MB Sprinter, battery drained, can't even turn ignition

[Davydd]

I just remembered way back in 2013 I encountered the problem of the no battery start, no starter motor click. It was a fuse. MB specified and installed a 20a fuse when it should have been a 25a fuse. You might want to check that. This is the photo I posted back in 2013.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

The AAA Battery Service will come to your location, test your starting battery under the floor and sell you a brand new one with an unconditional 3 years warranty, and an additional 3 years prorated.....

They will install it for you professionally right on the spot. You do have to pay for this, but, if the battery goes bad, there's no additional cost for labor on the replacement under warranty.

Here's the best feature, you can be literally anywhere, and roadside assistance and the battery service will always come to you... anywhere in the USA or Canada.

How can you beat that?

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Here's the best feature, you can be literally anywhere, and roadside assistance and the battery service will always come to you... anywhere in the USA or Canada.

How can you beat that?

As usual, this isn't even close to being true.

AAA Mobile Battery Service is part of Roadside Assistance for AAA members, generally provided by independent service providers, and is only available in select areas during select hours. Batteries and battery warranties are provided by independent suppliers. The battery test and replacement service counts as one of the member’s four (4) allowable service calls per membership year. Batteries are available for most makes and models. Battery prices vary depending on vehicle make and model. Warranty valid in the United States and Canada. Copies of the warranties are available for inspection from the technician at any time upon request. Membership Roadside Assistance terms and conditions apply to mobile AAA Battery Service. See the member guide for details.

https://www.eastcentral.aaa.com/auto...ssistance.html

Vehicles intentionally driven into areas that are dangerous or inadvisable for regular passenger car travel (beaches, fields, construction sites, unpaved roads, etc.) will not be rendered service.

Snowbound vehicles will be serviced only if accessible to the service provider.

Service in a public garage, service station or dealership, where service is available, will not be covered by AAA.

The Club cannot guarantee that all stations stock parts or are equipped to service or repair every make of domestic or foreign automobile, nor can we guarantee the availability of repair service at our contract garages on holidays, weekends or after business hours.

Roadside Assistance - Service Limitations

As has been extensively discussed and documented here in the past, AAA is a truly awful choice for RV roadside assistance. Repeatedly denying this will not change the facts. The motivation for doing so is beyond me. There are plenty of other choices with far better terms and for far less money.

[hdevera]

Surprising how much parasitic drain in the MB Sprinter. I installed a portable 30Watt solar panel that I keep on the dash except when driving daily. I wired a separate cigarette socket connected directly to the chassis battery and keep it by the parking brake. Makes it easy to remove the solar connection. Also, I use a small solar controller, although I am not certain I need the controller, but it gives me peace of mind.

[knotkracker]

This is my second MB and always have a parasitic drain. When parked for more than a few days, I disconnect the battery from underneath the drivers well at the accelerator pedal. It is just a quick disconnect.

I'll have to have a jumper cable connected to the "in hood" connection and have the charge occur long enough (more than 30 minutes) to charge the battery to start. For some reason, the jumper cables are not powering through their "in hood" device directly to the starter, but rather the battery (I believe).

[Hatteras Jim]

To recap what has been said:
1. Sprinters have a parasitic draw that will discharge your battery during prolonged periods of non-use. 1 month for my 4 year old battery, 3 months for the new one (before I finally got a tender).


2. You will need a battery tender if you do not use your vehicle at least monthly (imo)


3. Do what MK says: Replace your current battery with a spare (doesn't have to fit for a test;but, cold cranking amps should be close) or a new one (abt time for it anyway) before you do anything else. You need to get your old battery out of the circuit before you proceed with other checks or troubleshooting. There is a high probability that all of your problems are related to your current battery (even when jumped).

[avanti]

Yes, you basically have three choices:
1) Drive your sprinter for at least 20 minutes at highway speeds at least once a month.
2) Disconnect the connector down by the accelerator pedal before every storage period. (This will work fine for many months).
3) Get some kind of trickle charger and use it. As discussed, if you have solar and park outdoors, a Trik-L-Start is an install-it-and-forget-it way to accomplish this.

[Belzar]

I too have had to jump after letting house battery run low in storage. It was a very cold day and my portable jump battery was not up to the task.
The tow driver's jumper was also too low and he needed to get a fully charged one, and the van then started right away. If not using your van, drive a bit every two weeks or so. If unable to do this, consider a cut off switch.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Belzar

If not using your van, drive a bit every two weeks or so.

Just so nobody gets misled:
The above advice is good, but "a bit" means like 20 minutes of real driving, not 5 minutes of idling. Every time you start your engine, you suck a lot of water vapor into it. It MUST get hot enough to dispel it as steam in the exhaust. Otherwise, you could be looking at problems a lot more expensive than a new battery.

The best choice is to disconnect the battery during storage periods and never start it at all. This is easy in a Sprinter, due to the built-in disconnect feature. Don't know about other platforms. If you do so, you will be fine for many months.

[Belzar]

Agree - Important to run any engine to full temperature whenever start. In MB vans with newer electronic displays, you can select the water temperature guage as the default display to keep an eye on this.

[Teja]

Thanks for the generous help guys. Starter seems OK, RV Lithium Ion batteries are fine. I bought a new engine battery, will install and let you know.

BTW, with all this back & forth about battery drain, keeping trickle charges on them, etc. I'm surprised no one mentioned THIS:

A tech familiar with Sprinter Vans pointed something out to me I never knew about: The Battery Isolation Switch (p.137 in my Manual.) Apparently, if your van is going to be parked for a long stretch, and you want to avoid the ever-running computer from draining your battery, you can simply pull this red-button switch (right next to the accelerator pedal) which disengages the battery from all computer functions, avoiding drainage while sitting idle. This is so basic, I can't believe my RV salesman, my Mercedes service center, nor anyone here, mentioned it. Seems like a godsend, as well as totally eliminating the need for the trickle-charger, but maybe I'm missing something

P<S< I see 'avanti' (above) did indeed cite this switch, thanks.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by Teja

Thanks for the generous help guys. Starter seems OK, RV Lithium Ion batteries are fine. I bought a new engine battery, will install and let you know.

BTW, with all this back & forth about battery drain, keeping trickle charges on them, etc. I'm surprised no one mentioned THIS:

A tech familiar with Sprinter Vans pointed something out to me I never knew about: The Battery Isolation Switch (p.137 in my Manual.) Apparently, if your van is going to be parked for a long stretch, and you want to avoid the ever-running computer from draining your battery, you can simply pull this red-button switch (right next to the accelerator pedal) which disengages the battery from all computer functions, avoiding drainage while sitting idle. This is so basic, I can't believe my RV salesman, my Mercedes service center, nor anyone here, mentioned it. Seems like a godsend, as well as totally eliminating the need for the trickle-charger, but maybe I'm missing something

P<S< I see 'avanti' (above) did indeed cite this switch, thanks.

Congratulation on getting your van fixed, battery disconnect (not a switch) is a common knowledge by Sprinter owners, salesman told us when were purchasing the van. It was mentioned multiple times on this thread. It is well engineered and well documented Sprinter operational device.

[DUTCH in Atlanta]

Originally Posted by Teja

Thanks, George for that great little video. I found the red positive connection under the hood. Unfortunately, I'm not finding any indications about that under-hood terminal in the manual.

Page 243 in the 2018 Sprinter Operating Manual.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by DUTCH in Atlanta

Page 243 in the 2018 Sprinter Operating Manual.

Indeed, the under engine hood auxiliary battery positive is connected to alternator via relay when engine is running. It can't be used for jumping.

[booster]

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

Indeed, the under engine hood auxiliary battery positive is connected to alternator via relay when engine is running. It can't be used for jumping.

If it is on the common ground plane, why couldn't it be jumped to the jumping post?

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by booster

If it is on the common ground plane, why couldn't it be jumped to the jumping post?

The negative is correct to jump, it is a common ground, for positive the special jumping connector must be used.

[DUTCH in Atlanta]

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

The negative is correct to jump, it is a common ground, for positive the special jumping connector must be used.

I wonder why it doesn't say that in the quote from the operating manual I posted above?

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by DUTCH in Atlanta

I wonder why it doesn't say that in the quote from the operating manual I posted above?

I don't know, the jumping post protected by the retracting red sleeve is only for +, for - any ground post can be used, closest one is on the fender inner wall used for aux. battery.

[Teja]

Installed brand new battery, still won't start.
Everything connected properly, all lights light up, and key turns freely in ignition slot. But there is no cranking or starter click at all when turning key.
AAA told me it was not the starter, that they heard some starter cranking attempt (I couldn't hear anything.) Insisted it was a bad battery (voltage check confirmed,) so I bought the new one.
Is it possible both the battery and the starter were simultaneously bad. (2016 Sprinter with only 30K?) If the starter's OK, what else could it be. Is there some reprogramming of the computer needed after new battery installation to send power to the starter?

[GeorgeRa]

Are there any warning/failures displayed on the dashboard, if yes you likely will need to clear them. With my dead battery I cleaned all codes but don't remember if the engine started without clearing. Having an engine monitor is very helpful an cases like that, Scan Gauge II is often used on Sprinters. https://www.scangauge.com/products/scangauge-ii/