Poltergeist

Ally

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Poltergeist

· Posted: 07.05.2018 · #1

Our van is doing mad things. Lights flashing, wipers coming on, right indicator on, doors locking and unlocking and all on its own! It's either got Herbie's soul or a poltergeist.

I assumed a bad earth but I added an extra earth wire and it still does it. Battery keeps going flat so I left it on charge all week and it still done it. I then hooked another battery up to it with jump leads to see if original battery was goosed but still.

Before I go and buy another battery, anyone else experienced anything like it? Could it be something else?

I took the radio out also as that was the last thing I added to see if it was draining the battery but still the same.

the fat controller

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Re: Poltergeist

· Posted: 07.05.2018 · #2

Check all the fuses to see if any have melted the holder and not blown the fuse

Daffysparks

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Re: Poltergeist

· Posted: 07.05.2018 · #3

Sounds like a wire intermittently connecting to earth or another cable and giving a signal to lights etc and also draining battery. Or could be a multi block connector a bit loose or corroded. Maybe look in area around where you had the leak. I had an issue with camera connection loose and camera kept going on and off and switching monitor to second camera that isn’t there. Sounds very similar

JJF

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Re: Poltergeist

· Posted: 07.05.2018 · #4

Check for water ingress in the engine fuse box....... sounds very like that sort of issue.

Failing that it’s a “Jack the Rev” exorcism job !!

mad max

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Re: Poltergeist

· Posted: 07.05.2018 · #5

Did you disconnect all batteries to let the system reset its self,
Shot in the dark but worth a try,

aria

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Re: Poltergeist

· Posted: 07.05.2018 · #6

I had similar in a Volvo, all you describe plus pressing the volume buttons on the steering wheel blew the horn!!

Eventually traced to a duff alternator which had also knacked the battery.

Ally

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Re: Poltergeist

· Posted: 07.05.2018 · #7

Quote by mad max

Did you disconnect all batteries to let the system reset its self,
Shot in the dark but worth a try,

Done that twice.

mad max

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Re: Poltergeist

· Posted: 07.05.2018 · #8

Quote by Ally

Quote by mad max

Did you disconnect all batteries to let the system reset its self,
Shot in the dark but worth a try,

Done that twice.

Im not much help after that.

hymer524

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Re: Poltergeist

· Posted: 07.05.2018 · #9

This may or may not be revenant to your'e van, I had a similar problem with my car all the dash board lights kept flashing on and off with no key in the ignition.... Problem turned out to be the ECU Unit thats controls all the electrics in the car...

Thorn123

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Re: Poltergeist

· Posted: 07.05.2018 · #10

I had a car doing similar things a few years ago. It turn out to be a faulty door lock. After pressing the fob for the central locking, the faulty door lock did not activate but the lock system kept trying until the battery went flat.
After you lock the doors, check them manually to see if they are locked.
Malcolm

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Re: Poltergeist

· Posted: 07.05.2018 · #11

Sounds possibly like the BCM module has gone bad or has water ingress, have you got a schematic for the wiring in your 'van?
If you identify the BCM from that then have a look for water damage or ingress.

sprinter

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Poltergeist

· Posted: 07.05.2018 · #12

After Jack has his bag of trick's out .
You have to have a Short .so the long method ,pull every fuse and relay, note down where everything was side and what its function,then connect the battery live side with a very thin single strand ,and a bulb,then connected everything up again until your bulb goes out. To find the circuit with the problem .

Ally

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Re: Poltergeist

· Posted: 10.05.2018 · #13

Quote by aria

I had similar in a Volvo, all you describe plus pressing the volume buttons on the steering wheel blew the horn!!

Eventually traced to a duff alternator which had also knacked the battery.

We had the same with a Vauxhall Cavalier a lot of years ago, it even burnt out some electrics.

----

I'll get a look at it over the weekend.

doron

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Re: Poltergeist

· Posted: 10.05.2018 · #14

Hope u get sorted with not to much hassle Ally,

Ally

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Re: Poltergeist

· Posted: 14.05.2018 · #15

Got a look at the weekend, could find nothing obvious using your helpful replies above. I still didn't think it was the battery. I have a spare leisure battery in the shed so i wired that in temporarily.

It's been perfect since

I have went out Saturday, Sunday and tonight and started it. Tested everything and it all seems good! - not moved it anywhere yet though.

I suppose with all the electronics in a vehicles these days a battery could cause that?

mad max

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Re: Poltergeist

· Posted: 14.05.2018 · #16

Can you test the battery that came out?
Maybe swap it with the sprinter for a day or two and see how that goes

Ally

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Re: Poltergeist

· Posted: 14.05.2018 · #17

Quote by mad max

Maybe swap it with the sprinter for a day or two and see how that goes

Don't even go there, I broke the Sprinter today

I'll get the battery tested. probably the original 2009 battery.

mad max

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Re: Poltergeist

· Posted: 14.05.2018 · #18

Quote by Ally

I broke the Sprinter today

They dont make em like they used to

Hope your problem is as simple as the battery

the fat controller

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Re: Poltergeist

· Posted: 14.05.2018 · #19

With the old one out for a day or two now just run a multimeter across the terminals to see what its reading, if reading okay it may have just been a poor connection and changing over cured that.

With the weather being fairly dry the past while it may have been water across terminals!

Ally

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Re: Poltergeist

· Posted: 16.06.2018 · #20

All still good after fitting a new battery. Strange one to me, maybe you electronic wizards know why a battery would cause this.

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