Caravan Electrics

[davew]

This is a real shot in the dark but, if you have a caravan built between 1997 and 2000, could you check to see what make/model the Combined power Unit is ?

I'm trying to find a wiring diagram for our caravan. The wiring diagram in the handbook is, for some reason, the 1996 version and bears little relation to what's actually fitted. We have a "CPU2UK" model combined power unit which uses an ECM control panel/switch.

1998 (the year our van was made) was a changeover year so it appears that we have the post 1998 power unit and a pre-1998 manual/circuit diagram.

[Matthews]

Dave , the relay's supposed to kill all electrics apart from fridge and battery charge when engine's running , something to do with rearward whit lights and road traffic regs , red tape gone mad again .
Matthew

[Rugratnav]

Dave,

Brian Hartley here using Mr Pickles computer. For reasons that escape me now I had the dubious pleasure of owning a caravan repair company several years ago and whilst I didn’t actually do any electrical work I did pick up a few pointers and still have a few books etc which ‘may’ be of use if you need spares or repairs.

What exactly is the problem with the electrics? Distribution boards were often made in Hull and ‘plug in’ electrics were one of the main suppliers. Electrical diagrams were never ever accurate but the wiring systems up to about 2002 were reasonably simple until the advent of electronics, (where have you heard that before?)

Regards

BH

[davew]

Hi Brian,

I managed to "fix" the problem once I started ignoring the wiring diagram supplied with the caravan. The fridge was being powered from the vehicle but the battery wasn't being charged and the caravan interior lights all went out whenever the tow vehicle was connected.

In the end I put the interior lights thing down to a "safety feature" to stop the van being towed with interior lights on and the battery not charging was due to me wiring the tow vehicle to match the caravan manual rather than wiring it to support a post 1998 caravan. Once I wired it to support pre and post 98 wiring it all worked OK.

I was/am keeping an eye out for a wiring diagram that actually bears some passing resemblance to the actual wiring in the van for future use should anything go wrong with it.

cheers

Dave