Same old electrical issues, better but not fixed

[DuaneG]

You all have been great. It gave me a lot to look at and at least I feel closer to our fifth wheel and have explored many things trying to find this short. It will help if something else goes wrong.

I now have a multimeter and actually learned how to use it. I have a battery tester with load test option which I never knew existed. I have a power management system at the power source that protects the whole unit. I have an outlet tester. All kinds of little wire nuts, tape, cutters and tools for most issues.

And after reading other posts I may tackle adding multiple batteries and even look into solar options. Who knew electricity could be so fun.

And if I can't find this short I may take a road trip to one of your houses because I know with a little more experience we could find the problem and probablyba few more.

 

[TeJay]

Jimgratz,
I did not mean to indicate that you didn't know the difference between a fuse and a CB and if it came off that way I do sincerely apologize. yor are correct especially when it comes to electrical issues. It's tuff enough trying to fix electrical problems when you're staring them in the face let alone trying to diagnose on the net. I hope by at least trying to help organize the thought process some will benefit from these discussions and it appears that DuaneG has learned enough to be a little less dangerous.
Best of luck to you DuaneG and if you need some advise or further assistance don't hesitate. If you PM me you can call and perhaps walking you through a situation would help. CA is a little far for me to travel.

TeJay

 

[jmgratz]

Jimgratz,
I did not mean to indicate that you didn't know the difference between a fuse and a CB and if it came off that way I do sincerely apologize. yor are correct especially when it comes to electrical issues. It's tuff enough trying to fix electrical problems when you're staring them in the face let alone trying to diagnose on the net. I hope by at least trying to help organize the thought process some will benefit from these discussions and it appears that DuaneG has learned enough to be a little less dangerous.
Best of luck to you DuaneG and if you need some advise or further assistance don't hesitate. If you PM me you can call and perhaps walking you through a situation would help. CA is a little far for me to travel.

TeJay

No offense taken. I just wanted it to be clear when you are trying to troubleshoot long distance it helps to use the correct terms. It can be confusing saying a fuse when it is really a circuit breaker as a fuse needs to be replaced and a cb reset. Like you say long distance troubleshooting is difficult at best. Happy Camping.

 

[DuaneG]

Drove home today and left fridge on for about an hour before the same 15 amp fuse blew. I replaced the fuse and turned the fridge off. I drove another hour or so and the fuse blew again. I tried to locate the short, but still have not.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Duane, remember that the wiring for the slide runs through the frame...out into a junction box on the outside of the frame and then in a harness up into the slide. You need to start looking in the frame area and then from there out and up into slide. With the slide in....how tight is the harness from the junction box to the slide. As to say ...is the harness stretching toooo tight?

 

[DuaneG]

The harnesses look good and no problems seen at the junction box, under the frame or where the wires enter the slide. It might be behind a wall and I am not sure how to find that because the dealer could not either.

 

[TeJay]

DuaneG,
Have you tried replacing the fuse then begin wiggling, pulling, etc, etc wiring harnesses, wires and other electrical things in the slide area while someone watches the fuse? Also DuaneG just because they couldn't find the problem is no reason to think that you can't. Finding a tech that can troubleshoot electrical problems is very difficult. Good ones are few and far between. However careful and common sense approach using some or all of the tips that you've received should help to narrow it down.

I've go an electrical problem with our new camper. The battery won't charge when plugged in. I've checked all fuses and CB's. I've checked the voltage output on the converter panel to the battery and it is 13.7-V. At the battery it's 3.4-V. There are two 30-amp fuses in the wiring harness and they are good. There is a connection which looks like a circuit breaker because it has a tiny black button on the side. I've pushed it but nothing happens. There are two connections on this CB. One is from the battery and reads 3.5 volts. The other one is from the camper and it also reads 3.5 volts. That tells me that the CB is OK. I don't know where I'm loosing the 13.7 volts out of the converter. I guess what I can do now is disconnect the battery then isolate both ends of the wire that carries the converter output to the battery and check it for an open or continunity. Anybody have any other ideas on this electrical problem??
TeJay

 

[jmgratz]

TeJay...check the battery for a dead or shorted cell.

 

[mobilcastle]

I am reading this thread with great interest. Can you provide a name of a good tester that buzzes for 12V. I usually use a volt meter but it would be nice to use this item when working alone.
Thanks. I hope you find that short-I have run some down over the years that were a nightmare. Isolating the slide first to see where it is will really narrow down where you have to look as stated above. If your slides are hydraulic shut them down with the fluid control dials by the fluid reservoir and only move one slide in and out at a time. You are getting great advise. I think it is a loose B+ wire that intermittently grounds when the slide moves or you hit a bump in the road. You may want to start pulling on wires and or move them around as stated above to see if you can get it to touch and blow the fuse. Good luck.

 

[TeJay]

Jim,
Thanks for the reply. I'll tell all of you how I found the problem. Just to show you that in a lot of instances it's just something stupid or simple that has to be done or that you just didn't think of. This camper is brand new. I've never ha a battery disconnect switch before either. The battery has worked and yes a shorted cell can cause problems, but my concern was that I was not getting any charging voltage to the battery. I charged it today with my spare charger and it was fine. However I wanted to check for an open wire so I disconnected the 110 AC. When I did nothing inside worked. Soooooooo I checked to see if the battery disconnect switch was off and it was. I turned it on. My lights inside worked and I then had 13.7 volts at the battery. Here's why I didn't realize what was going on. When you are plugged into 110-V evidently the battery disconnect switch can be shut off or in the disconnect position and you will still have 12-v's to all your inside stuff. I would go into the camper and no lights. I figured that the battery was dead. Connected the 110-V and everything worked inside but I was getting no power to the battery for charging. That's because the disconnect switch was doing its job. Daaaaah Oh well live and learn. At least it's a happy ending.
TeJay

DuaneG keep us updated of your situation. We want to know what you eventually determine is the cause. We can all learn from it. THANKS

 

[Willym]

Duane, you may have already checked this, but just in case you haven't, here is a link to an old thread on the problem that I had. The damage to the wires may be very small, and not that obvious when the slide is out.

//heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/17564-Slide-12v-Supply-Problem?highlight=

 

[mobilcastle]

Jim,
Thanks for the reply. I'll tell all of you how I found the problem. Just to show you that in a lot of instances it's just something stupid or simple that has to be done or that you just didn't think of. This camper is brand new. I've never ha a battery disconnect switch before either. The battery has worked and yes a shorted cell can cause problems, but my concern was that I was not getting any charging voltage to the battery. I charged it today with my spare charger and it was fine. However I wanted to check for an open wire so I disconnected the 110 AC. When I did nothing inside worked. Soooooooo I checked to see if the battery disconnect switch was off and it was. I turned it on. My lights inside worked and I then had 13.7 volts at the battery. Here's why I didn't realize what was going on. When you are plugged into 110-V evidently the battery disconnect switch can be shut off or in the disconnect position and you will still have 12-v's to all your inside stuff. I would go into the camper and no lights. I figured that the battery was dead. Connected the 110-V and everything worked inside but I was getting no power to the battery for charging. That's because the disconnect switch was doing its job. Daaaaah Oh well live and learn. At least it's a happy ending.
TeJay

DuaneG keep us updated of your situation. We want to know what you eventually determine is the cause. We can all learn from it. THANKS

Thanks for lettings us know-glad you figured that out. We all overlook things-it happens.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Moblecastle, I think that I bought from a Snap-On dealer/truck. But that was 30 years ago and CRS has set in since then.

 

[DuaneG]

Read the other threads and wiggled all wires that were accessible and the fuse didn't blow.

It only happens when driving.

Going to look for an experienced rv electrician now.

 

[wdk450]

Duane:
You might try installing like 5 amp inline fuses on all the devices down the line, and maybe you find the culprit if it just bows that fuse.

Read the other threads and wiggled all wires that were accessible and the fuse didn't blow.

It only happens when driving.

Going to look for an experienced rv electrician now.

 

[mobilcastle]

Did you figure out which slide it is in. I would pull the belly panel under that slide and look at the electric there. Make a big flap that you can tape back up. I wish you luck with whatever you do.

 

[Willym]

Did you wiggle the 12volt supply wires to the slide with the slide in?

Read the other threads and wiggled all wires that were accessible and the fuse didn't blow.

It only happens when driving.

Going to look for an experienced rv electrician now.

 

[DuaneG]

I did try to wiggle all wires with slide in and out. The inline fuse suggestion sounds good also. And another mentioned cutting the underbelly. I did think about that because I have not been able to see behind it so that sounds like a good option.

 

[cookie]

I would only cut the underbelly as a last resort.
Remove as many of the screws holding it up as possible. You should at least be able to get your hand up in there to wiggle the wires.

Peace
Dave

 

[TeJay]

Duane,
This has been one of the more involved threads on an electrical problem. I'm really looking forward to the time you finally determine the problem. If you don't post it we just might have to pay you a visit to find out what happened. LOL

Thanks, and best of luck with this issue

TeJay