BATTERY DEAD?

[Fraseb01]

Hi All, my friend has an old 2001 caravan it is in very good condition spotless and bone dry, she asked me about her battery as when she un plugs it from the 240 mains the needle drops in the red on her caravan display.

There ia a rocker switch on the front which has options for car at top or caravan at bottom , i presume this must be in the caravan position when in normal use, will this also charge in this position?

Sorry for being so vague but i have no idea as i am new to caravaning and only used to my swift set up.

I will go round tomorrow and check her battery with my tester.

Cheers.

 

[Damian]

When on hookup as long as the battery charger is ON and working then it should charge the battery.
If the battery charger is not working, then as soon as you disconnect the mains , you lose the 12v as well.

It depends on the make of van and what power distribution system is fitted as to what the problem may be.
The first place to look is the in line main fuse on the positive cable near the battery.

Then if that looks OK, (better to test it with a multimeter to be sure) then see what, if any, power there is at the battery terminals. Then connect the mains and ensure the cahrger is ON and then recheck the voltage at the battery terminals.

If you make a note of what distribution system the van has, it would help a lot, some photos would be even better.

 

[Fraseb01]

Cheers, all i know is its a 2 bert abbey, unsure what model.

Will check tomorrow i would bet she hasn't put the charger on wherever this may be located.

Many Thanks.

 

[Damian]

As you have now given the make of van, I believe the power distribution system is Nordelettronica.

If it is this system then they are well known to be very problematic and the very best people to advise on what is wrong will be Apuljack Engineering ( http://www.apuljackengineering.co.uk/ ).

However, they will assume that you know where different parts are in the van as they will talk you through some checks whilst you carry them out in the van.

 

[Fraseb01]

Hi, found out location and checked charger, loose connection sorted battery fully charged and my Friend is away today to enjoy 4 or 5 day break .👍👍👍

 

[Damian]

Well done.