Absolutebeginner Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 I have a 2015 Pilote G600 with a Schaudt EBL 271 box with loads of fuses. There also seems to be a PLT02 PCB with three fuses and a black controller associated with the solar panel. I have read all the previous postings on starting the vehicle with the mains hookup still plugged in. It all gets a bit technical but that isn't where I need the help. What I need is to find where the fuses are that are associated with the alternator supply to the fridge. I am looking forward to getting back on the road, and during a 90 minute run out recently I put the fridge on to check that it works off the alternator. I don't think that it worked. At home I have run the fridge on the drive without levelling the van (it has a permanent nose down stance as built by Pilote of about 3 degrees as measured at the fridge cabinet) Even with this out of vertical position, on mains (it worked) and on gas (it worked). A while back I think I started the van with the hookup plugged in, and I hadn't noticed a problem. I precool the fridge before we go on a trip and load it up with food from our home fridge and I think that it stays cool enough to last until we camp up and plug into the EHU. So, I am assuming that I have blown a fuse somewhere in the system between the alternator and the fridge. The electric step and everything else still works. There are loads of fuses on the Schaudt unit but none of them are labelled as fridge (its all in French anyway). The PLT02 pcb has three fuses. (I'm assuming the engine battery is under the floor somewhere (the Pilote manual has no wiring diagram and is totally devoid of any help on where it is and the Fiat chassis handbook isn't much help either). So I haven't looked to see if there is a separate feed directly from the starter battery and an in line fuse. Under the bonnet is the Fiat fuse box and there are loads of fuses in there!!! In a Technical Q&A in the MMM for November 2017 there was a very simple diagram showing four fuses associated with two relays and the leisure/starter battery and alternator. Looks easy doesn't it! So now I get to the crux of it!!! Where would you recommend that I look for what may be several fuses to try and find the blown one? (hopefully that is the problem) Or is it that absorption fridges don't work very well on a van that is built with a nose down stance and travelling at speed!!! I am going to try and attach a couple of photos of the installation to this plea for help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanb Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 With Schaudt electrical systems, a separate supply for the fridge 12V element, is generally connected direct to the starter battery via a fuse. For safety considerations the fuse, probably 20A rating, should be as close as practicable to the battery. There will also be a second probably higher rated fuse, and cable for charging the habitation battery via the split charge relay. Logically try looking under the bonnet for added wiring. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldted Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 Idle on 12 volt is not very effective, try if you can removing the lower fridge vent, there should be two 12 volt supplies to the fridge, a small wire for the controls and a heavier one for the 12 volt operation. The heavier one will only work when the engine is running. Try with a volt meter to see if you have 12 volt at both with the engine running. It could be that you 12 volt element has failed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 Absolutebeginner - 2021-06-13 5:25 PM At home I have run the fridge on the drive without levelling the van (it has a permanent nose down stance as built by Pilote of about 3 degrees as measured at the fridge cabinet) Even with this out of vertical position, on mains (it worked) and on gas (it worked). AFAIK all motorhome fridges work reasonably well even if they aren't level, it takes quite a bit of angle to stop them working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absolutebeginner Posted June 14, 2021 Author Share Posted June 14, 2021 Thanks to all for your replies. I attach some photos to show what I think are the most likely locations for a fuse between the battery and the fridge. I found the battery and you can see that there is no fuse there, although there is a slender red cable in the middle of the three red take offs that might be a fridge feed. I guess that the loose black plug and the green connector are just "unused" circuits in the wiring loom. The next photo shows the under seat mounted Schaudt EBL271 and next to it a pcb with a relay and two fuses mounted on it. The pcb is marked PL02 and one of the fuses are marked F3 at 20amp while the other is F4 at 2 amp. Below the pcb is a fuse holder with three fuses F1 and F2 both at 50amp and F5 at 15 amp. The fuse numbering makes me think that they are all part of one functional unit. The last photo is of the back of the fridge. It seems to all be well insulated so I can't see where I could put a multimeter probe without creating a bare bit of cable. The righthand side of the junction box looks like the supply side and the lh side a 12v output side to the fridge front panel control. I imagine the red and white cables in black sheath in the middle are the 12v supply. So, my best guess at the fridge related fuses are those marked F1 to F5. Do you agree? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanb Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 The "slender" red cable with blue crimp terminal cannot be greater than 2.5 mm2. It is not adequately protected by the 50A midi fuse to which it is attached. Also while capable of carrying the fridge current without overheating, it is barely large enough from voltage drop considerations. Another question is, where is the main connection from the starter battery to the EBL made? The fridge connection could be in the same place. The loose (4 way?) connector at the starter battery, and the adjacent black wire will be for the battery isolator option. All versions of the EBL do not have identical fridge input connections, but Block 2 pin 1 is typical. What colour is the wire on this terminal? The presence of two 50A fuses F1 & F2 does suggest that these are the fuses for the main connections to the starter and habitation batteries, but from safety considerations, both such fuses should be as close as practicable to their respective batteries. 20A is a typical rating for a fridge fuse, but I manage to run mine via a 15A fuse. I agree that the red and white wires at the rear of the fridge, are most probably for the 12V element supply. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kemerton Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 Hi , your problem seems to be the same as mine. your pictures are identical to the set-up in my van (Pilote g600) My step will not retract when I start the engine and the fridge is not working on 12V. have you managed to resolve your problem? I am fairly sure it is a fuse gone somewhere but where is the fuse. I have looked all over the van and can't seem to find it, surely someone, somewhere, must know where the thing is located !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddy Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 Have you checked the yellow 20 amp fuse in the third photo (in the PLT02 unit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddy Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 According to the fuse guide for the Pilote G600 the yellow fuse 20 amp in the fuse/relay module PLT02 mentioned above, is the fridge fuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 Can you provide a link to the fuse guide, please? The best I could find was a table (Page 15) in this Piote 2018 Collection User Manual https://www.deluxegroup.co.nz/uploads/6/2/4/9/62491403/pilote_user_manual_2021.pdf This French motorhome forum’s 2019 Pilote-related thread referred to the step not automatically retracting https://www.campingcar-bricoloisirs.net/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=44730&sid=0868b55de774fa0c00d7d9879cef059c The 20A fuse on the PLT02 unit is mentioned regarding operation of the fridge and step (upper image below) and this (GOOGLE translated) comment was made (lower attached file). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kemerton Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 Hi, thanks for your response, yes I have checked both of those fuses along with every other fuse on the electrobloc. So it must be something else. could it be the relay? is that also attached to the plt02 board ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinM50 Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 I'd start by checking every fuse. Just pull each one out in turn and test with a meter then replace. I'd then look for "odd places" for other fuses. Different van different issue, but I've got fuses hidden behind the plastic cover on the B post by the seats and also "upstairs" hidden behind a seemingly silly panel. That's where my bed fuses are but those fuses are resettable. So not knowing your van, I'd look everywhere for other fuses and if the worst comes to the worst, you could try the dealer you bought it from or a Pilote dealer might know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddy Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 It would be worth a call to Apuljack engineering who repair these systems and should be able to help with relay / PLT02 information and may be able to let you know if they would expect another fuse to be fitted for the fridge/step. 01278 588922 www.apuljackengineering.co.uk ( Have you also checked the fuses at the starter battery as well as the EBL unit ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 The other thing that might be causing such an issue is the loss of the "D+" signal (which should effectively control the 12V fridge switching and the automatic step retraction). The D+ signal enters the EBL271 on pin 4 of Block 5, so it would be worth checking for 12V on this with the engine running. The D+ signal is also protected in the EBL by an internal "polyswitch" before it reaches the fridge relay. This should self-reset under certain conditions, but the Schaudt advice is to break the circuit to achieve it. Given the D+ signal should be absent without the engine running, I'm not sure that this is required for this particular polyswitch, but just in case, I'd pull and remake the connection on Block 5 (which you'll probably have to do anyway to check for 12V on pin 4)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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