ritaw Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 Step will not retract, sparker for hob and oven does not work. Starter battery indicator on control panel flashes 0 but engine starts ok. Later next day after sun up a while everything ok. Solar panel was connected to control panel of motorhome not direct to batteries. Installer has checked several times and said all ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 I notice that there was a discussion on the MHFacts forum in 2013 that related to electric-step (etc.) problems with a Wandahome La Finca https://forums.motorhomefacts.com/182-electrical/115386-electric-digital-display-control-panel-fault.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanb Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 The standard diagram for Omnisteps has the auto retract power taken from the starter battery. Linking this fact with the "0" indication for the starter battery suggests a possible blown fuse or bad connection in the wiring to the starter battery. However this would not explain the hob/oven ignition failure, unless this was somehow connected to the starter battery. Connection of a solar panel to the "control panel" is not necessarily incorrect. To aid further diagnosis, please state make of electric control panel e.g. CBE, Schaudt, etc. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 It sounds like either you have blown the fuse for your starter battery or the leisure battery has totally failed! Or possibly both!!! What is happening when the sun rises is your solar panel is directly powering your 12 V electrics. Do you have a voltmeter or can you borrow one? If so measure the voltage directly at both the starter and leisure battery terminals and report back. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanb Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 The OP has not mentioned failure of lights or water pump. Hence my cautious approach. Assume nothing. If pump and lights have failed in addition to the hob ignition, then as usual, Keith is probably correct on both counts. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 I’m going to suggest that the MHFacts thread I provided a link to above and this other MHF thread https://forums.motorhomefacts.com/182-electrical/121544-electronic-battery-separator-scheiber-38-10592-a.html be referred to, as both relate to the same motorhome being discussed here and provide some (albeit limited) information about its electrical equipment. Rita’s 2011 O&AL enquiry may be of interest too. https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Hints-and-Tips/Fiat-Ducato-Starter-Battery-Charging/24433/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanb Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 Having had my curiosity aroused, I have followed Derek's links, and carried out some further research. For the information of anyone who may be interested, it would seem that the vehicle in question is fitted with a Schreiber battery coupler. This appears to be a voltage sensitive relay and fridge relay mounted on a PCB and partly covered with a conformal coating. An accessories contact (apres contact) provides additional control for a 3 way fridge 12V element. There are 3 internal blade fuses protecting 3 auxilliary outputs which may also have battery low voltage protection. A suggested pictorial wiring arrangement may be viewed here.. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ritaw Posted May 2, 2019 Author Share Posted May 2, 2019 That is the correct diagram for the motorhome. We were at the Peterborough show last weekend and the engineers from dms tested everything. The leasure battery had a dead cell so a new battery was fitted. This did not solve the problems. They couldn't find the reason after spending a considerable time testing everything. We have booked it in with them for next Thursday for a more thorough examination than was possible in the show environment. We were very impressed by how much time and trouble they took to try to solve the problem under very difficult circumstances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ritaw Posted May 13, 2019 Author Share Posted May 13, 2019 We went to dms last Thursday they checked all connections etc and everything was working correctly. The next day the step behaved correctly going in and out . When we tried it that night it wouldn't work again and neither did the sparker and the control panel was flashing 0 for the starter battery. The next day everything worked correctly again. When the starter battery flashes 0 the engine starts ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 ritaw - 2019-05-13 9:18 AM We went to dms last Thursday they checked all connections etc and everything was working correctly. The next day the step behaved correctly going in and out . When we tried it that night it wouldn't work again and neither did the sparker and the control panel was flashing 0 for the starter battery. The next day everything worked correctly again. When the starter battery flashes 0 the engine starts ok. The immediate reaction to this is that your habitation electrics (and step) are being powered by the solar panel and not the battery. Try covering the solar panel with a piece of cardboard or carpet and if this prevents the step operating then this is what you need to demonstrate to the repairers. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 Keithl - 2019-05-13 9:32 AM ritaw - 2019-05-13 9:18 AM We went to dms last Thursday they checked all connections etc and everything was working correctly. The next day the step behaved correctly going in and out . When we tried it that night it wouldn't work again and neither did the sparker and the control panel was flashing 0 for the starter battery. The next day everything worked correctly again. When the starter battery flashes 0 the engine starts ok. The immediate reaction to this is that your habitation electrics (and step) are being powered by the solar panel and not the battery. Try covering the solar panel with a piece of cardboard or carpet and if this prevents the step operating then this is what you need to demonstrate to the repairers. Keith. Further to Keith's suggestion, if when you first try this the step works, leave the cover over the panel for an hour or so, then try again, this will double check in case battery is still a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanb Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 Unfortunately Rita has not confirmed whether other habitation electrical items are affected as well as the hob ignition. This would include the water pump and internal lights. A further question is has the vehicle been jump started at any time? With a voltage sensitive battery coupler, this could lead to either or both of the main 50A battery fuses being blown. Thinking outside the box, there is the possibility that the starter and habitation battery connections have been interchanged. The presentation of the "Schema Cablage Camping Car" could lead to this wiring error, as it shows the starter battery on the left, when the correct connection is to the centre tab terminal between the two (black) relays. Likewise the habitation battery is on the right, while the appropriate terminal is at the upper left corner adjacent to the green (30A) blade fuse. If you add the possibility of a blown starter battery fuse, some of the symptoms could be explained. The habitation battery would still receive solar and mains charge, and as the battery voltage rises it would operate the battery coupling (split charge) relay and connect with the various functions. A bit of a wild assumption, however it would seem possible. The flashing starter battery is an enigma, but it could be explained by lack of supply from the habitation battery. Alan . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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