Wire Melt???

[Daily Oliver]

Hello everyone, this is my very first post, so any help would be duly appreciated.

We've just bought a Bongo, whilst I was fitting the coolant sensor I noticed that these wires 'please see pics' were melted.

Ummmm....

Three questions?

1. What are they for?
2. Is this serious?
3. What would you suggest the best thing to do about it?

(photos below, one showing general area under the bonnet and other zoomed in on the problem)
http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l62 ... G_0330.jpg
http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l62 ... G_0331.jpg

Have to say, we're so glad to have joined the club - really look forward to meeting some of your soon.

Thanks in advance - Daily Oliver..

[jaylee]

Looks like a leisure battery set up corroded & fried..??

[jaylee]

Its an after market split charge relay unit? (2nd picture) screwed to the top of the OEM fuse box...

I don't have a leisure battery set up.. The first pic suggests it's coming off that!

Is there a lid for the corroded internals & 2 relay box thing??



Manners... & welcome!

Long shot; That wasn't you i saw in Chippenham Sainsbury's car park on Tuesday was it? (Silver bongo, alloys, tow bar.)

[321Away]

Those after market auto sensing relays are rubbish, they normally only have a 20A rating so a flat leisure battery spikes it over its max and burns them out.
Julian

[mikeonb4c]

Those after market auto sensing relays are rubbish, they normally only have a 20A rating so a flat leisure battery spikes it over its max and burns them out.
Julian

Unless you protect them with fuses, and carry spares, and jump leads, like wot I dun. Its worked OK for me for 4yrs and was a v.cheap solution. HOWEVER, you are right that it is a 'tinny solution' and I have finally bought myself a Willinton kit and am looking forward to fitting it (along with a new LB that actually works) slurp slobber

PS - It occurs to me that since LBs should not in any case (ideally) be subject to excessively deep discharge, you'd think we'd fit a low voltage sensor to them so that no device could be allowed to drain them completely. We'd need one that didn't go off just because there is a momentary voltage drop (due to high startup currents with some devices), - does such a device exist?

[missfixit70]

What Jaylee said split charge set up by the looks, judging by that, I'd check out, or get checked out, all the added wiring associated with the LB & anything else that may have been messed with . If there is nothing now charging the LB & depending on what's there already, I'd consider looking at a "willinton" split charge kit, loads of info on the forum about it if you do a search, contact him via ebay here - http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/willinton/ - non listed atm, but if you contact him & ask he'll sort you out.
Welcome to the forum

[321Away]

Unless you protect them with fuses, and carry spares, and jump leads, like wot I dun. Its worked OK for me for 4yrs and was a v.cheap solution. HOWEVER, you are right that it is a 'tinny solution' and I have finally bought myself a Willinton kit and am looking forward to fitting it (along with a new LB that actually works) slurp slobber

PS - It occurs to me that since LBs should not in any case (ideally) be subject to excessively deep discharge, you'd think we'd fit a low voltage sensor to them so that no device could be allowed to drain them completely. We'd need one that didn't go off just because there is a momentary voltage drop (due to high startup currents with some devices), - does such a device exist?

True enough mike, i always recommend to customers that if they drain their LB flat, to use a jump lead between the 2 positive terminals just to knock out the spike, which would normally cause the damge to the split charging system, its best to use a maxi blade fuse (big version of normal blade fuse) as they can take surges of up to twice their rated value for 2 seconds.

You mean something like this??

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12vdc-Low-Voltage ... 5ade8352db

Julian

[mikeonb4c]

Unless you protect them with fuses, and carry spares, and jump leads, like wot I dun. Its worked OK for me for 4yrs and was a v.cheap solution. HOWEVER, you are right that it is a 'tinny solution' and I have finally bought myself a Willinton kit and am looking forward to fitting it (along with a new LB that actually works) slurp slobber

PS - It occurs to me that since LBs should not in any case (ideally) be subject to excessively deep discharge, you'd think we'd fit a low voltage sensor to them so that no device could be allowed to drain them completely. We'd need one that didn't go off just because there is a momentary voltage drop (due to high startup currents with some devices), - does such a device exist?

True enough mike, i always recommend to customers that if they drain their LB flat, to use a jump lead between the 2 positive terminals just to knock out the spike, which would normally cause the damge to the split charging system, its best to use a maxi blade fuse (big version of normal blade fuse) as they can take surges of up to twice their rated value for 2 seconds.

You mean something like this??

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12vdc-Low-Voltage ... 5ade8352db

Julian

Oh crap - that's another gizmo I think I might have to buy. I fully discharged my current LB once (and left it there for several days as I had no voltmeter fitted at that time so when my VSR relay fuse blew I never realised the LB was not recharging.....it never really forgave me I think ). A device like the one you've shown me could be regardog as more an essential than a luxury esp. as it'll handle 35 Amps current (I presume it cuts out if you exceed that or else it will need fuse protection) and the cut-off voltage threshold is adjustable. Plus am I right in thinking the blurb says it doesn't cut supply just because of a brief spike (I suspect so since its designed to work with a ?compressor fridge and its starting spike).

My flexible friend is starting to flex

This item would be worth its own thread esp as there are one or two relevant enquiry threads running at present

[Daily Oliver]

Well I have to say - WOW! What a fantastically helpful bunch you all are... thank you!

That makes more sense now - I will get this checked - saves me the embarrassment of looking like a complete nube... Thanks for advice about the split charge unit, will take a look.


Just to answer - Sainsburys in Chippenham? Erm... we don't have a tow bar so can't have been us....

Big thumbs up!

Daily Oliver.

[jaylee]

Deffo had a tow bar... Looked like it was owned by "outdoor types"!!