Leisure battery charger not working

[Stephen Bright]

Hi, I have a 2013 VW California. The charger which connected to the electrical hook-up, which is underneath the fridge is not working. I have taken it out, connected it directly to the mains through a kettle lead and it does not work fuse above kettle lead is ok as is the 20 amp fuse on the circuit boatd, no noise and no voltage on any of the pins. on dismantle it looks like there is a transformer which has a scorch Mark next to it. The transformer is labelled as s18 td 2 b-5 lion 1227 but I can not find it or where to buy. Greatful for advice on repair of charger or alternatives (also thinking on solar as well as hook up ) ta steve

 

[v-tec]

I had the same problem as you at the end of last year, The problem is the location of the charger, it just gets to hot sitting above the fridge compressor, There was no way I was fitting a new charger in the same location,So I fitted it here, The alloy self also acts as a heat sink, The cables are long enough to do this mod. There are cheaper alternative smart chargers available but I wanted to keep things original, The new charger is a updated/superseeded part, all connections and dimensions are the same, My charger actually runs much cooler now on a hot day as it’s not being fried by the fridge compressor.

 

[Stephen Bright]

I had the same problem as you at the end of last year, The problem is the location of the charger, it just gets to hot sitting above the fridge compressor, There was no way I was fitting a new charger in the same location,So I fitted it here, The alloy self also acts as a heat sink, The cables are long enough to do this mod. There are cheaper alternative smart chargers available but I wanted to keep things original, The new charger is a updated/superseeded part, all connections and dimensions are the same, My charger actually runs much cooler now on a hot day as it’s not being fried by the fridge compressor.View attachment 65315

Hi v-tec where did you get the updated charger , and how much was it? As we are also considering a solar panel would that make any difference to what we get?

 

[v-tec]

Hi Stephen
The genuine VW charger was £267.20 +VAT in September 2019
The latest charger is the only on VW sell ,
my part number was 7c0 915 681. But yours could be different,
The thing is you can pay just as much for a GOOD smart charger that you could trust , so that’s why I went with genuine, I’m a tech by trade so it wasn’t about choosing the easy option,
Also by fitting a non genuine charger you will loose your charging status volts/amps from the overhead display,That’s not a problem if it didn’t bother you.
I have considered fitting 2 solar panels to the roof but to be honest I’ve never really struggled with my 2 leisure batteries, if I’m away racing for long weekend’s in remote areas I take my 1000w inverter suitcase generator and just plug my hookup lead into that,
I don’t think there’s any pitfalls with solar and it would save you having to plug into hookup to maintain your batteries,My brother in law has solar on his and loves it,
i personally don’t like any of the the external cable routes from the panels to inside the vehicle, if I was fitting them I would enter the roof under one of the panels,

There is a supplier of solar on this forum who sounds like a decent bloke.
I can’t remember his name but gets good reviews,

Regarding your old charger there are no serviceable parts available from VW and I definitely wouldn’t trust a repair.(But that’s just me)

 

[v-tec]

I remembered the company name
Solar camper solutions His name is Roger

 

[Alan Andrews]

From experience, if the transformer is burnt out then it is unlikely to be the only issue on the circuit board....you'll likely chase from one failed component to another and waste a lot of money and time doing so.

Best bet will be to replace. Of course it helps if you can do the work yourself.

 

[peder99]

I am having similar issue.

I checked 230V supply to charger and it was OK.
I dismounted the charger an want to test it.
I was hoping the measure the on the 6-pin socket (T6bh according the wiring diagram)

I know the chargers 6pin socket has following setup:

Pin 1 (orange): output to CSG
Pin 2 (yellow): Starter battery
Pin 3 (black): Connector 31
Pin 4 (red): Battery +
Pin 5 (brown): Temp. sensor
Pin 6 (blue): Temp. sensor

When connecting the charger to 230V I measure following Pin 3 (black) is used as common:
Pin 1: 12V (just when connected - slowly dropping)
Pin 2: 0V
Pin 4: 0V
Pin 5: 8,3V
Pin 6: 0V

I am aware that pin 5 & 6 is a closed temperature measuring loop and is of no interest in my case.

my question is: Should the voltage drop between pin 3 & 4 be approx. 14,8V even if no other pins are connected?

I would like to ensure the charger does not wok before bying a new one.
If a need a new one. does anybody know a good online place for this?

 

[v-tec]

Yes you should have voltage across those pins, It’s seems that the transformers normally burn out on these chargers, I just went with the genuine VW part,

 

[peder99]

Yes you should have voltage across those pins, It’s seems that the transformers normally burn out on these chargers, I just went with the genuine VW part,

OK thanks! - I cannot find an online shop which is selling these. Do you know one? and do you know which transformer that burns? (I may be able to change it)

 

[v-tec]

OK thanks! - I cannot find an online shop which is selling these. Do you know one? and do you know which transformer that burns? (I may be able to change it)

Sorry peder I’m not aware of any online shops, I just got the part from VW sent to our work shop, I did try to locate a transformer but with no success, Then also part of me considered it safer to replace the whole unit, after all it’s plugged in/switched on while your sleeping and also away from the van,
It’s a very complicated charger when you take the cover off, mine smelt very strongly of burnt electrics,

 

[peder99]

Sorry peder I’m not aware of any online shops, I just got the part from VW sent to our work shop, I did try to locate a transformer but with no success, Then also part of me considered it safer to replace the whole unit, after all it’s plugged in/switched on while your sleeping and also away from the van,
It’s a very complicated charger when you take the cover off, mine smelt very strongly of burnt electrics,

I just tried to setup the charger without temperature sensor and then I could measure 13,8V which is maintenance voltage. It seems like the charger is really MOBITRONIC. This manual describes the functionality: https://docplayer.org/23918568-Mobitronic-tb-tc-tb-tc-tb-tc-tb-tc-ta-tb-ta.html

It might only be the temp. sensor which is faulty. – I think I will try mounting the charger back and set to “No temperature sensor”. If it works I just need a new sensor.