the_wolf

the_wolf

Well-Known Member
I removed my split charge last night as I was of the suspicion that it was what was causing me to guzzle diesel. With the heater and stereo on you could hear and feel the engine working much harder and the other day I worked out I was getting about 22.7 mpg which just ain't right. Having removed the other battery and wired things in a bit better its made a hell of an improvement already leading me to believe that the standard alternator just wasn't up to charging the two batterys. I tested the alternator with a multimeter and its definitely putting out the correct voltage so here's hoping my mpg improves.
 
not logical , big or little alt just means recharges quicker or can handle bigger load , only way would affect mpg is if you are using large amounts of electricl energy , eg winching htsh
 
That's the only thing I could think of and I wasn't using any more electrical power than say a normal car for instance but the engine was working noticeably harder. It has made a world of difference since I removed it though
 
It could be that the reg in the alt had failed and was overcharging your battery , Ive seen them do it to the point that the battery literally boils , what voltage are you getting , the heater and stereo (unless it was a elec heater, and a seriously large stereo) are relatively minor draws
 
Nope standard defender heater. With the ignition on I was getting about 12.2 volts and with the engine running it went up to 14.4. I don't think it was charging either battery excessively though
 
Voltages look normal , something must have been drawing a lot of amps to load the engine via the alt ? I can slow the tickover down a little on my 90 by flashing the headlights and 5 spot lights to give you some idea of whats needed !
 
Good stuff, glad I've got it off now but wish I'd have known about it months ago as it would have saved me a fortune in fuel :rolleyes:
 
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