13 pin wiring diagram

[steve2019]

[/url]trailer wiring by Stephen Watson, on Flickr[/img]

So we have taken the plunge and put a deposit on a Caravan, a 2017 Lunar Venus 570/4 which we think will suit us well, Its our first caravan but the missus had her heart set on a transverse island bed (after visiting numerous dealers and looking at what we liked and could afford)
so...the task of getting a towbar fitted happened today after ordering all the bits n bobs over the last couple of weeks including a canbus relay box for the lights, lengths of 13 core cable, A 2nd towball as the one supplied with the towbar was the wrong type (Al-ko stability type hitch needs a towball with more clearance..who knew !!! ) and of course a 13 pin euro socket..
Here's where the fun begins, I am no stranger to car electrics, but this is the first time I have wired in a 13 pins socket, the diagrams that came with the socket were pretty useless and the numbers actually moulded into the socket were so small and badly moulded that I couldn't read them so i scoured the internet for diagrams which I found lots of, The only thing I found that was extremely unclear was which direction the diagrams were facing, they all showed pins 1 to 13 with (mostly) the same colour coded wiring which I had in my length of 13 core cabling, but for the life of me I couldn't fathom out if the diagrams were showing the socket head on (as you look at it from the rear of the car) or from behind the socket where you are actually connecting the wires, some of the diagrams actually showed the plug itself but i found 2 contradicting ones so it was still unclear.
Eventually I got to the bottom of it but I couldn't help thinking these diagrams could be made a lot clearer rather than a 2d circle showing each pin so I drew one up myself to help me locate any future issues and also in case anyone else is having the same problem,
I am not sure if this image will show up on this post, I have uploaded it to Flickr and copied the link to it.

 

[otherclive]

[/url]trailer wiring by Stephen Watson, on Flickr[/img]

So we have taken the plunge and put a deposit on a Caravan, a 2017 Lunar Venus 570/4 which we think will suit us well, Its our first caravan but the missus had her heart set on a transverse island bed (after visiting numerous dealers and looking at what we liked and could afford)
so...the task of getting a towbar fitted happened today after ordering all the bits n bobs over the last couple of weeks including a canbus relay box for the lights, lengths of 13 core cable, A 2nd towball as the one supplied with the towbar was the wrong type (Al-ko stability type hitch needs a towball with more clearance..who knew !!! ) and of course a 13 pin euro socket..
Here's where the fun begins, I am no stranger to car electrics, but this is the first time I have wired in a 13 pins socket, the diagrams that came with the socket were pretty useless and the numbers actually moulded into the socket were so small and badly moulded that I couldn't read them so i scoured the internet for diagrams which I found lots of, The only thing I found that was extremely unclear was which direction the diagrams were facing, they all showed pins 1 to 13 with (mostly) the same colour coded wiring which I had in my length of 13 core cabling, but for the life of me I couldn't fathom out if the diagrams were showing the socket head on (as you look at it from the rear of the car) or from behind the socket where you are actually connecting the wires, some of the diagrams actually showed the plug itself but i found 2 contradicting ones so it was still unclear.
Eventually I got to the bottom of it but I couldn't help thinking these diagrams could be made a lot clearer rather than a 2d circle showing each pin so I drew one up myself to help me locate any future issues and also in case anyone else is having the same problem,
I am not sure if this image will show up on this post, I have uploaded it to Flickr and copied the link to it.

Steve
The link has come through really well. Copyright it

 

[Woodentop]

The pin numbers are also on the inside of the cap and relate to the pins viewed from the cap side (i.e. where you push the plug in.)
Don't forget that if your have a modern car you may need to get the manufacturers wiring kit to ensure you get a properly controlled fridge and battery supply, and you will need to have the ECU reprogrammed so that it knows you have a towbar fitted and does the necessary..

 

[steve2019]

Thanks Woodentop, No numbers on the inside of my cap though, Its all wired in now anyhow...the fridge/battery charge circuit is relatively simple, a positive supply when the engine is running (from the alternator) energizes a simple 4 pin relay that feeds power to the fridge, and i assume the habitation relay is installed in the caravan to switch between the caravans interior lights etc and the fridge?
The canbus bypass relay box takes care of the trailer lights without upsetting the "bulb failure" circuit or overloading the cars wiring to its rear lights. It was a cheap unit I bought from ebay (£20) but it works as it should. (It has been tested on an MOT trailer circuit tester)

 

[Woodentop]

I made the comment about the manufacturers wiring as most cars these days have smart alternators so the old warning light output to switch the relay may not be available or may switch on and off as controlled by the ECU.

Reprogramming the ECU for towing may (or may not) reduce the alternator switching but there's no guarantee. That is why using the proper wiring is better as it should keep fridge power active all the time the engine is running.

 

[Hutch]

When i collected my brand new Santa Fe, with 13 pin Electrics, as Original Equipment. It turns out the tow bar is a Witter, with an Hyundai part Number, After Running in the car for towing as per the handbook 1200 miles. Hooked up the caravan , no power to the caravan electrics, checked it out , they had not connected the earth return. So a 30 minutes on my back and feed an earth from the socket to the car. You should not do a link to the existing earth return on the socket.