dickandlois

That would be the starting point for me. The connections are exposed to water mixed with dirt. If you feel OK about separating the connection - there are little plastic catches that hold the 2 parts together - that can be a little difficult at times because of the way they are designed ! Second, see if you can find a small can of CRC contact cleaner and spray a little into each part - the plug and socket sections. Snap it back together and cross your fingers. LOL If that works I will pass on a second item that you might try to keep the connections in good condition. It is a little messy to work with but if you buy one tube - a little pricey, but well worth it to keep the connections in good condition ! Keep all in the loop !!!! Rich. CRC is sold at many auto supply stores or in some electronic supply outlets.

Deborah, This is some information on an Atwood Electric leveling system. Might be close to your system. Look it over and let the group know if it looks like what is installed in you coach. http://www.atwoodmobile.com/manuals/chassis/mpd 66166 sp 11.21.07.pdf Rich.

Deborah, Could you post the Make, Model , and year of your Coach for the group? Also, post any information you have on the Leveling system - like is it a hydraulic system or electric? along with any numbers off the control panel and or from the user manual. The more information you can offer the better information members can offer, to try and help solve your issue. Rich.

Richard, I Fixed up a 40 year old 3,500 watt generator that works real well, but it also has a load control issue. So I set the frequency at 62 at 122 volts to give it a little headroom and it handles 3000 plus with no real issues . The voltage drops to around 112 to 115 at 60.5 cycles. No problem as a backup when mother nature turns off the lights. Wondering if you tried to run the front AC by it's self and how the generator handled it? Also, think your 12.5 KW might have 2 - 120 volt winding's and what the coil resistance is for each winding ? A very small difference in the winding's could indicate an issue with one of the winding's. Does the Front AC units voltage change with time as things heat up - that could point to a thermal brake down in the winding feeding that circuit. Rich.

f301359-----This should not have any relevance to you battery charging system, but thought I would send it along as there is an issue with some Southwind coaches and the 120 volt circuit breakers that are on recall. Dealer inspection and replacement. You can get the Coach wiring diagrams by contacting Fleetwood with your Coach fine number located on a plaque outside on the drivers side. Then one can look at how the batteries are setup for charging from the engine alternator and from shore power. Your coach should have a setup to charge the batteries from shore power. When you are connected to shore power - what is the Dc voltage of the chassis battery and the coach / house batteries ? Detailed Recall Information for Fleetwood Southwind 2011-08-04) Recall Summary: FLEETWOOD RV IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 AMERICAN EAGLE, AMERICAN TRADITION, DISCOVERY, REVOLUTION LE, AND MODEL YEAR 2011 AMERICAN EAGLE, AMERICAN HERITAGE, AMERICAN TRADITION, BOUNDER, BOUNDER CLASSIC, DISCOVERY, EXPEDITION, PROVIDENCE, REVOLUTION LE, AND SOUTHWIND CLASS A MOTOR HOMES EQUIPPED WITH MURRAY OR SIEMENS BRAND CIRCUIT BREAKERS. THESE CIRCUIT BREAKERS HAVE A NON-CONFORMING "SPRING CLIP" PLUG-IN ASSEMBLY THAT BREAKS OR FAILS TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT FORCE TO MAINTAIN A PROPER ELECTRICAL CONNECTION IN THE PANEL BOARD. Hazard: THIS CONDITION COULD LEAD TO EXCESSIVE TEMPERATURE, ARCING OR THERMAL DAMAGE AT THE CONNECTION POINT, AND POTENTIAL DAMAGE TO THE PANEL BOARD'S ELECTRICAL INSULATION. THIS COULD LEAD TO FIRE, PROPERTY DAMAGE, OR PERSONAL INJURY. Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS IF NECESSARY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 25, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FLEETWOOD OWNER RELATIONS AT 1-800-509-3418. Additional Info: FLEETWOOD'S SAFETY RECALL NUMBER IS 110728FRV.OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV . NHTSA Source: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallresults.cfm?start=1&SearchType=QuickSearch&rcl_ID=11V399000 Rich.

tmatador2000, Welcome to the FMCA forum! Think your coach has an EMS- Energy Management System installed. If you are comfortable working on the 120 volt power - you might pull the cover off the main 120 volt power panel and test the power right at the circuit breakers to see if one has failed using a mulitmeter set on AC voltage. All of the breakers should read 120 volts when on and 0 when off. If all the main circuit breakers check out. 2 of them should be dedicated to the roof AC units. and other hi load equipment. The outlets in the coach are supplied from a sub panel and the panel is powered from the inverter(s) your coach could have 2 of them. If the breakers in the sub panel checks out. Then there is a possibility the EMS unit is causing the problem - THE EMS sheds items when it sees an overload. If that item has failed then you most likely will need some help from a tech that understands there operation. The older units have a new upgrade Kit. Upgrading from older EMS panels to newer EMS panels. Link- https://comnet2.newmarcorp.com/instance1env99newmar/html/images/INTEMS.pdf Rich. Typical 50 Amp power distribution layout.pdf

Sundance, From the feedback you offered, think I would change the outlet that the refrigerator is plugged into. When they build the coaches they do not use the top brand outlets and they are installed using the wire connection that uses the push on connection not the screw terminals and if the ground connection at the out let is defective that could be the issue. Think you mentioned there is an outlet and the GFI is there also, A test might be to plug the extention into the bath room out let and see if the GFI trips - you replaced that GFI if I remember correctly and the ground issue might be in the bath room outlet - if that works replace the bathroom outlet and the one for the rfergerator. the hardest problems to find are often the simplest to repair. Rich.

Sundancev, Could you send some information regarding your inverter? I'm thinking it is a Xantrex 454 series. There are 2 - 20 amp circuit breakers in the units or 1 - 20 amp and 1 - 15 amp in some cases. The GIF's can trip when the inverter ground is loose that runs between the inverter frame ground and the electrical ground buss at the main breaker panel - 50 amp coach system often have a sub panel that powers the inverters and there is a possibility of a loose ground at the ground buss of that panel. I found the 15amp Circuit breaker on the Xantrax Inverter was tripped. I reset and some of the 110v ciruits came back but the fridge did not along with a couple of other circuits. A little more detective work later, I found the GFI in the bathroom tripped. I reset and the circuits were on for a few seconds and then GFI tripped again. Will the refrigerator work when connected to an extension cord connected ether the campground 120 volt outlet or at home? Where the inverter is grounded does not matter / just needs a good ground connection at both ends of that bare copper wire. They do loosen up as one drives down the road and its one of the items to put on your yearly check list - Like check all the power connections on the breaker panels, shore power connections, generator power "J" box and the transfer switch. If you have reset those two breakers on the inverter / them make sure the input 30 amp breaker has not tripped. Just a note, I have one GIF that is located inside a cabinet near the bedroom that gets tripped and out of sight out of mind issues comes up for me from time to time. Do you have the owners manual for the inverter? Rich.

GOOD ! Look in the lower left hand corner with the drawing blown up and you will see the wiring diagram for the turn signal switch> measure from pins to pins to any shorts that show up - when the switch is open on both Left and Right or any shorts between any pin to pin that the drawing shows as open !!!! My bad, look at page 1 in the upper left hand corner. Hasty makes Wasty Rich. Back in the sticks and bricks !

Do you have the chassis wring diagrams you you coach. There could be an issue(s) with the turn signal switch mounted under the steering wheel and that might be more then you want to venture into. You could run a circuit test at the connector between the switch and the connector under the dash that connects it to the main chassis harness. Look at the link to tutorial link I attach if you need some refresher info in a post just up from here in a reply! Rich.

Joe,the simple answer is YES, because LED lights require only mil amps to light, and any path to power will allow them to light - Even if dimly and will off ten cause other issue in the lighting circuits. Rich.

Do you have a multi meter? set it at ohms, The Greek symbol for omega. With the power off to all the lighting circuits, read the resistance of the ground wire to the chassis ! you might want to make up a ground long ground wire with a clip large enough to connect to a good point on the chassis. If your meter has a zeroing feature - short the 2 meter wires together at the ends used to measure the circuits. Set to meter to zero. THEN measure the resistance of the jumper wire you made up. You can then reset the zero point on the meter wit the jumper wire connected, re zero meter or just wright down the number. Now you measure the ground wire from each lamp and wright down the numbers. They will be from 0 to infinity. the closer to zero / the better the ground point, The higher the number the farther the connection is from ground. Measuring something like 0.005 has a better connection then one that reads .09 or greater like 1000 or 10, 10,000. Numbers like that will indicate bad grounds. Even 15, 20 or higher have connection issues that need to be address. link to learn- https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-to-use-a-multimeter/all.pdf Rich.

Joe, I just use plane old diodes, that meet the current and reverse emf expected. The band goes to the lamp, relay or diode one wants to isolate. Rich. Most Diode / LED lights are polarity sensitive. Some of the more expensive ones have a circuit built into them that allow you to just plug them in and the circuit reacts to the polarity of the wiring.

The box size looks right as do the wire colors - they match the colors for turn signal and marker lights. Rich

edain08 , Glad you got it working ! Could you post the location of the socket you replaced? The Rear Right or Right side marker? To me it sounds like the ground circuit for the flasher found a good ground when the socket was replaced, but it still needed a new bulb. Removing the bulb should cause the issue to return. The way the circuit reacted would have perplexed me also! IF It was a Rear light bulb socket, there is a harness connection at the passenger rear corner area, that is exposed to the elements. That connector does have a ground wire / circuit for all the rear lights except the trailer / Tow vehicle. Should the problem pop up again - find the mentioned connector and clean it with CRC, check the wiring and reconnect it. Did that resolve the original issue again? Here is the logic behind my thoughts - If like I mentioned above if the issue happens when the bulb is removed from the socket that solved the issue then you still have a week or open ground. Rich.

The new oil formulations are not all backwards compatible and the engine protection will be compromised. The new engines are designed with tighter tolerances and for the 0 to 5 weight cold are needed to get the oil pressure up ASAP because tighter tolerances leave less space for a thicker layer of oil to keep the main and rod bearings from being damaged. Lost the bearings in one of the classic cars, they spun around, damaging the crank shaft and bearing. That was a new one for me. Oil changes on a regular bases are your friend. The engine shop found that this was caused by the WRONG oil formulation. Apparently at some point the lithium / zine based mixed got changed. So I now buy special oil that meats the engine requirements. Not an inexpensive lesson. The old vehicles do set longer now and then between start ups and I'm concerned that the old diesel engines could suffer the same problem with an oil mixture that is blended for newer engines and NOT backwards compatible. Rich.

edain08, Welcome to the FMCA Forum! Symptoms: with lights off - Left side turn signals work normally Right side turn signal - all lights flash including running lights Left , right ,front and Back? With lights on - Left side works normally Right side nothing flashes lights are just on. The closest point to all the lights involved is the Turn Signal switch and the flasher units. Might just try replacing flasher units turn and 4 way. Do you have the chassis electrical drawings for your coach? The 1999 Discovery is built on a Frieghliner Chassis if I remember correctly. Where you working on the turn signal bulbs with the flasher or one side of the turn signals operating? Rich.

I n our travels we have parked next to some of the 7 figure coaches and many of the owners have lamented over there older units with out slides. Have looked in the bays of some and the amount of space dedicated to the system control is like looking at the server installations for education and the corporate world. The thing is, those installations where not installed into a mobile environment, like planes, trains, trucks or automobiles. A whole different world!! Rich.

There is one independent road service truck in the Rochester N.Y. area - That fixed an oil leak in the air compressor on our coach and one or 2 fleet service road trucks in the area. The part that many owners shutter over in the road time fee - to get them on location. Joe, congratulations on you 4 year anniversary! We have been through a few coaches over the years, but the one we have now has been the one that has just worked over and above the others and is simple enough for an old country boy to keep running. I'm not sure I want to go through that learning curve again. The newer coaches have gotten exponentially more complex with all the amenities an there software driven control systems. Rich.

A little more digging in to my own question and found this White Paper information that helps clear things up. From the information offered it appears that older engines are considered to be 2017 model years and older, with the 2018 series of engines being considered new and designed to run on the new synthetic blends and total synthetic based lubricating chemistry. The part that was totally confusing for me was the CK-4 designation as it relates to the T-4 designation transition. The link below offers charts and explanations. Like Brett mentioned - you need to follow the the engine information for your particular engine(s) https://alliedoil.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Shell-Rotella-CK4_FA4-White-Paper1.pdf Rich.

The question I have for those much better to reply to them I'm. Wear protection beyond CK-4 standards In API industry wear tests, Shell ROTELLA® T4 Triple Protection 15W-40 didn’t just meet CK-4 specifications; it delivered an average 50 percent more wear protection than required. It also provided strong wear protection in CK-4 engine tests including the Cummins ISM and ISB. That’s protection where it matters most - on the road. OK New Shell ROTELLA® T4 15W-40 Triple Protection and Shell ... with lower viscosity oils, so backwards compatibility is limited. Hum ? CK-4 oils will replace current CJ-4 oils and will be completely backwards compatible with all current engines. They will be designed with improved oxidation resistance, shear stability and aeration control. FA-4 oils include lower viscosity grades designed for next-generation diesel engines to help maximize fuel economy without sacrificing engine protection. Some older engines were not designed to operate with lower viscosity oils, so backwards compatibility is limited. So what year engines are considered older? Rich. http://rotella.shell.com/media/2016/new-shell-rotella-engine-oils-offer-improved-technology.html

Carl - Did things get wet in the main fuse box and relay panel located in the front left bay area? Rich.

Second the Welcome ! You could have pulled some of the chassis wires loose and they are installed by Freightliner. I'm going with you pulled the rear bumper loose? The starter issue and some of the others could be appearing because the loose part(s) are allowing the wiring harness to be moving in areas of the frame and shorting out items to ground or even pulling wires loose from other connections at the rear of the coach. Do thew marker lights, brake and turn signals work? Rich.

I have seen a picture like that before ! They build a house that is driven down the road that can be like putting them in a blender and just seeing what loosens up first. Rich.

There is a reason for that right now! will expand on that at a latter time. Slowing down does not tend to slow down the curiosity ! Rich.