# Ace Roma - battery going dead



## 122398 (Apr 14, 2009)

I have an Ace Roma and recently the battery has been losing charge on a regular basis.

The AA chap assures me that the battery is ok. Has anyone else had this problem and can you help?
tony


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## Wizzo (Dec 3, 2007)

Hi Tony,

It would help if you could expand a little. I take it you mean the vehicle battery? How old is the van and battery? Do you have anything else running off the battery whilst it is standing to your knowledge?

JohnW


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## jetski (Feb 18, 2007)

we have a switch in the glovebox which kills the radio
if this is left on when the motorhome is stored it drains the battery


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## jetski (Feb 18, 2007)

we have a switch in the glovebox which kills the radio
if this is left on when the motorhome is stored it drains the battery


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## sisterlozza (May 1, 2005)

We have a Swift Bessacarr and the battery goes flat after 3 days if not left on hook up. Our "van" is nearly 4 years old. In the 1st year we had the battery changed under warranty but it didn't solve it. It goes flat if we leave it on vehicle when parked for a couple of hours (Thank Heaven for the AA) and haven't managed to solve it yet.


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## sisterlozza (May 1, 2005)

We have a Swift Bessacarr and the battery goes flat after 3 days if not left on hook up. Our "van" is nearly 4 years old. In the 1st year we had the battery changed under warranty but it didn't solve it. It goes flat if we leave it on vehicle when parked for a couple of hours (Thank Heaven for the AA) and haven't managed to solve it yet.


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

sisterlozza said:


> We have a Swift Bessacarr and the battery goes flat after 3 days if not left on hook up .. <snip> .. It goes flat if we leave it on vehicle when parked for a couple of hours


Again, it would really help if you could say whether it's the engine battery or the leisure battery. And which is it - it goes flat after 3 days, or after a couple of hours?

When you had it changed under warranty, did the dealer check what was happening (i.e. why it was going flat?). A battery can go flat if it's faulty, but most of the time, it goes flat if something is draining current out of it. You need to use an electrical multimeter, capable of reading DC amps, and put it in series with one of the battery cables (i.e. disconnect the battery cable, put one multimeter lead on the battery terminal, and the other on the battery lead. You should be able to measure any current which is being drained from the battery when everything is ostensibly turned off. Then it's a process of elimination to find what the cause is (usually by pulling fuses). If you're not sure of what you're doing, you need to get an auto-electrician to help you.



tonybradshaw said:


> I have an ace roma and recently the batter has been losing charge on a regular basis. the aa chap ensures me that the battery is ok.


Hi Tony

Again, you need to tell us how old the van is, and which battery it is. Have you been back to the dealer? When you say "a regular basis", what does this mean? How long does it take to "lose charge"? And how much charge does it lose?

Motorhomes based on the new-ish Fiat X2/50 chassis (and similar) do have a problem with the engine battery, in that the electronics of the van (called the CANBUS) are kept live, even when everything is turned off. Having said that, I've had mine sitting dormant for several weeks, and the engine still starts.

More info needed please :wink:

Gerald


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## sisterlozza (May 1, 2005)

*flat battery*

It is the vehicle battery that goes flat. Never had a problem with the leisure battery. We have got a set of jump leads for emergencies and a portable battery charger. We returned from a weekend away on Sunday with no problems but this evening the vehicle battery is flat again and even though we have "hooked up" to the home power, this time the sockets are not working, the fridge and water heater is not working, so heaven knows what has happened this time and was planning on going away for the bank holiday.
Any body know of a good auto electrician


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