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Help required NO 12v


w1ntersun

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Hi,

I am in Spain at the moment and a fellow camper has a problem.

He has a autotrail cheyanne 2003.With a sargent psu 2007.

 

240v into van of and all 240v works

12v from leisure batteries into van showing 13.9v and being charged

control panel says system disabled engine running

he has no 12v anywhere in van

 

We have checked all fused and relays appear to be ok.we have stared and stopped the engine with no differencew to above.

 

If he disconects the control panel. when he reconnects the lights come on for a fraction of a second then it reverts to as above

 

we have emailed sargent electricals via there website but support is closed till monday. the email was returned as bad

 

Any had a similar problem who could help please. We are near Cadiz if the is a local agent down here.

 

Richatd

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Hi Richard,

 

It sounds to me like his Split charge relay has stuck closed and consequently the panel constantly thinks the engine is running.

The relay should be located near the vehicle battery under the bonnet (it is on our Merc based Cheyenne). There will probably be 2 relays, with the engine off unplug each one in turn and see if the 'system disabled' message goes away.

If it does then he will need a new relay as without it he will have no split charge to the leisure battery.

 

HTH or post the results.

Keith.

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Guest Tracker

We had a similar problem and, after checking everything else, it eventually resulted in a new 'exchange' control panel from Sargents.

 

If anyone on site has an identical setup you could try switching the control panels as final proof as they are very easy to remove and refit?

 

I think Sargents will send to an overseas address for you but no doubt they will probably want a deposit pending return of the old unit. It can be done online but a phone call to them might be quicker?

 

When ours went on the blink I jury rigged a 12v lead to feed the water pump direct from the leisure battery and we used site mains to run the heating and lighting and tv etc pro tem.

 

This is the link to Sargent Tech help - or tel (UK) 01482 678981 if the www fails you.

 

http://sargentshop.co.uk/Technical-Support

 

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Keithl - 2011-01-08 10:10 AM

There will probably be 2 relays, with the engine off unplug each one in turn and see if the 'system disabled' message goes away.

 

Richard,

 

I've just looked at the wiring diagram for a 2003 Cheyenne and the relay with Brown/Blue wiring is the split charge relay and the other with Red/Yellow wiring is the fridge feed relay.

 

If removing the Brown/Blue relay cures the problem then try 'borrowing' the fridge relay to get the electrics working but DO NOT put the duff relay into the fridge circuit as he may very quickly get a flat vehicle battery. He could then have a choice of charging leisure battery OR running fridge when driving. I suppose this depends on whether he is using EHU or not to keep leisure battery charged or needs his fridge on when driving.

 

Keith.

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w1ntersun - 2011-01-08 8:04 AM

 

 

Any had a similar problem who could help please. We are near Cadiz if the is a local agent down here.

 

Richatd

 

 

I doubt that Sargents will have any agents in Cadiz, best bet is to follow 'Trackers' link. Good luck ! Ray

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Thanks for all the comments and here is an update.

 

Unplugged the control panel and cleaned the contacts and plugged back in and IT,s WORKING.

 

Problem we have now is that the system only works if the 12v charger is switched on. As soon as the charger is switch off voltage goes down to zero. Even on hookup. Batteries show good voltage and don,t drop when the charger is off. but the habitation voltage does.

 

Re the engine compartment relays. The engine has been off for a week when this fault started

 

Its lovely and sunny here so we are having a glass of wine while we ponder over it

 

Richard

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Richard,

 

When you say 'Batteries show good voltage' how are you measuring them?

If with a DVM across their terminals then am I right in assuming the control panel shows the leisure battery as Zero volts with the PSU charger turned off?

Have you tried selecting the engine battery with the control panel? It's the button to the right of the On/Off if you're not sure and it's LED lights up red when selected to engine. What happens then to voltage readings?

I'm starting to suspect that he may have lost the main power connection from the leisure battery to the PSU. Have you checked the fuse at the Leisure battery? It's a 20A in-line right by the battery.

 

Again let us know how you get on and we'll see if we can help any more.

Keith.

 

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At last found the fault a connector to the fuse on the battery was loosly crimped. When we pulled the battery out all appeared well but when we pushed the battery into the comparment it became loose.

 

 

 

Thanks for all replies and he is now a happy camper

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