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Puck L 2001 classic over heating fuse box

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Puck L 2001 classic over heating fuse box

in Anything Eriba-related Fri Aug 07, 2015 10:17 am
by simonh (deleted)

Hi,

Ive just become the proud owner of a Puck L classic 2001

Everything seems to be very good apart from when i plugged 240v in.

I had the fridge on and all the lights plus was running my lap top off one of the sockets when both me and my wife started to smell a burning smell similar to when you burn the handle of a frying pan.

I checked the electrics under the seat and found that the fuse box was very hot.

Is this normal? or is there something im not doing right?

Thanks for any advice
Rgds
Simon

RE: Puck L 2001 classic over heating fuse box

in Anything Eriba-related Fri Aug 07, 2015 10:43 am
by Pepé Le Pew •

| 2.752 Posts

Hello Simon

With what you were running it doesn't sound as if you were overloading any of the fuses, and if you were then a fuse should fail anyway.

Overheating is often caused by one or more bad or intermittent contacts. That's the first thing I'd check if I were you.

Cut all power to everything, and then work your way through all the contacts and connectors, making sure they are all tight and corrosion-free. Look for signs of arcing or discolouration.

While you're at it, double check that all the fuses are of the correct rating and that nothing was bodged before you got the van.

There's a PDF of the manual here - you can check the fuse ratings in the circuit diagrams section.

.

Last edited Fri Aug 07, 2015 10:54 am | Scroll up

RE: Puck L 2001 classic over heating fuse box

in Anything Eriba-related Fri Aug 07, 2015 10:51 am
by hob (deleted)

Zitat
make sure that all the fuses are of the correct rating while you're at it.

that was my first thought too.............also does the trip work correctly?

switch things on one at a time monitoring the fuse box temp may give an indication of where the fault lies

if you are as inept with electrics as i am get a caravan service engineer to look at it

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Vauxhall Insignia Sri towing 2006 Triton 430 import

Last edited Fri Aug 07, 2015 11:09 am | Scroll up

RE: Puck L 2001 classic over heating fuse box

in Anything Eriba-related Fri Aug 07, 2015 11:56 am
by crow (deleted)

Unplug your 240v then remove each fuse in turn (then replace before trying the next)
looking for discolouration that would indicate over heating. Take a photo of the fuses
in the fusebox as a reminder. Is there good ventilation around the fuse box.
It could be as simple as long disuse heating up the dust.

Some OAP's Should Get Holiday Pay

RE: Puck L 2001 classic over heating fuse box

in Anything Eriba-related Fri Aug 07, 2015 2:40 pm
by Aaron Calder •

| 3.834 Posts

Do you have a BIP unit like the one described HERE, Simon?

If so, they are notoriously unreliable and do overheat. Mine destroyed electronic components in the charging circuits on two occasions in normal usage and had to be replaced but on no occasion did I actually smell anything getting hot.

If the checks suggested by the others prove negative, it could be that your BIP is in self-destruct mode and due for updating.

Also, in a 2001 van, it is unlikely that you will have RCD trip switches fitted. I had to have them retro-fitted to my BIP (2003 Triton) when I updated the electrics (see linked article).

What P le P suggested re dodgy connections is valid as a few of the factory-crimped connections on my van were loose and had to be renewed when I replaced the BIP. Furthermore, two female, crimped spade connectors fell off their wires in the junction box under the chassis when I replaced the 13-pin cable recently and had to be renewed.

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2003 Triton 420 and Audi A4 2.0Tfsi S-line SE Cabriolet

Last edited Tue Aug 01, 2017 12:20 pm | Scroll up

RE: Puck L 2001 classic over heating fuse box

in Anything Eriba-related Fri Aug 07, 2015 3:01 pm
by Aaron Calder •

| 3.834 Posts

Just a thought, but if you had a dead fly trapped in a light fitting, it would really stink as it heated up. Plastic plugs and sockets can also pong if they get hot, from a loose connection for example.

Was the hot smell definitely coming from under the seat or might it just be a coincidence?

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2003 Triton 420 and Audi A4 2.0Tfsi S-line SE Cabriolet

Last edited Tue Aug 01, 2017 12:21 pm | Scroll up

RE: Puck L 2001 classic over heating fuse box

in Anything Eriba-related Fri Aug 07, 2015 4:14 pm
by Pop540 (deleted)

could it be the fridge
the back gets quite hot while in use, and if something been put in there to protect from winter icy winds ect. or travelling, take the outside vent off to see asap
hope its something easy to find and sort

Eriba troll 540 2003 likes constant hugs, and buffs and the odd cuppa.

RE: Puck L 2001 classic over heating fuse box

in Anything Eriba-related Fri Aug 07, 2015 6:04 pm
by Wordspace (deleted)

This is exactly the problem I've been having with our 430. While the EHU was hooked up, a hot smell, rather like the water you've cooked peas in, led me to the offside locker that contains the battery and the BIP. The BIP (the white box) was too hot to touch. Eribanaut and caravan engineer JohnE has been talking me through a series of tests and measurements, and will almost certainly be rebuilding and modernising the BIP, in the same way that he has done for Aaron Calder.

Olivers Twists at http://martynoliver.wordpress.com/

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RE: Puck L 2001 classic over heating fuse box

in Anything Eriba-related Fri Aug 07, 2015 6:31 pm
by simonh (deleted)

Wow, what a great site, thanks for your responses.

Yes it looks like i do have the same BIP unit as You have shown in the link.

I'll check each fuse and as many connections as i can.

The smell was definatley coming from the fuse box area and it was very hot to touch.

Ive plugged in the power again today with the fridge on and most of the lights but no laptop and although it was warm it wasnt red hot with the burning smell.

maybe as the van hasnt been used in a while it was struggling do to having to charge the battery, fire up the fridge(i did have it on top setting) and also run the lights and laptop.

i'll try running everything again tonight and report back.

Many thanks

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#10

RE: Puck L 2001 classic over heating fuse box

in Anything Eriba-related Fri Aug 07, 2015 6:49 pm
by Pepé Le Pew •

| 2.752 Posts

Quote: simonh wrote in post #9
Ive plugged in the power again today with the fridge on and most of the lights but no laptop and although it was warm it wasnt red hot with the burning smell.

I think the laptop charger is a bit of a red herring. I'd be surprised if it drew more than about 60w - roughly the same as an average light bulb.

I reckon your problem is elsewhere.

.

#11

RE: Puck L 2001 classic over heating fuse box

in Anything Eriba-related Fri Aug 07, 2015 8:05 pm
by chezmart •

| 186 Posts

We had a burning smell with the BIP unit in our last Eriba. At first we thought it was our imagination until the main trip fuse caught fire! It turned out that the screw fixings that hold the cables in had worked loose and caused it to overheat and eventually catch fire. Disaster avoided by quickly shutting the power off.
We were lucky so advise all to check the connections for tightness and the wires for discolouration as Pepé has also said.

Last edited Fri Aug 07, 2015 8:06 pm | Scroll up

#12

RE: Puck L 2001 classic over heating fuse box

in Anything Eriba-related Fri Aug 07, 2015 8:16 pm
by Wordspace (deleted)

Zitat
Overheating is often caused by one or more bad or intermittent contacts.

and

Zitat
the screw fixings that hold the cables in had worked loose and caused it to overheat

I'm a klutz when it comes to electricity, so could someone please explain why a loose connection could lead to overheating? Something wrongly connected that delivers more power than the circuit can take - that I can understand. But a loose connection?

Olivers Twists at http://martynoliver.wordpress.com/

#13

RE: Puck L 2001 classic over heating fuse box

in Anything Eriba-related Fri Aug 07, 2015 9:02 pm
by hob (deleted)

Because the current arcs across the gap and the resulting spark is hot.

Or if the connection is only through a limited number of wire strands they can heat up like an electric fire does.

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Vauxhall Insignia Sri towing 2006 Triton 430 import

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Last edited Fri Aug 07, 2015 9:06 pm | Scroll up

#14

RE: Puck L 2001 classic over heating fuse box

in Anything Eriba-related Fri Aug 07, 2015 9:58 pm
by hob (deleted)

Quote: Pep� Le Pew wrote in post #10
Quote: simonh wrote in post #9
Ive plugged in the power again today with the fridge on and most of the lights but no laptop and although it was warm it wasnt red hot with the burning smell.
I think the laptop charger is a bit of a red herring. I'd be surprised if it drew more than about 60w - roughly the same as an average light bulb.

I reckon your problem is elsewhere.

.

That's right laptops radio's and TV receivers all have an internal transformer and use little power................after all when not plugged in a laptop runs on an internal battery, as do most portable radio's.

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Vauxhall Insignia Sri towing 2006 Triton 430 import