With no issues [including last winter] at the moment, and the little Maplins solar maintainer running 365 [critical during the summer] to pre-charge ready for another ∓ degrees °F or °C winter in the UK I decided to waste money on an item of clanky legged pensioner protection experiment. The issue is that even with a megga S6 Bosch close to my mantra of ≈ 80 / 800, my lifestyle of two 15 minute runs per week in the freezing dark is always going to leave me on the edge of troublesome starts, and the risk of a no start. Over this last year I've waited for a LiPo rather than the that already exists, but it never appeard in the UK. even the NOCO is a 'one trick pony' outside of the pacific rim. I decided to waste . rather than buying a favoured by tfb or the Clore ES5000 / SIP /http://www.bodyshop-tools-supplies.co.uk/product_view.php?id=21526 EtAl alternatives. So two choices only (1) charge the S6 beast on the car [not practicable to me] or (2) waste £100 on a claimed 400 amps [24 WH Li-Ion pouch type polymer] that when engaged in 'Boost' [my S6 AGM plus the NOCO's 2-400aH] mode should spin the crank over with enough speed / heat to get me going at almost any UK °C.

Years ago, maybe only 15 or 20 we could never dream it was within our technology to create for one example a Bosch S 4/5/6 .. .. it was just not conceivable to prevent to this degree the plates from slowly corroding, Gel, AGM or Wet modern batteries decline from the moment it they are manufactured, so check the makers date, if its more than months old when you buy it - tell them you want a fresh one. These EURO vans are a smaller version of a motorhome, what we need with this amount of leisure and automotive distribution is both a leisure and a starter battery in one. I'm prepared to believe that Bosch [Varta is the same thing but slightly cheaper] make a good job of stop & start alternator charging which perhaps closely fits the needs of our GV's this thin Plate - leisure & thick Plate manufacturing. Bottom line is if you are expecting more than one single day more than the 5 year warranty from an S5 diesel starter battery costing £85 delivered in a GV with an on draw and particularly an off draw you are living in la-la land.

Back to the NOCO, the thing is .. .. will I ever need to use it, or like house, car or burial insurance is it just a luxury worth having ................... I'll let you know if it ever gets used [at all] in earnest.

 

QinteQ, you forgot to include the Dash-Cam in your list of luxury items

 

HiYa AlanC;

- dash cam, like yours runs ok no probs, ditto my RC quads
- although the quads admittedly have not felt elevation since the summer ended and my winter clout went on

Other toys I've never mentioned are a 12V electric jack and hammer gun for the wheel studs - both cigar lighter electric powered and never yet used in anger.

"""winter clout""" for Leedsman & AlanC specific [Cast ne'er a clout till May be out]

 

My general impression is the US spec vans aren't the battery hogs that the Euro spec vans are. If you agree is it because you're running diesels or is it some other peculiarity with the electronics on the Euro vans? Thoughts either way?

 

HiYa Raptor 07,

- almost all UK larger vehicles by ‰ were till recently exclusively diesels my friend
- the EURO vehicles are the same [apart from engine] as yours as far as I know
- the new car market in the UK is a falling diesel [2014] about 50-50%
- CO2 emissions fell for 16th successive year to 128.3g/km in 2013

In my opinion, even when you disregard my personal 'lifestyle' introduced issues with battery's, in my case the piggy bank which is my battery will soon run out if I don't put enough back in soon. I've always felt that the GV's are a petrol car with a diesel lump indiscriminately dropped in them, by which I mean :

- a very high CCA battery rating is critically important in cold starting battery applications, particularly a compression engine
- cold weather cripples the chemistry of a battery, ∴ it can never produce the same amount of energy as a warm battery
- the numbers are meaningless unless the high CCA figures are able to spin~to~heat the cylinders
- the needs of ≈ 80 / 800 are not met by the aH output of the petrol alternator output reducing the reserve capacity [aH]
- the charging rate capability of a big battery is dumbed down by the petrol spec button sensor under the battery tray
- the battery tray itself and the space it fits in is a pooftah size 060-080 designed for petrol vehicles
- this space restriction means a UK recommended type 86 is the biggest that can fit without taking an angle grinder to the tray
- and the associated moving of the IPM and unplugging the ECM, moving the loom and and ECM bracket[ery] to make a type 96 fit
- today's chassis battery power requirements are colossal, all the electrical devices on the GV needs a good 'clean' precise supply
- these electronics need a reliable source of power, and lousy battery condition can and does cause expensive electronic component failure in GV's
- the increasing energy needs of ○n draw and particularly the ○ff draw [unless you pull the IOD fuse] of the GV leave it at risk of poor starting capacity
- further ... the ½ life of built-in obsolescence in industrial design means that battery life span is reducing, look at comments on the newer made Spirals

NOTE01 - in my 2005 case: """For 2005 model year, some vehicles will integrate the Transmission Control Module and Powertrain Control Module into a single control module. This new module is the Next Generation Controller for DaimlerChrysler and will be referred to as the Powertrain Control Module (PCM). The Transmission Control Module is part of the Powertrain Control Module""" Is this why the early, very early 1st GEN mix of language, BUS type, HiLo BUS speed integration is particularly flaky on these early year new COMMS vehicles ?

NOTE02 - If you look in my case at the '05 it should be a HiLo CAN-BUS, but if you investigate with a Chrysler reader in fact only the Durango and a few others went fully HiLo, and it was not until '08 that the EURO wagon software BUS was able to accommodate the true Hi-speed BUS. That's why, in my opinion UK at any rate engineers with good readers need to be careful not to use the default up to date recommended software but use the slightly older BUS protocols. Oh ! they both work and write and confirm to the cars computers but the use of the up to date protocol seems to lose with days [hours use] its new settings while the older BUS protocol sticks when written.

I've always felt that the GV's are a petrol car with a diesel lump indiscriminately dropped in them, and yet we all here love them to bits ! I also feel the need to apologise to you Raptor 07 and all our American friends, for while this is an organically active and very healthy GV sub-forum we the 'brits' appeared like cuckoo's in your nest and unintentionally turned your petrol Grand Caravan / Town & Country sub site into a diesel EURO Grand Voyager venue. We share in addition to your Chrysler s new year, we also share championship football games in our stadiums, and our Trafalgar Square is like your Times Square a focus for the same kind of midnight sharing of kissing strangers and wishing all and sundry a 'gud 'n while singing 'Auld Lang Syne' - so the best to you and yours in the coming year recognising the 'Syne' word means 'times gone by' !

 

If you need one or just changed wet flooded / AGM / Spiral 14.7v / GEL. Get on this while its available - £16 LiDL

 

I have the feeling I won't get any electrical starting problems any time soon.
After I found the culprit that my startermotor wouldn't turn (the loose power connection) I also replaced my battery with a Varta silver Dynamic E38 74AH 750A
Holy crap! Even at -7 Celsius I turn the key, wait till the glowspiral light dies and start the engine in <1 second. The starting power of this 750A battery is awesome...

Now I connected my old Berga battery to my Optimate IV for maintenance cycles and after 3 days that one seems 100% good too.. When I connect it again to my GV it works very good, but is much below the power of the Varta silver dynamic.
So the Berga gets demoted to my boat for the summer

 

HiYa Vmaxxer,

The Varta 7x7 E38 is good stuff, in fact their whole silver line are sold stamped as BMW by BMW.

 

In #1 above I said """With no issues [including last winter] at the moment, and the little Maplins solar maintainer running 365 [critical during the summer] to pre-charge ready for another ∓ degrees °F or °C winter in the UK"""

Clearly I now do have a problem and just yesterday I've taken the Bosch S5 - 010 80x80 off, and I'm using a BMW battery [is in fact a VARTA F21 AGM - almost 3500 watts]. Not sure yet what the problem is but certainly :

- I made a mistake this summer and disconnected my little solar charger for the 6 months - mistake
- the battery terminal voltage reads 12.3 (-) but powers a big inverter with 2x60watt incandescent light bulbs for hours
- it might be sulphated or just flat or lost a cell or whatever - I'll have a look at it Monday
- however I drive 15 minutes each way twice a week only, and in these cold months .. .. I am the main culprit

My mistake with the S5010 might be a learning experience for this group, it's only 18 months old [5 year warranty] and I cut a piece out of 1 short side B13 hold down [29mm] to accommodate the ECM to make it fit the GV. [so no warranty]

NOTE Anyone reading this and wanting a big 010 or F21 know now that you must mod the battery tray area - or it won't fit ! So don't go out and buy one without asking here first.