# Burstner Leisure battery colour codes??



## dngray (Feb 1, 2016)

Hi 
I am replacing my leisure battery in a 2004 Burstner motorhome and the cable colour codes seem to be the opposite way round to what I was expecting.
The black cables only seem to fit the positive battery terminal and the brown and red cables only seem to fit the negative battery terminal.
Can this be correct?
I did not note what came of which terminal as I have always presumed that red/brown is pos and black is neg.


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## deefordog (Dec 31, 2013)

Do you mean the cable lengths are too short for the new battery (turn battery 180 degrees?) or the +ve and -ve clamps won't fit the posts on the new battery?
I'd agree that red/brown is +ve and black is -ve.


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## philoaks (Sep 2, 2008)

If you've got a multimeter then you could check for continuity to the chassis of the vehicle. If you make sure everything is switched off (to prevent back feeding) then one of the terminals should be a virtual short circuit to the chassis that will be your negative. The other should be open circuit.


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## trek (May 1, 2005)

Hi Dngray

This is possible on continetal campers


The important thing is to replace like for like so when you remove the cable off the battery -ve terminal mark the cable as -ve 

Then remove +ve cable off the battery and mark that as +ve

Lift out old battery and replace with new one ensuring the terminals are the same way around as the old battery was 

Reconnect +ve cable Then -ve cable


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## philoaks (Sep 2, 2008)

trek said:


> The important thing is to replace like for like so when you remove the cable off the battery -ve terminal mark the cable as -ve


Therein lies the problem :frown2:



dngray said:


> I did not note what came of which terminal as I have always presumed that red/brown is pos and black is neg.


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## trek (May 1, 2005)

Aah I missed that important line 


Put original battery back in the way it came out and see where the cables lay They may only fit one way and not allow a reversal


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

Can you check what the other end of the cables are connected to as that should tell you?


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## dngray (Feb 1, 2016)

Hi all,
Thank you for the suggestions.
The cable lengths would reach both posts. It is the post/clamp sizes that have got me puzzled. The clamp with the red and brown cable only fits the neg post and the clamp with the black cables only fit the pos post.
I did not take a note of which way the original battery was as I always took red/brown to be pos and black to be neg.
I will check which cable connects to the chassis.


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## eurajohn (May 9, 2005)

Mainland European built campers often have confusing colours for pos and neg wiring, Often blue is used as pos and brown for neg.
My suggestion would be to put your knackered leisure battery back in place and plug in the 230 volt and the with a multi meter check that what you think is positive /negative actually is.


.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

You do not say which model of 2004 Burstner, I made an assumption that it is an Elegance and checked the manual, there are wiring diagrams in there which may help, but the only model I found is 2005.....

http://www.buerstner.com/fileadmin/buerstner/media/Manuals/I-Modell_2005_GB.pdf

but you may be able to use that to help you - section 8.8 has the wiring diagrams.

Dave


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

The clamps are slightly different sizes surely. It's a while since I replaced any but that's my recollection, and they're usually marked + and -.


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## ambegayo (Jan 7, 2007)

Not relating to your batteries, but as you are the latest post, could someone guide me as to how I create a new post. Looked and looked but can't find the link. Thanks a lot. Wendy


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## Jmdarr (Oct 9, 2013)

Changed engine battery on my Adria had to find battery with posts on certain side of the battery as it had a large plate that clamped over pos terminal with a number of cables connected they were red black cables


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

ambegayo said:


> Not relating to your batteries, but as you are the latest post, could someone guide me as to how I create a new post. Looked and looked but can't find the link. Thanks a lot. Wendy


Hi Wendy,

I have sent you a PM explaining how to do this, I hope that it helps,

Dave


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

There are no standards laid down for low voltage DC polarity in the EU and indeed I've found some odd colour combinations used on German and Dutch wires, they often like to use grey and light blue for instance.

In the case of "round post" battery terminals you can always identify the positive terminal because the "hole" in the middle is larger. It should be pysically impossible to get the negative connection to fit over the battery positive terminal.

With terminals that are flat with a bolt through you'll need to use a continuity meter to determine polarity, the wire that goes to the chassis will be the negative in most vehicles made since the 1970s (except possibly Volkswagen who ISTR still used a 6v system with a positive earth).


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

gaspode said:


> In the case of "round post" battery terminals you can always identify the positive terminal because the "hole" in the middle is larger. It should be pysically impossible to get the negative connection to fit over the battery positive terminal.


I thought of saying something along those lines, but mustn't have pressed the button to post it. Though I can see it on my copy of MHF, just a couple of posts back. Admittedly though Ken has elaborated.

Must take a note to press the submit button, I'd have been pleased to have posted something clever like that.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Put meter on continuity between the chassis and each cable, the one which beeps is the earth mark it and fit it.


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## pete4x4 (Dec 20, 2006)

I dont think the polarity is in question, clearly on his old battery the negative terminal is bigger than the positive, on his new battery the positive is bigger. This is generally the uk standard.
What he does about it is the question. 
You could try opening out the positive, and packing the negative with some metallic shim or alternatively change the clamps or swap them over if they are of the screw type cable clamp.


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## eurajohn (May 9, 2005)

For round terminal batteries there are two variations, basically Japanese and European/American. The difference between the two types is that both terminals of the Japanese standard are smaller than the European ones. I think the Japanese have now standardised their size to the Euro one now.

Always the positive is the larger of the two.

.


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## pete4x4 (Dec 20, 2006)

I totally agree positive is always the bigger of the two 
Just trying to explain why his old battery potentially has a bigger negative terminal. Pretty sure burstner don't use black for pos and red for neg.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

My suggestion would still identify the negative cable, which was the OP question, regardless of the battery pole sizes which should be identified anyway by a + & -


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

Why not switch the battery charger on and measure the voltage at the disconnected battery terminals? It should be easy to work out the polarity.


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## dngray (Feb 1, 2016)

Hi all,
Called into my Burstner dealer and their techy said that I should ignore the colours as they have varied over the years, but if i found a big fuse next to the battery that will definitely be pos. I did find it and it was on the black cable
I therefore bit the bullet and connected the red and brown to the neg and the black and blue cables to the pos battery posts even though I found it to be very uncomfortable as it goes against everything I have always believed (red is pos and black is neg).
Everything seems fine-phew!!


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

dngray said:


> Hi all,
> Called into my Burstner dealer and their techy said that I should ignore the colours as they have varied over the years, but if i found a big fuse next to the battery that will definitely be pos. I did find it and it was on the black cable
> I therefore bit the bullet and connected the red and brown to the neg and the black and blue cables to the pos battery posts even though I found it to be very uncomfortable as it goes against everything I have always believed (red is pos and black is neg).
> Everything seems fine-phew!!


For future peace of mind why not wrap some PVC tape of the correct colours around the wires - red = positive, black = negative, that way you will remember if it is needed again.....

That seems the easiest way to me, but then I like things kept simple....

Dave


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## lgbzone (Oct 8, 2008)

Doesn't surprise me at all, most of the 12v cabling in my hymer uses brown for the negative and blue for positive, the purple, green and yellow, etc just seems to be random. if you come to extend the cabling at all you'll face another agonising decision; to extend using the colours you deem to be correct, or to match the existing cabling for consistency


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

Sounds like something the EU standardisation boys (& girls) should be looking into.


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