12 volt ciggie lighter and mirror electrics not working

Technical questions and answers about the Mazda Bongo

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eppiblue
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Re: 12 volt ciggie lighter and mirror electrics not working

Post by eppiblue » Mon Oct 25, 2010 10:36 pm

I will get another photo taken tomorrow, however I think I can provide a bit more detail for your questions.

The blue fused wire goes to the top socket of the 4th from left fuse, you can see arriving into a light blue fastening box via a light blue/green wire and then travels into the top socket as a white and red wire - http://img594.imageshack.us/i/img0623x.jpg/

There were 3 wires connecting to the relay, you can kind of see this in this shot http://img264.imageshack.us/i/img0625x.jpg/

The relay has a spare connection on the left position (86) which could possibly be the unattached wire C, as it is the only loose wire with the appropriate connector?
'Vincent' - 1996 P reg - Green - 2.5 TD - 4WD - Likes: Diesel, Bitumen and Snow.
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eppiblue
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Re: 12 volt ciggie lighter and mirror electrics not working

Post by eppiblue » Tue Oct 26, 2010 7:12 pm

Success! Tied wire A to wire B and plugged wire C connection into position 86 of the relay, and everything working again.

I now have a new set of questions around how my leisure battery is hooked up but I will post a new topic.

Thanks for your help!
'Vincent' - 1996 P reg - Green - 2.5 TD - 4WD - Likes: Diesel, Bitumen and Snow.
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eppiblue
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Re: 12 volt ciggie lighter and mirror electrics not working

Post by eppiblue » Tue Oct 26, 2010 7:13 pm

Sorry I have another amateur question. What is that relay actually doing in my example?
'Vincent' - 1996 P reg - Green - 2.5 TD - 4WD - Likes: Diesel, Bitumen and Snow.
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g8dhe
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Re: 12 volt ciggie lighter and mirror electrics not working

Post by g8dhe » Tue Oct 26, 2010 8:31 pm

Well IF the Brown wire is going to the Leisure battery then it sounds like it is the L/B charging relay. This relay connects the two batteries in parallel either when the Ignition has been turned ON or when the alternator is generating current, it depends just where the wires on the 85/86 connections of the relay are connected to. This is to ensure that the L/B gets charged once you are running, once the Ignition is OFF or the Alternator stops generating then the relay disconnects the two batteries and only the devices connected to the L/B will keep running, preserving the S/B for next time you need to use the Starter motor.
Geoff
2001 Aero V6, AFT, full side conversion.
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eppiblue
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Re: 12 volt ciggie lighter and mirror electrics not working

Post by eppiblue » Tue Oct 26, 2010 8:44 pm

That could explain it, Im pretty sure the brown wire is connected to the LB. I can see it run from the LB into the dash, and behind the stereo and drivers dash, along to the back of that fuse box.

Heres a picture of my batteries, I cant see a relay in there although the Auto electrician assured me he had 'sorted it all out' so the LB would charge from the alternator when driving.

Does this look right? The LB isnt connected to the starter battery in anyway in the engine bay so could the split charge relay behind the inside fuse box be doing this job?
http://img594.imageshack.us/i/76603520.jpg/
http://img26.imageshack.us/i/starterd.jpg/
'Vincent' - 1996 P reg - Green - 2.5 TD - 4WD - Likes: Diesel, Bitumen and Snow.
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g8dhe
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Re: 12 volt ciggie lighter and mirror electrics not working

Post by g8dhe » Tue Oct 26, 2010 10:02 pm

Yes it looks more certain that is the case.
However the use of mains wires is not recommended, electrically they are fine, but the insulation is not as abrasive resistant as normal automotive wiring hence you run a risk that over time it will chaff thru and cause problems when that happens the insulation also generates a lot more smoke, thick choking whitish smoke, than the insulation on the proper wiring. You can check this simply yourself, get a small file and run one corner across a mains type wire (designed for flexibility) and you will be down to the copper in no time, do that on automotive wires and you might just about see a mark.
Geoff
2001 Aero V6, AFT, full side conversion.
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