Motorhome fuse problem

Bobtaylor

Bobtaylor

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Hi all,
I've just replaced my leisure battery on my 1997 Peugeot Boxer based coach built,
Up till now I haven't had a problem, but it's started blowing the fuses for the leisure battery feed, and the vehicle battery feed, its been fine for the few trips since replacing the battery, but now........
It will work when I replace the fuses, but if I start it, then stop it, both fuses blow
The connections are fine, I've checked
The new battery 120ah works fine, powering everything as normal, but then blows the fuse after the vehicle turns off, as does the vehicle battery fuse.
Not sure what to check,,,,,,Help please.
Bob.
 
No idea why that should happen.

What size are the fuses?
Is the new Leisure battery a lot bigger than the original?

It might be worth checking for loose or poor connections ..... starting with the battery terminals.
Check the earth connections especially from the engine to the bodywork. They are a regular problem as they degrade over time and can cause some weird problems.

There are some Time served Electricians on here who may have a better idea than me.
 
Bob, you say with the engine running all is fine no fuse blows.
When you switch off both fuses blow.

Normally there is only one fuse in the battery to battery link usually near the van battery just where are these fuses.
Is this a self build of a proper conversion which make and model helps.

Alf




Bobtaylor said:
Hi all,
I've just replaced my leisure battery on my 1997 Peugeot Boxer based coach built,
Up till now I haven't had a problem, but it's started blowing the fuses for the leisure battery feed, and the vehicle battery feed, its been fine for the few trips since replacing the battery, but now........
It will work when I replace the fuses, but if I start it, then stop it, both fuses blow
The connections are fine, I've checked
The new battery 120ah works fine, powering everything as normal, but then blows the fuse after the vehicle turns off, as does the vehicle battery fuse.
Not sure what to check,,,,,,Help please.
Bob.
Click to expand...
 
Hi lads
It's an Eldis coach built
The fuse on the leisure battery is under the rear seats beside the battery box, 25 amp.
The fuse for the vehicle battery is situated right beside the battery, and feeds the two relays
The power to the living area of the motorhome is cut when the vehicle starts, this is normal I'm led to believe, then resumes when the engine is stopped.
I have also been told to clean the battery connections on the new battery, as a bad connection could cause this to happen.
I'll try it tomorrow
 
As far as I'm aware all motorhomes are designed to cut power to various parts of the hab area whilst the engine is running, it's law I believe. My 2013 motorhome certainly does. Not sure what still has power but I think the loo still works. Getting it ready today for a trip out so will check what has power.
 
Obanboy666 said:
As far as I'm aware all motorhomes are designed to cut power to various parts of the hab area whilst the engine is running, it's law I believe. My 2013 motorhome certainly does. Not sure what still has power but I think the loo still works. Getting it ready today for a trip out so will check what has power.
Click to expand...

Only British made motorhomes cut the 12 volt off to the Hab area.

For the OP:

In a current thread on the OAL forum, it has been said that a corroded Earth strap can cause fuses to blow.
 
Always start with the basics .. A Wiring Diagram ..

clive-1.jpg

If you cannot find one draw one .. It is far easier to see what's supposed to be happening rather than guessing ..

Then use Goooooogle and see if you can find any others with similar problems ..

No joy then consult the EXPERTS on here ..

..

As Maingate says it seems to be a bit of a BRITISH thing switching off the habitation circuits while on the move or with the engine running. Our new Pilote has everything working so if you stop even with the engine running everything works. Great this time of year as we can have the heating on in the back which stops that horrible draught freezing your feet. The old Swift every time you stopped you had to turn the power back on and every time you started the engine the power went off.

..
 
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It's evidently law to stop you using equipment considered dangerous whilst on the move, such as heater, oven etc,
Personally I think it's a pain, but not knowledgable enough to bypass it.
 
Bobtaylor said:
It's evidently law to stop you using equipment considered dangerous whilst on the move, such as heater, oven etc,
Personally I think it's a pain, but not knowledgable enough to bypass it.
Click to expand...

Listen kiddo, I'm a Ryhope lad and therefore twice as clever as you Townies. :p

Personally, I would leave your Hab electrics as they are and buy a Foreign van next time. ;)

You can always tap off the Leisure battery to have some power in the back (handy for charging small items while on the move) but make sure it is fused correctly.
 
We were thinking of putting the kettle on to boil as we drive onto a site :lol-061: to cut the time from arriving to getting the chairs out and a cuppa on the table. Always amazes me how long it takes the tuggers to set themselves up on arrival. Leaving we have down to a fine art. Unplug electrics, put cable away and drive off.

Nothing wrong with having the electrics on while on the move. Common sense tells you what is acceptable. British way suggests that we are a load of idiots who need their hands holding all the while. Ask one of the manufacturers why they do it like that and they haven't a clue. All they came up with when we asked was because of safety concerns. Yep ok my IPhone is plugged in in the back what's the problem.

..
 
I am not aware of any Regulation about this in th early days of motor caravans it was deemed lighting behind the driver would cause a distraction and the practice has continued it is only a wire to swap on the charging relay to have everything working.

Alf


Bobtaylor said:
It's evidently law to stop you using equipment considered dangerous whilst on the move, such as heater, oven etc,
Personally I think it's a pain, but not knowledgable enough to bypass it.
Click to expand...
 
Think it's sorted

Hi all, and a very big thank you to everyone for all the ideas and solutions.
I'd also just heard that new batteries come with a kind of varnish on the terminals, so a potential bad connection, as suggested by a couple of you, ( thank you )
Also suggested by you's, I checked the relay connections, and sure enough, the live connection is badly corroded and loose in the spade connector........
I've cleaned it best I can, put some WD40 on the connections for now, till I can borrow a soldering iron, and hey presto it all works.......
Only thing different, the lights etc still work when the engine is running from the leisure battery but not the vehicle battery, and when the engine is stopped, the lights etc work from the leisure battery position on the switch, even with the fuse removed from the leisure battery,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Obviously a bad connection somewhere within the spiders web of wires, but if I remove and clean each one in turn I'm sure it'll be right....
Guess what I'll be doing over the next few weeks ?
Once again Thank you all for the suggestions and solutions,
Bob
 
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