caravan electrics 12v

[moose]

I have a Abbey Spectrum 620, about 1991, I at the weekend(land rover show) was trying to get the three way fridge to run on gas, never tried it before, nearly all the time we pay for hook up.

This is a three way fridge so it can run on 240v, 12v or gas, for the gas it has an auto ignition, ie don't have to keep pressing Prezzo, switch on to gas and it should start, but the light on the ignition is suppose to flash when trying to light and it don't.

So back home, took the sink out to get to the top of the fridge, can see the mains going in, can see the 12v, and I can see the 12v for the ignition, (both have a poss and Neg) put a meter across the two 12v feeds and I have power at the ignitor, but not at the 12v.

My question is can I run a 12v Poss across to the 12v (the neg works fine).

I am assuming the 12v feed needs power to run on 12v but am guessing it also needs to have 12v to run on the gas? but I might be wrong.

Now the other problem is this model of caravan was suppose to have a magic box Macs 5/12 which is a transformer. The box is under the seat I have checked to see if the fuses are ok, and they seem ok only 2! there is another fuse, by a connector I have checked that and that seems ok, but there does not seem to be any other 12v fuses, looking in the hand book that seems right, but to me the transformer, is sat at the front of the caravan under a bench and the battery and mains power is behind the rear axle double axle), there are trips for mains (in a consumer box).

 

[bourbon]

Keep searching for other fuses, caravans have them in some awkward stupid places

 

[Cobbler]

Keep searching for other fuses, caravans have them in some awkward stupid places

Your not kidding there, I was asked for help on a site at St Ives, guy had lost all 12 volt electrics. He kept telling me there were no more fuses, but I had 12volts at one end of the wire, but nothing at the other. I eventually found another fuse under the bed, the only way to it was through the locker on the side of the bed. It was right at the far side & I could just reach it led on the floor at full stretch. I can only think it was fitted there to give the dealers work as it was so difficult to find. It could have easily been fitted in the battery locker on the other side of the panel

 

[moose]

Even the hand book does not mention any other fuses, will try again

 

[heldtogetherwithblutack]

one of my old vans the 12v fridge was run though the white aux 7 pin connector to keep it cold during travel.
fridge soon drained the leisure batteries when I had the not so bright idea to tee the fridge onto the 12v leisure circuit.
this might help

 

[earthman]

one of my old vans the 12v fridge was run though the white aux 7 pin connector to keep it cold during travel.
fridge soon drained the leisure batteries when I had the not so bright idea to tee the fridge onto the 12v leisure circuit.
this might help

That diagram reminds me of the nightmare I had trying to sort out my German made camper, they wire up that 13 pin plug totally different to us. Lol

 

[baldy]

Ok, the fridge has 240v input to a heating coil to heat the coolant gas and make the fridge work. easy. Next a 12v ignition controlled feed from the car feeds a heating coil to heat the cooling gas just like 240volt does ,but its about 10amp dc12v, so if you run this from your leisure battery with the engine off, it will be dead in no time. so the fridge can run on calor gas, however it requires permanent 12 volts,(from the leisure batt) to operate the electronics to control the calor gas. its not much current at all , a tiny amount,but its the there to run the ecu to control the flame ignition, flame monitoring and to control the calor gas valve. So you should have 240v, switched 12v from the car with the engine running, perm 12volts and LPG .HTH

 

[piman]

Hello Moose,

as you have power to the ignitor, check at the burner. Certainly my camper van fridge after a winter layup has rust particles in the burner from the flue. It coul;d be that the ignitor has some rust shorting it so it's not sparking?

Alec

 

[baldy]

The other thing as well is i bet youll find the gas in the pipe up to the fridge has gone stale.

 

[moose]

Hi All thanks for comments,

Baldy so if I connect a + from another feed or even could I loop the ignition lead across to the fridge 12v side. Would that do it.

Believe we might have caused an issue with the charger when we plugged in the car (12s plug) to the caravan, which was a one off, and have never used it since!

Hopping to have another look for fuses tomorrow, but even the book does not say anything, but we now realise we are missing what they call the soft control panel!

 

[moose]

Hi All,

There are no fuses in the rest of the van, has three 240v in a consumer unit and the transformer that has two build in and separate one, we believe we hav found were the soft control panel possibly was at some point.