autotrail 635 V Line problem (1 Viewer)

[philfish]

Van only 3mths old fitted with Sargent EC51 control panel with EHU connected every thing works fine as soon as i disconnect EHU alarm goes off switch to cab battery and all the power shuts down to lights and all other control panels anybody else had this kind of problem, had batteries checked and all are fully charged. HELP

 

[Blue Knight]

Hi Phil, I think I may have an answer for you. I've done a bit of reading and it's highly likely that your Autotrail has an extra fuse added in the power supply which supports your Sargent EC51. The fuse is designed to protect the wiring loom and is a fairly recent addition to the Autotrail system.

On a coachbuilt van the fuse (20A) is fitted under the passenger seat so use that as your start location.

Either way, the symptoms are indicating a break in the power supply to the EC51 when you're off EHU.

All the best (and happy hunting),

Andrew

EDIT: I've changed my text above to read 'under the passenger seat'.

 

[philfish]

thanks for that Blue Knight found the problem behind the Sargent PSU small blue wire had worked it's out.

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[Blue Knight]

thanks for that Blue Knight found the problem behind the Sargent PSU small blue wire had worked it's out.

That was going to be my second point if the first didn't work. I also read that the Autotrail electrics/loom is not well plumbed together so they have a habit of coming apart. I would check the entire loom while you're down there to see if there are any other suspect issues.

Good result

 

[philfish]

problem still there will check through the wiring loom Andrew.

 

[Blue Knight]

problem still there will check through the wiring loom Andrew.

It sounds as if the PSU is not receiving any form of voltage from the vehicle battery so check for a brown and green wiring loom that feeds from under the passenger seat. You will hopefully see a 4-way mini fuse board (2 active and 2 spare fuses) of which I think one of the two live ones will be the offending item.

There's a chance that the loom and board are literally thrown under the seat (not secured) so have a look and see if you can ID the brown and green wires and work back.

All the best,

Andrew

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[Blue Knight]

Phil, just one more thing. While connected to the EHU, are you able to toggle between the battery health indicators for the vehicle and habitation batteries.

If it allows you to do so then tell me what the various LED's are doing/displaying.

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[philfish]

while on EHU indicators show full batteries when unpluged it takes on a mind of it's own sometimes works fine then for no reason shuts down or one or the other alarm goes off and for some strange reason when the power kicks in again the radio comes on also sometimes while on EHU all the power goes off flick the charger switch and it all comes back on there is no set pattern. thanks Andrew

 

[Blue Knight]

while on EHU indicators show full batteries when unpluged it takes on a mind of it's own sometimes works fine then for no reason shuts down or one or the other alarm goes off and for some strange reason when the power kicks in again the radio comes on also sometimes while on EHU all the power goes off flick the charger switch and it all comes back on there is no set pattern. thanks Andrew

The only options on the table are:

1. Vehicle battery power not being detected.
2. Loose wire in primary loom.
3. Sargent module broken.

This is still my preferred order so can you tell me about your findings on the brown & green wiring loom and the fuses that should (I.e. hopefully) be located under the passenger seat.

We need to ascertain the health of the power feed from the vehicle battery to the EC51.

If you are not able to find this particular loom then you will have to involve the dealer and Sargent. That said, the dealer is not likely to know much about this particular issue.

All the best,

Andrew

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[philfish]

alarm going off sometimes even with EHU connected and charger on checked every bit of wiring i can see still wondering if it could be the control panel ?

 

[Blue Knight]

alarm going off sometimes even with EHU connected and charger on checked every bit of wiring i can see still wondering if it could be the control panel ?

Did you manage to find the supply loom from the front seat area.

If it's not that then I can only assume that something is wrong with the Sargent unit, alternatively there may be a short in the loom.

You've only had the van 3-months but when did everything stop working.

 

[philfish]

found the loom under seat but has nothing to do with sargent control pulled it apart but control still powered up problem started 4 days ago after returning home from a short break everything worked fine till then.

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[Blue Knight]

found the loom under seat but has nothing to do with sargent control pulled it apart but control still powered up problem started 4 days ago after returning home from a short break everything worked fine till then.

I'm sorry to say but I'm stumped. I though we were onto a good thing with the battery feed failure to the EC51.

It looks as if it's going to be a call to the dealer unless some other Funster can advise further.

All the best,

Andrew

 

[philfish]

Thanks Andrew will let you know when i find the problem and thanks for your help.

 

[Blue Knight]

Thanks Andrew will let you know when i find the problem and thanks for your help.

I hope it goes well for you but I still have a hunch that it's either a power supply failure or the EC51 is not processing the signal correctly.

It must be a right nuisance to have this problem at the 3-month point.

Good luck,

Andrew

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[pappajohn]

Van only 3mths old

Return to dealer...... You paid for an expensive warranty in the purchase price.. Use it.

 

[philfish]

found the problem at last had a satellite system fitted 6 weeks ago the two wires they cut into went into a terminal with about ten wires going into it the two they used had both come loose in the terminal block so in the end it was nothing to do with Autotrail or Sargent just bad workmanship on behalf of the fitters at least i know a lot more about my wiring if i have any problems while on holiday in Europe once again thanks for the help Andrew.

 

[Blue Knight]

found the problem at last had a satellite system fitted 6 weeks ago the two wires they cut into went into a terminal with about ten wires going into it the two they used had both come loose in the terminal block so in the end it was nothing to do with Autotrail or Sargent just bad workmanship on behalf of the fitters at least i know a lot more about my wiring if i have any problems while on holiday in Europe once again thanks for the help Andrew.

That's fantastic news Phil - you can enjoy your van now.

I thought it has something to do with the wires and the leccy

All the best,

Andrew

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[ABZSteve]

Just as an aside guys, I had the same problem when I had my Imala 615. I had knocked off the inline fuse on the leisure battery (badly positioned in storage locker) given the exact same issue as descibed by Phil.

 

[Blue Knight]

Just as an aside guys, I had the same problem when I had my Imala 615. I had knocked off the inline fuse on the leisure battery (badly positioned in storage locker) given the exact same issue as descibed by Phil.

There's nothing like a wee leccy problem to help you get to grips with a new van. It actually gave me a better confidence for touring because I knew where everything was - I went silly and stripped the lot though.