Just got a 2003 Berlingo Electrique (with problems!)

If you own a Electrique or any of the other PSA range of vehicles then look here for your answers and post your questions or general views here
willfromsussex
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Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 3:45 pm

Just got a 2003 Berlingo Electrique (with problems!)

Postby willfromsussex » Sun Oct 04, 2015 9:31 pm

Hi all

I have never had an EV before apart from I have an electric bike. I'd love a Nissan e-NV200 but the budget won't stretch. Have to wait for them to get old I guess. I am buying a Berlingo this week from Nottingham area (need to get it transported to Sussex) . I've done as much reading as possible about them on the interweb including here so hopefully I won't have too many questions.

Seller says battery is good. I have seen a couple of links which mention a guy that does a battery maintaining gizmo but can't find any info on this at all as the links just go to a general, old-looking page. I also see you have to water the batteries, via pipes under the bonnet. I'm also planning on checking at least one of the motor brushes for wear, is this fairly obvious to access?

I am a fairly competent mechanic and electrician.

Are the cells 100Ah? In which case at 162 volts is the total stored energy about 16 Kwh?

How long is the standard charging cable and does it have an indoor mains plug on that house end usually or a blue 16a caravan connector ?

What's the max / average draw on the mains supply? I'm hoping to charge it from an off-grid solar power system which has around 1800 Watts max available (but not for too long).

Are the early and facelift Berlingos the same mechanically/electrically?

Thanks all! If all goes to plan I shall share pics and thoughts when I get her home.
Last edited by willfromsussex on Thu Oct 22, 2015 10:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Grumpy-b
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Re: About to get a 2003 Berlingo Electrique

Postby Grumpy-b » Mon Oct 05, 2015 7:42 am

Read through the Berlingo posts and all of your queries are covered. The charger pulls a solid 10amps and will get any 13amp plug very hot., 1800w wont do at all to power the charger. Dont mess with the chargers as they can get damaged and are hard to get repaired. Only use a clean power supply. Never use a cheap generator, or a poor waveform.

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timpootle
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Location: Chorlton-cum-Hardy, UK

Re: About to get a 2003 Berlingo Electrique

Postby timpootle » Sun Oct 11, 2015 11:47 am

willfromsussex wrote:Hi all

I have never had an EV before apart from I have an electric bike. I'd love a Nissan e-NV200 but the budget won't stretch. Have to wait for them to get old I guess. I am buying a Berlingo this week from Nottingham area (need to get it transported to Sussex) . I've done as much reading as possible about them on the interweb including here so hopefully I won't have too many questions.
Thanks all! If all goes to plan I shall share pics and thoughts when I get her home.


Hello Will, and welcome. Like GrumpyB says, the answers are all in here somewhere, but they are a bit scattered so I will give you some quick replies in line.


Seller says battery is good. I have seen a couple of links which mention a guy that does a battery maintaining gizmo but can't find any info on this at all as the links just go to a general, old-looking page.
Yes http://www.tuer.co.uk/ is still an active site with contact details for Evan Tuer who developed the EVlite gizmo which is a simplified version of the Peugeot/Citroen Lexia diagnostic computer. Lexia is available on eBay

I also see you have to water the batteries, via pipes under the bonnet.
It's really important to do the procedure in the right order. If you top up the water without having first done a maintenance charge (using EVlite or Lexia) then you will blow all the electrolyte onto the road through the overflow pipes.

I'm also planning on checking at least one of the motor brushes for wear, is this fairly obvious to access?
Check them both! Find the procedure on this forum. It's easier with the NSF wheel off but you can do it on the ground once you know what you are looking for (if you are slim enough to get under the front bumper!).

I am a fairly competent mechanic and electrician.
That will help ;-)

Are the cells 100Ah? In which case at 162 volts is the total stored energy about 16 Kwh?
Yup

How long is the standard charging cable and does it have an indoor mains plug on that house end usually or a blue 16a caravan connector ?
It came with a 13amp 3-pin plug on, but changing this for a 16amp blue plug is a good idea.

What's the max / average draw on the mains supply?
Grumpy says 10 amp, I say more like 14amps for 5 hours. I have a collection of toasted wallplates to demonstrate this. Use a good quality 13 amp plug with a fresh tight-fitting fuse and it just about works.

I'm hoping to charge it from an off-grid solar power system which has around 1800 Watts max available (but not for too long).
As Grumpy says, this won't do you much good.

Are the early and facelift Berlingos the same mechanically/electrically?
Yes, more or less. Some of the accessories, aux battery etc. were moved around during the production run. You are lucky to find 3 cars exactly the same.


Hope that helps.
Tim Crumpton

willfromsussex
Posts: 93
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 3:45 pm

Re: About to get a 2003 Berlingo Electrique

Postby willfromsussex » Wed Oct 14, 2015 12:14 am

Thanks folks, well the van arrived ,

here she is!!

Image

Bought the van on ebay from private seller in Nottingham. Had it transported here. I was quite pleased with it, and did 20 miles today, however I decided to drive it to a pub about 3 miles from home this evening as I was playing a gig there, i got there ok but when i returned to the van, it won't start. The power steering etc starts up and the energy gauge goes up (40%) but there was no 'clunk' when you turn the key . There is a STOP light on the dash, can't remember if that is normally there or not before starting (i THINK I remember seeing it) . I've tried it in N and P and my foot is on the brake but even after 10 minutes of trying everything including locking and unlocking the car incase its an immobiliser issue,, no joy. Had to abandon it there and get a taxi home with my gear :( Is there anything I can look at? I actually have a Lexia system believe it or not, so these have OBDII? Will it have the electrique in the database?

I will get it recovered back here tomorrow but in the mean time any tips or maybe phone number of anyone that knows about these vehicles would be great. Feel rather lost, and i've never had a car break down on me before, and most of my cars are 30-40 years old .
Last edited by willfromsussex on Thu Oct 22, 2015 10:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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timpootle
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Re: Just got a 2003 Berlingo Electrique (now won't start!)

Postby timpootle » Wed Oct 14, 2015 6:01 am

Oh, no! Sorry to hear this.

Yes the STOP light is on until you hear the CLUNK, so nothing to worry about there.

The main contactors (that go CLUNK) won't pull in unless the gearstick is in P or N (as you mentioned yourself), and the accelerator pedal must be fully up, which is a microswith on the pedal lever that can sometimes come loose.

The usual culprit for odd behaviour is a flat AUX battery (the ordinary lead-acid car starter battery under the bonnet) but if you drove it to the gig without problem then it should have been charged up by the DC-DC converter from the traction pack.

Sorry I have run out of ideas right now.

The Lexia has the Electrique in the database, yes. To do the watering procedure you will just need the Hoselok-style adapter which I think GrumpyB identified once upon a time.
Tim Crumpton

Grumpy-b
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Re: Just got a 2003 Berlingo Electrique (now won't start!)

Postby Grumpy-b » Wed Oct 14, 2015 7:15 am

To start the following must be followed
1. No foot on accelerator (It doesnt have a microswitch, its just a potentiometer), but if the rest value isnt read then you can have problems of the computer allowing the main contactor to engage. Try lifting the pedal up, taking the pot wiper back to its rest position.
2. The click (main contactor) coming in will only happen if the van is in neutral or Park (By the way never use the P especially on a slope, covered in old posts). The gear lever is not a switch but a potentiometer that has 4 discrete values, and these can be misread sometimes, mostly when the lever assembly is excessively moist. Not much you can do, I have made separate gear selector for one user who needed their Blingos to have clear floors, and as these vehicles have no roof they also have severe damp (Rain !!) problems, they now have a rotary switch bringing in the various resistance values now located in a panel behind the original radio flap.
3. If the charge flap is open the Van should not start.
4.Just because the power steering etc functions does not mean the 12v battery is good enough. Test the 12v battery voltage, nothing running, and with the ign turned on. Do this and post the values here.
5. Check the fuses, in the car and under the bonnet.

Where are you located?
Grumpy_b

willfromsussex
Posts: 93
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 3:45 pm

Re: Just got a 2003 Berlingo Electrique (now won't start!)

Postby willfromsussex » Wed Oct 14, 2015 12:08 pm

Thanks folks, must have tried 50 times to get it to go, but when I went to recover it, it decided to work first try! Drove it home and it has been alright. INteresting that the gearlever is just a pot because sometimes the reversing lights flicker and it jolts slightly when reversing as if it can't quite decide if its fully in reverse.

Aux batt has 12.36 volts. Might pull it off the van and try to start a car with it, to give it some load.
Plugged the lexia into it and the only part of the van it wanted to acually communicate with , was the Webasto heater.

Only other thing I can think of to mention is the remote locking doesn't work, I think the key circuitboard is dead as there is no red light on the key and I've already replaced the batteries in the key. Could it be upsetting the immobiliser using the manual door lock?

MAybe the energy gauge etc would not start up if it was still immobilised. Might even try taking chip out of key to see what it does out of interest .

Im in East Grinstead (Sussex of course as per my username)

Grumpy-b
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Re: Just got a 2003 Berlingo Electrique (now won't start!)

Postby Grumpy-b » Wed Oct 14, 2015 12:20 pm

No imobiliser is fitted, any chips in the key are just there because they used std Berlingo parts. There is no aerial around the ign switch and no immobiliser circuits.
Reverse jolt relatively normal. Reverse light controlled by the main controller, turned on when the drive is put into reverse. 12.36v not too great, what is it when ign turned on should go to over 14v.
Ive never got lexia to connect. I use the evlite or Peugeot planet. The latter seems to connect . No idea why.Basically the same system.

willfromsussex
Posts: 93
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 3:45 pm

Re: Just got a 2003 Berlingo Electrique (now won't start!)

Postby willfromsussex » Wed Oct 14, 2015 12:27 pm

Thankyou. Voltage with igntion on 14.14v voltage with ignition on but with one of the big (nicd) fuses pulled out (no DC-DC input) 11.90v.
Interesting to know about no immob, thanks. Was also surprised to see no airbag on these. Am i right in thinking only about 50 were sold in the UK? Any ideas on numbers in France , which I assume was their main market.?
Last edited by willfromsussex on Wed Oct 14, 2015 1:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Grumpy-b
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Re: Just got a 2003 Berlingo Electrique (now won't start!)

Postby Grumpy-b » Wed Oct 14, 2015 1:53 pm

Then Dc to DC working Ok, But it may still be related to the 12v battery. No idea of UK numbers but it was a lot more than 50. Europe sold many hundreds. But overall I think there was probably less than 1000 of them. None of them had airbags, the Mk2 wasnt really different apart from the front metalwork, all else including the interior was as per the mk1.


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