Conference terri::cars_uk

    Don't think that there is one, Arfon. 
                          
    The closest that I have found is the US base RV one and that's not
    mush use to you or I, is it?
    
    How about starting one?
    

    
    
    Hello all,
    
                I am desperately in need of some help. I sold my caravan
    last night (well partly). When he tried to tow it the lights on the	
    caravan were flickering on/off all the time !! I waggled the tow bar
    and found out this was causing the prob...The caravan has been standing
    out in the cold for 7 months. Any ideas what I should do to get this	
    corrected ? As I have to get this done before saturday. 
    
    Does the towbar itself act as an earth ?
    
    Any help would be appreciated 
    
    craig..
    
    
    

  You should run a seperate ground from the trailer to the tow vehicle. 
  The hitch will try to act as a ground, but as you found, it won't work
  all the time.
  
  Dave

    
    I'd guess that the trouble could be the 7 pin socket that you plug 
    into the back of car. 

    It might be corroded. It could be the "front" of the plug
    where the pins are and this will be simple to check. 
    More likely and more unfortutely it might be that you left the plug 
    hanging downwards to protect the pins and the thing has filled up 
    with water where the cable goes in.  
    
    Its also possible that at some time you pulled the cable instead of 
    pulling the plug and have pulled one of the wires off.

    One of the 7 pins is an earth (black if memory serves) and so
    if all the lights are affected this is the one I'd check first
    to make sure it's still properly connected and not corroded.
    
    Richard.

    Unless things have changed, the towbar + hitch do not operate
    as the earth. The grease in the hitch would make a lousy connection.
    

    
    
    When I first connected it up, they didn't work at all but after a while
    they started flashing when we went over a bumpy surface.
    
    Looking at the socket, the pins were a little corroded. What I'll have
    to try is cleaning them up.
    
    So, you think the towbar does act as part of the earth but one of the
    seven sockets is the definate earth !!
    
    One thing I did notice was, one of the front lights on the caravan
    wan't working...may this is just the bulb ?
    
    thanks for the advice so far
    
    craig
    
    
    

    Your are going to feel like you have been sent on the quest for the
    Holy Grail on this one..... 'van electrics are(to use a technical turn
    of phrase) a right bu**er when they go wrong.
    
    The only way to do it is to be logical. You will need: screwdrivers
    (various sizes and shapes) spare bulbs, wire an AVO or a fly lead with
    a bulb soldered in and LOOOOONG wires........(continuity tester).
    
    1	Check all bulbs, replace duff ones.
    
    2	make physical check on wires for security of fasteners etc
    
    3	Clean all pins on both van plug and car socket.
    
    4	Check that there are volts between the appropriate pins on thge
    socket and the earth pin of the socket for the various functions (stop,
    tail, rear, indicate etc)
    
    5	Shake van plug, if sloshing sound, dry out (hairdryer helps)
    
    6	Check continuity between receipt pins and earth line on van plug of
    the various circuits
    
    7	Use screwdriver with thin blade to GENTLY open up the halves of the
    pins in the van plug so they make better physical contact with the
    brass sockets in car piece
    
    8	Plug van into car, test.
    
    9	If Ok, drink beer, If not OK cry in beer
    
    If you want the description of the standard pin-outs on the plugs I can
    bring them in tomorrow, drop me mail......

 Of course, the other thing to check is that the plug on the car is working !!


		 Alan
		~~~~~~

  I have always found that flushing out both the car sockets and van plugs
  with WD40, after the winter layup, gets mine back into action. Repeatedly
  inserting and removing the plugs while they are still soaked with WD40
  seems to remove a lot of the tarnish which appears to be the main problem.

  - John.

    
    I'm fairly certain that the two front "white" lights are on the
    same circuit, so if one is working, it suggests that the other
    bulb is duff.
    
    Richard.

    
    
    ok...thanks for all your help
    
    I'll have to settle down and try a few things out 
    
    craig.
    
    
    

    
    I know this is a late reply, and I hope you've sorted it out, but we
    had the same problem when we first tried to connect the trailer to the
    Landy. This has resulted in the total rewireing of said Landy....

    
    
    Well its been sold and YES I did resolve the problem.
    
    I gently cleaned the terminals and sprayed it with WD40 and it still
    didn't work.
    
    So, I climbed under the back of the caravan. And noticed there was a
    wire fitted to the body of the caravan (ahhh !! an earth, he said). SO
    I cleaned the screw and the body  BINGO ! it worked...
    
    Well thats for you help...
    
    He drove it away and his last words were "Well, I KNOW your phone
    number if I have any probs"
    
    GULP !! I replied 
    
    craig
    
    

 Next handy hint .....



	 Move !!!!!






		 Alan
		~~~~~~

    Apart from Colin's Caravans on the A4 near Beenham, where are there
    caravan/parts dealers in the Reading?blazingsmoke/Bracknell/Newbury 
    area?
    
    From experience, said Colins is a stad pricey and limited on choice.

    Don't know the name of it but there is one on the A30 between Hook &
    
    Hartley Wintney.

	Try Berkshire Caravans. They have two places, one on the Wokingham Road
and one near DEC park. To get to this one, from DP go over the M4, left at 
roundabout, left at next roundabout, and its on RH side after about qtr mile.

	If you are a member of the Berkshire Centre of the Caravan Club you
can get some discount.

	Ken