Interior Lights On Leisure Battery

[sippe]

Hello all

Been busy with rewiring the interior lights to go on the leisure battery. For that, I ran a cable from my new fuse box to the dashboard, and there attached that to the two red/black cables going normally into the white and the brown 10-way plugs. On the leisure battery there's a main switch to cut off everything that's hooked up to that battery.
After that I noticed that at the moment I turn the interior lights off (with the standard switch) when the second battery is connected there's some electricity flowing back through my new cable, through the fuse box and further through other users to the ground of the car. No idea where this comes from, as long as the leisure battery switch is turned on there seems to be no problem.
To counter this I installed a relay that cuts off the feed when the second battery is disconnected. This seems to work but I'm wondering where the flowback can come from.

Then, secondly I'm trying to figure out where I can connect the door step lights to the same feed, as they are still at the first battery, and when I turn the interior lights on, they come on as well (and take electricity from the start battery).

Any ideas? I have got the wiring diagrams but can't figure out where the actual cable goes from the steps..

(if necessary I can make a drawing ;-) )

Thanks


Jan

 

[Deaky]

Hi @sippe. A drawing would be useful. When you say the two red/black cables, this is where you confuse me. There is only one. There is a red with a black stripe - this is the courtesy lights, but there is also a black with a red stripe - this is the brake lights.

 

[sippe]

Tried to make some kind of schematic drawing.
So the front lights are on the white 10-way plug, and the other lights are on the brown 10-way plug in the A-pillar (both on red-black cable).
I cut just behind the plugs (blue markings), and connected to the 2nd battery via a relay (if I don't there's electricity flowing back somehow through the fuse box, suppose because everything's interconnected there and connected to ground as well...).
The doorstep lights are not going through the T10 connectors, but seem to hook up somewhere in front on the main cable (B315).
The switches at the neg side are drawn a bit simplified...

So here: should I try to find the cable from the doorstep lights somewhere, or better to take the whole B315 (not sure what else is on, or where to cut then)

 

[Deaky]

Looking at the drawings I'm guessing you have a Caravelle variant? Might be a Multivan ? not sure. In a Kombi we only have one courtesy light feed. It's strange to me that your step lights come on when you turn on the interior lights, for me, in a Kombi they don't, they only come on when the doors are opened. Here in UK step lights in a Caravelle are on the ambient circuit and only come on with the dash lights and not the doors opening. Could your step lights have been fitted aftermarket?

 

[sippe]

It's a Multivan (LHD).
The step lights come on with the rest of the interior (so doors or all on), and are originially fitted as far as I know.
After a lot of thinking, and looking it again I decided to cut the the cables at the door step plugs, and putting new 12v cables in place that connect to the rest of the interior. So in the end all works.

Thank you for thinking about it. The door opening idea got me to try it out, and cut the cables in the end... ;-)

 

[sippe]

In the meanwhile ordered some LED's for the door steps, and tried to install them.
First got some CANBUS ones, but they immediately shortened the circuit. After testing with a meter it seemed that at each side of the lamp there was a positive and a negative pole, making the circuit go bang immediately. Looks more or less like this, problem is they go in the other way around. (90deg turn). If turned they don't fit.

After that I got some other ones, like this, with the same result. As there are just two wires I don't get it... Maybe not enough resistance? Anyway, for the moment just put the original ones back in.

 

[at0m]

Hey sippe

My 2010 Caravelle has the same lighting configuration, step lights come on with the rest of the interior.

I'm also at the junction of hooking the interior lights to the leisure battery. I pulled fuses SC17 (cab and footwell) and SC24 (rear courtesy and boot) after, all lights were out

Looking at wiring diagram our lighting red/black leaves the B315 controller (65) and splits to SC17 + SC24. Then proceeds to those connectors T10ab + T10ag.

This sounds exactly what you described in the original post, but you still needed to move the footwell lights.
Did you locate a fuse for the footwell circuit? And where did you isolate the circuit? Also any further idea about the additional currently flow when the lights are off?

Anyone else solved this before?
Suggestions experiences very welcome

Thanks
Tom

 

[sippe]

Hi, I put a new + wire in for the footwell lights (because they are switched at the - side, so nothing changes in terms of switching). For that I just cut the original feeds just before the connectors of the step lights themselves, and taped the original feeds off. Installed new feeds back from there, and got them on the same circuit as the rest of the interior.

So, on the drawing higher up, I used the cable marked with green (it's not a green cable, just in this color for explaining purposes)

Reason was in the end I couldn't figure out where exactly the foot lights went off from the B315. As no other connectors were shown on the plans, and I wasn't very keen on getting the whole dash open to find the exact spot, I thought this was by far the easiest way to to it.

BTW for the boot lights I installed them on a seperate line (+ and -), and put in switches in the back, so I can use them when cooking, or as a bed light.
Grtz

 

[at0m]

OK cool, so you ran a feed to both left and right footwell?

The circuit diagram i referenced is from the H-manual, prob cant post the image due to forum rules.
Essentially:

Which is similar to your diagram, but without the footwell feed
Going to find some time over the weekend, see if i can locate the source 65

Thanks for the info

 

[sippe]

Yes, indeed, ran a cable from the right sliding door passing also at the passenger door, and a cable from the driver door. Most of the cables run underneath the lining. In the end they connect to the other interior lights on the relay I installed. Couldn’t find the actual attachment on the diagrams either....

grtz

 

[Grim Reaper]

These LED fittings replace the whole unit, fit the existing plug and are very bright with low current draw.
They also fit where the driver/passenger footwell lighting fits, and the glovebox too.

2pcs Error Free 18SMD LED Courtesy Glove Box Under Door Foot Light for Audi Skoda Fabia Octavia VW Golf4/5/6 Tiguan Touareg - AliExpress 34

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

If you need more connectors, they are available here..

2 Pin/Way Female automobile refitting modified old door plug connector 893 971 632 893971632 - AliExpress 34

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

 

[at0m]

They look good, and those connectors would make it a neat job.

Need to move the existing lighting circuits to the leisure battery then I can add these

Just noticed I've been calling saying "footwell" when I should have been saying "step lights"

 

[Grim Reaper]

I used them for my interior lights as well