Thread: Power to the rear D4

OK folks and first a warning.

NEVER, NEVER USE A TEST LIGHT INSIDE any new vehicle.

If you have the ignition on and touch the wrong wire, you can trigger the safety air bags.

This has happened heaps of time here in Australia and there have been a number of deaths caused by this practice in the USA.

If you want to check out your trailer plug at the rear of the vehicle, fine, but under no circumstances should you ever use one anywhere else in or around a modern vehicle.

Next, the cables ( WIRES ) in the 12S ( WHITE ) plug are next to useless. They are way to thin and will cause heaps of voltage drop.

The RR has 3mm2 “WIRES” and from memory, the D4 might have 4mm2 or 6mm2 but both are still to thin.

If you have a low 100Ah battery, it can pull as much as 35+ amps, add another battery and !

The wiring is so thin that it is only barely able to top off a near fully charged battery.

Minimum battery cable size over that distance is 6B&S ( 13.5mm2 ) or 16mm2.

The fridge wiring is suitable for a compressor type fridge or the very smallest 3 way fridge.

Last but not least, the wires are ignition switched on a D3 or 2.7lt D4 and Motor ON switched on a 3lt D4

Originally Posted by drivesafe

OK folks and first a warning.

NEVER, NEVER USE A TEST LIGHT INSIDE any new vehicle.

If you have the ignition on and touch the wrong wire, you can trigger the safety air bags.

This has happened heaps of time here in Australia and there have been a number of deaths caused by this practice in the USA.

If you want to check out your trailer plug at the rear of the vehicle, fine, but under no circumstances should you ever use one anywhere else in or around a modern vehicle.

Next, the cables ( WIRES ) in the 12S ( WHITE ) plug are next to useless. They are way to thin and will cause heaps of voltage drop.

The RR has 3mm2 “WIRES” and from memory, the D4 might have 4mm2 or 6mm2 but both are still to thin.

If you have a low 100Ah battery, it can pull as much as 35+ amps, add another battery and !

The wiring is so thin that it is only barely able to top off a near fully charged battery.

Minimum battery cable size over that distance is 6B&S ( 13.5mm2 ) or 16mm2.

The fridge wiring is suitable for a compressor type fridge or the very smallest 3 way fridge.

Last but not least, the wires are ignition switched on a D3 or 2.7lt D4 and Motor ON switched on a 3lt D4

I actually quoted the use of a test light....but I don't have one. I used a multimeter which is what my auto sparky told me to use. Could this also cause things like this to happen ? I saw him using it when he was putting my redarc brake controller in.

Hi discotwinturbo, and I’ll bet you had never heard of the danger posed by using a test light.

This has been know for at least 20 years and it’s not a case of “you should know better” it’s a case of the authorities not acting to outlaw these devices.

These devices have passed their use-by date and the fact that the average person, like yourself, has no idea of the danger they pose, makes it imperative that test lights should no longer be used or even be available.

To your question, digital multi meters are completely safe to use and will NOT trigger safety air bags.

Originally Posted by drivesafe

Hi discotwinturbo, and I’ll bet you had never heard of the danger posed by using a test light.

This has been know for at least 20 years and it’s not a case of “you should know better” it’s a case of the authorities not acting to outlaw these devices.

These devices have passed their use-by date and the fact that the average person, like yourself, has no idea of the danger they pose, makes it imperative that test lights should no longer be used or even be available.

To your question, digital multi meters are completely safe to use and will NOT trigger safety air bags.

Just so you know Tim, I have never used a test light, we use a Multimeter that was given to us by a good bloke AND the white plug is only used to power the Arrid twin charger that we have had in the camper since we got it, the fridge runs off the battery, we have been doing this for as long as we have had the camper, back before we had our first Disco, this only happens while travelling, when camped the fridge goes to gas and the battery is charged by a solar panel.

This will change a little further down the track when the 3way goes(it's rusting away)

Baz.

Hi guys,

new to this forum stuff so please bear with me

ive read about getting power to the back to charge batteries and run fridges.
I would like to have a anderson plug at the back not to charge batteries but to run my 3 way fridge HOWEVER, the 3 way fridge draws 23 AMP on 12 volt

any ideas how to safely get this sort of power output to the back without upsetting the whole system?

Cheers

Originally Posted by wcody01

Hi guys,

new to this forum stuff so please bear with me

ive read about getting power to the back to charge batteries and run fridges.
I would like to have a anderson plug at the back not to charge batteries but to run my 3 way fridge HOWEVER, the 3 way fridge draws 23 AMP on 12 volt

any ideas how to safely get this sort of power output to the back without upsetting the whole system?

Cheers

Only way to run a 3-way on 12v is to have the car running all the time.

Baz.

Pin 4 in the white trailer socket has a 30A fuse in the circuit that is always powered and pin 6 is ignition/engine running power. A relay could be inserted in the permanent power line and operated by the ignition power so that the fridge operates only with the ignition on. However I suspect the 30A wire is not heavy enough to avoid significant voltage drop when drawing 23A at the back of the vehicle, regardless of whether or not sufficiently heavy gauge wire is used from there to the fridge.

Originally Posted by Graeme

Pin 4 in the white trailer socket has a 30A fuse in the circuit that is always powered and pin 6 is ignition/engine running power. A relay could be inserted in the permanent power line and operated by the ignition power so that the fridge operates only with the ignition on. However I suspect the 30A wire is not heavy enough to avoid significant voltage drop when drawing 23A at the back of the vehicle, regardless of whether or not sufficiently heavy gauge wire is used from there to the fridge.

we only ned the power when driving down the road. at other times it wil run on gas

any power will be better than what we have now ie nothing. will the voltage drop affect the vehicle in any way? or just the eficiency of the fridge? our biggest concern is damaging or compromising the vehicle and its warranty.