Electric problems Cali 2007 SE130

[Hannahmary88]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum and have a few questions - I have had quite a thorough search and have perhaps identified a couple of answers for isolated things but I'm wondering if all the problems are related, so here goes:

We Brought a 2007 Cali SE130 last Autumn. These things need fixing:

- None of the 12v or the 230v electrical points work - I have checked the fuses and they all appear to be fine
- the tap doesn't work at all, no sounds of attempting to pump - I haven't investigated the tap in the fuse yet so could be that (previous owner said they never used it)
- hook up doesn't work - we plugged it in last night for the first time, tried the tester switch on the breaker unit, nothing happened, 230v socket didn't work when we turned it to on - there is a possibility the cable is faulty, bought it from a carboot seller who said it worked fine but you never know...
- our control panel doesn't work very well so it's not possible to check on here whether the hook up is connected or the state of the battery

The fridge/heater/interior lights/pop up roof all work fine
- in the fuse box the fuses for the fridge, water ump and control panel are all 30amp, in the manual it says they should be 10/5/5 - but the fridge and control panel do work so not sure if this matters

So I feel like maybe there's some central issue with on the leisure batteries or the inverter that could be causing all of these problems?

Many thanks!
Hannah

 

[sidepod]

On the fuse size question, yes it does matter, quite a lot!

If you get a fault on a cable then the cable could melt:catch fire instead of the fuse blowing as it’s designed to do.

If you do nothing else, correct the fuse ratings.

 

[Hannahmary88]

On the fuse size question, yes it does matter, quite a lot!

If you get a fault on a cable then the cable could melt:catch fire instead of the fuse blowing as it’s designed to do.

If you do nothing else, correct the fuse ratings.

Ok i will do this asap thank you! are all fuses made equal? ie. a set from halfords will do fine? or do i need to search for VW specific fuses? many thanks

 

[WelshGas]

Ok i will do this asap thank you! are all fuses made equal? ie. a set from halfords will do fine? or do i need to search for VW specific fuses? many thanks

Halfords will be fine.

 

[sidepod]

On the hook up side, if the tester switch on the circuit breaker doesn’t work then you have no live coming into the van or, the connection to it are loose.
Firstly confirm your hook up supply to the van is good.

Invest in one of these and keep it in the glove box. Invaluable.

Fluke Non-Contact Voltage Detector Pen 1000V AC - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Detects AC voltage through insulation without requiring contact to the bare conductor. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.

www.screwfix.com

 

[sidepod]

…..assuming of course the breaker is set to the on position. Test button does zip if it’s Off.

 

[flying banana]

Breaker. On is red.(danger) Green is off. Safe. Your 240v socket in the van won't work without power going into the van. As said. Check those connections

 

[Hannahmary88]

thanks all - will test the cable first off and go from there to rectify the hook up problem.

anyone has any thoughts on the other sockets?

thank you!

 

[sidepod]

thanks all - will test the cable first off and go from there to rectify the hook up problem.

anyone has any thoughts on the other sockets?

thank you!

Well if there is no incoming 240 then that takes care of that socket.
The 12v ones work off either the leisure battery or the engine battery depending on where they are in the van.

 

[Hannahmary88]

Ok so:

12v cigarette lighter in the front cab - forgot to mention this above but not working, have not checked the fuse for this one yet will do that tomorrow (found where to locate it under the dash) - I know this is supplied by the engine battery

And these three are supplied by the leisure battery I think:
12v socket down the right side of back seat
12v socket 'MagCode' socket in the boot
'Hella' socket next to 230v 3 pin domestic plug socket at right end of kitchen cabinets

is that correct? sorry for all these rooky questions!

(I found this useful thread to help with adaptors once I do get the things working...

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/magcode-power-socket-eh.51448/)

so could it be an issue with the invertor? I'm assuming the battery is fine as the fridge/heater/lights all work fine?

 

[sidepod]

Ok so:

12v cigarette lighter in the front cab - forgot to mention this above but not working, have not checked the fuse for this one yet will do that tomorrow (found where to locate it under the dash) - I know this is supplied by the engine battery

And these three are supplied by the leisure battery I think:
12v socket down the right side of back seat
12v socket 'MagCode' socket in the boot
'Hella' socket next to 230v 3 pin domestic plug socket at right end of kitchen cabinets

is that correct? sorry for all these rooky questions!

(I found this useful thread to help with adaptors once I do get the things working...

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/magcode-power-socket-eh.51448/)

so could it be an issue with the invertor? I'm assuming the battery is fine as the fridge/heater/lights all work fine?

All of the above is correct apart from the inverter bit. That has nothing to do with the 12v sockets.
It takes power from the leisure battery and converts it to 240v AC.

There is definitely something wrong here as you say your fridge/lights etc all work ok which suggests battery is ok.

I’d re check the fuses. One of them feeds the 12v sockets. If you’re handy with a voltmeter you could test from the socket fuse to one of the 12v sockets for continuity and then to earth.

 

[Hannahmary88]

All of the above is correct apart from the inverter bit. That has nothing to do with the 12v sockets.
It takes power from the leisure battery and converts it to 240v AC.

There is definitely something wrong here as you say your fridge/lights etc all work ok which suggests battery is ok.

I’d re check the fuses. One of them feeds the 12v sockets. If you’re handy with a voltmeter you could test from the socket fuse to one of the 12v sockets for continuity and then to earth.

ok thanks for clarifying about the invertor.

so if the fuses are in the places where they say they are in the manual (not sure if this can get changed around somehow?) yep there are 3 fuses that feed the 3 different sockets - numbers 6/7/8 - all take 15 amps and i've checked and these all look good.

i'm getting the voltmeter pen you suggested today - so do you mean i should test the fuse socket then all the way along the wire until i get to one of the sockets? not sure how i'd do this as the wires are hidden? (again sorry if being dim, i wouldn't say i'm handy with a voltmeter haha). How do i check the earth?

thank you thank you!

 

[sidepod]

Ok firstly the Voltstick is only for 240v not 12v.
It’s just useful to confirm a cable is live. Hold the tip near the cable and press the button. If it squeaks then you have power.

To test your 12v sockets it’s a bit more involved.
Basically set the voltmeter to continuity/ohms/or a buzzer symbol.
Place one probe on any side of the fuse (you can leave the fuse in place, there are small holes in the top of the fuse to allow the probe to make contact) place the other probe inside the 12v socket on the centre contact. If the meter buzzes all is ok.
For the earth, repeat the same process but between battery negative and the outer cylinder/contact of the 12v socket.

Perhaps search a few videos on YouTube on this first.

It’ll be something silly like a loose wire and it’ll be the one fault that’s stopping all the sockets from working as they are probably connected in series.

 

[secret lemonade drinker]

Or parallel

 

[Hannahmary88]

Ok, feeling a tiny bit pleased as I managed to test the hook up cable, replaced a busted fuse in our domestic connector, tested with the pen and all working to the van so I now know we now have power definitely going in to the hook up point. But the 230v socket still isn't working.... frustrating!
my next thought is to take the socket plate off and test the wiring in there, would that be right?

(also replaced the fuse for the cigarette lighter so that's now working fine)

Will be testing 12v sockets with the multimeter over the weekend so i'll let you know how that goes!

 

[sidepod]

Ok, feeling a tiny bit pleased as I managed to test the hook up cable, replaced a busted fuse in our domestic connector, tested with the pen and all working to the van so I now know we now have power definitely going in to the hook up point. But the 230v socket still isn't working.... frustrating!
my next thought is to take the socket plate off and test the wiring in there, would that be right?

(also replaced the fuse for the cigarette lighter so that's now working fine)

Will be testing 12v sockets with the multimeter over the weekend so i'll let you know how that goes!

Ok so the incoming cable is live. Next check the circuit breaker is up/red (on). If so then you should have power to the socket and battery charger. Try the test button on the circuit breaker whilst you’re at it.

If you can gain access to the battery charger check you have mains voltage at the cable feeding it. If not the the problem lies between the circuit breaker and charger.

Making progress

 

[KGCali]

I have a 2010 T5 1 SE Cali so my under seat fuse layout may help you but positions can change per vehicle.
Worth checking the water pump impellor in the water tank is spinning free as these get stuck if not used in a while. Also microswitch inside tap.

 

[KGCali]

Have a read of this post ...
Thread 'How to Fix Kitchen Tap and Water Pump Problem and solution.' https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...ap-and-water-pump-problem-and-solution.10211/

 

[KGCali]

Also useful ...
Post in thread 'MagCode power socket - eh?' https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/magcode-power-socket-eh.51448/post-665065

 

[Hannahmary88]

hi all, thanks so much for help so far! hope you're all enjoying the weather wherever you are...

So, an update:

Ok so the incoming cable is live. Next check the circuit breaker is up/red (on). If so then you should have power to the socket and battery charger. Try the test button on the circuit breaker whilst you’re at it.

If you can gain access to the battery charger check you have mains voltage at the cable feeding it. If not the the problem lies between the circuit breaker and charger.

Making progress

Went away last weekend, first time we were away for more than a night without a drive to top up the battery:

- pop up roof wouldn't go up when we first got there, had a hunch about the fuses i so checked and there is no fuse in the spot where the manual says #19 for the pop up roof should be...
so changed #16 back to a 30amp fuse as I had changed this to a 5amp the other day (according to the manual it's for the water pump which requires 5amp) - and the pop up roof worked! So looks as thought the manual and the fuse layout do not match? is this normal? how do i find out the actual layout if this is the case? (i double checked this now back home - roof working, swapped 16 out for a 5 amp, roof not working, swapped back to a 30amp, roof working)

- fridge went off after about 24 hours (perhaps suggesting battery needs replacing, seems v quick?) lights still working

- managed to plug into a 3 phase hook up AND - 2 x 12v and 3 pin domestic 230 volt sockets all worked! couldn't test the magsafe as didn't have an adaptor, nothing showing up when i put the voltemeter pen to it so still not sure if this one is working

- fridge still wouldn't work after plugging in to the hook up - which I can't figure out seeing as I thought when you're plugged in there is permanent power going through the battery so everything should just be working on the hook up power even if battery is v low? charging sockets worked until we left 48 hours later, fridge still wouldn't turn on.

- hook up had been unplugged before we actually packed up - pop up roof wouldn't go down, had to turn engine fully on, ie. not just a key turn as usual but actually on, in order for it to work (just a reminder that our control panel screen doesn't work too well so can't see any warning symbols on there)

After driving a couple of hours home i checked and everything is working on battery - fridge, 2 x 12volts, pop up roof.

I haven't double checked to see if the hook up works now we're back home going as that wasn't working before we went - is this possible? that the hook up would work with 3 phase but not on a domestic plug?

And what about the fridge? does this suggest the battery needs replacing?

And what about the fact that the fridge wouldn't come on when plugged in to hook up?

Have a read of this post ...
Thread 'How to Fix Kitchen Tap and Water Pump Problem and solution.' https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...ap-and-water-pump-problem-and-solution.10211/

Thanks for the sink and magsafe links, will get to those soon!

I have a 2010 T5 1 SE Cali so my under seat fuse layout may help you but positions can change per vehicle.
Worth checking the water pump impellor in the water tank is spinning free as these get stuck if not used in a while. Also microswitch inside tap.

View attachment 127414

Thanks for this, I will do another post with my fuse layout, it's sadly not as neat or easy to see as this one haha!

Hx

 

[KGCali]

If you ask your VW dealer they should be able to supply you with a print out of the full fuse layout for your particular vehicle but perhaps yours may be too old for their records.

 

[Hannahmary88]

Here's some more info about the confusing fuse layout:

- 2 pics showing the layout as it says it should be in the manual
- then a diagram of how it actually is - ie. where there are fuses and what ampage they have in them, compared with a diagram of what they should be from the manual
- and the best pics I could get of the hairy box itself! previous owner had dogs.. must get round to hovering out under the seats...!

 

[jeff]

Control panel will be a 5amp fuse mines a 2008 model, one 5amp fuse does tap and the other 5amp fuse I have does the control panel they are next to each other on my van.