Electrical Problem

[Ty Whitlock]

Hi I am very new to motorhoming although I have owned an Elddis Majestic 155 for nearly 2 years. I purchased from Motorhome Depot franchise and am positive it had this issue!! The vehicle battery drains after 2-3 days on drive? It has in Peugeot for over 3 weeks the handsfree kit has been changed but still a draw.....any ideas would be greatly appreciated?? Thanks Ty

 

[Lenny HB]

So BIG thanks all round to @autorouter for the link.

For anyone reading this for the first time, this is just about the most perfect electrical meter for a MH to have on board. Yes, it's more cash than a cheapo digital meter but being able to read low DC amps without cutting or undoing cables makes it worth every penny.

Seconded.

 

[Spriddler]

It has in Peugeot for over 3 weeks the handsfree kit has been changed but still a draw.....any ideas would be greatly appreciated?? Thanks Ty

3 weeks!? Hmm. You'd think the Peugeot dealer would have one of the mentioned meters and know how to make the checks.

Naïvely yours,
Sprid.

 

[pappajohn]

3 weeks!? Hmm. You'd think the Peugeot dealer would have one of the mentioned meters and know how to make the checks.

Naïvely yours,
Sprid.

You would think an established Suzuki franchised dealer/workshop would have a simple engine compression tester...... But they had to BUY one in for my daughters repairs.

 

[Spriddler]

You would think an established Suzuki franchised dealer/workshop would have a simple engine compression tester...... But they had to BUY one in for my daughters repairs.

Few garages repair anything these days and rely on diagnostic computers. I left the motor trade in 1967 when I finished my 5 yr apprenticeship as I was going on day release to college learning how to diagnose and trace faults and repair components, but even then we repaired very little when back at the workshop and I seemed to spend much of my time waiting at the Stores for replacement parts.

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[WynandJean]

Having bought one of these I am starting to work out how to get to grips with it. All the functions seem straightforward using the probes. The NCV function I have sussed out but when it comes to the clamp function I am still trying to get the hang of it. I can select between AC or DC. I can zero it but cannot make sense of the readings. I have rigged up a split cable so can put the clamp around the Live cable whilst the Nuetral and earth are separate. Before I pass a current through it it reads:- Trms AC 0.000 when I switch the current it shows 0.031. What is this reading? Is it the actual current that is being used?
Please keep it simple! Thanks.

Wyn

 

[xsparks]

Yes

 

[Richard n Ann]

Yes in amps, thats 31ma (milliamps)

 

[autorouter]

Yes, that's 0.031 amps. At mains voltage (240 volts), since watts = volts x amps, that means the wattage is 0.031 x 240 = 7.44 watts. Does that sound like a reasonable wattage considering what's switched on?

 

[Larby]

Hi I am very new to motorhoming although I have owned an Elddis Majestic 155 for nearly 2 years. I purchased from Motorhome Depot franchise and am positive it had this issue!! The vehicle battery drains after 2-3 days on drive? It has in Peugeot for over 3 weeks the handsfree kit has been changed but still a draw.....any ideas would be greatly appreciated?? Thanks Ty

Reversing camera been fitted and constant live although display turned off?

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[WynandJean]

+

Yes, that's 0.031 amps. At mains voltage (240 volts), since watts = volts x amps, that means the wattage is 0.031 x 240 = 7.44 watts. Does that sound like a reasonable wattage considering what's switched on?

What I found confusing is that above the figures a 'V' is displayed so I expected the reading to show voltage.

Wyn

 

[Richard n Ann]

+

What I found confusing is that above the figures a 'V' is displayed so I expected the reading to show voltage.

Wyn

That is a bit confusing, I'll check mine later

 

[autorouter]

You have to turn the range switch to an amps setting: 2A, 10A or 100A. The display should show 'A' along the top. The selected range is clearly indicated (a black dimple on a black background)

Then look at the top left to see if it's measuring AC or DC. It goes to AC at first, if you want DC you have to press the blue button to switch modes.

Of course you want AC for mains measurements, and DC for 12 volt circuit measurements. If you choose the wrong mode, it will show zero or a very small current. 0.031 amps for example.

 

[pappajohn]

Few garages repair anything these days and rely on diagnostic computers. I left the motor trade in 1967 when I finished my 5 yr apprenticeship as I was going on day release to college learning how to diagnose and trace faults and repair components, but even then we repaired very little when back at the workshop and I seemed to spend much of my time waiting at the Stores for replacement parts.

Went in (running) with a burst radiator and blown head gasket
10 weeks later came out with new rad and head gasket plus new piston rings.
They couldn't get it to run after changing the head gasket (they damaged a wiring loom but didnt see it) and had to be told the radiator had burst even though it wouldn't hold water.
Total incompetence

Final bill..... £1200.

 

[WynandJean]

You have to turn the range switch to an amps setting: 2A, 10A or 100A. The display should show 'A' along the top. The selected range is clearly indicated (a black dimple on a black background)

Then look at the top left to see if it's measuring AC or DC. It goes to AC at first, if you want DC you have to press the blue button to switch modes.

Of course you want AC for mains measurements, and DC for 12 volt circuit measurements. If you choose the wrong mode, it will show zero or a very small current. 0.031 amps for example.

Yep, that's all doing as you describe. There is a setting further down the dial which is marked 'V~' (also a straight and dotted line) when set to this the display reads AC there is a 'V' with a reading below. What does this show?

Wyn

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[hilldweller]

'V~' (also a straight and dotted line) when set to this the display reads AC there is a 'V' with a reading below. What does this show?

Wyn

V squiggle = Volts AC.
V= means volts DC

 

[autorouter]

The V setting is for measuring voltage. You need to connect the test leads to measure voltage. Black lead to black socket (labelled 'COM' (=COMMON) and red lead to red socket marked 'V'. Red is positive, black is negative.

Test it on a 12 volt car battery. Set the range to 'V' and switch it to DC mode. Push the red probe onto the positive terminal. and the black probe onto the negative terminal. You may need to push firmly to cut through the layer of crud to get to the metal. The display should read between 10 and 15 volts. It is auto-ranging so no need to set the range like you have to on other multimeters.

Try swapping positive and negative, and you will see the same reading but with a minus sign. Try switching to AC, and you will see the reading drop to zero or a very low value.

 

[hilldweller]

Try switching to AC, and you will see the reading drop to zero or a very low value.

I just did and it doesn't. It freaks out if I measure a battery on the AC setting, showing all sorts of voltages. Confusing to someone not well up on measuring volts.

Conversely, select DC volts and connect to AC and it shows zero volts, which is correct but an amateur would be on a steep learning curve if they said "this is safe" and stuck their fingers in.

 

[autorouter]

I just did and it doesn't. It freaks out if I measure a battery on the AC setting, showing all sorts of voltages. Confusing to someone not well up on measuring volts.

Just goes to show you shouldn't believe everything you read on the internet. Half of them don't know what they're doing

 

[hilldweller]

Just goes to show you shouldn't believe everything you read on the internet. Half of them don't know what they're doing

I was surprised. But it must be the True RMS side attempting to make a reading. I would have predicted 0 or an over reading ( as did cheap rectifying meters of the past ) but random numbers is a surprise.

It's still a great tool.

And the bottom line, be very very careful helping people with things electric.

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[Khizzie]

Take it to a proper auto electrician, sod faffing about with setting up meters then trying to analyse what's wrong, better than spending hours pretending you know what's what, then ending up taking it to a qualified auto electrician to sort out the mess that you have made. Lol

 

[WynandJean]

The V setting is for measuring voltage. You need to connect the test leads to measure voltage. Black lead to black socket (labelled 'COM' (=COMMON) and red lead to red socket marked 'V'. Red is positive, black is negative.

Test it on a 12 volt car battery. Set the range to 'V' and switch it to DC mode. Push the red probe onto the positive terminal. and the black probe onto the negative terminal. You may need to push firmly to cut through the layer of crud to get to the metal. The display should read between 10 and 15 volts. It is auto-ranging so no need to set the range like you have to on other multimeters.

Try swapping positive and negative, and you will see the same reading but with a minus sign. Try switching to AC, and you will see the reading drop to zero or a very low value.

Aha! That's what was confusing me. Yes it's fine using the leads but couldn't understand the readings being shown on 'V' setting using clamp. Thank you all for your help it's all part of the learning experience.

Wyn