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Subject Topic: 12 volt system not working Post Reply Post New Topic
PersonPinkbazcat
20/9/2015 at 7:01pm
 Location: Manchester
 Outfit: Swift bridgemere L View Pinkbazcat's Profile View Profile   Reply to Pinkbazcat Reply   Quote Pinkbazcat Quote  
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Re my swift challenger 2006
Can anyone help re converting caravan to 12 volt system. Battery charger appears not to be charging even when charger is on. When switch panel to van to bring battery into circuit although it displays the battery voltage on the led display there appears to be no 12 volt lighting etc in the van. All fuses are fine but notice there is a relay and wondered whether this could be the problem, not sure what the relay does. Any ideas please?

Post last edited on 20/09/2015 19:54:23

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Karen


PersonCrypto
20/9/2015 at 8:17pm
 Location: Sussex
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I don't know the details of your particular van but in my previous vans there has been a "habitation" relay. This relay senses that the car has been connected to the van and allows battery charging and powering the fridge from the car alternator (engine must be running). I believe when this relay is powered then it disconnects 12v supply from the van battery to the van electrics.

Your symptoms suggest a faulty relay?


PersonKarlFritz
20/9/2015 at 8:32pm
 Location: South Wales (UK)
 Outfit: Hobby + Swedish Tug View KarlFritz's Profile View Profile   Reply to KarlFritz Reply   Quote KarlFritz Quote  
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If you are showing Battery Voltage on the LED display then this must be connected directly to the Battery.

I am assuming that you can tell that the Battery Charger is working by a light showing power which means that your mains input is OK.

However with the Battery not charging and no 12V lighting working then it sounds like there is another fuse somewhere that you have not found that has blown as the relay you have found normally switches over to 12V if the mains supply fails.

If you have a Voltmeter, then with the 240V Mains turned on and the Battery Charger also turned on, put the Voltmeter wires on the Battery Terminals, if the Voltmeter is showing around 14.2V then the Battery is being charged and the problem would appear to be a blown fuse that is not easy to see.

Out of curiosity will the Water Pump run assuming that is 12V?    

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According to Winnie the Pooh .... “Planning is what you do before you do it so that when you do it you don't get mixed up".


PersonPinkbazcat
20/9/2015 at 9:22pm
 Location: Manchester
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Water pump does not run unless 240v. I have put test meter across battery and it only shows battery voltage i.e 12 or thereabouts. Any ideas?

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Karen


PersonKarlFritz
21/9/2015 at 7:55am
 Location: South Wales (UK)
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Hi Karen,

This is frustrating me as no doubt it is you.....

The reading of only 12V on the Voltmeter when hooked up to the Mains and the Battery Charger is turned on tells me that your Battery Charger is not charging your Battery, which could be that the Relay has failed in 'Hooked up to Car Mode', but I am puzzled by the fact that your Water Pump which is a 12V unit and normally runs off the Battery now only runs when you are hooked up to 240V mains.

Does it make any difference if you disconnect from the Mains, then hook up to the car and start the engine?

That would tell you if the Relay is stuck and needs to be replaced.

If you still have a 'problem' after hooking up to the car, then I would be inclined to phone a couple of Caravan Dealers or Auto Electricians and ask the question, as the cause is something else which is not easily identifiable.


   

Post last edited on 21/09/2015 08:55:09

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According to Winnie the Pooh .... “Planning is what you do before you do it so that when you do it you don't get mixed up".


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PersonPinkbazcat
21/9/2015 at 4:11pm
 Location: Manchester
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We have not got 12volt hook up on the car. We only have lights as this is our first caravan. We suspected that the relay may be at fault but not sure if a standard car relay or not. We will probably contact a caravan electrician in due course. Thanks for your help, much appreciated.

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Karen


PersonKarlFritz
21/9/2015 at 4:39pm
 Location: South Wales (UK)
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Hi Karen,

Sorry the 'remote diagnosis' did not provide a complete result for you.

If you have a neighbour or relative that has got Towbar/Hook Up on their vehicle and they would be willing to connect up then it would hopefully confirm that it was the Relay that is causing the 'problem'.

I know how frustrating electrical problems can be as I was 'bugged' for just on 6 months with a faulty 13 Pin Socket on our 'Tug' which was giving intermittent faults, and having replaced all the wiring connectors plus a new 13 Pin Plug the only thing left was the socket on the tow bar, while the dealership that fitted the tow bar kept telling me the car was not faulty!!!
I think I was very close to buying a WIG!
But I got a new 13 Pin Socket and spent 2 hours on a campsite in Sweden with about 2 ft of snow around us fitting it.
It worked and it was cheaper than a Wig!

I hope it gets sorted out for you soon while I would be really interested as I am sure a lot of other people would be in what the 'problem' was.

Best wishes


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According to Winnie the Pooh .... “Planning is what you do before you do it so that when you do it you don't get mixed up".


Personjaqugra
21/9/2015 at 9:39pm
 Location: North Lincolnshire
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Hi

a couple of points from my experiences. Does this happen just when you are on battery or on mains hook up as well? If you don't bring the battery into circuit whilst on mains it won't charge so could be flat battery that only gets a bit of charge when towing, or, if the charge unit is nordelectronica they were known to have problems around that time and had to replace mine on my 2008 sterling

Hope this is of some help


PersonApuljackEngineering
25/9/2015 at 8:59pm
 Location: Somerset
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Hi Karen

We have a vast experience of these types of units and have repaired and upgraded 1000's of them. It sounds like you have a ESM2000/2004 or similar unit. The relay on the back is the habitation relay as people have mentioned but it is very rare that this has gone wrong.

To test the charger put the 'car/van' switch in the middle, switch on the charger (clearly you will need EHU!) and see if you get 12V electrics in your van. If you do not then try it with the charger off and the switch in the 'van' position. Finally, if that does not work then remove the connection from the habitation relay that has the 'Y' lead on it - this will be connected to terminal 85 or 86 and usually has red/yellow wires attached to it.

Failing all that then it sound like an internal issue with the unit. We keep all the parts for these in stock, have a fast turn round and give you a 2 year warranty on our work. Give us a call on Monday to discuss further if you want 01278 588922

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Regards

Paul Wright
BSc MEng PGDip CEng MIET
Chartered Electronics Engineer
Apuljack Engineering


PersonPinkbazcat
29/9/2015 at 5:36pm
 Location: Manchester
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Thank you so much for replies. Will follow advise when next at van.
Thanks again. Very much appreciated. Will update if get answer!


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Karen


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Personold chap
30/9/2015 at 5:52pm
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the battery charger is in fact part of the 12v power supply unit.. when on 240v it will give 12v to some 12v systems . there is usually an inline fuse between the power supply & the battery from what you have described I suspect this has blown thes fuse holders can be a bit difficult to find but are usually inside the van just behind the battery box



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