Bongo Fury

Hi,
Seem to have a slight problem, what I think is a split charger (see photo) isnt working, it appears to be a bit of a lash up, is it worth trying to find the fault or source a new one. I know I need a new battery so I might get both together.


How difficult is a split charger to fit as I am no good with lectrics
Cheers
Bob& Sue

Yup, its the usual lash-up that is often fitted, made up with an inadequately rated relay (20 amps I suspect), relay not fixed to anything solid so its always stressing the wiring, hopefully its fused at the L/B end as well ?
If your not confident with electrics and you don't have a decent crimping tool, then the Willinton kits are the best solution see http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/willinton/ contact him on Ebay and describe which bits you want and he will normally put a kit up for you on Ebay.
I guess you would need the basic electrical kit given that you already have a battery tray.

Cheers Geoff,
Thanks for confirming my suspicions, have pm'd willinton, awaiting reply.
cheers
Bob & Sue

doubt if its anything to do with relay rating, in that case its more likely because the realy is hanging upside down and has had water ingress, as unsealed relays are intended for use inside away from the elements.
Julian

I would agree its a lower probability, but the smaller surface area on 20Amp contacts which aren't self cleaning means that they can accumulate arc debris more quickly, the larger surface area of 30-40Amp contacts and the slightly larger separation helps the self cleaning process. This is more important on Ignition switched relays than VSR's as the relay opens when you go to Starter and the relay breaks the higher initial charging current much more often than VSR's.

Hi Geoff,
had a look at the relay doesnt shoe any signs of water ingress but I do worry about the pile of bodge tape above it though feels like there might be some connectors inside it

Cheers
Bob & Sue

Well your in luck that at least it is a 30Amp relay which will last quite a bit longer, the most common ones are in general 20 Amps.
The tape itself is only a signature that when it was fitted they couldn't organise the wire lengths sensibly to choose a point where the relay could be mounted to the chassis securely. If you want to save money then my suggestion;
1. Find a location where the relay can be securely mounted using the fixing tab,
2. Identify the two wires that go to the coil - connections 85 and 86, one will go to Earth/chassis the other will go to what is termed the IG2 circuit from the Ignition switch, it should go to one of the fuses fed by the IG2 circuit - my choice would be this fuse;

and it would pickup the lower fuse connection (Green wire) or you could pick it up on relay I1-01 under the bonnet;
- but it could also go to 3 other possible fuses;

If it isn't one of the above then its on the wrong circuit and needs to be re-wired. See if you can identify where it goes and feedback here and we will try to help.
3. Check that the wires going to each battery are decent automotive cables ( relay connections 87 & 30) they should be rated at least to 30 Amps (44/0.3mm = 3mm²) - often people use mains wiring which is adequate electrically but the insulation is of the wrong type, it burns with a lot of smoke and is not adequately resistant to abrasion which is almost a certainty in most cars from the vibration! There should be an in-line fuse of 30Amps in each wire as close as possible to each battery.
4. With the relay mounted in the new position re-wire the 4 wires above to the relay, using new cable if needed, make sure that the cables can be fixed securely along there length as well, as in the new MOT regulations about to appear loose wires are a failure (see http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... 16#p480916 ) to do that you will need a reasonable crimp tool and some 6.4mm terminals to replace the ones on the old wires.

However my instincts suggest that rather than doing this from scratch its better to use Willinton kit if possible, as the relay he provides is a big improvement on the type fitted, and being a VSR type it doesn't need the extra connections to the the Ignition circuits.

Type '12V / 30AMP SPLIT CHARGE RELAY KIT- SELF SWITCHING' into ebay, i got one of these for £17 delivered, and it is the easiest thing to fit. it comes with cable, fuses, full instructions and support contact (not that you'll needed it).
Mine is up and running and is working a treat. It is a good idea to house the little gadget in one of these from B&Q (HEC Weatherproof Junction Box IP66 Black - 73mm) £3.28.
So for £20- sorted.

john_yorks wrote:Type '12V / 30AMP SPLIT CHARGE RELAY KIT- SELF SWITCHING' into ebay, i got one of these for £17 delivered, and it is the easiest thing to fit. it comes with cable, fuses, full instructions and support contact (not that you'll needed it).
Mine is up and running and is working a treat. It is a good idea to house the little gadget in one of these from B&Q (HEC Weatherproof Junction Box IP66 Black - 73mm) £3.28.
So for £20- sorted.

No offence meant, but its not in the same league as the 'willinton' kit. At 30A, it wont live past the first deep discharge of your leisure battery without blowing a fuse. In my experience, the low amp relays are not worth the bother in a camper with a leisure battery. If your a light user of 12v accessories, you may be OK, but I wouldnt risk it.

fair enough! i'm new at this game, and i got one of these after reading good reviews. so would it blow a fuse upon recharging as the engine is running?

When ever the relay operates the first time after the L/B has been heavily discharged there will be a high inrush current, it will easily blow a 20 Amp fuse, as many will testify! A lot less frequently a 30 Amp fuse. Voltage sensitive relays that operate when the voltage has risen to above 14V on the S/B tend to blow the 30 Amp ones more frequently. The Willinton kit used to use 70 Amp rated relays and I think the fuses were rated at 40 Amps along with the wiring of course.