dickandlois

Doug, Brett mentioned well done and I also say well done and grate pictures. Doug, I see you mentioned to clean and lightly lube the pivot points under one of your pictures, but writing that point into the text portion. Lube the pivot point on the follower arm while its off the post and this is a point where a drop a good lubricant can keep things working. The same goes for the pivot point for the spline drive. Note, To readers of this post that not all wiper arms have a follower arms, but most do have the spline set up. Although some have a spring that locks the arms onto the drive spline instead of a nut that holds then in place. Also notice that a slight change in the location of the splines make a big difference in the location on the wipers. Again !! Thanks Doug for you post. Well done !!!! Rich.

Hi Alan, Information on the Rexall wiring is very hard to come by. Regarding your battery charging and discharging issues I would look into some manufactures of battery isolators that you could install, just replace the existing set up. The isolator can have diodes short out internally and then one or the other battery systems Coach 12 volt or Chassis 12 volt will discharge or not charge. Have worked on one system where a internal short in the isolator would allow 12 volts from the coach battery to continue to power the ignition circuit and one had to remove the 12 volt feed to the ignition coil to stop the engine even with the key off. Rich.

Hi Herb, Welcome to FMCA. From your information, I would look at all the interconnecting links and the bell crank assemblies for any play in any of the connections. The bell crank assemblies are what the wiper blade arms attach to. Sounds like an over travel issue and it shows up at the higher speeds. Rich.

That is the one item changed in the entire circuit and its not out of the realm of possibilities. Have you checked all the ground connections and looked at the connections in the Generator J box. Over time the connections get rattled around pretty good. If you have a IR heat gun, with the generator running under load, scan the connections in the Generator circuit; just to see if there are any hot spots. One good last check before going through changing out the transfer Switch. Rich.

Butch thanks for the reply. Kind of makes one start thinking about the 12 volt control circuits. The other out of the box item is the thermostat circuit(s) they can cause some interesting issues! However, with the AC working on shore power it still makes one think of the power circuits and connections related to the generator. Rich.

Having worked in the technical and engineering field for a number of years; and trying to understand what physicist’s and clients wanted from there drawings and notes was always challenging. The curiosity of a 5 year old and the love of a challenge has fueled my life. I thought I would post some interesting notes pertaining to engineers. To the optimist, the glass is half-full. To the pessimist, the glass is half-empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be. What is the difference between mechanical engineers and civil engineers? Mechanical engineers build weapons. Civil engineers build targets. The graduate with a science degree asks, "Why does it work?" The graduate with an engineering degree asks, "How does it work?" Normal people believe that if it isn’t broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it isn’t broke, it doesn't have enough features yet. Two engineers were standing at the base of a flagpole, looking at its top. A woman walked by and asked what they were doing. "We're supposed to find the height of this flagpole," said Sven, "but we don't have a ladder." The woman took a wrench from her purse, loosened a couple of bolts, and laid the pole down on the ground. Then she took a tape measure from her pocketbook, took a measurement, announced, "Twenty-one feet, six inches," and walked away. One engineer shook his head and laughed, "A lot of good that does us. We ask for the height and she gives us the length!" Rich.

Dave, thanks for the PM. Glad you got things working after replacing the fuse and rewiring the trailer socket. Safe travels and bright lights !!! Rich.

Thanks to all for the feedback regarding the sun screens. Now to ponder all the differences and make a choice between all the different materials, mounting systems and how nimble one might be over the next few years. Simple! Well not quite. Oh ! what about the wheel covers ? OH Boy. Rich.

Hi Butch, Your issue is one that I have not run into yet. With 2 AC starting OK on shore power eliminates the current sensor(s) in the AC power panel from the picture. So it should not be a shedding issue. The only thing that comes to mind is a resistance issue that at the time only pops up under high current loads coming on all at once. That could mean the contacts on the generator circuit breaker have oxidized a little and limit the maximum current just enough to limit the surge current or a loose connection in the J box that connects the generator cable connections to the coach cable running to the transfer switch connections. Question, When you start the AC units manually, have you tried to start both of them at the same time? or do you start one and then the other with a short delay. One item that might be an issue is the ground connection between the generator ground and the chassis ground point. The other item that might cause the issue, what is your altitude and ambient temperature status. The 8K unit should run 2 -15,000 BTU AC units and have around a 3kw reserve at 100deg. and 500ft. in altitude. Rich.

Kymeem, Welcome to FMCA! I have not removed the particular cover in that area of your model coach, but finding the screws hidden in the carpet can be difficult. So I use a magnet and run it around the area(s) in question to locate them. Rich.

Hi Stuart, Thanks for the link. Took the time just now to look over their equipment line. Interesting and some other meters that they make look kind of neat. I will need to revisit the sight and look at some of the technical data sheets. Been using the old style manifold for years. Most shops that know they are dealing with a leak issue due run a vacuum and pressure test on the AC systems before recharging. The one item that does get over looked are the schrader valves and a leak detector is one way to test them, but good old soap and water will find most of the pressure leaks. Rich.

Hi Gloria, Welcome to FMCA ! Your question is kind of hard to answer, in that each system can vary plus or mines a little. The system on your unit, is it currently or will be put to a vacuum test. Thus starting at a completely empty state, or needs to be charged to an operational level? Do you have a set of manifolds to test the high and low sides of you system? Will you need to replace items in the system first, therefore needing to add ester-oil to the system. Could you supply the Group with a little more information please. Rich.

OK, Then after charging,read the voltage difference across each battery. 12.5 to 12.25 is good. 11.25 to 12.0 is not good. after running a charger on them for 12 hrs. or longer. Rich.

QuiGonJohn, With 13.89 volt reading at the batteries when the disconnect is ON (powering the coach if I'm reading correctly). When you flip the Disconnect relay your reading is 11.39 and no power to the coach. Correct? When you disconnect the cables that feed power to the Coach you read very low voltage. This is normal. You do need to determine what cables come from the charger and the ones the feed the 12 volt fuse box. With a reading of 13.89 the highest reading and a float voltage being 14.5 volts is most cases. That would lead me to believe that one of the 6 volt Coach batteries has a bad cell. If you disconnect the jumpers that connects each set of 6 volt batteries from being in series, then you should read 6.5 to 7 volts across each battery. the one that reads around 4.5 volts is the bad one in the set of 4 coach batteries. Rich.

Hi Chris, We have to start thinking about sun shades. Time for us to TRY and spend more time in the sun then is the cold and snow. Questions I have, do you need to install some magnets to the coach for the shades to attach to and how long have you had yours. All fiberglass on the front cowling of our coach. Rich.

The information on what you have is very helpful ! I will see what information I can find on how you coach maybe equipped and then send you some links to check out when you have internet access. How are you about height and working on the roof? You might check and see if the AC units on the roof are clean and clear of anything blocking the movement of air through the Evaporator, that is the item that looks like a radiator you can see through the back opening of the AC covers and the the roof fans are running smooth and quite. The AC units will remove the humidity from the air and drop the temperature to a point, but extreme conditions can overwhelm them. What temperature do you set your thermostats ? Think your coach is built on a Workhorse Chassis, but could be a Ford Chassis? Do you have a volt meter to work with to check voltages and continuity? Meters can be you best friend for checking the current voltage levels on items from AC line voltages to the DC voltage levels and what the charging levels for you house and coach batteries. Then over time as you look around you will find where all the little control modules and switches are hidden. Coach information brochure link. http://media.rvusa.com/library/Fleetwood2007_tra_b.pdf Coach owners manual Link. http://fleetwoodrv.com/partsandservice/manuals/2007_FIESTA_TERRA.pdf Look at section 8-page 4 for information on inverter location. When you find the inverter note the Make, Model and Series and post it for the group, so we can look for traditional information on how the unit works and is wired into your coach Rich.

Crazyjja, Welcome to FMCA, Like DD mentioned, we need some additional information. You said Motorhome only runs on Generator, That is true in the case for the AC units with 30 amp shore power wiring. The generators are large enough to run both at the same time. You mentioned that you have a Allegro coach, could you post the Year and Model of your coach for the group? That helps the group to better answer your questions. The coaches all have different setups. Rich

From your description it sounds like things are working properly. Now ! I need to clarify some items. With the AC running for 2 hrs, then going to just fan mode and then off. That sounds like you have your temperature control panel set to Auto Cool and that is the way it works. Well, for the most part. Now! question, is this the way the Air conditioning works during the heat of the day or what happens in the evening? Always something and you are on a learning curve we are very familiar with and to be honest still are on. Just when one thinks they have things figured out something throws you a curve. When you mention that everything else is off, is that by choice? The fact that you started the engine and the lights are bright. Makes me wounder if you have a charging issue somewhere. To clear that up you need to do your home work and look at the materials you got with the coach. Think I would ask you to look and make a list of the owners manuals you have to start with and let the group know what information you have. First look for and information about the coach batteries, chargers and monitor panels related to the 12 Volt system. The unfortunate thing is you have a per-owned unit and many owners do not understand the value of the manuals. So they do not keep the information in the coach and it just gets lost over time. However! many are available on the internet. That is the best thing that has happened regarding information, look around and one can find just about everything over time. Rich.

Kevin, The red light, is it on a small box maybe about the size of a pack of cigarettes. If so that is the fix for the refrigerator to protect it from starting on fire. Primarily when running on AC power. when the heating units shout out. The thing is it can be so sensitive to current changes that it can false set. This turns off the 12 volts and disables the 120 volt AC heaters. That is why you lost all the LED display and operation. One can power down the refrigerator and run a small, but strong magnet along the front surface and also along the edges to try and rest the read relay that acts to power down the units. There is a way to remove the safety circuit, one was removed from a unit at the Rally in Gillette and reverted back to its original configuration. I did not see just what they did to get it running or the connections that where changed though. As a note regarding keeping things cold. One trick is to place the ice in a separate container that fit will into a cooler, Add some rock salt to the mix. This lowers the temperature in the container. You will use a little more ice, but things can be keep cooler. Think of an old fashion ice cream maker. Rich.

dmtheys, Welcome to FMCA! Do you have any 110 volt AC power on shore power? Check the circuit breakers on the Generator, Look to see if there is a square box in the same storage area that you keep the shore power cable in. The shore power cable plug could plug into that box if the socket and plug match. This connects the generator to your AC power panel and breakers. This system is used when a Automatic Transfer switch is not installed in the coach. More about the ATS circuit once you look at your setup. Sounds like you are charging the house / coach batteries from the chassis engine alternator. When connected to shore power or when the generator is running the batteries should charge from a battery charger / inverter in many cases. The Group can cover those items once we get you shore power or AC from the generator. One thing at a time. Rich.

Hi DRitter, and welcome to FMCA. Reading between the lines, sounds like you have 2 Roof AC units. Correct? They do not funtion when the generator is running and they should. The item in question is do you have a transfer switch for the generator or a receptacle in the bay where you connect to shore power and a receptacle in the same area, a generator output that you connect the cable to when running the generator. Would look the same as the one you connect to to use shore power. This set up requires you to manually make the connection from the generator to the coach 110 volt AC power panel. I found a link for a copy of the brochure of your model. Look at page 7. it pictures the receptacle that I mentioned. http://coachmenrv.com/products/encounter.aspx let me know it things work when you make the connection. Rich.

Radio Roy, the chev. chassis uses an electric Cooling fan for the radiator. This circuit is temperature activated and is hot even with the ignition switch off. This fan does draw allot of current, the ECM is always powered to keep information stored. Should you disconnect the chassis battery physically or with a manual disconnect switch at the negative battery terminal on the chassis battery. You will need to drive the coach a 100 miles or so before all the engine parameters are reset. This could be an issue if you live in a state that requires a computer readout to pass inspection. By chance do you live in an area that is warmer then usual? The other solution might be to attach a small battery charger to the chassis battery to keep it charged. I'm thinking that shore power may charge the coach battery, but not the chassis battery. To know for sure read the voltage across the chassis battery and the coach batteries while connected to shore power. Rich.

Hi rmlouie, welcome to FMCA! Sent you a PM to tell you how to contact the person who posted the information you are looking for directly. The group page has some nice features for the members. Rich.

Hi Paul, The one test you could run on the wiring, is to use a circuit tester used on the phone and IT systems. One knows where one end of the wire is, so they connect a tone generator to that end and use a receiver to trace the wire back to its source. Often referred to as a fox and hound, circuit tracer. Link to one model, only so you can read the owners manual to see how they work. http://www.northendrental.com/Documents/Manuals/Greenlee/Greenlee%202011%20Power%20Finder%20Circuit%20Seeker.pdf They can be pricy, so look around. Something in the 50 to 75 dollar range should work or see if you can locate a rental unit. Rich.

djordan, Well its a start! things are never easy. When you replaced the 10 amp fuse did or do you hear a relay close? Check to see if that is the case. Note, if you hear a relay closing as you install and remove the fuse, then I think you have a problem with the ICC Marker Light Switch. Check the switch and or wiring for a problem in the ICC relay circuit wiring. With current running to the relay all the time that could blow the 10 amp fuse? I think on your coach you will find an ICC Headlight switch that allows you to blink / flash the headlights also. You mentioned the amber lights stopped working-- when the marker light are on? Or amber on the Toad ? In that case you are going to need to install some diodes in the stop / turn signal wiring. Could you post the lighting set up on the toad and if you have Just red stop and turn lights on the coach OR red stop and amber turn lights on the coach. What is the size of gray wire ? The pin configuration for you coach should look something like this: A= Ground, B= No Connection, C= Left turn / Brake, D= Right turn / Right Brake, E= Backup lights, F= Marker lights. G= The center connection if your coach has a 7 pin socket. Rich.