Hi can anyone help just bought car with a 13 pin plug my caravan has twin plugs ,going to change to a 13 pin plug, but when i have checked the wiring the number 12 pin says to use the blue wire from the white lead this is for the power to the fridge(ignition control) but the 13 plug wiring diagram says to put short from earth plug to here do i put the fridge wire in with the battery charging wire pin 10
changing caravan towing plug
- Thread starter alunagolf
- Start date
Try this, shows all wiring.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=caravan 13 pin plug wiring diagram&biw=906&bih=747&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiAgc7W56nLAhXDORQKHba8BeYQsAQIGwhttps://www.google.co.uk/search?
You can compare the wiring colours with this.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=caravan 7 pin plug wiring diagram&biw=906&bih=747&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjspvq_6anLAhVFOhQKHVvgCmgQsAQIGw
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=caravan 13 pin plug wiring diagram&biw=906&bih=747&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiAgc7W56nLAhXDORQKHba8BeYQsAQIGwhttps://www.google.co.uk/search?
You can compare the wiring colours with this.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=caravan 7 pin plug wiring diagram&biw=906&bih=747&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjspvq_6anLAhVFOhQKHVvgCmgQsAQIGw
alunagolf said:
No, the configurations of the two systems are different, pin 12 is spare and not connected and both the charge circuit and the fridge feed have their own power and return wires, because the battery perminant feed is live so the van can have 12v from the car to power the internal lights, through the habitation relay, but the fridge is only live when the engine of the tow vehicle is running [this prevents the fridge from draining the vehicle battery] while the unit is stood.
these will be wired already in the car socket, you have to duplicate these connections using the two cables into the caravans new 13pin plug.
you need to use a double entry 13pin plug.
the wires from the black cable 12N plug [road lights] are wired in from pin1 to pin7 as normal.
yellow pin1 L/H indicator
blue pin2 fog lights
white pin3 earth
green pin4 R/H indicator
brown pin5 side lights R/H
red pin6 stop lights
black pin7 side lights L/H
then the the grey/white cable 12S plug runs pin8 to pin 13..
yellow pin8 reversing lamps [probably not needed on an early van]
green pin9 peminant live [and battery charging]
red pin10 switched fridge supply
black pin11 earth return from fridge [pin 10]
pin12 is spare and not required.
white pin 13 earth return from 12v supply [pin 9]
if you don't have reversing lights on the van the only wires that need connecting are the Red, Green, Black, White.
the other 3 wires in the cable, Yellow, Brown, Blue, can be cut back.
and dont forget to zip tie the first foot of cables together after the new plug [prevents one of the cables being pulled out]
hope this helps.
as an aside, I did both conversions on my van, first by using the the two cables into one 13pin plug, but later converted the whole lot to 13 pin by using a standard 13pin plug and 2 mtrs of 13 core cable, under the van was two rows of connectors one for the road lights and the other for the supplementary 12s cable,
I simply used the correct wire colour of the 13 pin configuration straight onto the correct connector terminal for a perminant fix, a single cable was easier to use than two cables.
thanks for the reply , the white lead has 2 ignition control wires for battery (RED) fridge (BLUE) it is the blue that is causing me concern do i put both blue and red in the 10 hole you say to cut off the blue but then i would have no fridge whilst moving Les
just reread the caravan club wiring diagram (typical male did not read the add ons ) blue wire on 12s not used after 1998 who's the numpty
just reread the caravan club wiring diagram (typical male did not read the astericts ) blue wire on 12s not used after 1998 who's the numpty thanks for reply's sorry for wasting every ones time
It's never easy at times, Picked up my new car, Hyundi had fitted the towbar and electrics, but hadn't fitted the earth for the caravan.
We haven't towed the van with the new car yet (factory fitted tow bar and electrics). However we did go over to the storage site and connect the 13 pin connector to check everything. All seems OK and the road test will be when we bring the van home over Easter for its spring clean. We tend not to go away over Bank Holidays because there are too many caravans on the roads!! 
:silly:
:silly:alunagolf said:
hi, it's really not a waste of time, either you know or don't know if you don't it safer to ask there is no problem with that.
caravan wiring has changed quite a few times, from just having one black 12N plug to now one 13pin plug.
and at every stage the wiring to a certain extent will be incompatable with the previous type.
the wiring connections I supplied was for post 1998, as it seemed the most likely, and is the easiest to make it conform to the 13 pin, system.
It can be very expensive changing a plug.
We were away with friends, he mentioned his 13 pin socket on the car was not working properly, it was burnt out on several pins. So we went to a local caravan dealer, to get a new plug, left the girls to look at the new vans, back to the site changed the socket on his car for him, got dragged back to the dealers, and a week later picked up our new van, Kerching, went the till. :blink:
We were away with friends, he mentioned his 13 pin socket on the car was not working properly, it was burnt out on several pins. So we went to a local caravan dealer, to get a new plug, left the girls to look at the new vans, back to the site changed the socket on his car for him, got dragged back to the dealers, and a week later picked up our new van, Kerching, went the till. :blink:
on the wife's instructions have ordered a short 13 pin to twin adapter she's sick of my prating about so we can use caravan at Easter . think I will cut wires underneath caravan joint 13 wire to black and white cables using connector in a sealed box when warm weather arrives.thanks for input
Probably, the best idea, I still carry a 7 pin to 13, adaptor, just in case a friend needs an older van moved,
Remember the earths.
Remember the earths.
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