In an 'idle' moment, I sorted out the wiring we wanted as below and having had to remove all the dashboard to sort out the leaks, it was sensible to fit the new bits and pieces before I replaced them. A nice diversion from the efforts welding bits of metal for seats.
So we have a reversing camera coming from eBay and will fit this to the top of the dash.
I wanted a bleeper to tell me when I had left the lights on and this will also be linked to a warning if the fridge is left on 12v when the battery is not charging. Having done this once before, I took the bleeper from a dumped Mondeo and fitted new wires pictured (for my own sanity) as below.
I have hopes that I can refit the fascia parts and then not have to remove them again, but I doubt it. We now have a bleeper linked to lights and fridge, a 'fridge on' warning light, a leisure/van battery switch, a 'camera on' switch, a video screen for the reversing camera, a pair of relays installed and all the fuses installed.
I had intended to fit the battery in the back, under the bed, over the wheel arch and had plans for ways of venting the box. But there is room next to one of the two van batteries for an extra one. So change of plans and it is now fitted there. Nice to have three batteries to weigh me down.
I had trouble fitting the relay to trigger the charging of the leisure battery because I couldn't find the right wire coming out the back of the alternator, there was just the one big red main charge feed wire. But I cut into the cable loom (carefully!) and found the right wire was there somehow, even though I can't see it on the alternator. Now all connected and I hope that on 27th October 2007, I have everything under the bonnet finished.
I have been working on the right place for the 240v inlet. My objective is to avoid having to cut yet another hole in the side of the van. So I had planned to feed the wire up into the van through the ventilation hole for the gas cylinders and hence to the plug nearby, but now that I have moved the battery to the bonnet, this doesn't make a lot of sense.
So plan B was to put the plug under the bonnet. But this doesn't work really. For a start it all gets wet and I can't see anywhere sensible that still allows access to the engine etc.
Plan C is to use the fridge ventilation grill as an opening 'hatch' and hence allow access to the plug inside the van behind the fridge.
but there was not enough room behind the fridge, so on to plan D which is to fit it just behind the drivers door.
Plan Z might have had me cutting a hole in the side of the van, but in fact plan D is as far as it got, see the pictures. I'll cut a nick in the drivers door step to take the wire.
Having replaced the dash and associated bits of trim, the switches looked as per the picture below. I tested it all and found that the fridge warning light was not right. The plan was that we could have the fridge on 12v whenever we wanted, but that if the battery was not being charged (ie the engine running) then a warning light would glow and if we opened the door to get out then a bleeper would sound.
But the light just stayed on. So I gloomily contemplated removing the two vertical bits of trim and the two glove boxes and the switch panel and the speedo cover to be able to remove the main dashboard trim to get at the relay that was not working right. But then tried removing the ash tray (distinctly easier) and squeezing my hand in. Knowing exactly where the relay was helped and I could just reach it and pull it to the opening. After much experimentation and failure, I noticed that the two connections I cared about in fact had a wire soldered across them, making them always live. So I snipped this and tried again. Still didn't work so lots more thought until I realised that the contact in the unenergised position was not quite reaching the right place, so I bent it a bit and tried again.
More frustration and assembly/disassembly and eventually I found that the wire connection from the alternator was just not making a good connection - the push on contact was a bit loose. So I replaced it and all was finally OK. Three different electical problems with one small relay was a bit over the top, but I did get it for peanuts from a dump, so it wasn't really designed for its current use.
The fridge has a space where it is designed to fit over a wheel arch and so we have installed in this small space, the RCD, battery charger and the two fused outlets for fridge and battery charger. Since this is the majority of the 240v wiring, it is nice to have a section completed, even if we have no van or van floor or properly positioned fridge to put it in.
The intention was to put a solar panel on the roof to trickle charge the battery. But having thought about how untrustworthy I found the idea of glueing it to the roof and how reluctant I was to drill some more bolt holes and how expensive they are relative to the amount of electricity and having read in the forums about failures from the weather getting at the connections - we have decided against. Maybe we'll get a smaller fold up panel.
Lo and behold, my expectation that my refitted dash would have to be removed and refitted again proved prescient as I now find that I need a warning light to tell me when the step is extended. Ah well.
