Side Marker Lights

[thomas2211]

Why do the side marker lights come on in my Dethleff Advantage

[Keithl]

When?

[thomas2211]

The van has been parked all winter ... looked out this morning orange lights on ..... it was plugged in ... van started ok ... lights stay on ... have unplugged it

[Keithl]

It is possible that the lights are controlled by a voltage sensitive relay designed so that they only come on when the engine is running. This was also a usual way of wiring Day Time Running Lights (DRL's).

If they went off when you unplugged the mains this seems to imply this is the case.

 

You can test this by measuring the battery voltage then plugging the MH into the mains and watching the voltage rise and seeing when they turn on.

 

Are the lights factory fitted or after market add-on's? Either way if this is the case you need to get either an isolation switch added or get them re-wired so they only turn on with actual ignition or similar control.

 

HTH,

Keith.

[Derek Uzzell]

When a motorhome’s front lights and tail lights are illuminated, the vehicle’s side and high-level ‘marker' lights should also be illuminated. So, if a motorhome’s front/tail lights are lit when the vehicle is being driven, or are lit when the vehicle is parked with its motor not running, it should be anticipated that all the marker lights should also be lit. And, if a motorhome’s front/tail lights are not illuminated, neither should the marker lights be.

 

My initial thought was that a motorhome’s supplementary marker lights (side and high-level) would be powered electrically by an extension of the vehicle’s wiring that powered its front/tail lights, but that may be too simple nowadays where modern CANbus vehicle wiring systems are concerned.

 

This MHFacts discussion

 

http://forums.motorhomefacts.com/182-electrical/111367-burstner-elegance-side-marker-lights.html

 

touches on this.

 

If thomas2211’s Dethleffs motorhome is relatively new (and as it’s German-built) it seems that the problem may lie with the motorhome side of the electrical system rather than with the base-vehicle side. Whatever the cause, the marker lights should only illuminate when the motorhome’s side/tail lights are illuminated, and connecting the motorhome to a 230V mains supply should not affect that ‘rule’.

 

(Presumably this problem did not happen in the past? I’m certain I would have noticed my motorhome’s marker lights behaving oddly when the vehicles’ main lights were On or Off and when the vehicles were plugged into a 230V mains supply.)

[thomas2211]

The camper was plugged in for last few months as I use a heater inside

Looked out this morning and all marker lights were on

Locked and unlocked it ..... lights go off but come on again in a few minitues

Unplugged the mains .... same thing happened again.. lights come on.

No other lights on

 

[Derek Uzzell]

The MHFacts forum link I gave above mentions a Schaudt AD01 Adapter. This is described on the Schaudt website as follows (I have used GOOGLE-Translate)

 

"terminal extensions

 

The relay adapter AD01 is used for the chassis of German car manufacturer as an extension to attach additional loads on the vehicle can.

It has built-in relay control, so that the connection of eg additional side marker lights as generated no false positives when Lamp defect indicator of the chassis.

It also beeihnhaltet a relay gain of "D +" - function and other adjustments.”

 

So, if your Dethleffs motorhome has Schaudt electrical equipment and the AD01 adapter, this may be where the problem lies.

 

It may be (as Keith has suggested) that the side marker lights should only come on when the motorhome’s engine is running, but there is definitely a relay in the AD01 unit that’s intended to do something, plus a ‘signal feed’ from the vehicle’s alternator.

 

Dunno, but if you’ve got Schaudt electrics I’d try removing fuses that look like they might relate to the marker lights to see if that stops them coming on. If that happens, it should at least provide a clue to the source of the fault.

 

(Presumably there is nothing in your Dethleffs documentation to indicate that there might be a fuse (or relay) relating to the side marker lights.)

[thomas2211]

Thanks for the replies I will check the Dethleff manual

[Billggski]

Check that your sidelights aren't switched on, they will go out when you switch the ignition off, but if the marker lights are on a separate wire linked to them, they may still come on even thought the ignition is off.

I could check my advantage but it's too cold outside, I'll wait until the morning.

[Derek Uzzell]

Billggski

 

It would be worth you and thomas2211 providing details of the year of manufacture and exact Dethleffs model-reference of your respective motorhomes.

 

Dethleffs has used the “Advantage” name continuously within its motorhome ranges for (at least) 15 years. If the marker-light problem relates to, say, a 2012 vehicle there might be CAN-bus implications that won’t necessarily be applicable to a much earlier vehicle.

 

If the Schaudt ‘adapter’ theory is relevant to the problem (and thomas2211’s motorhome has such an adapter) as I said earlier it should be possible to stop the marker lights from illuminating by removing fuses from the adapter.

 

As I understand it, marker lights supplied with 12V through the adapter will be powered by the motorhome’s leisure battery. If that’s so and thomas2211 disconnects his motorhome’s leisure-battery the marker lights should not illuminate.

 

Apparently (from on-line comments) use of the Schaudt adapter is pretty common in recent-ish German-built motorhomes. The type of adapter fitted apparently depends on the make of the base-vehicle (Fiat, Mercedes or other) and I’ve attached a photo of the AD 01 version.

[Billggski]

Just checked the marker lights on my 2009 advantage and my theory doesn't hold.

With leisure 12v switched off, the markers light up when the ignition and side lights are on, but go out when the ignition is switched off.

[Derek Uzzell]

That’s what I’d expect to happen. And when 'parking lights’ are selected (ignition key in STOP position or removed and control on stalk moved to O and then to lighting symbol) I’d also expect all the marker lights - side and high-level variety - to come on as well as the front side-lights and the tail lights. That’s what happens with my Ducato.

[Brambles]

Might be worth checking no standard chassis side lights have blown or not working. If for example it is getting a signal from just a single lamp circuit and the lamp is blown then the bulb is no longer sinking any voltage to zero volts and the control unit is detecting the lights are on. Just a wild thought but worth checking I think..

[Derek Uzzell]

The first thing to establish is - as I said earlier - the year of manufacture and exact Dethleffs Advantage model owned by thomas2211. Then we can all be singing from the same song-sheet!

 

I thought that part of the specification of ‘X250-onwards’ Ducato chassis that would be converted into motorhomes were electrical connections intended to allow things like supplementaty lights to be fitted. But, in any case, commercial Ducato-based vehicles that are long enough to need side marker-lights will need to have those lights powered somehow and I’m very doubtful that the Schaudt equpment said to be fitted to certain German-built motorhomes would be how that objective would normally be achieved.

 

My Ducato-based motorhome has side marker-lights, but it does not have Schaudt habitation electrical equipment. There is a passing reference in its Ducato Owner Handbook to ‘Side Lights (for versions/markets, where provided)’ and how to replace the bulb, but that’s it. Those ‘side lights’ are clearly side marker-lights, but there is (apparently) no indication in the Handbook where their 12V power comes from or which fuse protects them.