Ignition on - no power - help! (1 Viewer)

[Nigel Crompton]

Stopped for lunch in a thankfully shady layby (in France)

Apres lunch, turn the ignition key and nothing. No click.
The radio is powered from the fiat battery and that was on till I turned the key.

So I'm thinking blown fuse.
Any advice anyone, or do I just have to test all those that I can find .. ?

Are there any big fuses adjacent to the battery under the passenger's seat ?

(I have a power-pack that should start the vehicle if the fiat battery is depleted)

 

[donkey]

First thing to check would be your battery connections.

Geoff

 

[Nigel Crompton]

Update.

Put a meter across the jump start terminals, 13.1v. There's a gizmo that trickle charges fiat battery from solar, but doubt that this is solely responsible for this voltage, so assuming battery is good.

Returning to cab, I find the radio is now on (it's powered from the fiat battery via a dash mounted isolation switch) - but has reset to factory settings.

Tried ignition again, and dashboard lights up on first click, as it should. Not tried engine start yet.

So, not a traditional fuse. Are there any thermal cutouts anywhere ? Vehicle has operated in much warmer climes in the past.

 

[Rudski01]

Dodgy earth cable perhaps

 

[Nigel Crompton]

Dodgy earth cable perhaps

Rudski01 wins the prize.

The battery's earth terminal has a little bus-bar with 3 terminals; 2 in use.

1.The main earth strap's connection to the bus-bar hits the top of the battery case before the clamp is fully home on the terminal. Nowt I can do about that ATM.

2. Two more cables at the other end of the bus-bar were preventing the clamp fully closing; the lever contacting the corner of the battery case. There was only 1-2mm in it, it was probably fine with the original battery.

The clamp had worked loose; not falling off loose but, it seems, enough to generate a significant resistance.

Moved the two cables to the center terminal (13.26v across) and reattached clamp. Started engine twice, seems good.

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[Nigel Crompton]

I blame the fitter.
(Me )

 

[mackeellan]

File a little off the end of the clamp so doesn't touch, maybe?