leisure battery has got me frazzled

[stevieboy]

hello ant and everyone,

a little help would be greatly appreciated.

i have a 2002 romahome duo hytop on a berlingo chassis, my leisure battery and fridge have both stopped working off the 12v feed.

i have checked the fuses,the loom,all the earths the alternator which is pushing 14.5 amps when laiden,

i have power coming from the battery and the alternator all the way to the relays and the relays are clicking when the power is switched on,but thats as far as the power seems to go,it looks as if i may have some iffy relays,i am by no means a sparky and was just wondering if there was a way i could test if they were working or not,and also just past the relays i noticed there may be another fuse,held onto the side of the battery holding box (in Night Owl's post on 01-10-2011) and was just wondering if all fits had these extra fuses or was it on certain models,because i have looked but cannot find one,but then i do have another wire running between the battery holder and the base plate and was just wondering about the fuse before having to take it all out.
i know its alot and i could of set it out better (i hope i make sense ) but any help would be so welcome.

many thanks steve

[AGING HIPPY]

do you have meter then the voltage should rise slightly in les battery when van started check that the control panel is switched the right way .check voltage in les battery cause if flat there is your problem. the les batter should be isolated from main battery when engine off.

[ant]

hello ant and everyone,

a little help would be greatly appreciated.

i have a 2002 romahome duo hytop on a berlingo chassis, my leisure battery and fridge have both stopped working off the 12v feed.

i have checked the fuses,the loom,all the earths the alternator which is pushing 14.5 amps when laiden,

i have power coming from the battery and the alternator all the way to the relays and the relays are clicking when the power is switched on,but thats as far as the power seems to go,it looks as if i may have some iffy relays,i am by no means a sparky and was just wondering if there was a way i could test if they were working or not,and also just past the relays i noticed there may be another fuse,held onto the side of the battery holding box (in Night Owl's post on 01-10-2011) and was just wondering if all fits had these extra fuses or was it on certain models,because i have looked but cannot find one,but then i do have another wire running between the battery holder and the base plate and was just wondering about the fuse before having to take it all out.
i know its alot and i could of set it out better (i hope i make sense ) but any help would be so welcome.

many thanks steve

Hi Steve.
The fuse held to the battery box is crucial, it is the link from the Vehicle battery to the inside leisure battery, if it's blown you wont get any charge from the altenator to the leisure battery. As for your relays, they're in an exposed place as far as corrosion is concerned, I'd pull the relays from their connecting blocks and look for red rust or green corrosion on the relay terminals, it's very common for the coil in the relay to continue working ( the click you hear or feel) but the switched terminals to be so corroded they stop conducting. If you change the relays just make sure the relay layout and the terminal numbers on it match the old one, I've seen so many where the fridge and battery don't work where new relays have been fitted. The relays fit but the coil and switch layout differs.
Thanks
Ant

[stevieboy]

trying today friday

hi ant

i can not find the fuse by the battery,but i do have a set if wires running under the battery between the holder and the base plate so i hope to take the battery out and see if it has been run out under the battery.

as for the relays i would not know where to start in my manual it says one is a split charge relay and one is an just a relay but on inspection they are both identical,i live in Cardiff and have hunted allover for a set of compatible relays but am finding it impossible to find a matching pair,the wiring for the switch is different to all i have found,

my question is if i now throw myself at it again this weekend and get no joy could i book it in at your camper center for you and your boys to have a look ?
as i am almost out of ideas

thanks steve

[stevieboy]

my meter

hello mr hippy

i havent got a meter and if i did i am not sure how to use it lol, i am just armed with a trusty length of wire with a bulb in the middle

[ant]

hi ant

i can not find the fuse by the battery,but i do have a set if wires running under the battery between the holder and the base plate so i hope to take the battery out and see if it has been run out under the battery.

as for the relays i would not know where to start in my manual it says one is a split charge relay and one is an just a relay but on inspection they are both identical,i live in Cardiff and have hunted allover for a set of compatible relays but am finding it impossible to find a matching pair,the wiring for the switch is different to all i have found,

my question is if i now throw myself at it again this weekend and get no joy could i book it in at your camper center for you and your boys to have a look ?
as i am almost out of ideas

thanks steve

Steve.
I doubt you'll find anything interesting under the battery, have a look at the feed wire to the fuses attached to the battery box it sometimes drops off ! As for relays, the one with a yellow wire is the Fridge relay and the other with heavy red wires is the split charger relay. I stock the strange layout relays here. If you want me to sort it for you that's no problem but I'm getting very booked up now. I've got the 27th March ( a recent cancellation) free otherwise the next date i've got is the 19th April. Let me know as soon as you can as the spring normally goes a bit mad in the workshop! I don't have "boys" to do the work, I only have me!
Thanks
Ant

[stevieboy]

its fixed

hi ant

its fixed :so happy:

i ended up taking apart and cleaning all the connections for the relays and the fuses and checked all the connections again and after putting it all back together, it worked i think it was an iffy connection somewhere but it works now beautifully.

But i must send you a big thanks you have been a great help, thank you i hope you get some help in to help you soon

many thanks

steve

[ant]

Well done Steve.
Most of the problems you get with the Romahome are normally simpler than you think to cure.
Don't worry about me getting any help in, I've been doing it on my own for 30 years and am begining to get used to it now!
Thanks
Ant