sshortcircuit Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Currently working my way home and am in France. As I do not have any French language not prepared to go to a garage. I have a Swift Kontiki 660 which is a 55 reg on a Fiat 2.8 chassis. I can open and close the door from the sawitch and switch off and on the electrics and pump from the control panel. My problem is when I start the engine the door does not retract and the electrics remain active. I can live with these problems ut m concerned that I may not get a charge to my leisure battery or discharge the vehicle battery. I have looked for a fuse or a relay but cannot find anywhere. Any help most appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enodreven Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Hi, Regarding getting a charge to your Leisure Battery etc, doesn't your control panel allow you to check the state of the batteries, if it does try it before you move off then try it just after you next stop as that should give you a indication as to whats happening I think you will find the relay and fuses for this under the Black slopping cover in the centre of the engine compartment, directly facing you when you lift the bonnet, its held on with 2 small nuts and there is/could be a small rubber hose running across the front of the cover help up in 2 clips. shortcircuit - 2009-10-27 12:43 PM Currently working my way home and am in France. As I do not have any French language not prepared to go to a garage. I have a Swift Kontiki 660 which is a 55 reg on a Fiat 2.8 chassis. I can open and close the door from the sawitch and switch off and on the electrics and pump from the control panel. My problem is when I start the engine the door does not retract and the electrics remain active. I can live with these problems ut m concerned that I may not get a charge to my leisure battery or discharge the vehicle battery. I have looked for a fuse or a relay but cannot find anywhere. Any help most appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 Thanks Braun Since my initial post I deduced that by running the engine I could determine if a charge was being sent to the leisure batteries by looking at the voltages on the control panel which is the case. Will have another search tomorrow here you suggest. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 From memory in my 2003 Kontiki, there was a fuse / relay in the engine bay (Please do ask where, but not a Fiat "fitting" so anything added type !) and was powered by the engine battery, so on startup, the step was automatically retracted. Hope it helps Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Shortcircuit: This sounds to me like two discrete (though probably linked) 'problems'... Electric steps will (I believe) normally be powered from the motorhome's leisure battery, and automatic retraction will involve a relay triggered by the vehicle's ignition circuit. As your step (apparently) can still be extended and retracted using the entrance-door switch, then either the relay has developed a fault or there's no longer an electrical link between the relay and the ignition circuit. I don't know where Swift would have fitted the relay or exactly how it's been wired, but I can't see this problem causing any trouble that would demand immediate attention. I think your other problem relates to UK motorhome manufacturers' archaic policy that involves isolating most of the motorhome's living-area 12V circuitry (lights, water-pump, etc.) when the vehicle's motor is started. Once again this will be done via a relay (could be anywhere!) triggered by the vehicle's ignition circuit. Once again, if the living-area circuits are no longer being isolated when the motorhome's motor is started, it won't cause any harm and it won't discharge the batteries. (And, of course, the living-area 12V circuitry can still be switched off manually at the control panel before the motorhome is driven should you so wish). As both problems seem to be due to something that should happen, but doesn't, when the motorhome's ignition is switched on, it's tempting to assume there's a common and simple cause, like a loose or disconnected wire. As the step problem can be tolerated (but be bloody careful if you've become used to automatic retraction!!!!), and the living-area 12V isolation thing isn't really a problem (Continental motorhome manufacturers have never 'isolated'), I don't think you have anything to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 It might simply be as a result of lots of rain with water ingress via splashy puddles playing havoc with already iffy wiring and it might, as sometimes happens, just dry out and rectify itself - well maybe if you are very lucky? Uncovering contacts and cleaning, drying and rewrapping might prevent a recurrence and is the simplest 'step' (pardon the pun) to take before getting too involved with electricians? I don't know about Swift but many UK converters place the habitation and leisure battery fuses and relays together either very close to the battery or just inside the bonnet where they can get a lot of water spray when mobile. A quick inspection of the relays and fuses and their input and output terminals for corrosion might yield a result as this is often a cause of 12v issues and is easy to rectify. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 Opened the bonnet this morning and removed the small cover in the middle. Found a relay, charge relay and a fuse panel with three fuses. A 15A was blown. Replace fuse and now all working as it should. Thanks for the help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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