Checking towbar electrics on W210

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g1nganinja

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Feb 23, 2011
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Location
Hants
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E320 CDi Elegance
Hi all,

Have a W210 01 plate which has a tow bar fitted (not sure if this is original or after market), hooked it up to caravan a few weeks ago and it worked fine - beeping sounds in car when indicating etc.

Hooked it up to caravan last weekend, and no beeping sounds in car when indicating, but indicators worked on car and on van........... then right side indicator on van stopped working (i knpow this due to a couple of irate beeps when pulling out on nmotorway and then checked it at next stop)

Given i dont know if it is original or aftermarket fitted bar, and not being an electrical specilist, could anyone give me some guidance on how to check the wiring, where the fuses might be located on my car for a tow bar etc etc

many thanks in advance

Mark
 
On mine the fuses were under the rear seat near the battery...
cheers for that David - i assumed they would be under there, but how do i identify which fuse is related to the tow bar electrics and then trace the cabling so i can make sure it hasnt been fouled or got trapped - or even gnawed at by some miscreant pest of an unidentified persuasion!!!???
 
It's a long time since I had mine. The fuses were obvious aftermarket....

It might also be worth checking behind the rear lights.
 
It's a long time since I had mine. The fuses were obvious aftermarket....

It might also be worth checking behind the rear lights.
i feel the need to become suddenly more technoically competent than a lemming !! :)

thanks for your help though David.
 
Is your caravan fitted with two 7 pin plugs and the car fitted with one 13 pin socket, therefore using an adaptor? I ask this, because I had an estate with a 13 pin socket and adaptor to 2x7pin plugs and experienced the same problems. The fault was at the adaptor connector and I eventually changed the 2x7pins plugs to a single 12 pin plug.
 
Is your caravan fitted with two 7 pin plugs and the car fitted with one 13 pin socket, therefore using an adaptor? I ask this, because I had an estate with a 13 pin socket and adaptor to 2x7pin plugs and experienced the same problems. The fault was at the adaptor connector and I eventually changed the 2x7pins plugs to a single 12 pin plug.
sadly not Geoff, its already a 2 x 7 set up !
 
If it has a buzzer for the indicators it's likely to be an aftermarket kit. OEM electrics don't usually have this.
 
If it has a buzzer for the indicators it's likely to be an aftermarket kit. OEM electrics don't usually have this.
therein lies part of the problem, i cant remember if i heard the buzzer in this car, or was it a memory from the shogun???? :(

what i do know is there is definitely no buzzer now if there ever was before !
 
Most faults of this ilk are just due to cruddy bulb holders on the caravan. Buy yourself a cheap circuit tester, the type that has a croc clip onto a probe or little screwdriver that lights up--- only a pound. and search google for the towbar wiring diagram. Using the wee probe you can identify each of the circuits for brake lights. lights and flashers and I am sure you will find all working ok. Then just take off the light lenses and test the bulb holders and the earthing of these. Sometimes even the bulb connections can do with a clean .
 
Most faults of this ilk are just due to cruddy bulb holders on the caravan. Buy yourself a cheap circuit tester, the type that has a croc clip onto a probe or little screwdriver that lights up--- only a pound. and search google for the towbar wiring diagram. Using the wee probe you can identify each of the circuits for brake lights. lights and flashers and I am sure you will find all working ok. Then just take off the light lenses and test the bulb holders and the earthing of these. Sometimes even the bulb connections can do with a clean .
Thanks toolman, that sounds like a good plan - have had the car electrics checked and that was all ok, so methinks i will take your advice and do a bit of circuit checking this weekend
 
It might be worth taking a look and cleaning up the metal connectors inside the "plug" connected to the caravan - a little fine glass paper is perfect.
 
cheers for that too Bobby - lecky tool and glasspaper + van = hours of joy at the van this weekend :)
 
Spoke to my wife, far better memory than me:D our w210 estate had no buzzer, the cars bulb failure system took over and displayed any faults and usually a squirt of WD40 sorted most problems out.
 
Benzowner said:
Spoke to my wife, far better memory than me:D our w210 estate had no buzzer, the cars bulb failure system took over and displayed any faults and usually a squirt of WD40 sorted most problems out.

Aaaahhh!!!! Benzowner you star !!! I also have a lamp failure yet I can find no dead bulbs anywhere!!!!! So where do I need to direct my squirts?? LOL - of wd40!!!!!!!
 
Into the plugs and sockets, the 7 pin sockets get a little damp stuck up under the bumper and usually a quick squirt of the old WD sorts the problems out.
 

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