ritaw Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Due to illness we haven't been able go to site where our motorhome is stored for some time so were not able to top up mains hook-up with card. Our son was contacted as the alarm was sounding. He could not stop it with the key fob and so disconnected the negative terminal from starter battery. We need to charge the battery but do not know how to get at the positive terminal as there is a plastic box on top with electric connections to it. Is it safe to remove this and if so how? We have since topped up mains hook-up but this doesn't show any improvement to starter or leisure battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 You don't say which version of the Ducato you have, but on my previous 'vans (pre-2006 Ducato based), the box on the positive terminal was a distribution/high current fusebox, and clamped onto the positive battery terminal in a similar manner to a normal battery lead. It was pretty awkward to get at to remove (and you should detach the negative lead first for safety), but once unclamped and moved to one side, the positive battery terminal was available. What is worth checking, however, is whether the lid of the box will unclip - again, with the negative disconnected (I'm working from memory here, but I think it does), and if so, whether doing this gives sufficient access to the battery positive terminal to get a charging connection on. Removing the battery completely (particlulalrly the heavy-duty type) was, because of weight and location, a bit of a pig to achieve; If possible, I would try to charge it in-situ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ritaw Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 Thanks. It is a 2.3 JTD registered Oct 2006 but it is the one before the swept up headlights. It has a galvanised coloured long clip that fits down side of battery, do we just pull it away from side of battery. The negative lead is still disconnected. Thanks a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 ....Sorry, Rita, I missed your follow-up, and you're testing my memory here. (it must be 5 years since I last removed such a unit). I can't remember the layout exactly, but the conversation and diagram in the following link (which started as a query about a post-2006 vehicle, but is essentially similar for your vehicle) should give you some idea of what you're dealing with. http://www.fiatforum.com/ducato/260991-battery-fuse.html You can see the battery terminal clamp on the fuse unit, and if you can get a socket or spanner on it, you should be able to remove the whole unit and gain access to the terminal post. What I was suggesting was removal of the lid of the box (as in the view shown in the link) might provide better access for this (or even for charging without removal). I can't remember, however, how the lid is held on; it looks like it should be plastic lugs, but your description of a galvanised clip (as an additional locator for the whole unit?) might ring some bells. Sorry I can't be more exact than that :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 This link may be helpful: http://www.howtomendit.com/answers.php?id=308313 Apparently, once the lid of the plastic box containing the fuses linked to the battery's positive terminal-post has been removed, a battery-charger can be connected to any of the bolts on the 'input side' of any of fuses. Those bolts are marked "2" in the diagram to which Robin Hood provided a link. Assuming that this information is correct (and there's no reason to think otherwise), then there's no need to remove the complete 'fuse box' from the battery's positive terminal-post before charging. On the other hand, you might choose to remove the fuse box from the terminal-post (and the diagram makes it obvious how to do this) to check that there's no corrosion and to treat the terminal-post with a suitable protective grease. Unfortunately, I can't advise on how to remove the lid of the plastic box. (Is there nothing in the Fiat Ducato handbook that will help? It's not uncommon to need to jump-start a vehicle that has a discharged battery, so handbooks will often detail the procedure involved. If the Ducato handbook specifies under-bonnet points to which jump-leads should be attached, then attaching a battery-charger's leads to those points would charge the battery.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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