Guest Peter Gibson Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 I am new to the forum and would be extremely grateful for advice concerning an electrical problem with my motorhome - a MCLOUIS Tandy 672 on a FIAT Ducato 2.3 Multijet base vehicle - registered 30/11/2009. I had to replace the leisure battery (after at least 5 years) - replaced with a Banner 100/110 Amph. Everything worked perfectly over a 10 day holiday and some 600 miles until an acrid smell started to come from under the driver's seat when travelling - no sign of heat, melted wires etc. The battery was returned to the supplier - they ran drop test, fitted a vent tube, and declared the battery to be in perfect condition. I replaced the battery but the problem did not go away. By a process of elimination, the smell only seems to happen when the engine is running and the fridge is set to "on" in the leisure battery mode - i.e. for travelling. Any other format - "hook-up + fridge on" or, "engine running + fridge off" - no problems at all. The fault was checked By Perthshire Caravans - I was told the new BANNER leisure battery had "boiled" and another new battery had been fitted! I was surprised given that the motorhome had not been used since the "new" Banner battery had been checked and declared in perfect condition. When returning home with a second new battery I discovered the same problem - acrid smell from under the seat only when in ENGINE RUNNING + FRIDGE ON LEISURE BATTERY MODE! I complained to Perthshire Caravans suggesting that they had only dealt with the EFFECT but not the CAUSE of the problem. Their answer was I should take the vehicle to be checked by FIAT because it would certainly be a "FIAT van" problem rather than habitation - a faulty alternator. I found this hard to believe as the rest of the vehicle's functions are all working well. The FIAT dealer has checked the alternator, battery or charging - all in good order. To date I have spent £300 on two new leisure batteries (including the fitting for the second one) and a further £54 for having the FIAT part checked, and I am still no further forward with solving my problem!! Could anyone please shed some light? Many thanks in advance for your help. For information I have addressed this problem to mmmtech but not sure if it was received - (I sent directly not through forum). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 If it was an alternator fault the starter battery would have suffered the same fate so I would agree nothing wrong with the Fiat side. The normal arrangement is to charge the leisure battery via a split charge relay, which is a relay that is turned on only when the engine is running and when on it connects the leisure battery to the starter battery, in practice the leisure battery will charge at a lower rate than the starter battery due to the volt drop across the connecting cables. With this arrangement, it is very unlikely to overcharge the leisure battery. A similar relay is used to power the fridge when driving. Have you or a previous owner fitted a Battery to Battery charger or similar device and has this unit developed a fault? Are you absolutely certain it only happens when the engine is running and the fridge is running from 12v? There another possibility is a fault with the fridge/split charge rely sometimes they are a combined unit or in some cases built into the main charger (Elektroblock do this) the battery is not getting charged and the fridge is flattening the battery to the extent of buckling the plates and when you turn the fridge off the alternator is trying to charge a knackered battery. If it was a fridge fault I would have expected it to take out the fuse in the circuit. All this is a bit of guess work, if you have a multimeter check the voltage at the leisure battery with the engine running should be no more than 14.5 v max., normally 14 - 14.2v Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter Gibson Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Thanks ever so much Lenny for your speedy reply. To answer your question, I have had the motorhome since new and there has not been a Battery-to-Batterry device fitted. I also figured if the fridge had a fault the fuse should activate but I shall re-check. I shall do exactly as you suggested re checking voltage at leisure battery with the engine running. Thanks again for your help - much appreciated. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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