dickandlois

HRJimmy, Welcome to the FMCA Forum! You posted- Should I replace it or bring the unit it somewhere. Are you referring to the coach or the TV? Sounds like there is a loose connection at the plug. They use outlets that you just push the wires into to make connections in most cases. They are not the most reliable outlet. Rich.

dawson11, Welcome to the Forum! You are reading what will look like ground, but the reading you get (light turning on) is going through a bulb filament. Use a multimeter set on ohms - with the lights powered off. You can then see the slight resistance difference between the true ground point and the circuits. You need a direct ground point from the plug designated as the ground. This pin is connected directly to the chassis ground. Rich.

Doug, Welcome to the FMCA Forum ! Have you looked at this thread on the Forum ? http://community.fmca.com/topic/8327-matching-hard-to-find-tires/ Covers some of the issues when trying to match tires and a little information on how best to match and mix tires depending on there location. Like Key said, Tireman is our tire go to man and he will add his knowledge to the mix. Rich.

Carl, Make an appointment for the work you need to get done. We took a chance on getting some work done on the coach on our way to Madison. When I signed in I got number 3 for the day. That kind of placed me at #7 for the day. At the end of 3 days where where still #7 They take warranty work first. Coach safety issues second. People with reservations third. An so it goes, Coaches come and go; but moving up the weighting line goes slow. They do try to get you in the same week, but it tends to go longer. Rich.

Malcolm, The marker lights share the same fuse. The only item that comes to mind is the loose of the ground connection or power connection. You might call the coach builder and ask where you might find the connection point in the wiring harness. If you are comfortable checking the socket of the marker lights, have a meter and a length of wire to extend the ground lead. You could open up one of the lights and see if one of the socket connections is reading a ground. should you read a ground, then one could use the positive probe to insert power at the other socket connection. This is not real challenging. Because of the low power required to light LED's. You can us a 9 volt battery, 2 clip leads and the meter probes / paper clip to apply power to the socket(with the lights turned off at the switch)to see if the other ones light. If they light then it is a common wiring point to all the marker lights in question. Rich.

Carl, Interesting you got a warning on the low side. My first thought was a connection issue, but after further though, I'm leaning towards a sensor. No Code because the indication of an issue is below the set code level in the ECM. There might be a soft code in the ECM that would show up if you have the system tested at Cummings. Safe Travels Rich. Just a thought-Not knowing if the sensor is mounted internally or externally. There is an outside possibility that the sensor is not making good contact with the radiator and as things heat up it is making intermittent contact with the tank an that is causing an intermittent reading?

ripnfix, Thanks for the up date! Glad you got the lights working! Sometimes those loose connections will lead you around by the nose. This is how your system works from the information you supplied: With 2 relays - the ICC switch will power both relays, when you depress the momentary switch with just the marker lights on they will flash. When the marker lights and headlights are on they both will flash because the switch will interrupt both circuit relays. NOW a question, Did the headlights work when the wire was loose at the switch? If they worked, that wound indicate that marker lights relays closed contacts power the headlight relay coil. Think I.m looking at it correctly. If you would be willing to share the drawings with me I could verify if my thinking is correct. Rich.

dmastroluca, Everything sounds right. What size generator do you have? 7.5 KW or bigger? The fact that you have 50 amps when on shore power, indicates that you have 2 Hots - L1 and L2 When the transfer switch changes to the generator you should also have 2 Hots. Thinking one should check the wiring between the ATS and the "J" box interface between the generator and the wiring running back to the ATS. Check the generator circuit breaker(s). Turn off and back on and see if it needed to be reset or possibly replaced!! Loose connection, Wire wrong? or loose connection in the "J" Box or they just forgot to run one wire? This is unlikely considering the age of the coach, this should have been picked up at some point in the past; but stranger things have happened. Rich.

cessnadrvr2000, Good information in your reply! When you have the 30 amp service installed, get a price on a 50 amp circuit also. Brett, mentioned the difference in the RV 30 amp circuit and what most electricians consider a 220 volt style circuit plug. AS mentioned it is wired with one hot, one neutral and one ground. NO 2 hot wires, that will do in much of the coach equipment and wiring!!! Should you decide on the 50 amp circuit, please ask how that circuit is wired for the coach! How I attach your post to the reply - In the bottom right corner of the post one makes is a box labeled Quote. Click on it and open your reply. The information will be attached to your response. By the way, you are doing just fine regarding your questions and responses!!!! Rich.

Thanks for the reply! The current reading is correct, now take a look at the line voltage. I have a feeling it is in the area of 112 volts and just on the line where the EMS is sensing a total power requirement just a little over what is being supplied. Question - When you use the 15 amp outlet are you using an adapter between the outlet and the 50 amp cable; or a extension cord? The cord needs to be 12 Gage wire-better if it is 10 Gage. The voltage drop in the cord can put you below the required current / voltage combination. You could try to start the AC unit after dark when the line voltage would be higher and see it it starts. Also, try connecting to a 20 amp outlet. Rich

Ray, The portable houses with there built in power plants do come in handy when mother nature gets angry!! The auto run setup on the system is not intuitive. So you know it will run once a month, even if you needed it the day before. So you need to delay the run - unless you have installed a software system and programmed it to take control,when the system has cycled out side a predetermined window. The large backup systems at the sights we had backup, still ran there monthly requirement. The maintenance staff would keep a Hr. log on all our systems and when the systems needed some TLC it was completed. Rich.

cessnadrvr2000, Are you getting the message on your EMS(energy management system)display? And if so who's system is installed in your coach? I will take a guess that the system is looking at you load and what is turned on compared to your priority setting order setup on the EMS. Could be the system is deciding if the generator needs to be started, if you have a auto start setup for the generator so the load demand needs the larger current the generator could supply beyond the limited shore power current. Rich.

Dan, The clicking sound is from the engine fuel pump priming system. The delay is caused by the preheat sequence for the Glow plugs. Once the engines are warm they will start quickly. Should you run the unit out of fuel (happens often when driving with the generator running if fuel level is low) Holding the switch in the stop position for 30 sec. or more will prime the system. This is handy when one replaces the fuel filter or fuel pump. Gets the air out of the system and then the only delay is generally caused by the preheat cycle mentioned above. Rich.

John, I have not found any relative information relating to the circuit or system specifications yet, but I bet it is out there some where. As I mentioned, grounds and a source of noise when the engine is running kind of stand out from the information you have posted. The fact that things work when the engine is not running - leads to noise being the key and there is an outside possibility of a cold solder connection at one of the internal line voltage line filter capacitors or a filter cap that has failed internally. You might try to place a capacitor - 35 to 50 ufd @ around 25 volts DC across the input power. REMEMBER they are polarity sensitive so you need to know the positive and negative side of the input power. If this does not offer any help, the noise frequency is higher. One can use a capacitor decade box; not a common item now days - to select different sized caps connected across the power input. you could get some help from an electronics tech. should this be outside your skill sets. The only information I can offer regarding your problems at the time. The equipment is no longer being manufactured or supported. However ! Silverleaf has a replacement system. I do not know the cost, but they do use the existing circuit wiring. This would help cost wise, relating to installation labor. Links. http://www.silverleafelectronics.com/node/4158 http://www.silverleafelectronics.com/sites/silverleafelectronics.com/files/Aladdin%20Web.png Rich.

ripnfix, Been at one of the kids residences removing some(bigger trees then I probably should be tackling) for a couple of days. Job was simple when we cleared lots with a D 10. LOL Glad that you got some helpful information. You might check the 2 fuses you mentioned with a meter. There should be 12 volts present at one of the terminals of the ICC switch. Voltage at the switch - then look at your drawings and trace the feed from the switch back to one or in your case (2?) relays to see if you get voltage at one or both relays. If you do not get voltage at them, sounds like a open circuit - loose connection or broken wire. Voltage at the relay when switch is pressed - open ground or defective relay. Check things out and keep the group posted on what you find. Rich.

Dan, you might look at this thread / link and see if it sounds similar to your issue. http://community.fmca.com/topic/8413-velvac-714881-mirror/ Rich.

John, Thought I would ask what monitoring system you have installed? Rich.

ripnfix, The fact that the dash lights work takes the light switch out of the mix as a problem. I have a feeling that your coach is equipped with an ICC switch and relay circuit and I did forget to ask. If your coach is equipped with this, this is where I would look for a loose connection. Inside around the area of the switch wiring and the relay circuit. The circuit (If you have one) is always enabled and turns off the lights when you toggle the switch to flash the lights. This switch and relay setup turns all the lights off and on. A call to Spartan Chassis with your VIN number should enable them to supply you with a PDF wiring file and the wiring for this circuit. The standard fuse size is 20 amps and will be located in the chassis fuse box, but ask if there is a inline fuse. Good luck and keep us in the loop regarding you progress. Rich.

Keith, The idea of washing the CAC and Radiator with the engine running would likely clean the area around the inside of the fan shroud, but I'm not sure you could get the bottom left corner of the CAC and radiator. The pitch of the blades and the angle of the spray would carry most of the washing and clear spray to the Right corner of the setup, with very little getting to the lower left corner as you work or look from inside the engine compartment. The only way to really get to that area is with the engine off and spraying the area from underneath. With the engine running and spraying from the bottom there is a greater possibility of the fan hitting the pressure wand. Not what you want to happen and the chance of inadvertently haveing the same thing happen while working from the top is also a possibility. Kind of a scary idea to me also. I have put myself in some questionable locations when working on running engines and was very lucky to have all my extremities twice !!! One is very lucky to escape one time let alone twice, so I now might still think about it, but just shake my head and say to myself. I'm Not Going There Again. Rich.

Mike, Call Cummins with the engine serial number and ask what the specification is for the boost and what the maximum pressure could be set at. Then with the pressure setup described by Desertdeals one can set the boost level. Rich.

ripnfix, Do the instrument panel lights work? What chassis is the coach built on? Rich.

John, Thanks for the up date and the solution. By chance could you define the location of the reset button in a little more detail? Rich.

cessnadrvr2000, Just had a conversation with you inverter manufacture to see if I could clear up some questions I had regarding the inverters operation. The inverter can be set to the on mode and it will stay on all the time producing 120 volts. This will ensure that there is always 120 volts to item that you want to keep powered up. Search mode. This is the setting where the unit will start producing 120 volt with a load of 5 watts. The 5 watt level is the factory preset level. At this level the load of the microrwave clock circuit should trigger the inverter to provide 120 volts. The power trigger level can be set using the remote to a different level selected by each user. The dropout from shore power is instant. The dropout when using the generator is not instantaneous, the spool down time of the generator causes a gradual decrease in the AC voltage level and the default level voltage is set at 80 Volts for the inverter to start supplying AC power. Should you have issues with the satellite receiver resetting, the dropout point for the inverter can be reset to 90 volts AC. This should stop the problem of the system powering down. The Max Fans are DC powered and if the heaters for the refrigerator are off, there is a good possibility the load is below the trigger point. One needs to remember that as soon as Shore power or Generator power is lost, the refrigerator is going to start the transition to LP and just maybe it is happening quicker then the load sensor can react. In your case - you have a standard home stile refrigerator(if I understand your information)and if the unit is not calling for the compressor to be running - the load detected would be much less.. You might try to connect something that meets the required load and see what happens. If it does not start to produce 120 volts - there is the possibility that the preset level was inadvertently set to a higher level. Just had an AH Ha moment. The fans for the Roof AC units run on 120 volts, so one might try to have just the fans running on them and see if that load will trigger the search mode to start the inverter! Once you know that the required load is present and by chance the unit does not start. It might be time to call the factory service center and see what they suggest. The time I spent on the phone with one of there technicians was informative and got the feeling they where more then willing to provide the information needed. Rich.

Carl and mpierce! One can add a connection for a grill, but it needs to be installed in the gas line after the regulator. The line mentioned in Paul's post is a high pressure safety blow off line. There is no LP present under normal operation in this line. Rich.

cessnadrvr2000, Welcome to the FMCA Forum! This is a copy of the manual page covering the operation of your unit. It should cover your question(s). If you need more information or this information does not cover your model, please let us know what area you might need further help. Page 29 Section 3. OPERATION Manual 1. Operating the Inverter The MS Series inverter/charger has two modes of operation: INVERTER (providing power to your appliances from the batteries) and AC (running from shore power or a generator). Whenever the inverter is in AC mode, it passes power directly to your appliances as well as recharges the batteries using a 3-stage battery charger (Bulk, Absorption and Float). This approach to battery charging provides rapid and complete charging cycles without placing undue stress on the batteries. Inverter operation is fully automatic. Search With search mode enabled, the inverter pulses the AC output looking for an electrical appliance (typically 5 to 100 watts, depending upon the setting you.ve selected). Whenever there is no load detected, the inverter automatically goes into search mode (sleep) to minimize energy consumption. During this time, the inverter.s green LED flashes (fast) to indicate SEARCH mode. When an appliance is switched on inside the coach, the inverter recognizes the need for power and automatically starts the inverter. Note! Should the GFI trip in the circuit powering the Microwave or any other item, The inverter does not see a load so it stays in the idle mode!! Inverter Mode Whenever AC Shore Power is no longer sensed, the inverter automatically transfers to battery power with no interruption to your appliances. The inverter.s green LED flashes once every 2 seconds (medium flash) to indicate it is running on battery power and providing AC to the coach. AC Shore Power Mode NOTE the unit should also operate the same when the generator is running ! Whenever AC Shore Power is sensed, the inverter automatically transfers to the shore power with minimal interruption to your appliances. Bulk Charge Mode Whenever the inverter is running on nominal AC Shore Power, it charges the batteries. The inverter.s green LED stays ON (solid) to indicate the first stage of charging. During bulk charging, the charger supplies the maximum amount of constant current to the batteries. As the battery voltage rises to a set value (typically 14.1 VDC for GEL, 14.3 VDC for AGM, and 14.6 VDC for liquid lead acid), the charger will then switch to the next charging mode. Absorption Charge Mode As the inverter continues to run on nominal AC Shore Power, and the batteries have been successfully bulk charged, the charger enters its second stage of charging. The inverter.s green LED flashes once every second (fast flash) to indicate absorption charging for 1 - 3 hours depending upon battery bank selection (refer to the MS Series Remote manual). The charger then switches to its final charging mode. Float Charge Mode As AC shore power continues, the inverter.s green LED flashes once every 8 seconds (slow flash) to indicate the third and final stage of charging. The batteries are held at the float voltage (typically 13.6 VDC for GEL, 13.1 VDC for AGM, and 13.4 VDC for liquid lead acid) as long as AC is present at the inverter.s input. Float charging reduces battery gassing, minimizes watering requirements (for flooded batteries) and ensures the batteries are maintained at optimum capacity. Battery SaverTM Mode Designed to keep batteries fully charged over long periods (storage) without drying them out. Whenever the charger is in float for 4 hours with no DC loads running, the charger will turn OFF. If the battery voltage drops below 12.5 VDC, the charger will automatically initiate float mode to return them to a full charge. Rich.