party on dude!

So couple of weeks away on a holiday that should of happened a year ago nearly! With freezing conditions at home, meant the new battery and liesure system would be tested well and truly! 

After 2 weeks battery is still charged at 12.4v I've hardwired the dashboard solar panel direct to the main battery, as at a certain voltage the sterling unit thinks it's time to wake up! Sterling are aware, as when I plugged solar panel into DIN plug under dash the sterling unit "woke up" ! All depends on voltage! 

The solar panel has a plug towards end of a long charging wire which has corresponding plug setup at the battery /DIN plug/ cigarette plug, so disconnection is easy especially re battery as once the wired plug is hardwired to battery it's easy disconnect. 

monitoring new battery 27/12/21

Day 3 battery is still showing 12.70 by now old battery would be below 12v even with the solar panel ! Looks like a few more days monitoring then hopefully it'll be safe to reconnect liesure side! 

Hinges finally arrive

Hinges for the unit arrived today! 

2 mins to fit but I'm going to have to shave 5 mm off the bottom of the door.

Found that B&Q do pine panels that can be used as worktop. £25/35 

Also need to fit tambour door below fridge. 

Once worksurface on hoping enough left over to use atop the porta potty. And make a cushion on top for a small seat at back of van! 

Next, box in electronics, the Sterling Power unit needs airflow but the rest can be covered. LPG gas pipework needs easy access box in. 

Then look at wall units for above fridge etc.

Oh and push button catch for door!! 😂

31/12/21

5 mm duly shaved off door spot on. Just catch to fit!

shiny new battery!

Got a new battery sorted. 

Made sure it was the correct Stop Start etc!

£250 fitted 🙄 

No loss of amps, easier start ( it felt to me) proper voltage read outs via the Bluetooth battery monitor, fitted a few days ago!

All's appears well. With Xmas break comming and probably won't use the camper for over a week, will be the full test to see if all is well! 

If so I can move to plane B and set up the Sterling Power unit again and have full camper electrics again!!!

IKEA unit fun

So as said door hinges are broken. Can't phone IKEA, and can't get in to exchange hinges their site says they will post. Great easy fix 😂😂😂😂😂😂🙄

Ended up using Resolver, explained have receipt details part numbers etc etc.

Every reply from IKEA is from a different person. Requests repeated, repeated repeats etc etc. 

Finally a staff member says thanks it'll be sorted. Next day email you'll have to come in to collect. 

So replied it's clearly states on the webpage for small items IKEA will post to you free of charge.( As it's a manufacturing fault you'd think.....) But yet again staff aren't checking the replies thread ...

So now they WILL bloody post it to me 😡

10/12/21

No reply

Days n days n weeks lol

20/12/21 another 10 days but finally got confirmation that IKEA are sending FREE OF CHARGE the replacement hinge!!! 

Electrics 785

Re ran the ignition live for the Sterling Power unit. Connect when I've replaced main battery.

Fixed the Fridge 12v to 240v converter inside of the cabinet. And mounted the 240v supply plug to outside of cabinet next to mains fusebox. 

Electrics No. 703

After muchly deliberation and helpful contact with Sterling Power the Sterling unit is back in place, well new place! 

Wiring looks a bit messy needs a few cable ties etc to improve. It's bloody cold today so had enough! 

The Sterling unit needs air flow so can't really box it in. However when the OS units are finished the wiring can be!

It would appear that the issues I've been having with the sterling is connected to the the wrong main battery again. 

( In process of sorting correct battery) 

Which was confusing the Unit should be AGM stop start one, I was sold it as the correct one for my van!! 

The liesure battery is disconnected until main battery replaced. 

I need to re run the ignition live to the Sterling unit as well, fiddly but not an issue. 

So 

New main battery

Ignition live connection

Reconnect liesure battery 

And hopefully Bobs my uncle ( which he is anyway 😂)

Then I can get back to the refit! 

Retiring in February 2022 so should be able to crack on and who knows could even get away in the van in 2022! 😱😁

400mm floor unit offside.

Another IKEA unit 400 mm wide fitted next to fridge. 

No flippin shelf ! Picked up wrong one lol. But as it's mainly going to be used for clothes linen etc going to see if there's any stackable boxes that will fit! 

His n hers type thing! 

Set the unit back enough so that the door sits flush with the fridge unit next to it. Just enough room to locate the porta potti at end next to the hatchback. secured to floor by its own footplate. Will build a shelf over top and a support panel hatch side. then attached to side of new unit. Probably make a cushion to sit atop of it.

It's still a pain to fit units as the wall curves slightly and the van width narrows towards the hatch. Several cuts had to be made 5-10 mm at a time to create the curve correctly. 

Get to the final hurdle fitting the door! Bloody hinges! One of the hinge footplates is off centre in the bracket and can't move it nor adjust enough to make the door work properly! Hoping I've got a couple of soft close hinges in the garage! Will save the hassle of a visit to IKEA! 

12v charging change

Started the experiment re Sterling unit and solar panel.

Disconnected the vehicle battery from the system by just removing the main fuse. 

Disconnected the live wires and earth from sterling unit.

Also the ignition live and battery sensor. So the unit is completely isolated. 

Then connected the solar panel wires to the solar unit along with the liesure battery live n earth. 

So now the main battery and liesure battery work independently. 

If this works out that the main battery is holding/ getting full and a better charge, then I guess the sterling unit is causing some issues! 

I'm looking at using the good old  12v 140amp Durite 0-727-33 Voltage Sensitive Relay! 

That way the liesure will get a charge whilst driving but in the simplest form.

More homework!!! 

Can't use Durite  relay with smart alternator/ regen braking! Well most say can't few can't see reason not to!

Me : a new alternator is loads of money! Not worth the risk. 

Rethink but I'll wait till I've used the van a few times and it'll sit over weekend so test the voltage pre going to work on the Monday. 

My solar panel is 160 amps I've another 100 amp ( rigid version) fridge is the only heavy user of 12v , but we've electric hookup for when we're static for a period.

LED lights, water pump n tap, heater if needed.

Main battery is holding slightly more power since it's been disconnected from liesure battery and sterling unit. 

So made decision to remove the sterling unit altogether. 

Again will monitor over weekend. 

The main battery is not a stop start battery as I was told, basically stitched! But I'll see how things are over the next week. But will probably fit the correct battery ( well apparently this type of battery as to be "plumbed"  into system!) Again not what I was told! So a trip to my new found VW specialist!

electrics/ batteries/ charging

Never ending oddness of Batteries, charging and modern vehicle electrics!

A lot of thought lately re the hassles with the main battery and what feels like a conflict of interest with the liesure system!

Tradition is liesure battery tied to main battery via various methods and the myriad of " units" available to do this!

So I've been wondering about isolating the two batteries completely. 

Solar systems etc usually compliment the liesure charging etc. Via electronic systems sending charge to liesure battery via the main battery! 

However, modern vehicles with regenerative braking, smart alternators etc seem to conflict

I stated I recently upgraded my Sterling unit to one that looks after the liesure battery with solar panel backup, Inc regen brakes etc.

However, I'm really not convinced that it works with regen etc. My main battery still seems to loose volts over a few days even plugged into a portable 5 v solar panel sat on dash! 

So hours of homework and trawling the internet. I feel the need to to seperate main and liesure batteries completely.

The portable solar panel will then only need to supply main battery. 

I have 160amp  solar panel on roof and a 100 amp spare that I've not used. 

If the main battery only has the vehicle to deal with it should keep its charge better. OEM battery was 60 amp worked fine replaced with 80 amp within 3-4 days looses upto 1-4 v never levels at 12.5 which it need to do. 

As I've quick release clamps on the liesure battery I've tried disconnecting it which diesake a difference.

Over the weekend the main battery can drop from 12.6-7to 11.3 ! 

In a few months I will be retiring so the van won't get used for long periods! 

So:

Homework done I will be disconnecting the liesure from the main battery! Using the 5v solar charger directly connected to main battery to see if this makes any difference. 

Then remove the sterling unit. The 12v internal electrics are all thru the liesure battery anyway. I've mains hookup as well. 

Reconnect the liesure to the mppt ( I kept mine when I installed the sterling.) Must have known 😂

Try it out to make sure it does the job for both the main and liesure batteries.

Then purchase a more useful mppt unit.

Current looking at 

EPEVER MPPT 30A Solar Charge Controller Regulator 12v 24v Auto with LCD display Solar Charge Regulator Mppt 100V PV Negative Grounded Solar Controllervaround £70 for the kit.

It has some good write ups and has the capacity for me to add another solar panel if I want to.

Job 1

Disconnect liesure from main battery! 

See if the discharge alters!

Next jobs!

As things are settling I will be able to finish the rear o/s cabinets. 

Floor units first:

400 cm wide base unit with door via Ikea. But shortened to 450/500 cm deep. To offer a little more working room at the back of the van. As we opted for a wider kitchen unit on nearside this time. Mainly to give better work surface area.

Reposition the electrics panel over to rear by 200 cm. 

I looking at building a custom cabinet on the end of the 400 unit but it's possible a standard IKEA one will do the job ( I need to enclose the porta potti if possible).

bits n bobs

Passenger seat armrest decides now and then to loosen even if not used! Simple fix remove outer armrest cover at point of swivel. Allenn key to tighten. This time added a dab of loctite!

Think I'll go for another 80 cm width base unit but cut its depth down to 60 cm. 

Or ..........🙄😂

Solar panel updates

The panel seems to holding the battery at 12.1-2 as read by volt meter via the EOPD plug.

There's so much in the way of hidden electrics these days that I wonder if that is sustainable during winter months. 

The van hasn't been used properly for a while due to illness, so at least it's holding at 12+ volts.

But wondered if it was directly connected to the panel I'd get any increase of volts at the battery.

Yesterday I hardwired the Clamp accessory to the main battery ( removed crocodile clips replaced with boltable connectors to see if that improves reading.

I've moved the panel over to the drivers side so I could temporarily run cable at this point. Which has to go thru door into bonnet to use. 

And remind me to disconnect when I'm back at work in a week or so!

19/09/21

Checked voltage staying at 12 volts, weather dull today and direct sun is only to around midday.

27/09/21

No difference in voltage whether using cigarette socket/Din / direct to battery! Interesting! 

States that you need to maintain the battery at 12.5 v I'm lucky to get 12.2!

Although technically it's the wrong battery (it isn't a stop start one, even tho sold to me as suitable !!!) 

08/10/21

Vans not being used for a couple of weeks. I've tried all the input sockets and all read about the same as the EOPD socket, as that's the recommended one I'll use it! 

I've disconnected the liesure battery so that the panel will only charge the main battery, and turned the van to get the most daylight. 

I've read that you shouldn't use solar chargers if the battery is stop start as most panels don't have charge protection! This one does and only puts out 4.8 volts. As said before the battery isn't specifically for stop start either? (Will replace in the spring as it will need pairing with the vehicle!) 

So the experiment begins tomorrow!

Solar Panel 2

         Positioned for photograph.

Would normally up against windscreen!

AA solar panel seems fairly substantial piece of kit, comes with battery clamps, cigarette plug, EOPD plug, AA recommends that this is the plug to use! 

Doesn't need direct sunlight to work and if in doubt a small led light can be used to check to see if the panel is working.

You can also permanently fix it with supplied screws. 

I've just rested it on the top of the dash plugged into the EOPD socket. The leads are long enough to cover most requirements.

But of course since it arrived it's been cloudy! It will still supply a charge but not the full 4.8v ! 

As long as the battery holds what it should that's fine. 

But will still daily check till I'm satisfied I can leave the vehicle safely for a few weeks!

04/09/21

Decent day to check on solar panel when plugged in volts were 11.9/12 

Checked this afternoon about 3 pm 12.2 

That's good enough where van is parked doesn't get full sun so as long as it maintains 12v anything over is a bonus! 

solar panels

As the current main battery is not quite right! I need to keep it charged along with its not used daily etc.

So ordered an AA solar panel (reviews gave it 9.7) that can be wired direct to battery unplugged if not in use etc. Good reviews etc. So when van parked up for week or so I can use the panel to keep battery topped up!

The rear roof panel takes care of the liesure battery!

Battery

Main battery seems to be draining. Oh bliss!

12.5 3 days 12.1 nothing should be draining it!

Leisure battery system only has an ignition live connection! 

So; be disconnected the liesure battery and monitor it, took the van for a 12 mile drive back upto 12.5.

Monitor it over next few days!

Electrics finally

Sorted !

Various oddities that were uncovered !

One my fault reinserted a fuse one place down, my excuse lying on my back working with torch between front seat and dash! Days of easy access fuse box gone forever! 

Main hassle was duff info from "specialist" forum !

Foxtec Southampton specialise in auto electrics, so I'll believe them, a family run and established garage! 

1) Jump starting the battery is to be         avoided!

2) Fitting new battery HAS to be re programmed on fitting! 

Which is why electrics went haywire!

Electrics surrender!

No further forward but managed to find a company that specialises in German vehicles 7 miles away

 When I explained they were more than happy to take it on! Where others I tried ran a mile! Booked in for Wednesday 18/08 heres hoping ! 

Foxtec Southampton

Let's hope nothing expensive 🤔

Electrics +

Disconnected battery again to re do reset! To access a fuse box below battery I've got to remove battery anyway.

This fuse box isn't listed in owners manual found out about it on T6 forum! 

If the fuse is blown I there could be a problem as nearly all the fuses are large and not usually held at garages or the likes of Halfords.

Electrics

Over  night disconnection of battery was fine!

Fob still not opening the vehicle but radio is back! 

Carista reader arrived today so will plug in tomorrow see what's going on. £25 on Amazon far cheaper than VW £150 to have a look!

This way I can post my finding on forum, or be able to sort it myself! Or at the least find an independent vehicle electrician with details with fault?

Possible reasons for electrical issues

T6 forum done it's job hopefully.

Seems that the issues I have with the electrics is fairly common. 

Battery voltage gets low problems start, things shut down I guess to protect other necessary electrics.

And the possible cure goes against the recommendations ! Or VW conning you lol.

Seems it is OK to disconnect the main battery altogether! Sure you'll have to reset clocks etc and possibly windows, easy enough!

In a nutshell when battery fully charged, disconnect over night. Next day touch the two leads together for 10 seconds then reconnect this resets any lingering  "memories" 

Link to info: 

https://www.t6forum.com/threads/guide-full-van-ecu-reset-capacitive-discharge-how-i-done-it.13730/

Note to self:

When leaving campervan for several months with little if any use:

DISCONNECT THE FRIGGIN LEISURE BATTERY 🙄😂

Dead as a dodo! 8v left wondered what was going on, and a minor panic as doorlocks weren't locking the whole vehicle etc. This is similar to prior issues with the whole vehicle shutting down electrically back in March/ April! 

Only casualty is the fuse for the radio ( I hope lol) but can't roll around in the passenger footwell to get at fuses because of injury ! It's a 25 amp apparently so should be easy to find............. except this is VW we're talking about and replacing main fuse panel in the middle, under the gear lever assembly, have screws to remove, then if it's a fuse below the small access panel under the dash, it should be a on the main panel so should be able to identify easy, if not it'll take a very clever baby with small hands to reach the fuse or remove the entire consul !

Thanks VW 🙄 not! 

Bare in mind VAG  will not even look for you, but it'll cost you about £150 to drive it into the garage!

AND

There is no official wiring diagram for customers to use! So it's forums or YouTube folks!

🤞It's just the fuse!

02/08 pm

Fuses to radio OK But still no radio! Will have to pull it out check wiring!

However!!!! 

The vehicle can't be locked with fob! And the safestart has switched itself off and can't be turned on via the B post switch.

Key fobs re synced to vehicle no joy.

Awaiting replies from T6 forum had one, a lecture about the safestart only being a warning duh I know that! Wasn't the problem is can't lock van with fob only manually and can't open the rear hatch unless I remove the panel and manually open from inside, it'll wait!  

Gotta love T6 electrics and total lack of reliability these days!    NOT 

12v sockets

Another job ticked off! ( Small but necessary 😂)

Switched USB and "Cigar lighter" socket.

To be fitted at rear of vehicle as have a couple of accessories that will be used especially the tyre/lilo/ inflator and double USB phones etc.

No wiring instructions ( not wanting to blow the new electricals ) took a look on YouTube to double check!

Fridge

Fitting the fridge unit! 

Oh what fun not!

Bought basic carcass from IKEA to house the fridge.

Basically 2 sides, base, couple of metal straps to brace the top.

As I'll be fitting a unit above the fridge a full top isn't needed! 

I've fitted the fridge to the top of the unit which gives me a small storage space at bottom the base therefore became a shelf and an offcut the base!

As usual needed shaping to the back of the unit of the vanside. 

Then over the inner wheel arch, which was cut the basic and trim around it! 

Minor issue was when the unit was cut it meant that the rubber foot on the fridge needed repositioning by about 4" forward. Easy enough to do. 

Fitting it was fun tho! Placed unit correctly but had to lower the fridge into it! I'm currently not able to manhandle both. 

Van has a pop top so that had to be opened then my wife roped in to lift fridge with me onto kitchen unit then into the base unit! 

Not heavy just awkward and I can't risk further injury!!! 

Round 2:

Plugged in fridge

Lights came on but it didn't fire up! Checked all fuses etc etc. No luck! 

Hasn't been used in over a year so left it for 30 mins still no luck. 

Copious hunting online wasn't having much luck.

Waeco seem to have imalgulated with Dometic trying to get in touch is not easy Jackson's Leisure came up as contact, except 2 emails to them were blocked!!! 

Head scratching commenced, medium time later decided to check all pipes wires etc again. Eureka! A tiny wire had broken just inside of the plastic wiring sleeve. Never have found it if I hadn't been giving all the wires a little tug in desperation 😂 

Easy fix thankfully and all working again! 

Next up: 

Unit above fridge and another next to it. 

Good old IKEA £80 and a bit of fettling over the wheel arch should do the job!

Kitchen Complete

Thats the kitchen unit complete!

So now I can get the kitchen stuff etc put back in the van, which inturn give me a bit more of my garage back! 

Next the Fridge!

Kitchen 10

Just the Tambour door to refit! Double sided tape wasn't up to it! So ordered high strength tape

Kitchen 9

Both doors fitted just got to fit push button catches 

LPG 4

Yea! we have Gas all working no leaks 😎

Bit of a palaver getting the LPG round trip to Southsea as nothing local. And the pump had seen better days. Poor woman on the till " is that all you want (£5.00 worth) "Yep it's got all new pipe work! It's just for the leisure supply not the vehicle! But when it's all tested I'll be back to fill up" put a smile on her face bless! 😂

Kitchen 8

Pre hinged door fitted. I've 2 pairs of soft close hinges so used a pair. Works fine gap between door and drawer is tight. I only used the pre drilled holes so seems very tight.

Other side door will need drilling, fortunately I've a drill bit especially for drilling the mounting of the hinge itself so will need careful measuring 😱.

So it aligns with other door and pre drilled holes on cupboard partition for attaching hinge brackets! 

And somewhere I've got some white "iron on" edging for the cut edges!

Kitchen 7

Drawer in place!

Next:

Cupboard Doors

Supplied door 600mm which is to wide to use once offside units fitted, so will cut it in half and refit as double doors of 300 mm wide. Easy problem solve for once!

LPG issues

Decided to test LPG today, turned on supply, turned on Propex Heater didn't ignite after 3 full restarts! 

Hobs no gas! Checked all taps OK 

Hasn't been used in over a year, not smelt any leaks so will fill up the tank with a couple of litres. And try again! Could be just at cut off level in the tank.

Note to self maybe a LPG guage might be useful! 🙄

LPG

Part turned up for LPG regulator so all hooked up! Just need to test for leaks! Or more to the point a dry day to crawl under van to turn main tank on!

Secondary tap under wheel arch for ease of on site use!

Kitchen 6

Oven secured and vented above. Tambour door below for pots and pans. Keeping some weight off.

oh Flip!

Don't you just hate it when your one part away from finishing !

LPG

Rainy day so no cutting of panels, decided to start mounting LPG regulator, distribution taps and filter under the shelter of rear hatch!

Using the new LPG 8mm flexible thermoplastic pipe

Specs E67.01

Apart from obvious ease of fitting ( no bending of copper pipework) it lasts longer not prone to becoming brittle etc.

It is more expensive but doesn't need replacing very often ( at time of writing I cannot find any timescale for replacement)

It also needs special fittings to join to the distribution manifold and accessories.  

I used it to connect to the chassis mounted LPG tank about 4 yrs ago. No problems still looks as good as new! 

Once all fitted I'll be fitting a easy removable cover to keep pipework etc protected.

 

kitchen unit progress

Oven, Hobs and water all working! 

Next up:

LPG to run and fit to hatch end of kitchen unit and connect LPG to hobs and oven DONE

Fit panel above oven

Fit Tambour door below oven.

kitchen 5

12v power to tap and pump!

12v power to oven!

Next: 

Secure rear of kitchen unit.     Done

Fit oven shelf.     Done

Fit lpg regulator and distribution to end of kitchen unit

Run gas to oven

Fit oven.                Done

Run gas to hobs

Connect Propex Heater

kitchen 4

Sink hob unit siliconed into position and unit clamps tightened. Plumbing run, electrics, old wiring not long enough so need to run new! 🙄

SterlingPower

Been s couple of weeks unit working fine! Defaulted to a " custom setting" which I suppose it is! Both batteries are charging properly so I'll just let it get on with it!

Need to read up how the solar charge part works, not seen the light go on, but if I understand how it works as long as the battery is charged correctly it doesn't show. At least with the old system controller you could physically see what was going on!

kitchen 3

Worksurface cut and secured, sink and hobs in. No template this time, so was a fiddle! Cutting small amounts at a time , temporarily secured as need some clear sealant to bed it in place. Also need to sort rear top anchors of unit. 

Next:

Cut shelf for oven and secure that it place. IKEA shelves just rest on metal pins, so need to be securely mounted. Last time I used white plastic blocks worked well, sure I still have some!!

kitchen 2

Unit needed to be cut down on right side, needed room for battery by about an inch! So as the oven is going that side and only 490mm wide I cut off the difference in length so that the oven fits correctly as it's secured at the front on all 4 sides. Saving the need for a seperate extra panel within the unit to secure oven. It will be mounted beneath the sink unit, leaving a small cupboard below. It is sat on the base to check size!

To the left a drawer and large cupboard. 

The worktop needs to be chamfered at rear left to allow a overhang. This will have the LPG fittings filters and regulators below. Hopefully room enough to build a cupboard around them.

Also added the fresh water filler to the end panel.

kitchen unit

Built kitchen carcase 120 cm in length, cut down to 75 cm in height plus worktop of 3cm has it sitting just below rear window to give easier access to it. Previous unit was to high when I fitted the new rear window which made it difficult to open etc. 

Basically dropped it the height of the kickboard. This enables the base to be screwed into the floor easier for added safety. 

I still need to cut out the base for the wheel arch. Cardboard template to be made, then the centre upright to be removed shortened then resecured. 

Probably with a reshaped L bracket attached to wheel arch. 

The shelves are 60cm wide the oven 49cm so will need a divider to attach the oven on one side. But this enables a storage space at the side! 

The shelves only rest on pins so will need securing for the oven.

Picture of carcase ( it's on its side! So rotated picture ) hence horizontal curtains 😂

 

fridge wiring connected

New Tyre

Slow puncture in rear offside! £160.00 😭

12v Electrics !

Seperated oven, tap , water pump and oven wires from old unit. Moved to NS ready for kitchen unit.

And pulled thru fridge supply from behind the rear panel as new system needs to be better accessible. 

12v accessories

Wired in Propex Heater and Led lighting.

It's alive!!! 😂

So now I know 12v electricals work, just need to add oven, water pump, water tap and usb and cigarette socket. 

Then tidy up the wires etc.

Next time for kitchen unit! 

Electrics 3

Well got the LED lighting up and running!

And the SterlingPower unit working, although it defaulted to custom setting fair enough then went to Lithium which I don't, I have just two sealed battery's!

When I reset system it went to sealed but after a few minutes back to lithium. 

This might be due to high charge rate of a smart alternator! So need to go for a drive before I go shout at Sterling Power 😂

Electrics 2

Ran ignition live to front of van.

Added negative busbar.

Ran live feed from busbar ready for connection.

Ran negative feed to negative busbar and fitted. 

Ran negative feed from busbar to sterling but not fitted.

Fitted mains electricity unit below 12v electrics.

electrics board

Fitted the 12v electrics board OS rear 550mm from floor. Fortunately I'd left enough Battery cable to allow me to bring it up enough to connect to SterlingPower Unit! 

Used 5 mm ply board painted white. And used 15 mm small rubber door stops to mount it to the ply wallboard. Small amount of extra damping for the electrics if nothing else!

This new unit controls the solar panel as well. 

Live feed to unit via main battery direct.

Auxiliary battery live from unit to battery via the live busbar. Live / neutral cables not connected at the moment until I've got the accessories wired in. 

Solar panel live is connected 

Next is run the ignition live wire to SP unit.

Fit battery temperature monitor cable.

Then add the negative busbar

Run the accessories live/ neutral wires to fuse box/ neg busbar.

Then fit the live battery cables fire up and fingers crossed all should be working!

Closing in on electrics!

Vehicle battery earth clamp issues:

With plenty of lubricant and turn anti clockwise then clockwise for 20 mins got the bloody nut off! So camper electrics are now earthed correctly for the new SterlingPower unit! 

I've mostly built the camper electrics board and labelled live feeds to the SP unit and liesure battery. 

Next up

Once I've mounted the SterlingPower Unit and got that going 

Trip to DIY shop ran out of solder first!

Wire in the accessories to the new fuse board etc. Fortunately I've labelled those on the old unit 😂 

So fiddly, but the solar panel now fits directly to the SP unit so one less gizmo to worry about.

Once all that is sorted I can get on with the kitchen unit! Having given the flooring a good clean that is!

Electrics 9.4

Fitted new quick release battery connectors.

Rewired winch cables to fit. 

Added kitchen unit earth wires & subwoofer live feeds. 

Added HT wire for SterlingPower unit

Added SterlingPower units battery heat sensor earth. 

To do

Connect main battery earth wires ( new 6" to short!) So can solder together and fit to liesure battery. 

Decide on final position for electrics board at rear of vehicle mount electrics to it and fix to wall. 

Hoping enough HT cable so don't have to add more tho! 

It would be useful to mount the electrics at least 600mm above floor level higher if possible.

wouldn't you know it!

Earth cable runs 3" short! 

next up!

Fit SterlingPower unit to ply board along with new fuse box, mains electricity unit, battery isolator and earthing point for 12v accessories.

Looking to mount this board in its own cupboard above where the porta potti will be housed. 

Fitting the new SterlingPower Unit

New earth cable run and old wiring deciphered .....mostly ( really should of marked cables!) 

Have bought new quick release battery connectors which also have extra wiring fittings which will be useful for attaching the winch cables from the trailer! I tow my motorcycle when we holiday and weighing in at around 250 kg a winch gives better control when mounting the trailer! Slipping the clutch and using throttle is fraught when putting it onto the trailer and negotiating the ramp and wheel arch of the trailer ! 

new earth cable for Sterling Power unit

Well managed to run the earth cable through the bulk head hole behind battery! Bit of a faff because removing the battery would mean slave battery to keep the electronics going! But fortunately there was an accessory wire run direct from positive terminal. Which was run as a temporary live feed for led lights by the company who fitted the poptop and lighting! 

I had to remove the glovebox as expected but also the airbag panel on near side of dash ( on off switch). The lower plastic panel below glovebox as well, to find the the live feed wire.

I taped the earth wire to the live wire and gently pulled it through until I could feel the two wires ( the hole is just big enough under the dash to get both cables through but fiddly! As well as working by touch!!! .

Once pulled thru and panels etc replaced I thought I might as well attach the earth cable to the main battery. 

Good old VW .....not! 

The 8 mm nut holding the earth clamp onto battery post can't be removed completely only loosened the thread has a shoulder on it to stop this!!!

Which also means I can't add a 8 mm nut to it!

No where else to attach the new earth cable either so at this point I'm guessing a laborious filing of the top of the thread to remove the " shoulder" 

If I forcibly remove the nut It'll damage the thread and the nut. And not enough room to saw it off.

Option 2 is slave battery connected via jump leads to vehicle battery leads so I can disconnect earth clamp saw off bolt and fit new one!

Might be the easier option! Quicker at least!

job 1

Run new earth from van battery to sterling unit / liesure battery 

There's a hole in the bulk head behind the van battery near the top which will give access to interior behind glove box.

Hopefully all I'll need to do is release battery clamp and move it forward to access it!

And remove the glove box to run earth cable.

Time to get on with the renewal of the kitchen and storage at last!

Results from VW

3 fuses were missing from the board below the gear lever! 

That'll be since new then 5 yrs ago!

Of course they queried the campervan electrics.

Of course they asked if I'd removed and not replaced.

None of the above!

So I'm guessing it's just a oddity should've caused issues off the production line but taking 5 yrs and 21k miles !!!!! 

Booked in to VW

Van booked into VW next week. No further forward so main dealer ☹️

They don't collect etc etc 

Trailered to VW £120

VW also will charge £120 to check it out THEN do the work once permission is saught! 

So nothing will be done till I've paid out £240! 

Could be a £50-100 if it's just the ignition switch 

Or £250 ish if it's actually the immobiliser!

Plus labour if course! 

The ignition issue is a known issue !

The immobiliser should be replaced if it's faulty sure pay for labour but it shouldn't fall apart after 5 yrs! 

It's a Cat 1 Thatcham after all! 

We'll see!

fuse box under battery

Yep there sure is!

Battery, the tray and insulation and front half of compartment needs to be removed.  

Before the torx screwed lid can come off.

All are fine ( damn  🙄😂) but unlike any fuse I've seen before so doubt if I'd get them at Halfords! 

Interesting point about punitive cost cutting no rust proofing under that lot! I know it's inside engine bay but it had a fair bit of debris in there so water will get in! Job for another day ( I haven't any dinitrol etc) 

Good point is I've finally found the hole in the bulk head to thread any wiring through! Which means I can re route live and earth cables from vehicle battery to leisure battery. Will will shorten them by a few metres a good thing!

over night disconnection

In a nutshell didnt work! 

Van still didn't ,start then did, then wouldn't!

AA called.

Checked battery fuses etc then plugged into the diagnostic system took about half an hour and inconclusive! 

Few more checks and AA guy put a call out to other mechanics. 4 replies came back 3 for dashboard problem 1 for a hidden fuse box under the battery!! WTF would VW do that! 

Bad enough you not get wiring diagrams these days!

So upshot was it's going to go in to VW! 

However I'm going to check the hidden fuse box as if it's a blown fuse should all be sorted! If not nothing lost. It'll still have to go into VW 3 mechanics reckon it's worth the try one of them actually found a blown fuse which sorted similar problem!

Don't hold your breath !

Not getting any better!

So over past couple of days

No:

Reversing camera

Stop Start

Oil warning light on ( oil fine!)

Cruise Control

And this morning won't start! Battery is fully charged, fuses checked all ok! 

Also when trying to start a delay of a few seconds before then van turns over but doesn't start!

Contacted electrician I was told get it to VW sounds bad!!!! 

So I've totally isolated leisure battery. And have disconnected the vehicle battery as well. 

It is just possible reconnectiing tomorrow morning just might reset things!

Vehicle will need taking to VAG to get things rebooted so if it works it'll be drivable at least. If not then I'll have to get it taken there anyway. Albeit VAG or recovery company!

WTAF

So the Sterling battery tender has decided to play up! 

Sterling have requested it back to check and update! The willingness is a little suspicious! 

But I have the older version and kepty independent solar controller fitted them back in place 

All sorts of odd 12v electrical issues at the same time. Oil light came on oil level fine! No reversing assistance, and now the airbag is faulty 🤪

As it seems impossible to find a fuse diagram that shows reversing aid monitor and it's at the bottom of the centre gear column you need to be a contortionist! 

Upside old sterling unit back doing it's job!

Leisure Battery

Sorted leisure battery earth wires 

Earth Busbar setup as to many wires going to battery.

Here we go

Bought a 180cm IKEA kitchen unit to fit along NS. With a few adjustments!

No good! Good job didn't open it! 😂

Returning to IKEA in exchange for different version! 

Decided not to go down the side pull out bed! So keeping the pair of RIB seats but improve the rear storage. Oh hum!

interesting!

Fitted a rubber seal between dash and windscreen designed to stop things disappearing between dash and windscreen! Since fitting the windscreen has no internal condensation!!!

LPG thermoplastic piping

Fitted first run of the LPG piping yesterday, easy enough the pipe marries to the LPG unit, in this case the Propex hot air heater via dedicated brass coupling. Using the units tightening nut. It was great not having to worry about bending the copper pipe etc around to the regulator and distribution pipework. Luckily I was able to run the pipe under the rear floor by the the rear hatchback. Hooking it to the on / off tap for the Propex unit although I've not attached it as haven't decided how far up the wall to fit the distribution valves yet! 

Plus I'll need to turn on the tank to test for leaks so will do this when I've fitted the new kitchen unit, hobs and oven again using the thermoplastic piping.

. 

dry and ready to go

Further heavy rainfall these past few days and interior dry!

Temporary fitted the rear blind back in place as will be starting work on the interior so bit if privacy as have to do some work in the layby next to our house! 

Thermoplastic LPG tubing arrived waiting on a few fittings then the Propex pipework can be refitted. 

week of rain

Problem solved note to self annual check of the drain holes on rear window. ! 

Dry

3 nights of rain interior dry 🤪🥳

Rain always finds away! No leak from window frame, so wtf! Then I notice that the opening window channel is soaking! 

Blocked drain aways 2 holes in the opener channel and 2 in the runner. Judicial poking the holes saw water run to the outside of the van. 

At this point it would seem to have been the problem.

wet wet ...round 1 to me?

Rained quite heavily last night , van on drive which slopes downwards (reversed in) this would cause some rain ingress culprit window surrounding is dry! C post damp which is good as it was soaking wet! New hatch rubber also seems to have done the trick lining in that a bit damp still but no wet patches!

More rain forecast so bring it on ( mostly lol) don't want to jinx things!

There's no point in continuing with the referb until this is sorted. 

Next up setup new electric board and new fuse box simplification! 

Once that's done re-carpet panels and general clear up. 

THEN I can start the rebuild of the interior! Hopefully finish it for a summer holiday! Covid permitting!

It's our 40 th wedding anniversary this year, and my wife's *0 th 😂 so there are other plans holiday wise that a week camping with the motorcycle and tent or the campervan are not included 😇😂

new roof rubber seal

In an effort to seal the poptop once and for all ( leaking thru side panel zips when shut!)

I'd fitted a larger rubber seal but made little difference. 

Whilst perusing tinternet I came across a local company selling replacement poptop roof seals. The difference was this seal is OEM size but has a small extra lip offset from the bottom plus on delivery I found it also has some small holes punched into the tubing. The other two seals didn't!

It makes sense ( to me)  as when shut you are able to pull the roof just a little bit more closed therefore ( in theory) making a better seal.

Whilst fitting I cleaned both van roof and poptop edges.

Due a lot of rain tomorrow fingers crossed. 😂

I'll settle for an improvement mind!

wetness still but not as bad!

Getting there, no ingress from top, but some damp only bottom right! Rain forecast so added a little more all smoothed and pressed home 🤞

wet wet flippin wet

Still some ingress 🤬 added a little more sealant, smoothened and pressed into the channel courtesy of latex glove! Then cleaned and pressed in again using a anti bacterial wipe works well.....who knew!

wet wet 5

Getting there 😂

As with all leaks whilst the bottom right hand corner remained dry thru the rain this afternoon there was some wet at the top of the window and had dropped down bypassing the carpet straight into the lower C post! 

So I've sealed the rest of the window internally rain forecast for tomorrow so hopefully!

If sealing the inside doesn't stop it I'll have to reseal outside with a fine bead! Pretty certain that the window won't come out without breaking as it's "glued" into place!

Other option might be remove the internal rubber seal ! Won't be easy but will be worse fitting a new one! 

Guess work:

Lubricate the rubber seal ( silicon spray non invasive to the rubber)to assist fitting the metal rib that attaches to the metal part of the window, which should allow the tube section to slide into the gap between the frame and glass.

Or

Replace glass but use a better seal, I seem to remember I was surprised that the tube section wasn't that big!

wet wet wet 4

Found the leak! 

Nearside rear sliding window.

I have thermal blinds on my 2 sliding doors and rear NS. Designed as an all in one panel in abs plastic and can be covered etc. I removed it over the weekend as part of the rebuild etc. Bottom right corner of the window was the culprit leak! As the frame is carpeted the water tracked along that to the C post! Drenching it from about half way down. 

I cleaned the edging between the van and window using a small flat screwdriver in the crevice. Dried it out an ran a small bead of black mastic sealant into the channel from halfway at the top round to halfway inwards at the bottom. The other side was bone dry but I'm make sure next deluge ! 

Not that much of a pain as I needed to move the window pod out into the van about 8 mm to miss the sliding window catch anyway. So I'll be cutting a new full length panel and stick the pod to that and re carpet. 

It'll tidy up the area as the new bed will be on that side and by adding a spacer on the panel just below the catch the problem will be solved regarding the opening catch! 

Onwards and sideways eh! Once it's all dried out.

On the plus side the rear hatch stayed dry after a massive overnight downpour!

wet wet 3

Rear hatch seems to be cured! But C post still a little damp so not sure. Heavy rain forecast tonight so let's see!

wet wet wet 2

C post is drying nicely and hatch D posts remain dry although its not really rained much! Did I just say that in winter in the UK 😂

Electrics Board

Decided to make a dedicated ply board to mount the sterling unit, fuses etc. 

6 mm ply board cut and s couple of costs of white emulsion to tart it up!

I'll be using the old sterling unit to work out what needs to fit where 

Sterling unit

12 v accessories fuse box unit

Bus bars positive and negative

Leisure Battery cut off switch.

Sterling Power unit update 2

Been a couple of weeks and batteries are getting charged! No sun so can't check anyway!

The sterling unit defaults itself to ""custom"  even tho I manually reset to sealed battery! I guess I'm missing something!

Looking at the sterling wiring instructions I Checked as couldn't remember if I'd taken the positive battery cable direct to the old sterling unit. I have! So that's not the problem, however it's charging batteries fine so it drops lower down the " why" list!