MikeF

Re cell balancing. Battery management systems, BMS, tend to start cell balance when the cell is over 3.4 volts, 13.6 for a 4 cell 12v battery. Any inbalance will only show up when cells are almost full, this is voltages over 3.4 volts per cell when under charge.( a resting, no charge or load, full battery will have a voltage of 13.4 to 13.5 volts. I also have seen the manufactures data you refer to and I think its a translation error. I may be wrong but a BMS operating on this principal, only activating balance at 14.4, would be a poor design Mike

Battery sellers are not going to suggest there may be issues using their batteries, however Fogstar batteries are high quality and are recomended. It's often suggested lithium needs a 'special charge voltage, this is not true. A 12v lithium battery will happily charge to full, at charger voltages as low as 13.8 volts. Victron specify 14.2 volts charge and 13.4 float as the default lithium garage voltage. However the battery charging sources must safety deliver the possible high charge currents that lithium batteries may accept. Unlike lead acid batteries, that to some extent, self limit the charge current, a lithium battery, when charging, will take is the maximum that the charge sources can deliver. This may stress some charging systems. What is important with lithium is not to 'overcharge'. If held at high voltages higher than its 'full resting' volts of 13.4, for long periods, then accelerated ageing takes place. This may shorten useful life to a few years. The function of a lithium battery BMS is often misunderstood. In no way does it control any charge process. It's purpose is to protect the battery and it does this by effectively disconnecting from any charge or discharge path if safety limits are exceeded . Idealy the charging and discharging voltages and currents should be inside the BMS protection 'envelope'. How does this effect a typical motorhome electrical system? Split charge charging system. This simply connects the starter battery and alternator to the leisure battery. Very high currents may flow, only limited by the circuit resistance between the alternator and lithium battery ( due to the very low Internal resistance of the lithium battery). This could result in currents 50 to over 100 amps. This could be bad news for the alternator and anything between it and the lithium battery. There is the added issue that there is no termination of the charge process. As discussed lithium does not like being subjected to a continuous high voltage whilst fully charged. The advantage of using a B2B charger, I recomend the Victron Orion b to b 1230, 30 amp charger, is that almost all existing installations will not be over stressed by the 30 amp charge current, and the unit has a ideal charge profile for lithium. The Victron can directly replace a split charge relay with minimal circuit changes. The use of a battery master or similar will be slightly less effective, depending on charge voltages, but will still be useful as a maintraining charger. Mains or solar chargers MPPT type, can be used with lithium provided, There is no temperature compensation ( only needed for lead acid). The charge voltage, ( absorbtion voltage) is 14.4 volts or lower ( ideal 14.2) The absorbtion period is less than 60 minutes ( ideal 30 minutes) The float voltage is 13.5. Solar chargers, the low cost PWM type are not recomended and may cause damage to lithium batteries . There is other information regarding installing lithium batteries that may be discussed as the thread continues . Mike

It most likely is the clock spring that's failed. This also carries command signals for the air bag, that even if intact at this point, may fail soon. The assembly is complete with ' storks', the click spring is not available as a seperate unit, combi switch assembly is needed. This must match the van options, for example, cruise control, auto lights/ wipers , thus needs to be ordered using the VIN. It's quite expensive, £250 upwards. SH are available but not recomended due to safety considerations.( air bag). Dealer fitting recomended. Mike

Could be the loss of continuity between starter battery and the Sargent unit. The feed may be from the converters outlet , this is at the bottom of the drivers (RHD) door pillar. This may feed the Sargent unit directly or via the EM40 interface . Check all fuses Including the red 50 amp fuse at the starter battery. https://autotrailusers.nz/Forum.cfm?SubjectID=1012 (third item on the list, ducato battery fuses) Note lots of useful Info on this NZ forum. Mike

The issue of Irish passport holder traveling with a non EU spouse is interesting and being in this position myself, can offer the following examples. Via the tunnel, no stamp, it helped that my wife being a fluent French speaker, convinced the passport control no stamp was needed. Via Santander, passport stamped. Despite a lengthy discussion with passport control officer we had the following options, stamp and enter Spain, or back on the ferry. Returning after 90 days via the tunnel with and without a stamped passport, no issues. I suggest that when exceeding the 90 days under these circumstances, that some evidence that you were traveling consistently with your EU spouse, would be very useful if problems were encountered leaving the EU or re entering within 90 days. The Directive that Brian posted is a 'directive' not a law, that member states may interpret as they wish. The serious flaw, as I see it, is that there is no recorded 'link' on entering and leaving the EU that an EU passport holder was traveling with a UK passport holder. Mike

A 10 watt panel won't meet the demand for small office To charge the battery the solar panel and its controller needs to charge the battery to over 14 volts. It's just too small. This type of panel will maintain a battery that's idle, but won't supply any useful power. A minimum setup would be a 100 watt solar panel and controller. https://www.amazon.co.uk/ECO-WORTHY-Panels-Controller-Off-Grid-Battery/dp/B01N1H66G5/ref=sr_1_7?crid=1G0P7S8COW0PS&keywords=100w+solar+panel+kit&qid=1691108633&sprefix=10+0watt+solar+panel%2Caps%2C202&sr=8-7 Having reread your post you say, '30 minutes per week' , that's not a lot of office time! Before advising further the knowing the actual hours per day and equipment used, ( a printer won't do anything useful just by itself) would be useful. Mike

The item suggested for a standard Fiat chassis may be correct, https://coastalmotorhomes.co.uk/fiat-ducato-peugeot-boxer-citroen-relay-lhd-rear-exhaust-box-2-2l-2-3l-06-on.html The hangers for RHD and LHD are in place on the Fiat chassis, so in theory either a RHD or LHD exhaust could be fitted .( subject to any converters stuff being in the way) Changes to the exhaust system upstream of the silencer were made around 2010 with the change from euro 4 to euro 5 , this may have an effect on ordering a unit.

The original head unit inthe van may have connections to the vehicle can bus, depending the original build options. If you have fitted an alternative head unit there could be issues with the system bus. The fact you are getting errors in reading codes implies electrical problems. The wet cable loom behind the NS headlamp is common due to water leaks. What happens is that moisture finds a weak spot in the cable insulation and the copper corrodes. It's a daunting task carefully examining each wire in the loom and testing for continuity. If all your issues started after your electronics were modified that's a strong pointer to your changes being responsible. Of course it could be a coincidence. You need a mobile technician with electrical skills to determine why you are not getting reliable codes. The fact that two previous ( not needed) repairs were carried out on the basis of false or misinterpreted codes is a worry.

Make sure the starter battery is fully charged. The fault code readings make no sence , could be due to low volts . Black smoke it too much fuel or not enough air. Common fault on this engine is throttle body, EGR pneumatic control unit, and to a lessor extent the EGR itself. Failure in these components cause lack of air in the combustion. Too much fuel can be a result of failing injectors, this may not produce a fault code but initial testing is not too difficult There is a need to discover why there is a code reading error, alternative code readers may help. On your year vehicle there is a possibility of faults developering in the wiring loom and plug/sockets to the engine ECU and fuse box. This is in the area behind the nearside headlamp. This area receives water leaking from the scuttle. A fault that will effect all Fiat Ducato in time, is partial failure of the earth strap that connects gearbox to chassis , this can cause all sorts of electrical issues. Test this by connecting a jump lead from engine metal to earth point on body. Apart from simple tests like checking the air filter for rodent attack and examining all large diameter pipework from turbo outlet to inlet manifold for splits or leaks, there is not much you can do without fault codes. It's unusual for things to suddenly go wrong, often there are warning symptoms. Is there anything that you can think of, or recent work on the engine, that could give a clue? Any competent garage dealing with commercial vehicle repairs should be able to help, the IVECO 3.0 engine is fairly common. Mike

The symptoms suggest an intermittent connection between battery and the electrial control system. This could be in either the positive or negative paths from the battery. Start the investigation at the battery terminals and work towards the main electrical unit. A voltmeter or test lamp would be useful. Mike

Unless you have high power requirements, for example running an inverter over 2000 watts, it's not worth the cost and effort .There is the advantage of an existing MPPT solar controller being able to process twice the panel power by having a 24 volt 'house' battery but this is offset by needing a DC to DC converter for existing 12v items. If the van has an existing electrical system, example CBE or Schaudt, then you have the challenge of interfacing the 24 volt battery, and of course, installing a mains 24v charger, and a 12 to 24 battery to battery charger for engine charging. If more solar is the only requirement for a 12v system, it could be the existing controller could handle the extra power, or an additional controller could be installed. Mike

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Terminal-Connector-Disconnect-Extension-Motorcycle/dp/B08JYNGMSP/ The above extension has the very important fuse. It would need a SAE connector for the solar cable. I assume there is a solar controller between panel and cable that connects to the battery. Avoid crocodile clips, they make a poor connection and could easily cause a short. Mike

'Old' adblue won't damage the engine but may cause issues with the metering and injection components of the adblue system, or damage the DPF matrix. The safest and most convenient solution is to refill from a garage adblue pump. Mike

The compressor fitted to your fridge has control electronics that are sensitive to voltage. At startup there is additional surge current, if there is any significant voltage drop in the circuit to the fridge, or the battery is low on charge or past its best, then the compressor electrics aborts the start, after a short time it again attempts to start. Since the actual surge current is variable, a sucessful start may occur after several attempts. This is the most common 'fault'. Idealy the fridge should be wired directly to the battery with a 15 amp fuse at the battery. Cable for both positive and negative needs to be 4mm2 or 6mm2 for long runs. It's not clear what type of noise is causing the issue. There is a heat exchanger with a 12v computer type fan. Bearing failure or blade touching something should be apparent. This fan can easily be replaced by a computer fan of similar dimensions . The compressor assembly is mounted on 'flexible ' feet, to reduce noise and vibration. Failure or poor assemble may cause noise. If the noise is caused by circulating refrigerant it's most likely due to the incorrect amount in the system . It's critical for correct performance and cooling correctly that the refrigerant quantity is correct. Regasing is possible, there is a port on the compressor. The cooling efficiency will be seriously compromised unless a supply of cooling air is forced through the heat exchanger and allowed to escape. Unless there is air flow from the main body of the van In to and out from the under bed area, the heat exchanger may be compromised. A correctly built and installed low voltage compressor fridge should produce vert little noise when working and be able, on the low setting, to freeze liquids. Mike

In general having a single battery bank in a motorhome is the prefered system. I presume you also have seperate controllers for each panel. Also its not clear if either of both batteries have additional charging from 230v AC hook up or from engine alternator via a relay or battery to battery charger. The capacity of each battery would be useful infomation. If the batteries are of similar age and type, having a single 12v system with the batteries connected in parallel, feeding everything the 'caravan' area would be the prefered arrangement. The two solar controllers Icould be connected to the battery bank with no problems. My thinking is the fridge has a higher priority than the TV, so having as much solar power and battery capacity for keeping food/ drinks cold, would seem the ideal set up. Further information would help formulating advice, Age, type and Ah capacity of the two batteries? Model of solar controller and charge voltage settings, if known? Solar panel type, flexible or rigid framed? Alternator charging if fitted? Mains hook up charging if fitted, ( and which or both batteries are charged)? Any commercial electrical control unit fitted, example, Sargent or CBE? Mike

If you are only intending to use very low power appliances you do not need a high power Inverter and associated costs for cable and fuses. Either obtain 12v based converters for phone and computer charging, or fit a pure sinewave low power inverter of say 300 watts. Running a 2000 watt inverter for low power appliances is inefficient , and there is a possible constant overhead power requirement of upto about 30 to 40 watts, 3 amps per hour, even with the inverters switched on with no load. Its not stated what type of inverter, but unless pure sine wave, may damage some types of low power appliance chargers. Note, even if you decide not to install the inverter, a specialist fuse, as I discussed, should still be fitted to the lithium battery. The fuse should be rated for the current expected and cables in the system. Mike

Consider the cable , since the current may approach 200 amps, at least 35mm2 cable is needed. The volt drop between battery and inverter needs to be as low as practical, there will be slight drops in fuses and cable terminations but the majority will be in the cable. For a one meter length 35mm2 cable will drop 0.23 volts, 50mm2 will drop 0.16 volts and for 70mm2 the drop is 0.12 volts . If the inverter is within 2 metres of the battery and the inverter maximum is rarely used, the 35mm2 should be OK. For a greater distance or use at maximum power, consider the more heavy duty cable. Automotive or marine grade cable is suitable, as is welding cable ( more flexible). Use quality cable terminations made with professional crimp tools. I suggest a 200 amp fuse as it's unlikely the battery BMS can reliably supply more. If you have loads requiring high start up currents, example, air conditioning, perhaps 250 amp fuse with 50mm2 cable/70mm2 cable. The fuse position and type is important, idealy it should be fitted as close as practical to the battery positive post and be a type that can withstand the extremely high currents a lithium battery can deliver under failure conditions. It's estimated, and tests have shown, this could be in the region of 7000 amps. The fuse must be designed to tollerate this, otherwise, even if the fuse fails as designed at say 200 amps, the battery ability to deliver very high current, allows energy to 'jump the gap', ( just like arc welding ), and destroy/ melt/ set on fire the rest of the 12 volt system. The common 'Mega' fuse only has a withstand current of 2000 amps so is not suitable. For a 12v system MRBF fuses are acceptable ( withstand 10000 amps), class T or HRC industrial fuses, ( withstand 20000 amps or higher. For each type of fuse a quality fuse holder is needed. https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/bussman-class-t-fuses.html https://rjsmarine.co.uk/product/mrbf-terminal-fuse/ https://www.mobilecentre.co.uk/blue-sea-5191 The Blue Sea holder, usefully, can be mounted directly on the battery post. Going somewhat beyond the current post, to meet UK regulations regarding permanent install of inverters, suitable protection against electric shock must be installed. This requires the inverter to be a type that has, or can be configured, a neutral to protective earth bond. A double pole RCD needs to be installed between inverter and any cables to outlets /appliances. Mike

Any lead acid battery that lists CCA, cold cranking amps, in the specification, is designed as a engine starting battery, not a battery intended for cyclic discharge and recharge cycles. Fortunately many motorhomes are usually on hook up supply so the battery has very light use, thus the batteries have a good service life. In my view any starter battery of suitable Ah and dimensions would be OK for this type of use Mike

The noise may be the hydraulics that operate the clutch and change gear, low or contaminated fluid, problems with the electrical controls system, and faulty parts in the actuators. There is a recommended service interval for fluid change, both hydraulic and clutch fluids, this tends to be overlooked even by Fiat garages. Mike

There are 3 ports on the electro valve, input vacuum, atmosphere, variable vacuum output to EGR valve. The throttle body and EGR ' play together ', so any issue with the throttle body can cause the electro valve to work overtime and partially fails, so worth replacing if in any doubt regarding performance.

Peugeot and Citroen have ' small' hub caps held in place with the wheel bolts, https://www.novaleisure.com/products/non-original-peugeot-boxer-centre-cap-2007-onwards-40160 Fitting the full size wheel trims on steel wheels can have an effect on brake temperatures as cooling air flow is restricted. If you intend driving down mountain passes they are not recomended. Mike

Parts data suggests there are two types of turbo fitted, engine type 8140.43N is variable vane and 8140.43S is waste gate. The description of the issues points to turbo malfunctioning, the vacuum control unit, the actuator or the linkages. If its variable vane, the vanes may be sticking. Having fault codes is useful but it's easy to visually inspect the operation of the turbo actuator and linkages. If the injectors are suspect, the garage seems to have carried out a 'leak off' test that suggests there are injector issues, then this needs to be confirmed. Messing with the plug that improves the situation puts suspicion on the plug and loom, so this needs investigation. The control signals to the injectors need to be confirmed correct (this will need specialist test equipment), before further testing on the injectors . Rather than a general repair garage, a diesel injection system repair specialist should be approached for advice where fuel system issues are suspected. It's unfortunate that many auto technicians are merely fitters, changing parts in the hope of a 'cure', rather than fully investigating the problem. Mike

Sometimes the plate is attached by double sided adhesive tape, heat or age can degrade the adhesive. 'Emergency ' plates can be obtained easily though eBay, not road legal, but should be OK as a tempory measure. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285197008555 Mike

A set of 3 adapters should be enoughfor anywhere in Europe, https://autogasshop.co.uk/product-category/lpg-autogas-fill-adapters/ Brownhills use the ACME fitting on the pump, so needed this, https://lpgshop.co.uk/uk-bayonet-w21-8-to-acme-filling-point-adapter/ Mike

You don't specify the make of shunt but most are installed between the house battery negative post and the rest of the system. No other connection should be made to the battery negative post, other than a second battery in parallel. If you are confident the existing cable from the house, leisure, battery, negative terminal is the only connection, then Install the shunt in series with cable. Don't worry about a chassis connection. Ideally position the shunt near the battery, as a positive connection from that battery is needed to power the shunt circuits and provide voltage information. If you indicate the model of shunt you are installing I can advise on setup if required. Mike