Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: mick-1975 on 08 May 2007, 19:58:28

Title: towing  need advice
Post by: mick-1975 on 08 May 2007, 19:58:28
 ;D  hi 2 everyone i am wiring up my towbar  main electrics are ok
  its the other one that runs the and charges up the caravan battery
any advice will be gratefull
 otherwise i shall have 2 take it in............. :-/ :y
 mick...
Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: TheBoy on 08 May 2007, 20:12:49
Quote
;D  hi 2 everyone i am wiring up my towbar  main electrics are ok
  its the other one that runs the and charges up the caravan battery
any advice will be gratefull
 otherwise i shall have 2 take it in............. :-/ :y
 mick...
The caravan club has a guide in its book. I think its mainly a switched and a permenent 12v you are after...
Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: Kevin Wood on 08 May 2007, 20:16:14
Hi There,

There is a constant 12v feed to the rear of the car for towing electrics. This comes out (on my facelift saloon) behind the plastic trim which runs along the rear of the boot. it's just to the driver's side of the boot clipped in a hole in the box section under the trim.

This connector actually brings out all of the towing electrics although the brake light line is fed through a current sensing device that isn't usually present if a factory towbar isn't fitted.

Anyway, that's irrelevant if you have already sorted the rest of the electrics. The 12v feed is a relatively thick red wire IIRC. It's fed from fuse 29 under the dash, which is rated at 10 amps according to my manual.

If you need more current than this you would be better off running a suitably rated wire through from the battery with a fuse under the bonnet. This procedure is described in the "fitting an amplifier" guide on this site. You can pick up a ground connection from a screw under the boot trim.

Once you've located the wire a voltage sensing relay could be used to provide the permanent live, battery charging and fridge supplies for the supplementary socket as required.

Kevin
Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: mick-1975 on 08 May 2007, 20:16:19
do you know any where i can get 1, still need to wire it in  :y







Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: mick-1975 on 08 May 2007, 20:22:03
thxs kevin my model is a 2litre,gls estate  s reg 1998
Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: Kevin Wood on 08 May 2007, 20:26:25
OK. You might need to hunt for the connector on the estate but everything else should hold true. Maybe someone who's done an estate will know. Elite Pete has just done one IIRC.

Kevin
Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: TheBoy on 08 May 2007, 20:26:56
Quote
do you know any where i can get 1, still need to wire it in  :y

I think the pinouts are freely available on the net....
Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: mick-1975 on 08 May 2007, 21:31:10
 :y  thanks  to the boy
  could u point me in the  right direction for the pin outs cheers
mick
Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: TheBoy on 08 May 2007, 21:32:47
eg,
http://caravanning4u.co.uk/towbar.html
Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: TheBoy on 08 May 2007, 21:39:00
but better still...
http://www.eclipse.co.uk/samwise/caravanwiring.htm
Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: Kevin Wood on 08 May 2007, 22:30:12
I have a relay to switch the charging and fridge ouputs surplus to requirements if you'd like it. It senses the battery voltage and switches the ouputs automatically when the alternator is working so you can do away with the wire from the alternator warning light.

If you'd like it PM me your address and I'll lob it in the post.

Cheers,

Kevin
Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: Andy B on 08 May 2007, 23:16:05
Quote
I have a relay to switch the charging and fridge ouputs surplus to requirements if you'd like it. It senses the battery voltage and switches the ouputs automatically when the alternator is working so you can do away with the wire from the alternator warning light.

If you'd like it PM me your address and I'll lob it in the post.

Cheers,

Kevin

Did you wire it up in the first place? They are something I've only recently heard of, I've done it the hard way in the past using the alternator (blue/black?) to trigger an ordinary type split charge relay. Have you any do's or don'ts on make? I found this (http://stores.channeladvisor.com/towbar/Items/sc200) after a quick search & one somewhere on the bay of e.
Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: Kevin Wood on 08 May 2007, 23:19:19
Quote
Did you wire it up in the first place? They are something I've only recently heard of, I've done it the hard way in the past using the alternator (blue/black?) to trigger an ordinary type split charge relay. Have you any do's or don'ts on make? I found this after a quick search & one somewhere on the bay of e.

It's exactly that. I've never used it. It came with Elite Pete's old tow bar which I bought and I only need single electrics so I didn't bother with it.

Kevin
Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: Andy B on 08 May 2007, 23:24:05
Quote
.......

It's exactly that. I've never used it. It came with Elite Pete's old tow bar which I bought and I only need single electrics so I didn't bother with it.

Kevin

I'll have a look around & about. I'll need to wire a 12S socket and get something to fasten it to (swan neck towbar) ready for holding other traffic up on the next Bank Holiday.  ;)  ;)  ;)  :y
Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: Matchless on 08 May 2007, 23:56:09
The GLS might not have the tow wiring, my 96 GLS estate didnt....even checked the main loom connectors in the passenger footwell and found empty ways in the connectors.
If it is pre-wired there will be a connector hiding behind the jack in the rear panel, just left of centre. The matching half of this connector is only available from VX so is expensive. Either cut it off or use scotch locks on the wires.
If there is no permanent 12V wire present then run one direct from the battery, tuck it into the sill trim covers, make sure you fit a fuse close to the battery, you want to minimise the length of the bit between battery and fuse.
Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: Andy B on 09 May 2007, 05:56:34
Quote
The GLS might not have the tow wiring, my 96 GLS estate didnt....even checked the main loom connectors in the passenger footwell and found empty ways in the connectors.
If it is pre-wired there will be a connector hiding behind the jack in the rear panel, just left of centre. The matching half of this connector is only available from VX so is expensive. Either cut it off or use scotch locks on the wires.
If there is no permanent 12V wire present then run one direct from the battery, tuck it into the sill trim covers, make sure you fit a fuse close to the battery, you want to minimise the length of the bit between battery and fuse.

 :-? I'm surprised. My 89 Senator had the loom.
Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: cdx25 on 09 May 2007, 18:09:57
Mine had the original Vx connector but had been scotchlocked in the past so the wires were cut open.  In the end I cut off the original connector and replaced it with a generic one.  Worked well for me.  

If you do this, make sure you keep the two fog light leads (one is supply and one is feed to lights) connected together as your fog lights will mysteriously stop working unless this is connected correctly.

Jon
Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: Andy B on 09 May 2007, 20:23:04
Quote
.....
If you do this, make sure you keep the two fog light leads (one is supply and one is feed to lights) connected together as your fog lights will mysteriously stop working unless this is connected correctly.

Jon

As no doubt your are aware it's for use with a GM loom that has 8 and not the usual 7 cores in it. The GM loom is designed to turn the car's rear fogs off when you plug your trailer/caravan in to avoid dazzling yourself from the relection off trailer/caravan.
Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: Kevin Wood on 09 May 2007, 20:25:56
Quote
If you do this, make sure you keep the two fog light leads (one is supply and one is feed to lights) connected together as your fog lights will mysteriously stop working unless this is connected correctly.

This is a good point. On a proper install the fog light on the car should be disconnected by a little switch in the socket when the trailer lead is plugged in, hence the feed to the fog light is brought out to a similar contact on the multiway plug for the towbar. I've never bothered to connect this because I barely ever drive in fog* and the contacts in the towing sockets can be unreliable.

When I fitted my electrics I removed the multi way conector and connected all the wires with solder joints and plenty of heat shrink sleeving over them. I just connected the 2 fog light cables together. IIRC, they are the only two wires that go to the connector which are the same colour code and if you look carefully in the multiway connector you'll see the contact that connects them together when no towbar electrics are fitted.

Kevin


* - I define fog (bad enough to use a fog light) as being when navigation is difficult due to the inability to read signs by the side of the road. This differs from the opinion held by most Ford Focus drivers or so it seems.  >:(

Title: Re: towing  need advice
Post by: Andy B on 09 May 2007, 20:36:06
Quote
......... - I define fog (bad enough to use a fog light) as being when navigation is difficult due to the inability to read signs by the side of the road. This differs from the opinion held by most Ford Focus drivers or so it seems.  >:(


So .... they aren't for when it's raining then? Like the tw4t  on the m/way this evening in front of me on the way home!!!!!!!  >:(