Power Drain on 2000 petrol mini bus

[Altransit]

Just another thought

Has anyone checked for a chafed main battery or alternator wire, maybe something is shorting back to earth. Although, I would have thought something would be smoking or on fire if that was the case
Does the battery wire spark more than a little when it's re-connected

[nifty]

Hi guys. I'd love to check out some of your suggestions but would you believe that since the day after my first post it has not stopped bloody raining I've also managed to go bankrupt in that time so my mood is not good Back to the bus. There is little or no spark when reconnecting the battery. The leads and cables appear in good nick. One thing I thought of though, regarding a power drain, is that I started having air-conditioning problems at about the same time. Ford says the compressor is stuffed and has to be rebuilt as new ones are not available. Many years ago, an air-con bloke "hard-wired" the fan to run all the time instead of replacing a part when the fan would not cut in. Really annoying! This bus has two air-conditioners, one in the dash and one in the interior roof. The fan for the second one is underneath the bus just behind the driver's door. My thought is to disconnect the fan under the vehicle and see if there is a difference in output. I'm just not willing at the moment to lie in a puddle of water 3inches deep to do it. Do you think it's possible for this to create enough of a power drain? Maybe it'll be repossessed and it won't be my problem anymore.

[nifty]

Well it stopped raining for a couple of hours this morning - I disconnected the rear air-con fan - no difference. I disconnected the two small fans behind the front bumper - no difference. I put the meter on the main battery lead where it joins the alternator and got 10.88 when running and 11.7 when just ignition on. A small wire runs out of the alternator to join a big group which seems to plug into the side of the engine above the first two ignition leads (from the front). This wire registered 3.7 when running. Should I bite the bullet and buy a new alternator. If so, which do I need for my model. I can give you whatever numbers you need to narrow it down. When I asked a mechanic which alternator I needed for a transit mini bus he just went pale and gibbered!

[Altransit]

Your battery voltage is very low, it should have 12.6 volts when not running.
Have you checked current drain from the battery, with an ammeter when not running? It shouldn't be more than a couple of hundred milliamps when everything is switched off.
If you could beg/borrow/steal a clip-on ammeter, then you could check how many amps are flowing through the battery leads when the engine IS running simply by clipping the meter over the top of the lead

I still suspect the alternator diode pack, personally Have we established which engine is fitted to the van?

[nifty]

It's a VG model built 04/2000, 2.0litre petrol, 85kw 5 speed manual. Engine number is NSJYA86184 if that helps. Someone told me this one was built in Belgium?

[Altransit]

It's a VG model built 04/2000, 2.0litre petrol, 85kw 5 speed manual. Engine number is NSJYA86184 if that helps. Someone told me this one was built in Belgium?

Ah, so not an aussie engine then!
Probably a 2 litre twincam 8 valve engine, sadly, I'm not familiar with that engine myself, but I'll have a look in my Sierra Haynes manual, as the late ones were fitted with that engine as well

[nifty]

Ha ha, go on, run out your best Aussie jokes - I can take it!
Now this is really weird - I took a battery out of one of my other vehicles ("88 XJS Jag - I must be a transplanted Brit.!). On the ground, completely disconnected it read 12.2. Hooked up to the bus with nothing switched on it dropped straight away to 11.89. With the engine running it dropped to 11.3.
PS All I can find on the engine without getting underneath (it's raining again) is 2.0 Litre DOHC.
I'm beginning to think that if "Transits built Britain" there must be a huge hole somewhere (Cornwall?) full of the castoffs!