Towing Electrics

[nelmo]

I'm having an electrical problem with my caravan which I think is the caravans fault but I'm checking everything. Basically, I've only got a single 7 pin plug which seemed to be working fine for the first 100 miles of my trip but then suddenly all my caravan lights stopped working (no brakes or indicators!!).

In the car's fuse box, there is a fuse labelled 'towing' which, in my car, doesn't actually have a fuse in it. Does anyone know what this is for?

I tried putting a fuse in but it didn't fix my problem...

I've got a Westfalia towbar - does anyone know if there is likely to be a separate fuse in the vicinity of the towbar?

[tameracingdriver]

I had a similar problem with an Audi A4 towbar. It turned out to be the towbar electrics themselves. If the car's lights work fine then I would suggest the weakest link is the towbar socket.

Check the towbar plug earth (pin 3)

Did you fit the electrics yourself? A lot of fitters use scotch lock fittings which are prone to failiure and when doing any vehicle electrics I always solder connections or use crimp on terminals.

Anyway, here's a diagram to help with your diagnosis:

[nelmo]

Yes, it was the car - finally found an in-line fuse under the passenger footwell in the power supply to the towbar relay.

Ultimately, it is a caravan fault as this is my 3rd towcar with this van and I've had blown fuses on every one. On the other cars, its always been a standard, easy-to-get-to fuse.

Thanks for the reply :-)