One of the last remaining problems on our 2009 Familia 320 recently acquired is to sort out the non-functional fridge on 12V operation.

I've narrowed it down to a non-functioning relay on the BIP. Initially I removed it and found that one of the relay pins was bent (probably by a previous owner not re-inserting it properly). After straightening the bent pin and re-installing, I was fully expecting it to work. Alas, when hooked up to the car to test, I still don't get any 12V switch lighting up on the Fridge.

After a bit of searching through the forum I found this post: 12V Fridge Problem


Handily, the OP put a photo of the replacement relay and it seems to be available at RS Components at a price of £5.50 (Plenty of stock). An order is on it's way - Happy days indeed!

Just shows the benefit of Eribafolk and all the technical advice on here. Very grateful for all the advice as an Eriba newbie.

Pete

RS Components part: Finder PCB Mount Power Relay, 12V dc Coil, 16A Switching Current, SPDT
Stock no.:351-639
£5.50

RS Components (same part) is a bit cheaper £12.45 incl handling/postage & VAT whereas Farnell is £19.78.
Pete

The relay arrived today by DHL from RS Components - Genuine Finder relay made in Italy. I'm a bit wary of Ebay buying cheap as a lot of stuff on there is copy Chinese imports. I've been caught out before on car parts which have turned out to be of inferior quality (as I've found out to my cost). £4.95 with free delivery seems too good to be true, but it could be that someone has surplus stock they wish to dispose of quickly at cost. On closer inspection of the photos on Ebay, the part there does seem to be genuine.

I took the old relay out this morning and did some tests. Coil resistance OK (208 ohms). 12V DC does switch the relay (changeover) but its evident that there is no continuity between the main contacts when the relay is closed (open circuit). Looking at the relay it's clear that the wiring has burnt out internally. So I've finally found the problem with the fridge not running at 12V when towing.

Fridge Relay Old.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

The new relay is now in - it's quite difficult to see which way up the relay needs to be inserted so I took a photo of the socket (difficult access because of the proximity of the water tank to the BIP).

Fridge Relay Orientation.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)
The correct way up is with the coil at the bottom. Great care is needed to make sure the relay pins are inserted into the socket properly. Also ensure that the retaining clip is over the relay.
Pete

Pleased to report that the fridge is now working properly on 12V. Fully tested during a weekend away in Wiltshire. So the relay was definitely the only problem.
Pete