Removing interior trim etc ?

mayk19 · Post by **mayk19** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:02 pm

Hiya,

Well I fitted our flip down TV this weekend. Basically it bolts to the roof so its easy to pop up top and bolt to the roof. I routed the cables up into the roof so they can sit below the matress base. For now I've just put a long lead from the +/- 12v to a cig lighter plug, so when we use it we just run the wire downstairs. I want to make this cleaner / neater and more permenant.
Our van is a wellhouse conversion so there is a 12V socket behind the drivers seat, question is how easy is it to remove trim to route cabling ? I'm thinking of drilling through the roof and down the trim where the drivers seatbelt is and straight into the back of the 12v socket down there.

ta.

andyh · Post by **andyh** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:36 pm

Was just planning on doing the same... Did you just drill through the roof to fit? Any problems? What unit did you go for? Sorry I cant answer the questions - isnt there a 12v feed to the centre courtesy lights? Is it possible to use that? keep me posted!!

Andy

mayk19 · Post by **mayk19** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:56 pm

I fitted one of these http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... mot_widget

Yes I just drilled 4 holes in the roof. Its a little awkward as the roof is not flat but worked out OK. I've not bothered with the ariel yet as I've never had much luck getting signals on campsites etc.

If I used the courtesy light then that would run off the van battery and not the leisure batt though.

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 3:45 pm

mayk19 wrote:If I used the courtesy light then that would run off the van battery and not the leisure batt though.

It's a simple matter to run your lights and cigar lighters from the leisure battery - see Pippin's instructions below:-
Look at the fuse board by the drivers right knee.
Remove the fixing screws and wiggle it forwards so that the rear is visible.

Counting from top left to right the numbering goes 1 to 8.

Fuses 1 to 5 are fed by a thick white/red from fuse BTN under the bonnet, which is always live.
(the fuse, silly, not the bonnet!)

Fuses 6,7,8 are fed only when the ignition is on via the thick red/black wire.
6&7 are curtains L&R, 8 is cigarlighter & mirrors.

1] If you do not have a secondary battery:

You can either select just the cigarlighter/mirrors or probably easier and handier select those and the curtains so that you can operate them without the ignition on.

Cut the thick red/black wire going in a couple of inches from the rear of the fuseholder for 6,7,8. Insulate the end that comes out of the loom.
Use a short length of similarly sized wire to extend the end going into 6,7,8 and tap it into the thick white/red that feeds fuses 1-5.

If you want to select just fuse 8 for the cigarlighter/mirrors then you would have to identify the blue wire coming out of fuse 8, cut that and insulate the end coming out of the fuse 8. The blue wire going into the loom would then need an in-line 15A fuse fitting and then tapping onto the aforementioned thick white/red that feeds fuses 1-5.

2] If you have a secondary battery you may wish to feed things from that rather than from the engine battery.

The instructions above are modified only by disregarding tapping anything into the aforementioned thick white/red that feeds fuses 1-5.
Instead you would need to connect it/them into an appropriately fused wire connected to the secondary battery.

While you are at it you could also feed all the internal vehicle lighting from that source as well.
To do so, cut the blue/red wire coming out of fuse 1 and insulate the end coming out of the fuse. Fit an appropriate 10A inline fuseholder to the end disappearing into the loom and connect it to the secondary battery.

So, there you have it! If in doubt - ASK!

mayk19 · Post by **mayk19** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 3:51 pm

mmmm, thats cool, thanks for those tips. I really wanted to re-route the internal lights to the leisure battery.

ta.

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 3:57 pm

It hardly takes any longer to do, than it takes to read how to do it

I've got the lights, radio and lighter sockets wired up to the leisure battery.

mayk19 · Post by **mayk19** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 4:01 pm

did you put a new wire back in to the Leisure bat or did you find something to tap off ?

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 4:39 pm

I wired direct to the leisure battery (with an in-line fuse) - took the wire through the very large rubber grommet on the bulkhead behind the starter battery - just punched a hole through with a Stanley knife and threaded wire through small slit.

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 5:47 pm

mayk19 wrote:

I've not bothered with the ariel yet as I've never had much luck getting signals on campsites etc.

Tell you what mate - I have. Used a cheap aerial gaffer taped on top of a storm pole which is then taped to a side awning pole and have had some excellent results

Manny · Post by **Manny** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 6:28 pm

Use a satellite system. Perfect reception of free to air channels every time, anywhere in uk. Unless you have large trees in the way!

Manny

jimsmimm · Post by **jimsmimm** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 6:57 pm

I used these instructions to reroute power from my leisure battery to my cigarette lighters and blinds.... as devised by corblimey and parkernorris ..very straight forward and you dont have to cut into the wiring loom... http://tinyurl.com/2p25ft