A Trauma with a Truma (Help)

[Notmyvan]

Last week I bought a 2013 Coachman Caravan from a dealer .
I paid a lot of money to have a Power Mover fitted. They also were to fit a new battery, so
obviously they have altered the electrics. When the previous owners battery was still on I was
shown the sequence of setting up the Truma heating etc so obviously there was no "Connection Error" then

After it was delivered I noticed that the Truma Display showed "Operation Fault, Battery Flat"
and now the display alternates between Battery Flat and "Connection Error"
The display showed that the voltage was just under 12 volt.
Anyway I connected the caravan plug to the back of the car and ran the engine for 4 hours and it did not show
any increase from just below 12 volt.

Could anyone give advice please as to what this means as obviously when we get to the site we will be using the mains electricity
but it dosent get round the "Connection Error"

 

[ProfJohnL]

Last week I bought a 2013 Coachman Caravan from a dealer .
I paid a lot of money to have a Power Mover fitted. They also were to fit a new battery, so
obviously they have altered the electrics. When the previous owners battery was still on I was
shown the sequence of setting up the Truma heating etc so obviously there was no "Connection Error" then

After it was delivered I noticed that the Truma Display showed "Operation Fault, Battery Flat"
and now the display alternates between Battery Flat and "Connection Error"
The display showed that the voltage was just under 12 volt.
Anyway I connected the caravan plug to the back of the car and ran the engine for 4 hours and it did not show
any increase from just below 12 volt.

Could anyone give advice please as to what this means as obviously when we get to the site we will be using the mains electricity
but it dosent get round the "Connection Error"

If as you say the dealer has altered the wiring, then it will be virtually impossible for us to second guess what they might have done and how it might have caused your problem.

The only thing I can safely suggest is to check all the caravan fuses.

Basically It is the dealers responsibility to ensure any work they do is satisfactory, and also as you have only just purchased the caravan from them , you should be referring the problem to them.

 

[otherclive]

I’m not sure hooking the caravan up to the car and runnning it for a prolonged period would charge the caravan battery, especially if the car was only on tick over. The alternator output and voltage drop along the wiring might not be adequate to charge the caravan.

 

[Notmyvan]

I’m not sure hooking the caravan up to the car and runnning it for a prolonged period would charge the caravan battery, especially if the car was only on tick over. The alternator output and voltage drop along the wiring might not be adequate to charge the caravan.

Thanks, I have probably had more experience of flat batteries than the Caravan Dealer I bought the Caravan from as I was an MOT Tester in 1964 and what I did when I connected the car to the Caravan I put a weight on the accelerator pedal to increase the revs, so it should have sent a charge to the Caravan Battery,

 

[figbat]

This assumes your car is wired to provide a battery charging current. Did you check the voltage at the battery when the car was ‘charging’ it? A dedicated battery charger would be the best bet, either built in to the van and powered by the EHU or an external one.

 

[bertieboy1]

Last week I bought a 2013 Coachman Caravan from a dealer .
I paid a lot of money to have a Power Mover fitted. They also were to fit a new battery, so
obviously they have altered the electrics. When the previous owners battery was still on I was
shown the sequence of setting up the Truma heating etc so obviously there was no "Connection Error" then

After it was delivered I noticed that the Truma Display showed "Operation Fault, Battery Flat"
and now the display alternates between Battery Flat and "Connection Error"
The display showed that the voltage was just under 12 volt.
Anyway I connected the caravan plug to the back of the car and ran the engine for 4 hours and it did not show
any increase from just below 12 volt.

Could anyone give advice please as to what this means as obviously when we get to the site we will be using the mains electricity
but it dosent get round the "Connection Error"

Are you sure a new battery has been installed.

 

[bertieboy1]

Last week I bought a 2013 Coachman Caravan from a dealer .
I paid a lot of money to have a Power Mover fitted. They also were to fit a new battery, so
obviously they have altered the electrics. When the previous owners battery was still on I was
shown the sequence of setting up the Truma heating etc so obviously there was no "Connection Error" then

After it was delivered I noticed that the Truma Display showed "Operation Fault, Battery Flat"
and now the display alternates between Battery Flat and "Connection Error"
The display showed that the voltage was just under 12 volt.
Anyway I connected the caravan plug to the back of the car and ran the engine for 4 hours and it did not show
any increase from just below 12 volt.

Could anyone give advice please as to what this means as obviously when we get to the site we will be using the mains electricity
but it dosent get round the "Connection Error"

To fit a motor mover and change the battery does not mean electric wiring has to be altered.When a mover is fitted additional wiring is installed and existing wiring does not required to be altered.
Changing a battery obviously does not require any wiring changes.

 

[Notmyvan]

This assumes your car is wired to provide a battery charging current. Did you check the voltage at the battery when the car was ‘charging’ it? A dedicated battery charger would be the best bet, either built in to the van and powered by the EHU or an external one.

Thanks, I am hoping to connect the caravan to mains electrics and see if the caravan battery charger increases the voltage, but will the "Connection Error" message disappear

 

[ProfJohnL]

Some modern cars do not put out a charging current, if the cars own battery is fully charged Its one of those fuel efficiency things.

It will certainly be worth trying the caravans EHU mains connection and built in 12V power supply/charger.

 

[Notmyvan]

Are you sure a new battery has been installed.

Well it looked new, and in the area on the top of the battery where a dealer has to mark the date of sale, there were no markings, obviously the service department at the time was under pressure as they also did not check the tyre pressures, as if they had they would have found that the metal the valve caps had stuck to the brass valve stems and could not been undone. I continue to find faults.

 

[Raywood]

If the work was done by a dealer then surely you need to approach them and ask them to correct whatever the fault is.

 

[Notmyvan]

I rang Truma and found out that the display which says "Connection Fault & Flat Battery" is misleading, It basically says there is a fault.
It appears that at the rear of the unit if there is a Red Flashing Light Diode and whilst on the phone to Truma you read out the sequence of the flashing light (quick flash, quick flash, long flash, space etc, ) that will tell them its FAULT CODE 69. Which is a faulty Circulating Air Motor.
And as the Connection Fault & Flat Battery was evident on the display when they delivered it, it was faulty at the time of sale.

 

[otherclive]

I rang Truma and found out that the display which says "Connection Fault & Flat Battery" is misleading, It basically says there is a fault.
It appears that at the rear of the unit if there is a Red Flashing Light Diode and whilst on the phone to Truma you read out the sequence of the flashing light (quick flash, quick flash, long flash, space etc, ) that will tell them its FAULT CODE 69. Which is a faulty Circulating Air Motor.
And as the Connection Fault & Flat Battery was evident on the display when they delivered it, it was faulty at the time of sale.

That’s excellent support from Truma.

 

[audiorob]

I suppose that as you have lost confidence in the pdi carried out by the dealer you could pay a mobile tech to inspect the caravan and then go back to the dealer to have any list of faults corrected while still a recent purchase.

 

[Hutch]

On my Coachman I sometimes when setting up have the same fault code, I have found that by cycleing the heater circuit breaker The Heater system all works perfectly.

 

[Notmyvan]

I suppose that as you have lost confidence in the pdi carried out by the dealer you could pay a mobile tech to inspect the caravan and then go back to the dealer to have any list of faults corrected while still a recent purchase.

Yes, I wish I could find one. Although there is one near me and wanted £270 to come and have a look at it.

 

[Notmyvan]

On my Coachman I sometimes when setting up have the same fault code, I have found that by cycleing the heater circuit breaker The Heater system all works perfectly.

Yes I have pulled all the fuses out and checked them. Also switched the circuit breakers of and on. Pressed the re-set button on top of the heater.

 

[audiorob]

Good grief that’s more than I paid for a full service which was about 4 hours work!

 

[Buckman]

Yes, I wish I could find one. Although there is one near me and wanted £270 to come and have a look at it.

See here for a technician. https://www.approvedworkshops.co.uk/find-approved-workshop