P1000 No read out on Dual Volt meter

[mj1angier]

Thanks in advance for the help. I have tried searching but can find the answer.

I have the Tru Dual battery w/ dual VM that I got from club store. I am not great with wiring but not completely lost.

I have gotten everything wired up and I can't get the VM to work when plugged into relay. I can straight wire it to ground and it works. I have power coming to relay from the accessory key on wire- test with meter across to ground wires, 12+volts. Have check everything but don't know how to test the relay itself. The isolator appears to be working- LED comes on, volts same at both batteries.

Any thoughts?

Thanks again,Mickey

 

[Admin]

 

[Hillbillytnt]

sounds Like you have it hooked up correctly. Relay = black to ground red to key on and green to volt meter. One green is extra. Haven’t herd of a lot of the relays being bad but if it comes on with a ground then looks like the relay is the prob the culprit.

 

[CID]

Confirm ground on the black lead (my choice wasn't a ground, much to my surprise). Now put your meter on the green lead, when you turn the key on, the green should now show ground.

Relays are cheap for testing, I have a few lying around. Any auto parts will have them.

 

[TripleB]

Thanks in advance for the help. I have tried searching but can find the answer.

I have the Tru Dual battery w/ dual VM that I got from club store. I am not great with wiring but not completely lost.

I have gotten everything wired up and I can't get the VM to work when plugged into relay. I can straight wire it to ground and it works. I have power coming to relay from the accessory key on wire- test with meter across to ground wires, 12+volts. Have check everything but don't know how to test the relay itself. The isolator appears to be working- LED comes on, volts same at both batteries.

Any thoughts?

Thanks again,Mickey

I had a bad connection on my relay. I thought ithe relay was bad so I took the known good relay from my other machine and swapped them. Volt meter came on. I took the relay I thought that was bad and put it on back on the other machine for s***s and giggles and it worked. It must have not been plugged in good. Its been working for almost a year now.

 

[Ridinfool]

Sounds like a ground issue, what do you have the VM grounded to?

 

[CID]

Sounds like a ground issue, what do you have the VM grounded to?

This was my issue - the dealer installed my winch including the contactor. I went to the top screw holding the contactor in place, it's a tab on the frame as far as I know. Whatever I was wiring didn't work - that screw wasn't grounded, somehow. Since I don't want to remove the contactor to check it out, I'll never know why it isn't a good ground.

 

[mj1angier]

I drilled and bolted it and battery to the bar under dash near the battery box. If I turn on key and test from red wire plug to the black plug I get 12+ volts

 

[CID]

You should also get 12v when testing from the red to green.

 

[mj1angier]

So I have been pulling relay out of socket and testing socket contact on front side from hot (red) to black (ground).

Well I wanted to check the Red to green and left the relay in. Nothing. Tested red to black with relay in. Nothing. Pulled relay and red to black is 12+ volts.

Is it a bad relay?

 

[Ridinfool]

I drilled and bolted it and battery to the bar under dash near the battery box. If I turn on key and test from red wire plug to the black plug I get 12+ volts

View attachment 231768

I put a buss bar in that location and ran the factory wench ground to that, then ran all my other grounds to the buss bar, no problems at all.

 

[CID]

Red to black with the relay

So I have been pulling relay out of socket and testing socket contact on front side from hot (red) to black (ground).

Well I wanted to check the Red to green and left the relay in. Nothing. Tested red to black with relay in. Nothing. Pulled relay and red to black is 12+ volts.

Is it a bad relay?

Red to black should show 12v whether the relay is in or not (key on), the Red goes hot with the key and ground should be standing on the black all the time. BUT, voltage drop comes into play here, with the relay plugged in and trying to figure that out in my head gives me a headache (I don't know if 12v can feed through the VM. You could look for 12v on the green terminal, key off, to answer that). Set the meter on ohms to look for ground - ground one lead to your frame ground, poke the other lead on the green terminal (relay in). When you switch they key on, green should go ground if the relay is working.

You can test with the relay plugged in, there's enough room on the wire side if you have pointy probes on the meter.

 

[mj1angier]

Yeah, that's where I check the last time and got no volts on either red to black or red to green. But when I pull relay and check, I get 12 volts red to black. I did not check green, thought it would have to have relay in it and working to get power across red to green

 

[CID]

You're right, the relay has to be in and powered to get 12v across red to green.

 

[CID]

When I'm stuck, I'll make simple checks - in this case I'd strip a short piece of wire and short the black and green terminals; the VM should come on.

 

[mj1angier]

Okay, going to try and pick up a relay tomorrow. Hopefully local but if not, this looks like a replacement:

https://www.amazon.com/Ehdis-Relay-40amp-Spst-Model/dp/B01J53IH5M/?tag=sxsweb24-20

 

[mj1angier]

When I'm stuck, I'll make simple checks - in this case I'd strip a short piece of wire and short the black and green terminals; the VM should come on.

Well the mosquitoes ran me in for the night, lol. I think if I can pick up a relay for $8-10 tomorrow at lunch I will try again after work.

Thanks for all the help.... just wait till I add my back up lights!!

 

[CID]

Yep, any auto parts should have them. Bring your old relay to make sure the lugs are the same. Some relays have 5 terminals.

Be sure to mark the old one so you don't mix 'em up - don't as me how I know this.

 

[OnTheJob]

Some burn out quick. Either upgrade or buy 3-4 extras

 

[mj1angier]

I hate when I know I am so close...
Got new relay (like it better because it has mounting hole), plugged it in....no joy.

When I'm stuck, I'll make simple checks - in this case I'd strip a short piece of wire and short the black and green terminals; the VM should come on.

So I did this. Either black terminal to green, both VM come on with key off, and of course stay on.
Meter shows 12 volts from red terminal to either black terminal.

Wire lay out in plug appears to match plug up in this thread.

The extra green is just dead heading with a bit of tape around it. I have swap trying each green with same results.

Only thing left to try is to straight wire legs not using the plug.

I just left the jumper in tonight to see if any power draw. I could live with it like that, but dang that admitting defeat!

 

[mj1angier]

Relays, new on the left