wiring nightmare

[pud]

had a look around the bongo today to find why the fridge wasnt working. it was apparently run to a switch by a previous owner, for whatever reason. and then this switch was disconnected by another previous owner. after pulling the cover off and getting the switch out of the dash, i found a wire running from the cigarette lighter. this doesnt work either. ive looked on here and have now got an idea about split chargers etc so ill have a better look tomorrow and see if there is one fitted. also to try and make sense of the wiring, which is a complete mess with bare wires hanging under the dash and a load of choc blocks and cheap crimps.

im going to try and trace back the wires from the fridge and disconnect/reconnect directly to the pms3v unit. with a direct connection to the unit, the fridge will work be on when the van is running and be off the the van is off, from what i gather. would i be able to have it so it is on permanently, unless switched off using the temperature control knob inside the fridge?

[g8dhe]

Its normal to wire the fridge via the PMS3 unit and thence back to the lesiure battery. You fit a Split Charge Relay to keep the LB topped up whilst driving and then when static the LB drives all the 12 volts either via a swap loom or the PMS3. If you plug into EHU then the charger in the PMS3 supplies the 12 volts and charges the LB.

[pud]

Its normal to wire the fridge via the PMS3 unit and thence back to the lesiure battery. You fit a Split Charge Relay to keep the LB topped up whilst driving and then when static the LB drives all the 12 volts either via a swap loom or the PMS3. If you plug into EHU then the charger in the PMS3 supplies the 12 volts and charges the LB.

the lb now charges when plugged into the mains. so far i havent managed to get the interior lights to work, not the one which illuminates when opening the doors. the wiring overall is a complete mess. i still have the 2 starter batteries under the bonnet and then a larger leisure battery under a unit in the back. it looks like im going to have to pull all of the 'added' wiring out and go again from the start. the horn is bodged onto a switch in the dash. the fogs are bodged onto a switch in the dash, which whilst looking for the connections for the 'terminated' fridge switch, decided to erupt into fireworks. i then found the wires connected to a single, bare, exposed fuse. which was probably the reason why my stereo fuse blew earlier after going over a bump. the previous owner was an 'electrician' apparently. god help anyone the has had work done on their homes.

[pud]

also, regarding the fridge. with it wired to the pms unit and then back to the leisure battery, once the split charge circuit has been found or added, the fridge will be on whilst driving and then will remain on whilst the engine is off as long as the leisure battery has sufficient charge. and this will remain on until the leisure battery has too little power or until the van is connected up to mains?

[g8dhe]

Yes, in these cases where there is a nightmare wiring its actually much quicker and easier to remove all added wiring and then to start from scratch, it might seem a bigger job but the time spent trying to sort out old stuff just eats time up and leaves you with nagging doubts

[pud]

ill make a start tomorrow. im considering removing the second sb and replacing with my lb, or another lb and running the lbs i parralell with a split charge kit from the starter battery to the leisure battery in the front, which would charge the two leisure batteries? does this sound right? its all really confusing

[g8dhe]

Unless you have a special requirement for extra power than a single 110AmpHr battery up the front is by far the best option, trying to balance charge and discharge rates across separate batteries in different locations is a bugger to achieve and keep good life to the batteries, it will all work, but the batteries will have a shorter life than expected. Also catering for possible gassing from the cells and sensible venting for internal batteries adds to the fun.

[pud]

Unless you have a special requirement for extra power than a single 110AmpHr battery up the front is by far the best option, trying to balance charge and discharge rates across separate batteries in different locations is a bugger to achieve and keep good life to the batteries, it will all work, but the batteries will have a shorter life than expected. Also catering for possible gassing from the cells and sensible venting for internal batteries adds to the fun.

id not really thought about the technicalities of it, just assumed itd be a case of routing the wires so thanks for that info. ill see if my current leisure battery will fit in the battery tray of the current second starter battery and go from there. then just run a longer wire to the pms unit?

[pud]

Moved the leisure battery under the bonnet. Pulled a load of wiring out and ran new wires to run the fridge straight off the leisure battery and it finally works. Interior led lights now work but the car/van switch illuminates on car even though only. The leisure battery is connected so I'll have to try and work that out when I get a chance