Oscar at play Posted October 31, 2021 Share Posted October 31, 2021 We have just purchased a 1995 VWT4 Autohome Komet which is in extremely good condition. However we are now working to get it back on the road for next season and are confused about a couple of items. Firstly what are the two after-market read-outs on the dash? They do not seem to do anything other than fill a hole and display never changing figures. Secondly, we were advised that the water heater had never been recommissioned after a part had been sent away for safety checking. The part was supplied, but I cannot for the life of me work out where it goes! There is a lead with a DIN plug on a lead in the cupboard where the Carver is, but no obvious supply or place to fit it. Any help would be most appreciated. Now to work out how to attach the pictures to this post! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar at play Posted October 31, 2021 Author Share Posted October 31, 2021 And the other picture Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar at play Posted October 31, 2021 Author Share Posted October 31, 2021 The Carver & lead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted October 31, 2021 Share Posted October 31, 2021 Hi Guy, Sorry I can't help with your Truma troubles but the 2 gauges look like volt meters. One for the starter battery and the other for the leisure battery. Try turning on something like the headlights and one should drop then turn on a load on the leisure side and the other should drop. Alternatively turn on your battery charger and watch what happens. Might be worth labelling them for future reference when you work out which is which. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 31, 2021 Share Posted October 31, 2021 I agree with Keith that the gauges are likely to be voltmeters, though it’s odd that they light up but the readouts never change. The part in the 1st photo is (apparently) the burner unit for a Carver Cascade water heater. There are a couple of photos of the burner unit on this ebay advert https://tinyurl.com/5eu5tz9h and this link describes how to clean it https://www.practicalcaravan.com/advice/how-to-clean-a-carver-cascade-ge-water-heaters-burner This YouTube video shows where the burner lives (photo attached below) and goes into more detail. The 3rd photo above indicates that the Komet's Carver Cascade is a GE/Rapido model with a 230V water heating capability as well as gas operation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted October 31, 2021 Share Posted October 31, 2021 One way to discover if they are voltmeters is to disconnect each battery in turn. I don't know why anyone would need a switch on a voltmeter, other than to turn the glow of it off? Do the switches do that? It should not be difficult to follow the cables back from the displays to their sources - especially if they are after market fitted? Personally I would be very wary of fiddling with a combination of gas and 12 v ignition if I did not know what I am doing and did not take it apart myself, perhaps I could suggest talking to someone familiar with working on these older units as getting it wrong could prove very dangerous? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 31, 2021 Share Posted October 31, 2021 As will be seen from the image attached below, the left and right gauges are showing 12.2 and 12.4 respectively - which strongly suggests that they are voltmeters connected to the Komet’s batteries. As the gauges themselves lack switches, if they were directly connected to the batteries they’d be permanently ‘live'. Presumably a previous owner (and the gauges+switches are definitely a retro-fit) added the separate switches simply to stop the gauges placing any drain on the batterries when the motorhome was not in use. (Rapido, in its infinite wisdom, chose to fit as standard a Pioneer audio head-unit intended for vehicles with an ignition switch having an ‘Aux’ position (which my Ducato’s ignition switch does not have). The Pioneer unit has no integrated On/Off switch and Rapido has fitted a separate switch (the same sort as the Komet’s two switches) to turn off the Pioneer unit that would otherwise be continuously on and draining the battery that powers it.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanb Posted November 1, 2021 Share Posted November 1, 2021 I agree with the general concensus that the two gauges are battery voltage indicators. The reading on the leftt hand side gauge (presumably the starter battery) is only 12.2V. If this is correct, then it suggests a battery that is in a poor state of charge. I suggest that it would be a good move to charge both batteries, by whatever means are available. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 1, 2021 Share Posted November 1, 2021 Except "They do not seem to do anything other than fill a hole and display never changing figures.” Logically - if the gauges were ‘reading’ the voltage of the batteries - one would expect at least one of the gauges to show a much higher value (eg. over 14V) when the vehicle’s motor was started and its alternator began to charge the starter battery, wiith the other gauge’s readout value simultaneously increasing if a ‘split-charge’ relay system passes on charge to a leisure battery. And when the motorhome is connected to a 230V hook-up and its onboard battery-charger is operating, one of the gauges should show the voltage of the battery-charger (eg. 13.8V) though - given the Komet’s stated 1995 vintage (I believe it would actually have been built by Autohomes in 1992 or earlier) - the other gauge’s readout might not alter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanb Posted November 1, 2021 Share Posted November 1, 2021 Yes but see also the second sentence. "However we are now working to get it back on the road for next season and are confused about a couple of items." As the vehicle is not on the road, while not specifically mentioned, the engine may not have been run for sometime. Without any loads connected, the battery voltages would only decay very slowly. Keith's suggestion to apply loads to the batteries, should resolve any question as to the function of the displays. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 1, 2021 Share Posted November 1, 2021 Fair enough - if the Komet’s motor has not been started or its battery-charger not operated, the batteries’ voltages (and the gauge readings) won’t change. And, as you’ve pointed out, at least one of the batteries requires charging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted November 1, 2021 Share Posted November 1, 2021 Viz-a-viz the Carver water heater, you may find the documents here: http://www.diysprinter.co.uk/reference/carver%20water%20heater/ of some use. (The install instructions, for instance, detail the DIN plug). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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