nicolasblackhurst Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 Hi, I haven't started my Eldiss Autoquest 100 2005 for a couple of months but the van battery has been on charge via built in mains charger. I went out this afternoon to start it to make sure it would be ok for tomorrow but found that the electrics are completely dead. It does show how much water is in the tank and the lights inside work but the vans panel doesn't light up. When I first went out and pressed the fob to open the doors there was a slight noise from the door lock but it didn't open and I had to open the doors with the key. I have checked the fuses under the seat, ignition, etc. but all seem to be ok. Does anybody have any idea what I could check to see what the problem is, please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 Hi Nicolas, I'll start the ball rolling by saying I suspect your 'mains charger' only charges the habitation battery and NOT the starter battery. Hence why you have interior lights working but your central locking didn't! You need to check the voltage of the starter battery and recharge if necessary with a good stand alone charger. I would not recharge a flat battery with your on-board mains charger for fear of damaging it. What is the model of Fiat your Elddis is based on? Your avatar photo shows an X2/50 but I didn't think they where launched until 2007 so I'm a little confused. The different models have the starter battery in different locations! Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 It's been a few years since we owned one but I seem to that recall that, when on ehu, the 2007 Compass(Eldiss) 120 Avantgarde (on an X250 Pug)we had, did only charge the hab' battery (I think?) It had a quite rudimentary array of rocker switches and gauges(rather than a swanky integral control panel) ..but the switch marked VEH/HAB (again, I think it was?) on ours only selected which battery to DRAW from and not which one got charged.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanb Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 nicolasblackhurst - 2017-10-17 5:41 PM It does show how much water is in the tank and the lights inside work but the vans panel doesn't light up. When I first went out and pressed the fob to open the doors there was a slight noise from the door lock but it didn't open and I had to open the doors with the key. I have checked the fuses under the seat, ignition, etc. but all seem to be ok. Does anybody have any idea what I could check to see what the problem is, please? You do not make it entirely clear but by "vans panel" I assume that you are referring to the base vehicle instrument panel. I must agree with Keithl that your vehicle battery is flat. If this battery is the original 2005 fitment, it could have reached the end of its usfull life. I would recommend that you consider replacing it. If as been suggested the on board charger does not charge the starter battery, some means of maintaining the starter battery, such as a small solar panel could be usefull. Another option would be to fit a battery disconnection device, as there is a constant small drain on the starter battery. (We managed to get approximately a 14 year life from a starter battery in a diesel Astra Estate. The vehicle was however used several times a week. The battery eventually failed quite suddenly, although we had expected some noticeable increasing reluctance to start the engine.) Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicolasblackhurst Posted October 18, 2017 Author Share Posted October 18, 2017 Thank you for your replies. It does charge the vans battery when on mains. There is a fuse which has to be moved to a different fuse holder which then transfers the charge from the leisure batteries to the vans battery and usually it does keep the van battery fully charged. I feel that there is something else wrong rather than flat batteries. Yes when I was talking about the panel I did mean the instrument panel on the dashboard and it was completely dead, no lights, nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 nicolasblackhurst - 2017-10-18 10:27 AM Thank you for your replies. It does charge the vans battery when on mains. There is a fuse which has to be moved to a different fuse holder which then transfers the charge from the leisure batteries to the vans battery and usually it does keep the van battery fully charged. I feel that there is something else wrong rather than flat batteries. Yes when I was talking about the panel I did mean the instrument panel on the dashboard and it was completely dead, no lights, nothing. Hi Nicolas, So the charging fuse you have is probably Clive Mott's 'Battery Bridging Fuse' as shown here... http://www.motts.org/BRIDGING%20FUSE.htm Are you sure the fuse hasn't blown or a wire come disconnected as this will allow your starter battery to run down? Have you checked actual voltage at the battery terminals with a multimeter? If not it would be worth beg, steal or borrowing one to measure the battery voltage. You can get one for around a tenner from the likes of Maplin or B&Q if you don't have one. Let us know the battery voltage and we'll be able to help more. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanb Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 Hi Nicolas, In general, again I agree with Keithl's post above, but I am not sure that he is correct in his deduction that you have a bridging fuse between the batteries. This would allow you to charge either the habitation battery, or both batteries. Your description suggests that you can charge either but not both batteries, but it could be me who has not understood you correctly. In any event paragraphs one and five of Clive Motts article, are worth taking a particular note of. If I have understood you original post correctly, nothing in the base vehicle functions. That is no road lights etc, and presumably it will not start. On the other hand the habitation side is functioning normally, that is interior lights, water pump etc are all OK. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 I had a 56 reg Elddis Autoquest 120 and had to use a second charger to charge the engine battery. So it is likely that the Clive Mott 'fix' is a correct assumption (unless something more convoluted has been dreamt up). It is very difficult to give an answer with the details supplied, so I would recommend an Auto Electrician or a visit to a motorhome repair facility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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