# Possible Leisure Battery problem in a Swift Bolero 630 EW



## 115739

Hi everyone,

I am very very new to motorhome ownership hence my lack of knowledge on the subject but I am learning fast. I brought my new Swift Bolero 630 EWin April of this year, I picked it up and within weeks it had to be returned for numerous problems and things that were missing for example no En Route heating system was fitted, this is essential to us in colder weather due to my wifes condition.

Now to my present problems or at least I think it is a problem but if it is normal then so be it. This concerns the holding of the charge in my leisure battery, the van was returned a couple of weeks ago as the battery would not hold a charge for more tham five days with everything swiched off. The battery was tested and found to have a dead cell or two so it has been replaced with a new one.

Last weekend I fully charged the Battery for 72 hrs finishing the charge last Monday morning, I have just been out and switched my control panel on but couldnt get a peep out of it, on putting the van on mains charge I was able to get the panel to come on it showed that the battery state is nearly fully charged. however with everying in the van switched off the panel shows a discharge of .8 amps.

My questions are should the control panel be able to be swiched on using my leisure battery after 6 days without having to connect to the mains? and is it normal to show .8 amps discharge with everything in the van off?

These problems have not stopped us enjoying our new found hobby and we look firward to going away again soon.

Thanks for any help

Regards

Mick


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## DABurleigh

No, a 0.8 amps discharge from the leisure battery is not normal. I'd say 0.2A max for control panel left on; with control panel off it ought to be a lot lower than that still.

So, you have either left a load on inadvertently (rear view camera, digibox, inverter, locker light, etc) or you have a fault, possibly an earthing fault. Firstly check the battery connections, then as you can measure the discharge accurately, you need to switch out all the 12V circuits and see what the residual draw is. If still large, look at earthing. If very low, then switch in the 12V circuits one at a time to gradually track down the load.

Dave


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## safariboy

All is not well here. 
This applies to an early 2007 van.
Firstly the leisure battery should not discharge if the control panel is switched OFF (press the power switch until the display goes blank)
Check that the fridge is also off (a small square switch on the fridge - again press until the fridge display blanks)
The A/V system may take a current even when off and needs a cut out switch. This could account for the 800 mA

The van battery will discharge over a period of about two weeks. The current is of the order 100 - 200mA. This can come from several sources but the only way that I know of stopping it is to disconnect the earth on the van battery. (see Fiat instructions on "laying up the van") This then poses security problems


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## SwiftGroup

*Re: Possible Leisure Battery problem in a Swift Bolero 630 E*



mick2490 said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I am very very new to motorhome ownership hence my lack of knowledge on the subject but I am learning fast. I brought my new Swift Bolero 630 EWin April of this year, I picked it up and within weeks it had to be returned for numerous problems and things that were missing for example no En Route heating system was fitted, this is essential to us in colder weather due to my wifes condition.
> 
> Now to my present problems or at least I think it is a problem but if it is normal then so be it. This concerns the holding of the charge in my leisure battery, the van was returned a couple of weeks ago as the battery would not hold a charge for more tham five days with everything swiched off. The battery was tested and found to have a dead cell or two so it has been replaced with a new one.
> 
> Last weekend I fully charged the Battery for 72 hrs finishing the charge last Monday morning, I have just been out and switched my control panel on but couldnt get a peep out of it, on putting the van on mains charge I was able to get the panel to come on it showed that the battery state is nearly fully charged. however with everying in the van switched off the panel shows a discharge of .8 amps.
> 
> My questions are should the control panel be able to be swiched on using my leisure battery after 6 days without having to connect to the mains? and is it normal to show .8 amps discharge with everything in the van off?
> 
> These problems have not stopped us enjoying our new found hobby and we look firward to going away again soon.
> 
> Thanks for any help
> 
> Regards
> 
> Mick


Mick,if you PM us your telephone number we will get our engineer to call you.Peter.


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## Zebedee

*Re: Possible Leisure Battery problem in a Swift Bolero 630 E*



SwiftGroup said:


> Mick,if you PM us your telephone number we will get our engineer to call you.Peter.


He'll have to pay his tenner first Peter. He's not a subscriber at the moment so has no access to PMs.


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## 115739

Zebedee,

Just paid my tenner but I am not the best at this computing lark so I hope Peter got my PM.


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## Zebedee

mick2490 said:


> Zebedee,
> 
> Just paid my tenner but I am not the best at this computing lark so I hope Peter got my PM.


Hi Mick

I expect Peter will post here if he didn't - and probably also if he did . . . just to put your mind at rest.


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## mhaze

I've added a second battery, solar panel and batterymaster from Vanbitz just to avoid this problem. and so far touch wood I've not had a power problem.

Mick


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## DABurleigh

"just to avoid this problem"

Wouldn't it have been more straightforward to diagnose the excessive consumption problem? It smacks of the answer to a horrendous petrol mpg being "fit a larger tank"! 

Dave


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## Mer

I have a Swift Ace Airstream EW 08 registration which has now been disco ntinued by Swift but which has a REMARKABLE resemblence to the new Swift Bolero EW - in fact it is identical. I have also had battery problems. The gas heating system turned off during the night when the fan completely flattened both batteries. The van is curredntly in dock having a new habitation door fitted! The overhead cab blind is also knackered, and the water tank probes don't work.


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## Telbell

Been neither sight nor sound of "mick" since he came to MHF with his problems & offered help by both DAB and Swift all those months ago.

Wonder if he ever got it sorted? (and are we bovvered

:wink: )

Don't think he ever did subscribe-despite what he said.

The age of courtesy....for some.....is dead :roll:


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## LynneKen

just a suggestion --- when it is dark go outside and check if you have any lights showing on the reversing camera, some of these vehicles had wrongly fitted cameras and they stay on all the time, we had this problem got it rewired, now no more problem--- (well not with battery anyway lol)

Lynne


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## Telbell

Lynne

Is your response addressed to the 18month old question by the long-gone "Mick" or the last Poster who doesn't seem to be asking the question you're answering :lol:


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## LynneKen

Hi Telbell

My answer was for the long gone Mick, I did not even notice the date of his posting -- Dhooo! I am not blond tho you would not have noticed, that will teach me to pay more attention LOL.  

Lynne


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## Telbell

:lol: 


> My answer was for the long gone Mick, I did not even notice the date of his posting


To be honest it needed a second look for me to notice :wink:


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## harks

*battery discharge*

I was talking to a guy called paul who is an expert on motorhomes, works at Discovery in chorley, he told me that he has seen problems with the rear view camera electronics where they can discharge the battery he has fixed this fault on some vans. Give him a call at chorley i'msure he will explain fully what is the problem.


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