HELP! (1 Viewer)

[Stewart Brierley]

Afternoon All

New to Motorhome Fun so please bear with me. I have a 1991 Hymer B534 LHD Build No 412369 based on a Citroen C25. I replaced the leisure battery (located under a panel in the floor on the L/H/S of the L/H seat) and inadvertantly touched a battery post with the wrong cable as someone (in their infinite wisdom) had used a black cable as live not earth. Consequently there is no power to the 12v system. So my question is "where is the main fuse for the 12v system?" I have looked everywhere, under the front seats, in all the cupboards, behind the 12v fuse panel (the one next to the isolator switch) and all under the bonnet. Is there a Elektro box on this model?

Going away in the Hymer on Sunday so really need any help you can give.

With thanks

 

[Anthea M]

Hello and welcome , someone will know what to do soon ! Enjoy your trip!

 

[DBK]

Was there a big flash when the cable touched? I'm asking because I'm not sure how touching the wrong battery post would cause a short, although the vehicle battery might have been involved somehow.

If it helps you are probably looking for something at least two inches long, the fuse will be big.

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[MattR]

Do you have a fuse box beneath the driver's seat, possibly only accessible when the door is open?

 

[Stewart Brierley]

Hi DBK

No, there was no flash. The vehicle battery seems unaffected.

 

[Stewart Brierley]

Hi Mattyjwr

There is nothing but a void which contains the jack, jack handle etc. under both seats. There are no cab doors. Entry is via the habitation door.

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[DBK]

Hi DBK

No, there was no flash. The vehicle battery seems unaffected.

I'm thinking it may not be a fuse problem. A typical fuse in the battery lead might be 25A or more and that would tend to give give a big flash if you shorted it.

Not sure how the above might help but you could double check the battery connections to make sure they are sound.

As you say, there must be some sort of controller, have you looked at the back of every cupboard, under seats, bed etc? If the controller was coupled with reverse polarity it might have been damaged.

 

[Hymie]

I have a 1991 RHD 564, the elektroblock (?) is under the LH passenger seat and the jack, etc is under the drivers seat, have you looked under both seats?

Mine is tucked back out of site without a torch and a fair bit of neck twisting. All primary leisure batteries appear to be in the same position under the floor in the LH footwell

Hymie.

 

[Stewart Brierley]

Yes, looked in every cupboard, under every seat and bed. Phoned a couple of motorhome engineers, although neither knew the exact location of the fuse, both reckoned that it would be within a couple of feet of the leisure battery. The two cables from the leisure battery are in a sheath that disappears into the interior towards the L/H wing. When I looked under the bonnet the sheathed cable appears from the wing area and is attached to the bulkhead and goes to the engine battery. I'm assuming that the fuse (if there is one) would be located somewhere near the leisure battery/isolator/fuse panel but I cannot believe that Hymer would locate it in the habitation area or under the vehicle. I cannot find the Elektrobloc which may hold the blown fuse.

I will check the battery connections again to make sure the connections are good.

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[Stewart Brierley]

Hymie

Once all the jacking equipment is removed (along with broken pens, stale sandwiches and things I lost 18 months ago) there is nothing at all under either seat.

 

[Flamenca]

Have you looked in the glove box? I have a fuse box in there, as well as on the bulkhead on the passengers side inside the vehicle and a couple more fuses behind the panel above the sink.

 

[Motorhome Man]

Hi Stewart, just found this on the web may not appertain to your model but it says the main control panel is "in the cabinet under the window on the front passenger side" which I take to be in the cab area. Hope this helps Luke.

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[Munchie]

happened to me!The blown fuse is on the metal fuse carrier on the engine battery post. one of the big ones

 

[Motorhome Man]

Hi stewart, just found another post on internet, chap says he's got a 1991 B534 and his PSU is in the cupboard next to the sink. Once again hope this helps Luke

 

[Munchie]

Happened to me! look at your engine battery, on mine there is a metal tray connected to one of the posts which carries fuses. On mine it had blown one those! One of the bigger ones!

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[Munchie]

whoops

 

[Stewart Brierley]

Ken

Had a good look around the engine battery and couldn't see any fuses at all. When you say posts do you mean the terminals on the battery?

 

[Stewart Brierley]

Well, here's a thing. Cleaned up the terminals on the new leisure battery with a bit of emery cloth and now the extractor over the hob works as well as the TV booster box but nothing else! On the control panel battery 1 (engine) shows 12.3v (engine off) and battery 2 (leisure) shows 8.5v. Does anyone know why that should be?

Thanks for all your input.

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[DBK]

Well, here's a thing. Cleaned up the terminals on the new leisure battery with a bit of emery cloth and now the extractor over the hob works as well as the TV booster box but nothing else! On the control panel battery 1 (engine) shows 12.3v (engine off) and battery 2 (leisure) shows 8.5v. Does anyone know why that should be?

Thanks for all your input.

8.5volts is a flat battery. Have you a volt meter to check it at the terminals?

 

[Munchie]

Yes on ours there was a "plate" attached to the engine battery post. Pos I think.
This plate had a multitude of fuses on it.
One of the bigger ones had blown.
This took out all the habitation 12v.

 

[Stewart Brierley]

Thanks to everyone. It goes in for a service tomorrow so I will get them to check the condition of the leisure battery. Although it's new it may need an initial charge to bring it up to par.

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[PP Bear]

 

[wigster]

 

[pappajohn]

If you touched the black (live) cable to the neg battery terminal it would have no effect on the system.....touching neg wire to the pos terminal would if the battery had an earth connection already in place.....dead short.
Did/have you checked the replacement battery is charged ?
Even a new battery can be faulty and discharged.

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[Stewart Brierley]

Thanks, I'll have the replacement battery checked tomorrow.

 

[Stewart Brierley]

Afternoon all

Had the replacement leisure battery checked and it is producing 12.6v so it's OK. On the way back from the service garage the indicators stopped working and as the garage had closed I called out Green Flag who sent a mechanic from Westbourne Motors of Eastbourne. What a great guy. Not only did he get the indicators working (sticky hazard warning switch) but he also cured the 12v system fault. It turned out that at the back of the habitation fuse bank a bridging wire had corroded and broken! New wire fitted and all is now well. Never did find the main fuse though!

Thanks to all who offered advice.

 

[Anthea M]

Afternoon all

Had the replacement leisure battery checked and it is producing 12.6v so it's OK. On the way back from the service garage the indicators stopped working and as the garage had closed I called out Green Flag who sent a mechanic from Westbourne Motors of Eastbourne. What a great guy. Not only did he get the indicators working (sticky hazard warning switch) but he also cured the 12v system fault. It turned out that at the back of the habitation fuse bank a bridging wire had corroded and broken! New wire fitted and all is now well. Never did find the main fuse though!

Thanks to all who offered advice.

Glad it is all sorted enjoy your trip and join in the fun on here!

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