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Hello again.  Does anyone have any explanation as to why the 12v light on the fridge was flashing on/off whilst we towed our caravan last week?  We have never experienced this before.  Normally, after both sockets were plugged into the car and the engine was running, the fridge 12v red light was switched on and stayed on!  We did use a different car last week and wondered if this had anything to do with it.  All other electrics worked fine.

Any advice much appreciated.  Thanks.

Hello Capri

How do you know the light is flashing unless you are travelling in the van ??

It is likely that there will be insufficient voltage generated with the engine on tick-over.  To check get someone to look at the light while the engine is being run at driving speed for at least a minute.

If it still flashes then I suugest you need professional help

DaveS1

Ihad this happen to me,the cause i was told was that after reversing the car up to c/van ,i connected my 12sand 12n to the car with the engine running ,this apparantly can blow the fuse which on investigation it had done,i changed the fuse and i now connect 12s/12n with the engine OFF and have had no problem since.Hope this helps.Regards ,Brian.  

Quote: Originally posted by timtheenchanter on 08/9/2011

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Most cars don't put out enough voltage to keep the relay energised at tickover.
depending on the car, deisels are usually around 1500rmp for full alternator output, petrols can be as high as 2500rpm.
My 406 would keep the fridge on at tickover in the summer, but my sedona won't, it needs about 1200rpm
do you have a multimeter??

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when the alternator is working it should read just above 14 volts, most are 14.4v.

it should always be at a min of 12v.

if less than 12v you have a charging or battery problem.

I have no idea why it would flash though

Thanks for all your messages and, no, no one was sitting in the caravan whilst it was being towed!  We just checked the light before we set off.

We are going to hook up to another of our cars this weekend to see if the same thing happens.  If not, it may be a relay problem in the car.  Will let you know.

Thank you cliff.  We looked for the relay/electrics in our car and couldn't find it.  May have to remove panels etc to locate it.  Anyway, we took the caravan battery out as it was a little flat and charged it up fully at home.  When we put it back in, we hooked the car up again and, lo and behold, no flashing light.  Seems to point to the fact that the battery needs to be fully charged for the system to work properly!  Thanks again for all your advice.