He was able to point me to the exact replacement regulator that is manufactured by AS in Poland. Before I knew it, a new one was in the post. A few days later, having removed the alternator, I swapped it over in the laboratory.
All was fine after that. I even fitted a new solar panel of 175W, to give us an extra 75W of DC, and also a proper 16A AC hookup power connection, until sometime after that, the engine wouldn’t turn over, as the battery was low. I gave it some help and put the event onto the list of ?s. Then a few days before the next trip, it did it again.
Another flat battery. So what have we here? A duff battery? A badly repaired alternator? Some rogue circuit drawing too much current?
I started with the last one and pulled fuses whilst checking currents but nothing obvious was flagged. I tried to measure the current from the alternator but maybe it’s my DC clamp meter as I couldn’t really be sure what it was outputting, even though the voltage looked ok. that led me to the battery, only 12 months old and I took it back to the parts place. There it was connected to their magic £700 load tester and was labelled “Good, needs charging”.
What do you do when the ferry leaves in 48 hours and a good trip is ready to be spoilt? Spend the money and eliminate the possibles. So I bought another battery and alternator. I just can’t do anything else. I have the means, even though I know that I ought to be able to get to the root cause by being stubborn. I just don’t want to do this on holiday.
So new things were fitted and all seemed ok. Last Saturday came and we started to pack for an afternoon getaway. The fridge was flicked on and read 33C. That was about 15 degrees above ambient. Oh dear. The temperature sensor has packed up. That’s a first.
Some quick surfing and I find one on Amazon. Very cleverly I arrange for it to be delivered tomorrow at an Amazon drop off at Plymouth. Whoop.
Off we go and enjoy an easy late run to Droitwich and a nice night in a field near Ombersley. On Sunday we drive towards the storm and Plymouth, where our ferry departure has been brought forward so that the ship can make a run for it, across the channel and into the Bay of Biscay.
At Plymouth there’s no sign of ‘Prime’ and the guy at the counter unhelpfully says that the drop can be “anytime”. So we lurk on a side road and at nearly the last minute, we give up and go to check-in.
Meanwhile the fridge is cycled manually. At least it works. It just doesn’t know when to stop.
On the boat we forget that Murphy’s law always applies and we are no exception and over a beer, I hatch plan B. Andorra Campers have a thermistor in stock and an on-line shop. Their website can be viewed in my preferred language and they will ‘ship’ to an address in Espain. So that’s a plan but it can’t be executed until Tuesday, as Andorra Caravans are always closed on Mondays.
We hug the coast for the first few hours before finally turning to port and crossing the channel which is rough. On Monday morning after a choppy 22 hours which gets smoother not the other way round, I hatch plan C. Santander Caravans claim to be Dometic ‘people’.
Meanwhile I people watch and spot Lord Peter Hain and his wife. He’s the ex Labour MP from the Blair / Brown times and looked as though he was on holiday rather than dressed to impress.
We leave the ferry and acknowledge all the Landy drivers who are gathering to drive in convoy to Jose’s Adventure tours in Portugal. It’s only 20mins to plan C but when we arrive the place is closed and the gate blocked on the inside by one of many motorhomes. They aren’t late opening after lunch; it looks well closed. We are so suspicious, that the clever person in our party realises that it might be “a Saint’s Day”. It is, it’s “Nuestra Señora de la Bien Aparecida” / Our Lady of the Apparition and it’s only in Cantabria. Arghhh.
It’s plan B then.
We drive a few km to Santanilla del Mar, where just outside this fabulous old town there is a 38 place aire. This has full electronic controlled entry and we select a free pitch and pay the machine and the sliding gate opens. We are in and this is our view for the night.
All we have to do is keep cycling the fridge!
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