Engel Fridge - Weird happenings.

Gday OBJ.
You need power (12v) PLUS a good earth to complete the circuit and run your electrical items (fridge).
To isolate a fridge fault, connect fridge (correctly) strait to battery (12v). If THAT works, the fridges 12v operation is ok and you can start looking at wiring to your connector.
As said, you need good 12v supply and good earth. Check for 12v at the connector with fridge connected, as a bad electrical may show 12v unloaded, but can drop to zero when loaded.(ie fridge connected)
The same goes for the earth circuit. Run a temporary earth wire to connector. If fridge then starts working, you know you have an earth problem. (Some older Engels had a fairly high current draw).
A real quick test of circuit integrity is to run another known good electrical device from your connectors.
My guess is it will be a wiring or connector issue that shouldnt be too hard to find and repair.

Hi OBJ,

The most likely problem is the 12V socket that is supplying the fridge, presumably a 'cigarette lighter' type socket.

I imagine that the voltages you posted was with the fridge unplugged to allow access to the plug pins. If you have a poor connection anywhere along the path to the fridge the voltage will appear normal, but with the fridge load the voltage then drops. It can be difficult to measure the voltage delivered to the fridge whilst it is connected without access to the fridge internals and then knowing where to connect the voltmeter.

The evidence of the "newer Engel" giving a momentary start "then nothing" would support my diagnosis.

Ciggie sockets are notorious for poor connection. You could try cleaning the socket contacts or replacing the socket.

If the fridge works on 240V then it is most likely to work on 12V.

OBJ Hi,
I would start by checking the battery voltage under load.

Mike.

Once more this forum leads the way with helpful advice. Many thank to all who have put forward suggestions. I will head off on this short trip, and have discovered a location not too far from where I wanted to go where I can use a generator :( is all else fails. So trip is on and fault diagnosis will be my weekend fun.

Again, my thanks.

OBJ

Hi, I had a similar problem with my old Engel and I decided to replace both 12v and 240v leads instantly solved the problem. The only thing I could think of was continually changing the cords wore the plugs out.
Ian

The battery might read in the 12s but when the fridge compressor fires up it draws more current than when running. The battery can't supply it, the volts drop, and the fridge cut-out activates.

I have had similar problems twice in the last 20yrs with Engels that are used 24/7/12/365 (ie:constantly) and both times its was fixed by fitting a new 12v lead (I use the two pin style Engel plug).

OBJ, there is also a thermal fuse in the plug on the leads. Is this what you are referring to as the 10A fuse? Is this OK? I had the same issue myself. Since then I have done away with the standard engel cig plug or twin pin arrangement and directly wired the fridge.



Check the thermal fuse.

Mick.

It will most likely be the 12V lead - they commonly would break a wire inside the connector at the fridge end. In the past I've cut the plug apart to fix it. Get a multimeter out and test the lead for continuity.

Firstly, my thanks once again to all those who offered advice and solutions to the problem of the weird car fridge happenings. Today, after returning from a nice weekend, I had time to almost strip the car bare and find out the problem.

When I had the power installed by a licensed auto leccy, for reasons best know to himself, hethere were two joins in a piece of wire of about 3 metres in length. Don't ask me why beyond me thinking he was too lazy to run a single length and thereforesatarted at each end and joined in the middle.

The join was (barely) crimped, but not soldered. Now I also had a water tank in the car leak and everything got wet and somehow the join loosened. At various times, depending on what was on the floor aropund the join, the join would work, and at other times it would fail.

So, I bought some dual core wire of sufficient gauge to possibly run enough power for Newcastle city, put it all together and all is well once more. And it is almost indestructible, with only one join at the battery where I have a fusible link.

So there .. my thanks again. I greatly appreciated all the help, and those suggestions that did not come into play this time are stored away in my memory banks and may come into play at another time .. but not on this fridge connection.

Thanks.
OBJ