Original Westy charger help please!

vw_liz · Mar 5, 2014

Hi everyone,

The original westy charger in our '91 pop-top died long ago and was replaced with a more modern (and cheaper!) 4 stage charger. All works fine but the cab display does not show when we are on mains hook up.

My husband has some documentation which he translated and we think we know the solution but before we risk destroying the control panel (!) I wonder if anyone out there is still running the original charger and wouldn't mind taking a few measurements with a multimeter (the document we have details the steps)?

Thanks,

Liz and Jim

TwentyOneThirtyFive · Mar 5, 2014

you could try dropping an pm to the user Sidepod. I think he might know something about the chargers, so might be able to help. Or I might have him confused with someone else.

It's a shame, a couple of weeks ago I had all the panels off and all the wiring exposed trying to find a problem with the heater and adding some sockets, but it's all back together now.

vw_liz · Mar 6, 2014

Thanks for the reply - Yes I spotted your USB socket addition, very nice! This may be a job to add to the list!

I will send Sidepod a message.

Thanks

sidepod · Mar 6, 2014

Word up,

I bought a new genuine Westy charger a couple of years ago so it all works as intended.

I won't be able to take any measurements as the van is in hibernation until the end of March.

Regarding the elusive Hook Up icon on the control panel……this only appears when the leisure batteries are fully charged. Odd isn't it? I assumed it would appear as soon as you plug into the mains. Not so.

All of the wiring is accessible from under the fridge. The wiring diagrams are readily available.
It may be that you can wire it such that your new charger will behave as the Westy unit.

PM me if you need any more intel

S.

vw_liz · Mar 7, 2014

Thanks for the reply.

sidepod said:
I won't be able to take any measurements as the van is in hibernation until the end of March.

No problem, I bet your van really appriciates that! I use mine to comute to work daily in all weathers - Mine must hate me! :evil:

sidepod said:
Regarding the elusive Hook Up icon on the control panel……this only appears when the leisure batteries are fully charged. Odd isn't it? I assumed it would appear as soon as you plug into the mains. Not so.

That is really odd, not what you would expect at all - good to know.

sidepod said:
All of the wiring is accessible from under the fridge. The wiring diagrams are readily available.
It may be that you can wire it such that your new charger will behave as the Westy unit.

Thats what I am aiming for -Not really a big problem though as the main thing is the leisure batteries charge ok (which they do), just bugs me when things dont work as intended!
The document I have indicates that as soon ~14v is applied to the LED Line (green cable), the Hook Up icon will display. Havent been brave enough to try it yet, hence wanting someone to measure the voltage first!

Another question, do you know what the purpose of the control lines are? My new charger only asks for the charging cables to be cannected?

Thanks a lot,
Jim

sidepod · Mar 7, 2014

Jim,

I'm going to guess and say it's something to do with the selector switches on the back of the overhead display panel. These switches are to set the panel to operate with either 1 or 2 leisure batteries and either Sonnenchein or A N Other brand of battery.

The Pdf for the control panel explains this setup.

Also there is a cutout switch in the battery compartment so I think this is involved also.

This is why I opted to spend E500 on the original Westy unit. It's a clever bit of kit and is silent when running so doesn't keep you awake at night.

S.