Meltdown?

gary1638 · Apr 25th, 2009, 14:57

Checking over the car the other day I saw that the cable of pin 9 just behind the 13 pin socket had started to melt, probably due to overloading. I am sure there was a little kink in the cable and it is here that the insulation has melted and a green deposit was over the cable. Pin 9 is the permanent live and carries power to the fridge and so obviously carries a lot of power, yet it is no thicker than any of the others. Has anyone else noticed this?

Gary

iand1967 · May 1st, 2009, 11:14

yes this sounds like mid pin burnout the action of fiting and removing the grey plug causes the mid pin in the plug to close up it then becomes a loose fit in the car socket and so gets hot and melts in use due to curent draw from fridge ,the remady is to clean plugs and open up the center pin in the grey plug it will be closed up .

pdr944 · May 1st, 2009, 13:08

its not a bad idea to change these plugs each year as they cost pennies but can cause an awful lot of trouble.its a good idea to carry a spare one of each in your caravan.

peter.

JimDay · May 1st, 2009, 23:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by gary1638

Checking over the car the other day I saw that the cable of pin 9 just behind the 13 pin socket had started to melt, probably due to overloading. I am sure there was a little kink in the cable and it is here that the insulation has melted and a green deposit was over the cable. Pin 9 is the permanent live and carries power to the fridge and so obviously carries a lot of power, yet it is no thicker than any of the others. Has anyone else noticed this?

Gary

If pin 9 is permanent live then it wont be power for the fridge as the fridge should not have a permanent live feed as it will kill the car battery if left without the engine running. The fridge should only be fed with power when the engine is running same as the charging circuit for the caravan battery.

TBird1 · May 3rd, 2009, 13:27

Hi folks, don't mean to hijack this thread - just wanted to ask if anyone maybe know whats going on with my situation.

I've posted in the v70 section and didn't want to double post so here's a link :-)

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=71782

Cheers,

TBird1

SKH · May 5th, 2009, 10:31

You say Pin 9 on the 13 pin socket which suggests your car has the latest wiring system and does not use two 7 pin (black & grey) sockets.

On the 13 Pin socket, pin 9 should be a +ve from the car but it can easily be overloaded depending on where the connection is in the car. An old favorite used to be the interior light circuit which is not good if you then run all your caravan electrics from it!

Just a thought, does your caravan have the latest Alko chassis with thier 'anti-snaking' system fitted. This requires a supply from the car (I think on Pin 9) but is rated at 15A & requires a 20A fuse according to the literature. If the supply from the car, or the cable itself, is not up to the job, it is bound to overheat.

gary1638 · May 12th, 2009, 20:25

Thanks for your help so far. No, my van does not have the anti snaking device, but my understanding was this pin supplied the fridge through a relay in the caravan wiring (2005 Bailey Pageant) which sensed when the engine was running and completed the circuit to the fridge.

Gary

Frank · May 12th, 2009, 23:32

Hi Gary - I have just been rewiring mine and this is my understanding.
(I assume you do have the 13 pin socket on the car and 13 pin plug on the caravan).

Pin 9 on the 13 pin socket provides a permanent live to the van. This will allow you to power the van interior lights and water pump via the car battery in an emergency if the van battery is low etc. It should not provide power for the fridge. Beware of draining your car battery if you do use this supply at anytime (Usually controlled by a switch for Van or Car on your vans power controller when car is coupled and engine off)
Pin 10 provides the ignition controlled power supply for the fridge and for the battery.
The relay you mention in the caravan normally operates when coupled to the car with the engine running. This relay should cut off the power via Pin 9 to all circuits in the van to reduce any demand from car to van lighting etc.
The power for the fridge and battery from the car is controlled by a relay in the car which senses when the alternator is running and then provides the power to the fridge and battery circuits via Pin 10.
There are 3 earths from the 13 pin socket and it is worth checking these are all well earthed on the car and well connected at the socket and plug. Pin 3 earths the vans road lights. Pin 13 is the return earth for Pin 9 and Pin 11 is the return earth for Pin 10. The return earths should not be connected electrically in the caravan.
Frank

gary1638 · May 13th, 2009, 20:43

Thanks Frank.

I'll have to have a good look at what does what over the weekend, but will probably end up fitting a new socket to the exsisting wiring, assuming there is enough slack in it. Should be fun as all the cables are the same colour, but at least they are numbered!

Gary

Apr 25th, 2009, 14:57	#1
gary1638 Member Last Online: Sep 2nd, 2011 13:21 Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: verwood	Meltdown? Checking over the car the other day I saw that the cable of pin 9 just behind the 13 pin socket had started to melt, probably due to overloading. I am sure there was a little kink in the cable and it is here that the insulation has melted and a green deposit was over the cable. Pin 9 is the permanent live and carries power to the fridge and so obviously carries a lot of power, yet it is no thicker than any of the others. Has anyone else noticed this? Gary

May 12th, 2009, 20:25	#7
gary1638 Member Last Online: Sep 2nd, 2011 13:21 Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: verwood	Pin 9 Thanks for your help so far. No, my van does not have the anti snaking device, but my understanding was this pin supplied the fridge through a relay in the caravan wiring (2005 Bailey Pageant) which sensed when the engine was running and completed the circuit to the fridge. Gary

May 1st, 2009, 11:14	#2
iand1967 New Member Last Online: Apr 25th, 2013 19:41 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: tockwith north yorshire	yes this sounds like mid pin burnout the action of fiting and removing the grey plug causes the mid pin in the plug to close up it then becomes a loose fit in the car socket and so gets hot and melts in use due to curent draw from fridge ,the remady is to clean plugs and open up the center pin in the grey plug it will be closed up .

May 1st, 2009, 13:08	#3
pdr944 Senior Member Last Online: Jul 7th, 2009 17:18 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: middlewich	its not a bad idea to change these plugs each year as they cost pennies but can cause an awful lot of trouble.its a good idea to carry a spare one of each in your caravan. peter.

May 3rd, 2009, 13:27	#5
TBird1 Junior Member Last Online: Sep 19th, 2011 14:49 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Islandmagee	Hi folks, don't mean to hijack this thread - just wanted to ask if anyone maybe know whats going on with my situation. I've posted in the v70 section and didn't want to double post so here's a link :-) http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=71782 Cheers, TBird1

May 5th, 2009, 10:31	#6
SKH SKH Last Online: May 31st, 2022 20:03 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Brighton	You say Pin 9 on the 13 pin socket which suggests your car has the latest wiring system and does not use two 7 pin (black & grey) sockets. On the 13 Pin socket, pin 9 should be a +ve from the car but it can easily be overloaded depending on where the connection is in the car. An old favorite used to be the interior light circuit which is not good if you then run all your caravan electrics from it! Just a thought, does your caravan have the latest Alko chassis with thier 'anti-snaking' system fitted. This requires a supply from the car (I think on Pin 9) but is rated at 15A & requires a 20A fuse according to the literature. If the supply from the car, or the cable itself, is not up to the job, it is bound to overheat.

May 12th, 2009, 23:32	#8
Frank Junior Member Last Online: Aug 16th, 2010 20:45 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Lancashire	Hi Gary - I have just been rewiring mine and this is my understanding. (I assume you do have the 13 pin socket on the car and 13 pin plug on the caravan). Pin 9 on the 13 pin socket provides a permanent live to the van. This will allow you to power the van interior lights and water pump via the car battery in an emergency if the van battery is low etc. It should not provide power for the fridge. Beware of draining your car battery if you do use this supply at anytime (Usually controlled by a switch for Van or Car on your vans power controller when car is coupled and engine off) Pin 10 provides the ignition controlled power supply for the fridge and for the battery. The relay you mention in the caravan normally operates when coupled to the car with the engine running. This relay should cut off the power via Pin 9 to all circuits in the van to reduce any demand from car to van lighting etc. The power for the fridge and battery from the car is controlled by a relay in the car which senses when the alternator is running and then provides the power to the fridge and battery circuits via Pin 10. There are 3 earths from the 13 pin socket and it is worth checking these are all well earthed on the car and well connected at the socket and plug. Pin 3 earths the vans road lights. Pin 13 is the return earth for Pin 9 and Pin 11 is the return earth for Pin 10. The return earths should not be connected electrically in the caravan. Frank

May 13th, 2009, 20:43	#9
gary1638 Member Last Online: Sep 2nd, 2011 13:21 Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: verwood	Thanks Frank. I'll have to have a good look at what does what over the weekend, but will probably end up fitting a new socket to the exsisting wiring, assuming there is enough slack in it. Should be fun as all the cables are the same colour, but at least they are numbered! Gary

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