# Autoquest 270 Charging issue



## joeyd11111 (May 22, 2009)

Hi All

I am new to motorhomes / caravans etc and have recently purchased a 2.5L Autoquest 270 (Talbot Express) on a K reg (1993).

I am a bit of a numpty when it comes to electrics but the chap who sold it to me told me that I should be able to charge the leisure battery from the Mains hook-up. The Battery charges fine from the engine but I am pretty sure that it is not charging from the mains. I used my limited knowledge and checked the voltage on the battery before and after plugging into the mains and there was no difference.

I am not even sure if this van does have the ability to charge from the mains as I cant find a charger, but have no manuals / handbooks to tell one way or the other. 

Following some advice I traced the wiring from the mains hookup and it appears to go to an RCD box with one master switch and 2 circuits with switches. From there the wires go in two seperate directions, one in the direction of the fridge and mains sockets which both work fine. The other wires dissapear under the floor and I think reappears under the drivers seat where the leisure Battery is located. It is a bit crowded under the seat so it is hard to tell what goes where, but there appears to be a Clear plastic fuse box with 4 x 10amp fuses (only three wires are attached to the box, also 2 of the fuses were blown but have been replaced now) and a couple of oldish looking relays. 

There is a "Zig" control panel on the cupboard wall but as far as i can tell that only controls the output from the 2 batteries and not charging.

I was hoping that someone with a similar van (or better knowledge) might be able to let me know if the van should charge the leisure battery, and if so, where the charger is and maybe even give me some pointers as to why it isnt charging . I dont ask for much do i ?  

Thanks for any help
Joey


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## joeyd11111 (May 22, 2009)

Hi Again

Any takers ?  

Joey


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## Autoquest (May 16, 2007)

Can't really help you - but your battery should charge at around 14v if it doesn't read that on your tester then it isn't charging from your hookup.

If I were in your shoes I wouldn't bother trying to unravel all the spaghetti - I would just buy a small CTEK type intelligent charger, wire to the battery and plug it in as and when.

If you can find the old charger then take it out of the loop and replace it with the CTEK

Simples


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## TDG (May 26, 2009)

Autoquest said:


> Can't really help you - but your battery should charge at around 14v if it doesn't read that on your tester then it isn't charging from your hookup.
> 
> If I were in your shoes I wouldn't bother trying to unravel all the spaghetti - I would just buy a small CTEK type intelligent charger, wire to the battery and plug it in as and when.
> 
> ...


Without someone coming up with detailed knowledge of that van , that's probably the best advice you can have. However I wouldn't go too small with the charger - 8 amps minimum


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## thepadster (Mar 27, 2009)

*autoquest*

Hi joey the switch on the RCD box should light up when you plug in your mains leads and the battery should charge , i have limited knowledge but that is what i was told and it seems to work ok in my 1991 autoquest 320 , antway good luck and take care
The padster


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## joeyd11111 (May 22, 2009)

Thanks for the replys

I'm pretty sure that the rcd switch doesn't light up when the mains are plugged in but I will check.

With regard to the ctek charger, that seems the perfect solution if I cant sort it. Just another question though, would it be possible to be on a site plugged into the mains, and to be using the leisure battery at the same time as it is charging via the ctek ?

Thanks again for the help....it has been driving me mad trying to work it out

Joey


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## Rainbow-Chasers (Sep 2, 2008)

I would check the voltage across the battery, then turn on the lights etc inside. See if the voltage drops like a stone or stays constant (ish) it will drop a few slowly, but shouldn't fall through the floor. If it does, the battery may be dodgy.

Zig should auto charge, check the zig fuses and connectors, and unscrew the zig unit and look at the wiring behind in case one has come loose. Top row is earth, bottom is live Charger will have it marked on the back. Put a multimeter on and see if you have voltage there.


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## Tezmcd (Aug 3, 2009)

Not all RCD's or MCB's have a light on them - in fact very few do


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