicle' first!
The reason you should NEVER connect +ve to +ve, -ve to -ve is that after you have started the van/car the 'flat' battery will have been charged at a huge rate and may be producing flammable gas. If you then disconnected the -ve at the flat battery end you could get a spark and ignite the gas!!!
So when ever jump starting never go battery terminal to battery terminal on -ve. Always remove the -ve that is clipped to the engine of the 'flat battery vehicle' first!
Where is the vehicle battery? If you can see it under the bonnet you can wire positive to positive and negative to the chassis. Simples.
Yep - it's under the bonnet, albeit the +ve terminal is a bit difficult to get at and there seems to be a lot going on around that terminal (leads & connections that you dont see on a car battery terminal).
I've tried what you suggest without success, hence I thought the ice on the -ve terminal may be an issue.
Maybe I'm not getting a good grip on the +ve terminal.
The reason you should NEVER connect +ve to +ve, -ve to -ve is that after you have started the van/car the 'flat' battery will have been charged at a huge rate and may be producing flammable gas. If you then disconnected the -ve at the flat battery end you could get a spark and ignite the gas!!!
So when ever jump starting never go battery terminal to battery terminal on -ve. Always remove the -ve that is clipped to the engine of the 'flat battery vehicle' first!
And a good example of why I despair at procedural recommendations in preference to getting over an understanding of WHY. If one UNDERSTANDS something, even if you forget the procedure you can still work out what should be done or avoided.
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