Member Since: 18 Oct 2009
Location: Staffordshire
Posts: 362
caravan electrical connection problem
i have changed my caravan for a newer one and it has a 13 pin 12v connector on it,my old caravan had a 12s/12n socket and i never had any problems with the lights on my old van when towing with the d3,i bought an adaptor for the newer caravan and tried another 2 as the offside sidelights(all 3)were'nt working,however the other sidelights and the brake lights were working normally,the van was tested with the test transformer and everything was fine and all my lights work fine on the car whether its connected to the van or not,the caravan dealers seem to think there is a problem with the car but i dont see how myself,the strange thing is i told a customer at work today who has a mitsibushi 4x4 and he has exactly the same problem with his new caravan,thanks
4th Oct 2010 8:40 pm
BBDisco3
Member Since: 23 Nov 2008
Location: Cheshire
Posts: 3646
Tow Bar Electrics
It may well be that the wires in the back of the socket on the car have either been swapped around or may have snaped off due to dampness and corrossion. Many caravan dealers have a test board you can plug your car in to to test the lights.
You can also find the colour code for the cables on the back of all the blister packs of towing plugs and sockets in halfords or probably on line.
When we got our new van with 13-pin electrics, I changed our D3's 12N/12S sockets and wiring for a new 13-pin set-up for about £80from TLO. Easy job to do and IMO, better than having a big, clumsy adapter dangling between your car and caravan
Sold my old electrics to another forum member for £50
Not sure about BBDisco3's comment about snapped wires and corrosion. If your car has genuine LR towbar electrics, the backs of the sockets where the wires enter are extremely well 'potted' and sealed - I doubt you'd get any moisture ingress/corrosion problems there.Now an ex-D3 owner after 7 happy years. Miss the car but not the big bills
You need to ensure you get the correct D3 specific 13 pin socket set. The Stealer fitted a D4 set up on mine D3 and none of the caravans lights operated. They eventually fitted the correct socket and all is ok now. Supply and fit was £93 at the stealers. I also think they do some changes to the eltronics to stop the suspension changing height, cut the reverse lights and park sensors operating. If you have LED lights on your caravan you may have some issues too. When I use the indicators the trailer symbol on the dash works ok, untill I press the brake pedal, then the trailer symbol stops flashing. I suspect the caravan high level LED brake light causes a bit of confusion in the system somewhere?Run silent, run deep!! HM Submarines Conqueror, Churchill, Renown, Ocelot, Porpoise, Onslaught.
Oh Lord! send down a dove, with wings as sharp as razors.
To cut the throats of men, that sell bad beer to sailors.
VIN 138A476***
5th Oct 2010 7:16 am
BBDisco3
Member Since: 23 Nov 2008
Location: Cheshire
Posts: 3646
Think twice about converting your car to a 13 pin socket. You loose the flexability of pluging in any 7 pin trailer in the future. At least with a convertor lead you keep the option open to use either 7 pin or 13 pin trailers or light boards so have the best of both worlds.
You already have all the parts you need, its just a case of getting the configuration of cables correct. The original Landrover socket is well potted with resin but that makes the cable rigid and can snap. Moisture can travel down the pins and cause corrosion.
I've got LED lights on my caravan (a Bailey Pegasus) and they don't cause any problems. You can still change suspension height and this can be very handy when hitching/unhitching however, if you have a Bailey with ATC, don't connect the electrics with the suspension at off-road height as the ATC self-test will fail . The electrics do indeed stop the rear park sensors from sounding when the towing electrics are connected. Don't know about the reversing lights though, I've never looked Now an ex-D3 owner after 7 happy years. Miss the car but not the big bills
I've got LED lights on my caravan (a Bailey Pegasus) and they don't cause any problems. You can still change suspension height and this can be very handy when hitching/unhitching however, if you have a Bailey with ATC, don't connect the electrics with the suspension at off-road height as the ATC self-test will fail . The electrics do indeed stop the rear park sensors from sounding when the towing electrics are connected. Don't know about the reversing lights though, I've never looked
The rear fog light are not cut out with the socket being plugged in, which may have been an oversight? Not sure if the suspension can be changed, I haven't tried it, but would agree it would aid hitching/unhitching. How do you find your D3 when towing? For me it is the best towcar I have ever experienced, plenty of power and very stable and the self levelling suspension is excellent. The problem I have with the trailer symbol does not haveany effect on the indicators, they still flash, so I am not concerned about it. Overall with the caravan, a brilliant outfit. Run silent, run deep!! HM Submarines Conqueror, Churchill, Renown, Ocelot, Porpoise, Onslaught.
Oh Lord! send down a dove, with wings as sharp as razors.
To cut the throats of men, that sell bad beer to sailors.
VIN 138A476***
5th Oct 2010 8:01 am
mzplcg
Member Since: 23 Jun 2009
Location: Gone
Posts: 1087
BBDisco3 wrote:
Think twice about converting your car to a 13 pin socket. You loose the flexability of pluging in any 7 pin trailer in the future.
13 pin to 7 pin adapter. Solid, not cabled. Been using one of these for years.
Go for the 13 pin electrics from TLO. 20 minutes to fit, no coding of the car required (already got towing electrics) and a lot more reliable than the old twin 7 set up.
The rear fog light are not cut out with the socket being plugged in, which may have been an oversight?
Never tried them either with the caravan attached
Old Sailor wrote:
Not sure if the suspension can be changed, I haven't tried it, but would agree it would aid hitching/unhitching.
It can and it does
Old Sailor wrote:
How do you find your D3 when towing?
Absolutely fan- ingtastic We towed a big heavy (1900kg) twin-axle Elddis for 4 years mainly up and down the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland with annual outings to Cornwall and France. The D3 made all those miles a breeze with rock-steady stability and the auto box/cruise control combo making for effortless cruising. Fuel consumption was usually in the region of 19-21 mpg. We now have a twin-axle Pegasus - 400kg lighter and the D3 hardly knows it's there Fuel consumption much better too - 21 -23 mpgNow an ex-D3 owner after 7 happy years. Miss the car but not the big bills
My Swift Challenger is around 1600kg, like the say the D3 hardly knows its there. Our last long run up and down the M25/M11/A1M returned 27mpg average on the fuel computer, which surprised me. So for my £90 fill ups, I am getting about the same MPG solo/towing. Brim to brim for general use I return 29 mpg. Just looking for a rich uncle that just may happen to be an oil sheik to help deaden the blow at the pumps. Run silent, run deep!! HM Submarines Conqueror, Churchill, Renown, Ocelot, Porpoise, Onslaught.
Oh Lord! send down a dove, with wings as sharp as razors.
To cut the throats of men, that sell bad beer to sailors.
VIN 138A476***
5th Oct 2010 9:11 am
roamingman
Member Since: 25 Jun 2008
Location: aberdeenshire
Posts: 525
not sure if it helps, but my lights on caravan o/s stoped working, it was the fuse in the rear left side cubbyhole. convoy For Heroes record holder (348)
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not sure if it helps, but my lights on caravan o/s stoped working, it was the fuse in the rear left side cubbyhole.
Cheers roamingman,
My lights are actually working ok, well thats what SWMBO says. The trailer symbol flashes when the indicator is on, but stops flashing when I press the brake pedal, but she says the caravan indicator is still flashing. The odd thing is this only happens when the off-side indicator is operating, the near-side does not have the same effect.Run silent, run deep!! HM Submarines Conqueror, Churchill, Renown, Ocelot, Porpoise, Onslaught.
Oh Lord! send down a dove, with wings as sharp as razors.
To cut the throats of men, that sell bad beer to sailors.
VIN 138A476***
5th Oct 2010 1:50 pm
countrywide
Member Since: 16 Sep 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 6019
One of the reasons they swapped to 13 pin is that there are seperate earths for battery and fridge operation. On the 7 pin sockets the earths used to melt and burn out regulary.
The 13 pin is a twist lock as well with better water resistance.
I swapped to 13 pin as it is just a better system and you can still swap to 7 pin using adapters, Plus if it is just lighting you need there is a plug which goes straight from 13 pin to 7pin without any cable.
I just swapped mine by buying a 13 pin socket and cutting the cable from the Land Rover 7 pin and rewiring it for the 13 pin with the extra earth.
5th Oct 2010 2:07 pm
chrisc
Member Since: 18 Oct 2009
Location: Staffordshire
Posts: 362
Thanks for the replys,I'll have a closer look at the week end and see what happens
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. The electrics do indeed stop the rear park sensors from sounding when the towing electrics are connected. Don't know about the reversing lights though, I've never looked 
ingtastic 
Fuel consumption much better too - 21 -23 mpg
So for my £90 fill ups, I am getting about the same MPG solo/towing. 
Brim to brim for general use I return 29 mpg. Just looking for a rich uncle that just may happen to be an oil sheik to help deaden the blow at the pumps. 
