TinaL Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Just about to go off for two weeks in our Auto Trail Dakota. I looked at the solar panel today and it was flashing E13. That caused paper rustling and head scratching. We pondered what we had done yesterday since it was fine, and remembered we had plugged in my 12v hairdrier which briefly whirred and stopped within a second. We tried it in the other 12v socket and it didn't work. At the time we assumed the hairdrier was at fault. Then today we suddenly thought, hm, does the portable water pump work (it always has) and it didn't. That led us to fuses and we checked and found nothing wrong. So, assuming the solar panel and 12v sockets are "sort of together" (forgive me I'm computer literate but not electrically inclined and my husband is neither!! Any ideas please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Welcome to the madhouse Tina! Don't know what E13 means - what does the blurb say? Do the lights, heater fan and water pump still work - if so ignore the next step! Did you also check the fuses that are possibly inline on the battery cable possibly close to where it leaves the positive battery terminal? That would also possibly prevent the solar panel charge from reaching the battery as they may well share a common cable - possibly? Probably 20 or 30 amp fuses but could have been blown by a 12v hairdryer possibly? 12v sockets are usually rated and fused at 15 amps - what does the 12v hairdryer say for either amps or watts? Out of interest - does it actually work at drying your hair? Can't be more specific as I don't know your van's electrical layout. Does the solar panel have a regulator and are all the connections secure? Do you have a test meter or 12v circuit testing light to check whether the battery voltage is OK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinaL Posted April 9, 2010 Author Share Posted April 9, 2010 Thanks Tracker, a few things to check tomorrow. As a point of interest, the hairdrier is almost useless and I wish I hadn't plugged it in! The E13 error as far as I remember indicates charge broken. All the connections were fine, but my husband does think he will check near the batteries tomorrow. All the lights work. We are fated, last year in the Mohican that we had then; we had a flood from the pump springing a leak, I managed to dislodge a window which flew onto the ground amusing our French neighbour. I should perhaps have my arms lashed to my side except when preparing a meal!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 TinaL From what you have written, it seems that you may have a Steca Solar Controller in the PR series. If this is so then an E13 error means that: "No battery connected or connection interrupted" and that "Supply only by solar module. Connect battery to regulator and check battery fuse" In other words, you have blown a fuse from the battery somewhere, probably as a result of using the hair drier and will have to find it. Sorry but I cannot help with location as I am not familiar with your type of van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Tina, Auto Trail fit a main battery fuse close to the leisure battery, that should be the first place to check in the morning as it sounds from Michaels description that this is the fuse you have blown. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinaL Posted April 10, 2010 Author Share Posted April 10, 2010 Wow this forum is fantastic. Thanks for the advice received. We are sorted and now have a box of 120 assorted fuses which cost £2.50. After I put the new fuse in I bounded in to look in the wardrobe and low and behold the solar panel is working and the 12v pump worked too. I feel very chuffed, must be the cheapest repair we have ever carried out. Simple when you know how. Thanks to all. Tina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 If the lights work then it suggests that the fuse close to the battery is intact - in which case might you check the 12v socket fuse again to ensure it/they are intact. Some types of fuse can look ok to the casual glance but can still be kaput and the only way to be sure is to try a different fuse that is known to be good. Does all the other inbuilt 12v kit like water pump, fridge ignition and heater blower work OK? The solar panel issue suggests that the input might be direct to the battery and might also be fused close to the battery or somewhere between battery and regulator? A test multimeter or even 12v test probe using a bulb would help locate what is live and what is not - might be worth getting one or other for future use as it does make fault finding that much less difficult. You're not blonde are you Tina by any chance - as that might explain disaster prone! I understand blonde syndrome being married to a lovely blonde lady myself - although I have yet to master thinking and talking in blonde I do know about disater prone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 Tinal, Be aware of cheap fuses. These can run hot causing premature failure of the fuse holder and connecting wiring and terminations. Cheap fuses frequently use a steel or copper fuse element which has to get very hot to make it blow, so under NORMAL conditions still generates a fair amount of heat which over time causes the surrounding components to deteriorate. QUALITY fuses use a woods metal or similar very low melting point fuse element so only require a little heat to cause them to blow. Correspondingly they run almost cool during normal operation. Cheapest is not always the best way. OK C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinaL Posted April 11, 2010 Author Share Posted April 11, 2010 Clive Thanks for the tip re cheap fuses, and ours were obviously very cheap! They came from a local shop which caters to a large caravsan park in Cleethorpes. We aregoing to the show in Peterborough so I guess we will look for better quality fuses. As a extra point, my husband was looking at the wiring diagrams supplied by Auto Trail and noticed that the 12v fuse is supposed to be 10 but is actually a 5, so being slightly "blonde" is it ok to replace the 5 with a 10? Tina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinaL Posted April 11, 2010 Author Share Posted April 11, 2010 Tracker Thanks for advice. Everything seems to be working. We have delayed leaving by a day, but will be off tomorrow. I am indeed slightly blonde, courtesy of my hairdresser, to accompany the grey! We changed our Mohican for this Dakota at the Lincoln Show despite agreeing with each other that we wouldn't. We had just spent a month in France and we were sick of pinching our fingers making and unmaking the bed every day. So the Dakota was changed and now we have a fixed bed. That was last October and as of today we have only slept three nights in it. We did try to have a break before but had to be recovered by the RAC which caused some interest at the campsite in Slimbridge because the RAC sent two low loaders which were too small so it took nearly all day before the right one arrived. The site of a largish motorhome going up and down is I think fairly unusual, and one lady told me it was the highlight of the weekend! Oh and the problem, just a loose electrical connection (there's that word again) under the dash board. That's another long story of no interest here. Thanks again. I know where to come for advice now. Tina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 TinaL - 2010-04-11 9:01 AM the 12v fuse is supposed to be 10 but is actually a 5, so being slightly "blonde" is it ok to replace the 5 with a 10? Tina Tina, Which fuse are you referring to as the main battery fuse on our Cheyenne is 20 amp? If you are still struggling for info try calling Sargent electrical tomorrow as they supply the electrical systems to AT. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 Tina, with apologies for an oblique reply, but if a fuse if overloaded, it overheats and melts, or "blows". The fuse is there to "take the hit" and prevent the wiring of the circuit it controls behaving in the same way, should the circuit be overloaded. So, if a fuse is changed for one of a higher rating, it will create the potential risk of overheated, possibly melted, wiring and a consequent fire risk. To answer your question, it is not, therefore, a good idea to up rate the fuse, unless you are absolutely certain the wiring can take the load.As you seem to have had some electrical problems with this van, and you seem to have changed it fairly quickly last year, is it possibly second-hand, and might a previous owner have been "playing" with the electrics? There is no danger in inserting a low rated fuse into a high rated circuit, but it is an odd thing to do, so one wonders why it was done - possibly because the circuit has been DIY altered using lighter gauge wire somewhere? As it seems you are possibly both a bit rusty on the theory, I wonder if it would be wise to get a competent motorhome electrical specialist to have a look at what has been installed, and how, just in case? Better safe than sorry?Keith is right, the main fuse at the battery will be at least 20A, and I would expect it to be this that is causing the problem with charging. If replacing a 5A fuse has fixed the charging problem, and brought all the other circuits back to life, something else seems to be going on. I wonder if that circuit merely feeds an isolating relay for the 12V system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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