12 Volt Accessory Sockets

[rolyatvad]

I have a 2002 2.2 HDi Exclusive Estate and I have a problem in that the front and rear accessory socket only gives 3.6 volts regardless of whether the car is running or not. The seperate cigarette lighter socket gives a full 12 + volts when the ignition is on.

 

I have checked the fuse and that appears to be intact. All other electrical items work fine.

 

I was hoping to pick up a 12 volt supply from the rear accessory socket to enable me to wire in a tow bar with full electrics, but 3.6 volts is of no use!

 

Can anyone suggest why I'm only getting this reduced voltage?

[dieseldes]

I have a 2002 2.2 HDi Exclusive Estate and I have a problem in that the front and rear accessory socket only gives 3.6 volts regardless of whether the car is running or not. The seperate cigarette lighter socket gives a full 12 + volts when the ignition is on.

 

I have checked the fuse and that appears to be intact. All other electrical items work fine.

 

I was hoping to pick up a 12 volt supply from the rear accessory socket to enable me to wire in a tow bar with full electrics, but 3.6 volts is of no use!

 

Can anyone suggest why I'm only getting this reduced voltage?

 

I had the exact same problem on my 2001 estate , I checked all fuses in situ and traced it to a blown 'F10 15A battery +' replaced it and got power to both front and rear auxilary sockets rear height control and the obd socket (allways did wonder why that didn't work!!)

I think the confusing thing is why some fuses share ignition and permanent supplies, I suspect it's to do with sensing current draw for 'eco mode'

 

I must admit to having the car for 3 months, had checked all the obvious fuses even put an obd reader on it, which wouldn't work!, before taking a tester and went through every fuse while still in situ, took me about 2 minutes to trace the fault. now all I need to do is wire up the towbar...

 

Des

[rolyatvad]

I had the exact same problem on my 2001 estate , I checked all fuses in situ and traced it to a blown 'F10 15A battery +' replaced it and got power to both front and rear auxilary sockets rear height control and the obd socket (allways did wonder why that didn't work!!)

I think the confusing thing is why some fuses share ignition and permanent supplies, I suspect it's to do with sensing current draw for 'eco mode'

 

I must admit to having the car for 3 months, had checked all the obvious fuses even put an obd reader on it, which wouldn't work!, before taking a tester and went through every fuse while still in situ, took me about 2 minutes to trace the fault. now all I need to do is wire up the towbar...

 

Des

 

Hi Des,

 

Thanks, your answer solved the problem, I now have 12v at both sockets.

 

I also need to wire the towbar electrics. I have a Citroen kit and need to remove the bumper. Have you removed the bumper and if so, how do you remove it?

 

Dave

[Johndouglas]

I fitted a Witter towbar to my C5 Estate and it wasn´t necessary to remove the bumper - only the panel under the bumper. I decided not to replace it, but to keep it in case I decide to remove the towbar before selling. In my opinion, to connect to the accessory socket for wiring the towing 12S socket will be a mistake. Fridge and battery charging will not work sucessfully. It´s better to take a 2.5mm wire directly from the battery, controlling it through a Smartcom relay.

[paul.h]

Same for the hatchback - I fit a Towtrust towbar and only had to remove the bumper lower black panel which then needed some cut outs so it could be refit. The 12v+ supply for the 12S smart relay and 12N lighting 7-way relays I took direct from the battery (fastened at the clamp bolt) with 21amp cables and fitted 15amp fuses at the battery end. The earth cables connected back to the car also need to be 21amp for the fridge and battery charging.

[rolyatvad]

Same for the hatchback - I fit a Towtrust towbar and only had to remove the bumper lower black panel which then needed some cut outs so it could be refit. The 12v+ supply for the 12S smart relay and 12N lighting 7-way relays I took direct from the battery (fastened at the clamp bolt) with 21amp cables and fitted 15amp fuses at the battery end. The earth cables connected back to the car also need to be 21amp for the fridge and battery charging.

 

I fiited the Citroen towbar without removing the bumper, however, the Citroen wiring kit requires the removal of the bumper to allow the wiring to be positioned and to gain access to the lights.

 

It appears that the recommended supply for the 12S socket comes direct from the battery, which is not a problem, did you guys find it easy enough to route the 12v cable through the bulkhead?

 

Incidentally the wiring kit obtained is a direct connection to the existing lighting and doesn't include any 6 or 7 way relays usually used for multiplex wiring, only the standard flasher relay. Do I therefore assume that the rear of the 2002 C5 is not multiplex wiring??

[paul.h]

For the hatchback I fed the towbar socket wiring through existing grommets in to the spare wheel well so no need to remove the bumper. After fastening the wiring to the relays I stuck these to the wheel well wall with sealant - I have done this on other cars in the past and it makes for a neater installation. Access to the lighting wiring was by removing the rear plastic cover at the bottom of the hatch opening, removing the rear light back cover/bulb holders and pulling back the side carpets. There is a trailer socket under the rear plastic but it gave odd voltages - maybe a Citroen kit fits to this without problems.

 

For the 12v+ battery supply I ran 2 21amp wires from the battery clamp bolt, through a large wiring grommet at the left end of the bulkhead that can be seen through the plastic scuttle drain slots (this was a pain, in the end I removed the plastic scuttle below the windscreen to help access, pushed a welding rod through the grommet and fastened the wires to it to pull the wire through being carefull not to damage existing wires. WD40 spray helped the wires go through, also towbar socket wires through boot grommets.), down the side of the car under the top sill plastic covers in the wiring channel and into the boot. The fuses need to be at the battery end in case the wiring becomes damaged. The length of wiring needs to be about 6m each run. I used an existing earth point in the corner below the left rear light. A lot of effort and time, I would be interested to know how a towbar fitter would do this, maybe run wires under the car ?

[old'uns]

don't know how they fitted mine, but from memory: 2 yrs ago, towbar, dual electrics all fitted £ 185 & had no problems at all

looked into fitting own towbar then decided too much hassle

[rolyatvad]

don't know how they fitted mine, but from memory: 2 yrs ago, towbar, dual electrics all fitted £ 185 & had no problems at all

looked into fitting own towbar then decided too much hassle

 

Bought the brand new Citroen removeable towing bracket off eBay for £45 and the new Citroen dual wiring kit for £20, so hopefully for £65 I can get the job done.

 

Just hope the car is ok towing, it's the auto 2.2 HDI and it's a heavy van. I know this has a lower towing weight than other models apparantly Citroen had no where to fit a larger oil cooler for the auto box!!

[paul.h]

The C5 is the best car we have had for towing (2.2 hdi manual). Our caravan is about 1100 kg as towed. Previous cars have been Saab 900 / 9000 / 9-5 and Picasso. Nice and stable (always used a blade type stabiliser), about 30 mpg towing, car a lot heavier than caravan which helps stability, always level, loads of room in car for luggage, tows well in 6th gear on motorways. The towing mirrors I use are the strap on type (convex mirror) and they fit better with the straps crossed. One negative is the seat could do with a lumbar support.

[Johndouglas]

Further to my previous remarks. I ran 21amp cables from the battery, through fuses, then down the back of the engine, then under the floor. It´s possible to enclose them within the conduit which covers the fuel pipes. They then went up over the fuel tank and through the large grommet under the rear seat. From there they went to the boot area to relays fitted in the panel box.

 

PS. I would not be happy fitting a towbar bought off ebay. Reading caravan forums recently, some owners have been rear-ended and the insurance assessor has authorised the fitting of a new towbar.