Renault Master electrical fault (1 Viewer)

Dec 12, 2010
5,367
21,177
Cumbria
Funster No
14,651
MH
C Class
Exp
since 2011
Went to start Busty yesterday morning after she'd been sitting 10 or 12 days. Not usually a problem as we have solar that diverts a trickle to the van battery. Wouldn't start, classic flat battery symptoms, tried cranking a couple of times but engine just turned slower and slower. As we live on a hill, I gave her a bump start and she fired up straight away, but the right hand indicator started flashing even though the stalk was in the middle position. It wouldn't cancel unless you selected left hand indicator, which worked fine, as did the hazards.
The E control display was showing hab batteries at 13.4 volts and cab battery at 11.2 with the solar on. Put my meter on the solar feed on the E control to the cab battery and it showed 13.4 going into the battery, but only reading 11.2 at the battery terminals, on ehu, the hab went up to 14 but the cab stayed at 11 ish .
Went looking for the indicator relay to see if that was duff but have since found out they're not fitted and indicators and some other functions are controlled by a separate ecu type box.
Bench charged the battery for a few hours and refitted, the indicator problem remained and the battery voltage was slowly going down (20 month old Exide) Thinking it may be a duff battery, I had that load tested this morning and it appears fine.
The indicator problem may be a red herring and it might just be a dodgy contact in the stalk but I doubt it and there is still the problem of the battery draining away somewhere.
I'll refit the battery shortly and pull the vehicle fuses, replacing them one by one to see if I can identify the drain, but I'm open to suggestions from Funsters.
 

andy63

Free Member
Jan 19, 2014
4,672
15,017
south shields
Funster No
29,767
MH
None
Exp
since 1990
when I have a problem like that I get on the ford transit forum, im sure there will be a similar forum for the Renault.. where someone may be able to help..
the drain on the cab battery sounds like it is way in excess of the trickle charge available to it , but would be worth checking the integrity of that supply wire, and if that's ok, establish what the drain current actually is.. and the the source, hopefully by pulling fuses as you said.

on the transit all manner of strange things can happen if the battery voltage drops to a low level, but usually come right when the battery is charged, but your indicator fault remained so it may be a fault on that circuit that is causing the drain.... and not a red herring...
hope you get it sorted.. ill watch for the outcome.. find these sort of problems interesting as long as it isn't mine :LOL:.
ta andy
 
OP
OP
jockaneezer
Dec 12, 2010
5,367
21,177
Cumbria
Funster No
14,651
MH
C Class
Exp
since 2011
Just put the battery back on through my multimeter set to amps, seems to be pulling 0.15 amps with the ignition off. If I put the ignition on, I get an immediate surge off the meter's range which is probably the glow plugs, that settles down to fluctuate between 4 and 6 amps which will be the indicator's draw.
Went to remove the column shroud to have a fiddle with the indicator stalk only to find the head of one of the torx screws stripped, everything in my favour's stacked against me :(
@andy63, I had a look on a Renault forum, that's where I found out about the body control unit that controls the indicator's, might have to register and post my problem after I've drilled out that self tapper. :mad:
 

andy63

Free Member
Jan 19, 2014
4,672
15,017
south shields
Funster No
29,767
MH
None
Exp
since 1990
im taking it the battery drain you are interested in is with the ignition off... 150 ma would be a high drain with everything shut down but that could take some minutes .. again on the transit its a good few minutes before you hear a click from the bcm , and you can get a true reading of the drain.. i cant remember what mine was , but don't think it should be much more than 30/40 ma

only to find the head of one of the torx screws stripped
someone has been there before you :)..

can you find out if you are actually getting any charge to the cab battery from the solar...??

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
OP
OP
jockaneezer
Dec 12, 2010
5,367
21,177
Cumbria
Funster No
14,651
MH
C Class
Exp
since 2011
Pretty sure the cab is getting solar, wired in the LR1218 as per A&N's recommendation and not been a problem before.
Will leave the mm on a bit longer and see if the drain tails off once I'm finished guddling about under the dash (y)
Removed the multi pin connector from the indicator stalk and the indicator's go off, stripped out the indicator stalk and that's working fine according to the ohms/diode test on the multimeter, once I identified the turn terminals, shorted out the contacts in the connector block with a wire bridge and I can get the indicator's to work, so that suggests it is the stalk after all. Will give the stalk a spray with cleaner and recheck it. Don't fancy stripping it any further as I'll end up with a mass of springs and contacts flying all over the kitchen worktop likely. Replacement stalk should be cheaper than a BCM though (y)
 

mjltigger

Free Member
Nov 12, 2014
1,619
2,672
Trowbridge
Funster No
34,213
MH
Autotrail Dakota Max
Exp
2012
Pretty sure the cab is getting solar, wired in the LR1218 as per A&N's recommendation and not been a problem before.
Will leave the mm on a bit longer and see if the drain tails off once I'm finished guddling about under the dash (y)
Removed the multi pin connector from the indicator stalk and the indicator's go off, stripped out the indicator stalk and that's working fine according to the ohms/diode test on the multimeter, once I identified the turn terminals, shorted out the contacts in the connector block with a wire bridge and I can get the indicator's to work, so that suggests it is the stalk after all. Will give the stalk a spray with cleaner and recheck it. Don't fancy stripping it any further as I'll end up with a mass of springs and contacts flying all over the kitchen worktop likely. Replacement stalk should be cheaper than a BCM though (y)
good news.. great when you find the issue... as @andy63 said, someone has been there before you so I wonder if it was the same problem last time..
 
OP
OP
jockaneezer
Dec 12, 2010
5,367
21,177
Cumbria
Funster No
14,651
MH
C Class
Exp
since 2011
Quick update. I took the switch apart and couldn't see anything obvious (burnt contacts, verdigris etc) so I plugged the bottom part of the switch back into the multi pin connector which in its disassembled state had no input from the stalk and the fault was still there. Got another stalk from a Renault Espace for a fiver from the scrappy and that worked fine (y) Have still got to nail it all back together later today, but dogs need walked and the grass needs cut whilst it's still dry, oh and I still need to find why it's drawing 0.12 amps when the ignition is off.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
OP
OP
jockaneezer
Dec 12, 2010
5,367
21,177
Cumbria
Funster No
14,651
MH
C Class
Exp
since 2011
Righty ho ! The binnacle is back together but during my explorations, I found two single fuse holders spliced into part of the wiring loom behind the steering column, a 5 amp and a 1 amp. These are obviously an add on as they have crimped on Lucar connectors fitted, the wires are a red and a blue and are quite a bit thinner than any other wire in the loom. With my ammeter across the battery showing a drain of 0.12 amps, I disconnected the fuses one at a time and the 5 amp one altered the battery drain down to 0.06 amps which I think is more acceptable. I don't know what the fuse controls, the engine started and all the lights work and there is no aftermarket alarm fitted, all suggestions gratefully received.
@tonyidle here is a pic of the dogs taken down the River Eden earlier this year (y)
fuses.jpg
eden dogs.jpg

Don't know why it's upside down (n)
 

Margaritaman

Free Member
Oct 27, 2013
270
395
East Yorkshire
Funster No
28,763
MH
Low Profile C Class
Exp
since 2008
I disconnected the fuses one at a time and the 5 amp one altered the battery drain down to 0.06 amps which I think is more acceptable. I don't know what the fuse controls, the engine started and all the lights work and there is no aftermarket alarm fitted, all suggestions gratefully received.

Reversing Camera? Reversing Camera Screen? Cab Radio ?
 
Dec 27, 2014
967
3,361
Funster No
34,567
Had it ever a hands free phone ever fitted?
Looks familiar to the Nokia fuse holders.
Glad you have it sorted.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

movan

LIFE MEMBER
Dec 2, 2009
21,492
120,752
Moving around
Funster No
9,543
MH
Burstner
Exp
since07
I am really dense with batteries etc .... each to their own.... but I had similar problems not long ago with my Burstner , Renault base ............... I never found what had drained the battery BUT a part of me is convinced that it might have been the dodgy warning light switch .. slowly drained it over a matter of weeks in the compound ..... my battery master panel showed similar readings to yours too... so I would not discount the importance of fixing the indicator switch so that it doesn't happen again. . I had left mine much longer than you and so had real probs with the drained engine battery.

Prob no help but just in case thought would let you know.
 
OP
OP
jockaneezer
Dec 12, 2010
5,367
21,177
Cumbria
Funster No
14,651
MH
C Class
Exp
since 2011
Update is, the 5 amp fuse is still pulled and everything is still working 3 weeks later. The indicator problem was a bit of a red herring in that it was a genuine fault with the stalk assembly, but just happened to coincide with the exact moment I bump started Busty (n) As an aside to that fault, I got the stalk from an Espace and had driven around for two weeks when I saw a pal at the side of the road, so went to pip the horn at him, only to find the Espace stalk didn't have the horn button fitted :LOL: I did manage to get a stalk from a Master van at a local breaker's for £20 so I need to put the Espace one on ebay (y) The original fault was traced to a jumbo 50 amp fuse next to the vehicle battery on the charging circuit 6 mm2 positive feed wire from the eBox which had blown, which explained why the solar was still charging the hab but not the cab. I checked for faults/shorts but couldn't find any and as I had "liberated" a couple of 50 amp fuses on one of my visits to the scrappy, I popped one in and all has been fine since including a few days at Shell Island the week after the Funster bash (had to see what all the fuss was about :LOL:)
Thanks to all for their suggestions and for resurrecting this thread as I do like to see conclusions to tech fault probs (y)

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Funsters who are viewing this thread

Back
Top