Ravenna electrics!

Appreciate anyone who can help with the various switches on my recently purchased 2004 Ford Ravenna. The manual is a bit grim and cheap! As someone involved in technical publications for a good part of my life the AS manual produced for this model is all over the place. Totally non user friendly. Thanks.

This might sound a bit harsh, but I would suggest you read the (not very user friendly) manual, then try turning switches on and off and see what happens, and then ask here about any that you still don't understand - my guess is that there will only be a few.

The reason I say that is that there aren't hundreds of Ravenna owners here, and each of those Ravennas probably varies from yours in small details - such as exactly where each switch is fitted. A/S changed little details like that continually during the production of each model, so you're as likely to find people saying "I don't have a switch there on mine" as you are telling you exactly what it does!

As my wife always says read the manual (instructions). This I do. Just wish they read a darn sight better.

I've tried the various switches and I have most of them worked out. Just inside the living door on the right above the fridge are 2 switches. One for outside light (no labeling) and one that says 12v and this one seems to be a sort of master switch when leaving the van as it turns off the 2 little lights above oven/sink area and the front strip light (if they're on).

Not sure about the 2 strip lights in centre and rear of living area as can't get them to work. I changed the tubes and tried all combinations (the master panel switches top left and bottom right labelled 'lights' were switched on). Maybe someone can help. Thanks.

They are probably mains voltage lamps?

Yes, that's one of the odd things that A/S did - fitting a mix of mains and 12V lights that otherwise look identical. I suspect that they no longer do it, but it wasn't unusual before LED lighting became common.

And I hate to say it, but one other possibility is that the joint in the wiring above the headlining may have come undone. I've had this happen once on one of mine (not a Ravenna) because A/S use screw-down connector blocks, and on mine the screws did not seem to have been done up very tightly! But I should add that it doesn't seem to be a common problem, thankfully.

Thanks for the replies. I'll hook the van up to the mains when I get a spare moment and see if by having the mains makes any difference to getting the rear two strip lights to work.

I've got some other questions I'd like some help with but I'll leave those for another day. Thanks again.

Hooked up mains supply today. Couldn't get rear two strip lights to work so maybe wring problem. Taken a picture of control panel and will try and upload it (assuming members can access the pic - no pic then I've failed to up load!). If anyone can tell me (or confirm) what each switch does will appreciate it.

Pic is below. Really need confirmation on switches 1, 2, & 3. What do these switch on and are these trip switches??? Think no. 1 is cooker igniter? No idea what 2 & 3 do. Fridge maybe?

Thanks for any help again.

Hi - this is my own made up guide to the control panel on my 2004 Rienza

Hope this helps in some way.


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Hi, Thanks Peter for the image. I was having another check around inside the van yesterday. Appreciate the image with the annotations. I think my switches 1 & 2 may be transposed but models may differ but got cooker to light anyway. Not tried fridge yet but need to get some more gas. The problem with the two rear strip lights I've found that they have just failed (finally checked power with meter) so ordered some LEDs. Thanks again for your reply.

Greyman wrote:Appreciate anyone who can help with the various switches on my recently purchased 2004 Ford Ravenna. The manual is a bit grim and cheap! As someone involved in technical publications for a good part of my life the AS manual produced for this model is all over the place. Totally non user friendly. Thanks.

Hi did you solve this as I have the use manual for it?.

Hi and thanks for response. At the moment I think I've figured it out. The manuals are not very good are they? Bit cheaply produced compared to price of motorhome when new but maybe the modern manuals are a lot better.
Thanks again.

Greyman wrote:Hi and thanks for response. At the moment I think I've figured it out. The manuals are not very good are they? Bit cheaply produced compared to price of motorhome when new but maybe the modern manuals are a lot better.
Thanks again.

Hi no they're not great but mine has a wiring diagram in it that has the switch numbers and what they relate to. Must have looked through the manual 3 or 4 times before I noticed. Any way glad you sorted it.

Greyman wrote:Hi and thanks for response. At the moment I think I've figured it out. The manuals are not very good are they? Bit cheaply produced compared to price of motorhome when new but maybe the modern manuals are a lot better.
Thanks again.

Just noticed you only live down the road.