12V System issue

[AlexCli]

Dears,

Please help if you have any opinion on this:

I recently replaced the leisure battery with a full Victron system (Lithium battery, Inverter, DC-DC charger, MPPT, Battery Protect, etc.). Now, I have no power to the water pump or ambient lighting (both interior and exterior) unless the inverter is switched on - or plugged into shore power. Everything else seems to work fine.

Thank you!

 

[GordonH]

If you've removed the leisure battery what have you done with the GC factory shunt? That provides the charge status, current draw & voltage all of which are processed by the J608 unit to determine various parameters like when to shut down consumers within the GC, the water pump and lighting being two of them. What does your camper control panel show regarding the leisure battery charge % and voltage is?

 

[AlexCli]

Hi Gordon,
Thanks for your quick reply. Haven't touched the shunt don't know where it is.
The control panel seems to be showing over 12V, sometimes 14,4 after KFG reset - even when it reads 100%, water pump and ambient lights are not working. Tried to bypass the low voltage cut off relay for testing and still didn't work.

 

[G-A-R-Y]

Do you have water in the tank, what does the gauge show, also the ambient lights (inside coloured strips) are powered by a victron DC converter which converts 12 to 24v. it's located in the "technical cupboard behind the panel, just remove the front and see if it's powered (lights up), who ever fitted your system may have dislodged something in that cupboard.

 

[GordonH]

Hi Gordon,
Thanks for your quick reply. Haven't touched the shunt don't know where it is.
The control panel seems to be showing over 12V, sometimes 14,4 after KFG reset - even when it reads 100%, water pump and ambient lights are not working. Tried to bypass the low voltage cut off relay for testing and still didn't work.

If you've removed the leisure battery you've definitely 'touched' the shunt as its the white box with the comms lead on the -ve contact of the leisure battery. Have you just replaced the AGM with a lithium?

 

[G-A-R-Y]

Apologies for butting in, Gordon is the expert but may I add that you mention the control panel shows 14.4 v which is a little high for charging lithium batteries, although OK for agm's. Did your converter disable the under seat charger.

 

[AlexCli]

Do you have water in the tank, what does the gauge show, also the ambient lights (inside coloured strips) are powered by a victron DC converter which converts 12 to 24v. it's located in the "technical cupboard behind the panel, just remove the front and see if it's powered (lights up), who ever fitted your system may have dislodged something in that cupboard.

Hi Gary,
Water-yes..
Ambient lights (inside/outside) warm white on 12V, they do work when the engine is on/ plugged in to shore or with the inverter on. I did the installation, haven't had one.

 

[AlexCli]

Apologies for butting in, Gordon is the expert but may I add that you mention the control panel shows 14.4 v which is a little high for charging lithium batteries, although OK for agm's. Did your converter disable the under seat charger.

I have an Orion DC-DC charger for Lithium, the control panel might show the voltage of the starter battery sometimes. Charger under the seat not charging the Lithium.

 

[AlexCli]

If you've removed the leisure battery you've definitely 'touched' the shunt as its the white box with the comms lead on the -ve contact of the leisure battery. Have you just replaced the AGM with a lithium?

I did removed the battery and installed an empty battery box there (as CarElectric does) but nothing connected to it - it's just to look good on inspections.

In the back, I took the 12V - 16mm wire from the main switch and powered the Orion DC Charger that feeds power to a Victron Linx Distributor.

Attached the diagram that I've used. As per the diagram, from my Lithium battery, through the distributor I feed the 12V consumers on the same wire that used to come out of the main switch.

As I have over 7kWh battery, I've already used it for long trips, charging E-Bikes, powering Espresso machines, hair drier, fridge. Everything works well, besides the top light and water pump.

And it's definitely not the low power cut off relay - I manually gave it signal to cut off and it does work but otherwise is disengaged.

My only thought left is that there is a relay that disconnects the starter and leisure battery positive and that the top light and water pump are not powered by the rear fuse box but from the wire that comes from this relay that now goes to my Orion.

 

[G-A-R-Y]

As Gordon mentioned, under the bonnet there was a connection (to battery) of a shunt/voltage monitor, this tells the VW system the battery condition, voltage, and what's going in and out (shunt).
You mention "ambient" lighting, this is the coloured lighting INSIDE only, and runs from a 24volt converter, the white lights are all 12 volt.

Also you mention that "sometimes the control panel might show the voltage of the starter battery sometimes". This is not possible. I suspect you've done something wrong.

 

[chrishum]

Hello

My name is Christophe, I am from Niort in France and I own a Grand California 680. I allow myself to participate in this conversation because I encounter roughly the same difficulties: I had the AGM battery replaced by a lithium battery and since then I have encountered some electrical problems: the control panel constantly tells me the status of the battery at 100% and 12.2 V. The fuse in SJ1 (15 A) burns systematically: I no longer have a voltage on the USB sockets.

You were talking about the shunt on the battery... Is it possible to have a picture that I see what it looks like?

 

[AlexCli]

Hi Christophe,

Please see it in the picture attached. My battery is a fake box, empty, so it looks ok for the inspection. I have not removed the shunt.

View attachment IMG_0838.jpeg

 

[volnavkidsride]

I have done similar conversion, I do not have any problems, and two comments that might help :
- before the conversion, I noticed that the ambiant lights (mine are not the fancy colourfull ones) where still working after cut-off by the big red switch in the rear left cabinet, so yes, they are not powered from the fuse box in the rear left cabinet, only the smaller LED lights where cut off by the red swithch. For the water pump, I think it was cut off by the red switch though.
- I have not removed the AGM battery under the bonnet, I kept it, both AGM and the Lithium unit ( in my case a Bluetti) are feeding into the 12V consumers through a relay which ensures it feeds from Bluetti when Bluetti DC output is ON and from the AGM when Bluetti DC output is OFF.

 

[volnavkidsride]

Now that I have read more of the comments above, additional that might help :
- when the Cali controller decides it is necessary (mainly when engine running OR on shore power AND starter AGM battery under the driver seat is charged enough and it wants to start charging the consumer AGM battery in the engine compartment) it will activate the big relay located under bonnet on the left of the consumer AGM battery in order to bridge the two AGMs together and this is probably the reason why when you run the engine or you are on shore power the ambient lights are working, because cables of the removed AGM battery are then connected by the relay to the (not removed) starter AGM battery
- for the water pump it would help if someoneelse could confirm if water pump is actually cut off by the red switch in a unmodified GC

 

[AlexCli]

Hi @volnavkidsride,

This is really helpful, many thanks! I have the same lights as you, I realise that the Truma is actually working all the time, it's just this ceiling light and water pump that doesn't.

I suspected such a relay, but I wouldn't keep it closed since now I have lithium as leisure and AGM as starter. My best bet would be to try to find the wires that power the lights (for water pump I found it) and connect it to my Lithium Bat.

But, in the meantime, your Idea is better, I'll place a small AGM battery in the front as an easy fix. Thanks again!

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