Campervan electrics: Is LB dead?

[denz1968]

Hi all.

Looking to help a friend where it looks like the leisure battery is probably about broke. It is 5 years old. Battery to battery looks like it is working. Solar panel fitted bit doesn’t look like it is working.
It appears a fuse is missing under drivers seat but not sure what for or what size it should be.

Photos attached. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[roadtripper]

What evidence is there that the Sterling is working - all your pictures seem to be of it off?

If you can take a picture of it's indications:
1. immediately after starting the engine (it shows config options for the first few seconds)
2. with the engine running but after a few minutes

Also handy if you can pop the bottom cover off the Sterling so we can see what's connected.

Pictures of starter and leisure battery also help get context.

 

[roadtripper]

The solar controller seems to be wired just for 1 battery (the leisure?) and seems to be showing a green light of a "normal" battery?

 

[denz1968]

I will try and get photos take for you.
I thought the solar charger should have a light for sun as well according to some instructions I found online.

 

[denz1968]

Photo after start up - 2 orange lights



Photo after 5 minutes running. 2 green top and 2 green bottom

 

[roadtripper]

Pictures of both batteries (to see type and wiring) will also help.

Do you recall if the just after start up picture the top green was flashing or not? It should show the configured battery type (flashing LED) for a short while after start up.

There should also be an LED across the very top of the Sterling on the charging profile diagram that shows which section of the profile the charger is in?

What makes you or your friend suspect a dead LB? Are you getting low voltage alarms from control panels? Much shorter run times than before for the fridge?

 

[denz1968]

Pictures requested. I won’t get the battery photos until a week and a half as he isn’t technical enough to remove seat to get leisure battery photo.

Shorter fridge run time and loss of power. That said when I looked at the weekend I don’t think the solar panel is connected properly. Maybe a fuse gone or missing.


From the instructions I found for this solar controller the “sun” led should be lit when charging.


Also this fuse box appears to have wires too and bottom for the fuse on the right hand side but there is no fuse present.

The fridge has stopped working totally and so has the diesel heater. The fridge is still in working order as I have wired it to a 12v cigarette power outlet that has proven it is operational.

So I’m short there are a bundle of problems and I am trying to eliminate each one.

 

[roadtripper]

Even a picture with the seat at one end of the travel will help folks get context, no need to remove the seat?

 

[roadtripper]

For the Solar what type of panel is it and how old is it?

If you have good strong light and no shading of the panel what voltage do you get across the panel input terminals for the controller?

If the panel is a similar age to the LB then there is a chance that's gone, 5 years seems about the lifetime of roof mounted ones from other threads. I would expect a fuse between the solar controller and the battery (but if there is one that is intact as the battery indicator is working on it) I wouldn't expect a fuse on the input side.

 

[roadtripper]

The fuse box seems to have 6 inputs at the top, 5 outputs at the bottom and 4 fuses.

That's quite a bespoke install so the only thing I could recommend here is tracing the wires. The only fuse I'd hazard a guess at is the 1 amp one, which might be the ignition sense for the Sterling given its rating. I would guess the inputs at the top are effectively a positive bus given the wire colours and the outputs seem to be unique colours. The missing fuseway is different as it is fed by brown wire that looks like it might come from the large fuse beside the Sterling? Is that the LB main fuse?

The bundle of red feeds seem to go somewhere behind the right of the Sterling, is there a switch panel or something?

Some wider shots of the wiring to see what is connected to what, and the cover off the bottom of the Sterling will all help.

 

[Howzat]

The fusebox is a hazard at the moment as you're missing a wire off the red fuse so that terminal at the bottom will be live. That missing wire might also be the issue.

EDIT: Hold on. It might be the angle of the pic that's throwing me. Looks like that end terminal might not have a fuse so all OK. Might wanna try a small fuse on the brown/green end.

 

[denz1968]

There should also be an LED across the very top of the Sterling on the charging profile diagram that shows which section of the profile the charger is in?

Light is in bulk boost section

 

[denz1968]

The fusebox is a hazard at the moment as you're missing a wire off the red fuse so that terminal at the bottom will be live. That missing wire might also be the issue.

EDIT: Hold on. It might be the angle of the pic that's throwing me. Looks like that end terminal might not have a fuse so all OK. Might wanna try a small fuse on the brown/green end.

Correct - no fuse in position 1 where the wire is connected at the top and no wire at the bottom. When I first looked i thought the bottom was a spade connector but on second inspection i think it is just how the fuse box is