Bongo Fury

I finally wired up my internals (no oh err matrons please) to my leisure battery this week.

Inpsired by a post from Mike (2 Grand) where he referred to another member patching into the fuse board I thought I'd give it a go.





It's dead simple, I just cut half the blade off a 6.3 mm spade connector. You can get the smaller spades but I couldn't find any locally.

To connect power to the accessories you're interested in you simply remove the fuse and plug the spade into the lower connector of the two. This is true for the top row of fuses, don't assume it's true for the lower rows of fuses. I didn't check those so if you what to provide power to an accessory on one of the lower rows take the fuse panel out first and check the cabling from behind.

I made a loom of power cables that go back to a fuse box at the leisure battery end. The fuses that I removed from the original fuse box were simply replicated on the other end of the loom. There are loads of combinations you could have for running the power but that's what worked for me and the bits I had to hand.

The really nice thing about patching the fuse box instead of taking the snips to it is that if you want to reroute power back from the original battery you just pull your power cables and put the original fuses back. Sweet.

Thanks for that Corblimey. It's inspired me to do the same as I need to pick up a permanent live feed for the remote locking controller I've just bought. Better than going back to the battery and I just hate cutting wires ...... Now then, to pick a fuse - what colour do I fancy .....

From my understanding of what you say I don't think this will do what you want.

The cables I've patched in are carrying live feeds from my leisure battery to the fuse panel. They are not tapping into a live feed from the fuse panel.

If you want to patch a live feed from the panel you'll need something like this 330106507941

Unfortunately I think these are standard size blade fuse adapters so you'd have to fabricate something that will fit the mini blade socket on the panel.

Perhaps it would be easier to get a live feed straight from the battery!

HTH

Sorry Corblimey I didn't make myself clear. I've got a similar setup to you with a 4 blade fuse holder near the leisure battery controlling a couple of circuits on the main board. Assuming the fuse ratings match with the new controller then I'll be ok. Only potential issue is with running the live feed from the leisure battery but shouldn't be a problem as all is well re the split relay charging now.

Corblimey

A superb, timely post. Yours is exactly the approach I was/am going to take; you've given me a little more confidence before I attack it.

Can you just confirm what is now powered from your Leisure Battery ?

Looking at the fuse factsheet, you've got:

1. Interior. I assume this means all interior lighting ?

6. Curtains Left (easy, that one)

7. Curtains Right (and that one)

8. Cigar Lighter/Mirrors. Am I correct in assuming this means both the front AND rear cigar lighters/sockets ?. And by mirrors does it mean adjustment and the retraction system ?

Alongside fitting and wiring my leisure battery, I will be finishing off a part completed kitchen unit I bought off ebay. The submersible waterpump that came with the unit has no instructions or markings for the connections - are they unidirectional, or will they pump when the impeller rotates either way ?

On the rear cigar lighter socket, which is the negative and which the positive 'terminal' ?

TIA

ParkerNorris wrote:On the rear cigar lighter socket, which is the negative and which the positive 'terminal' ?TIA

Positive terminal is the centre one - the casing is negative.

Mike:

"genius"

It's hardly E=mc^2, after all it was someone elses idea but thanks for the complement

I already wear the Inspector Gadget mantle thanks to my wife.

Parker:

You're right, I simply followed the fact sheet when deciding which ones to patch.

On my van the rear lighter socket was rewired (badly) for a rear kitchen and hence it is not wired through the fuse panel so I don't know what other Bongos are like. I've got plans for it but they haven't solidified yet so no comment on that yet.

As for your pump, I don't have one but I would wire it up and let it suck it (or not) and see so to speak.

Hi Corblimey

I was going to go down Pippin's (cutting wires)route but this seems a much safer and easier way of getting a permanent live feed to the blinds, mirrows etc.

Could you tell me what size wire you used for the new loom
Type of fuse box used (leisure battery end)and how you connected wires to the leisure battery.
Do any of the fuses on the main fuse box serve the radio?

As you can see I'm not auto electrical minded so any help would be very much appreciated

Thanks

Hi Bosun

I used 17 amp cable to feed the fuse panel. I think it is slightly overated for the job but considering the length of the cable run (and loses incurred) I figured better safe than sorry. Also if I want to patch it to something else (possibly of a higher crrent rating) I have the option.

Fuse 1 powers the radio (and lights).

I used a 6 way blade fuse box on the leisure battery end. I don't have any photos right now but I'll try and get some together for you.

I went for the fact sheet option and being a scardy cat paid a garage to do it. Just disconnected the extreme top left and top right fuses. But I have found that these two fuses on mine (96 model) cover in addition to the radio, interior lights and cigar lighter, also cover the central locking and folding wing mirrors and if the liesure battery goes flat one of the warning lights flash(I cant remember which one). At the moment I have to charge the battery every week because the so called fitter has now fitted two smartcoms and and a third relay which I cant identify and she blows fuses for a passtime. I'm not chucking any more money away. Going to pluck up courage and do it myself. Can't cock it up any more than the so called professional.

Finally got round to doing the electrics yesterday, no problem at all just followed Corblimy's instructions to the letter and was done in a couple of hours!

Thanks "C" your a star!!

Glad you got it sorted Bosun.

Just got back from my last camping weeking of the Summer and my patched electrics and leisure battery worked a treat. I even ran my peltier cool box with gay abandon whilst we were out day tripping ( haven't risen to the racks of the compressor crew yet )

Well chuffed.

This is such a neat way of doing it and the way I did mine yesterday.

I bought a pre-fab kit with all of the wiring cut to length, fuses installed, terminals included, etc for £20 from from ebay (relay and tray were extra).

From start to finish (putting the battery tray in through to leisure battery patched to fuse box) was 2 hours. An absolute doddle using the kit and corblimey's instructables. I was all set to attempt it myself but found out about this kit and it's probably cheaper than it would have been for me to buy the parts separately - certainly easier. Everything was all cut to the right lengths, heatshrinked connectors, etc and just went straight in.

I am running the same fuses as above (lights/stereo, blinds, mirrors/cigar lighter) plus the electric windows via a separate 30amp fused feed from the LB, connected the same way at the fuse box.

I'm chuffed to bits with it and how quick and easy it was to install. Going to add another feed for the rear fuse and some separate ones for TV/DVD, etc but will save that for another day.

Andyrap - was this the kit?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fuse-box-Kit-VW-C ... dZViewItem

Not that one no. I don't think he has started putting them on ebay itself yet but I'll ask. I'll post a picture when I get a sec later.