95 Safari Sahara Magnum Chassis Issues?

[chollenback]

I have a 95 Safari Sahara on a Magnum Chassis and I live in Asheville NC. No one here will touch this RV due to age and no info. The issue I am having is this:

 

1. Tachtometer sticks at 1000 RPM when I tun it off but works as intended when driving. 

2. Seedometer sticks at 25 MPH when you turn it off but works when driving.

3. Voltage Gauge has never been past 12 volts and when headlights are turned on it drops to 10 volts but. No dimming of lights noticed at night

4. Service Brake light just came on and there is nothing wrong with brakes 

Does anyone have a full set of wire diagrams or can someone tell me what to look for?

I already changed alternator in March 2018 and new chassis battery in March 2018 as well. I looked at ground wires on dash and all appear to be secure. Any ideas?

 

 

 

[desertdeals69]

The speedo and tach may be normal, floating needle until current is present.  Check the ground on the voltmeter, you might be able to test the voltage at the meter with a volt meter.  Brake light maybe the proportional valve needs reseting.

[dickandlois]

Chollen, Welcome to the FMCA Forum!

The Tach and speedo gauges might need to be cleaned and lubricated(Oil should be a very good quality clock oil) - WORK Very carefully - a little like working on an old clock !!!!!!! Dirt around the dial shaft and most lickly a build up of some rust from condensation. Might think of the project as restoring a classic car. 

Information on the older coach wiring is difficult to find, but I do have some information. Regarding the dash issues and the age of the coach. I would check and Clean all the Ground connections. Also any and all wiring harness connections should be checked and cleaned with CRC and checked for corrosion in the connectors and for corrosion / oxidation of the area of the crimped terminals . Kind of a long process, but the rewards could be very gratifying. 

Things did not change as fast years ago, so I hope this information helps pin down some of your issues.

Rich.

Primary_ DC_ distribution_Patriot.pdf

98 Sahara12V BR FUSE DIST.pdf

SMC Safari_Service_ Ctr.pdf

SMC Sahara 12vBrBkrDist.pdf

[chollenback]

Thanks. This helps. If anyone has any diagrams or drawings of the front panel boards and what all the fuses go to would be great. There are 3 panels in a column on driver side when you pop the 'hood". There is a panel labeled transmission in front of coach when you pop the "hood" and there is a pretty big red wire that is secured to a terminal on this panel. For some reason when you put the meter up to this one the volts are actually decreasing. Any idea what this big red wire goes to? I cannot trace it as it goes into the wall of the RV rom the front and I cannot see where it goes or where it comes out.

Thanks again.

 

[wolfe10]

A generalization, but with most fuse boxes, the largest wire will be from/toward the battery, with smaller wires "downstream" of the fuses supplying individual circuits.

[chollenback]

DesertDeal69:

 

How would you reset the Brake light proportional valve?

[chollenback]

I went back and unplugged all wires under the "Hood" and reinserted them back in after I inspected them. The last white wire I touched was on a relay and I noticed the male part of the relay was on the outside of the female fitting and wedged between the plastic and the relay prong. I attached as it should have been done and the good news is that I can turn on all the lights and the volt gauge does not drop below 12.5 now (yeah). But this still seems low to me. Is this alright with everything on or should it be 14 volts?

The Tach and Speedo still "float" after being turned off. I will disassemble and clean as indicated and hope it works. 

Thanks for all the insight.

[kaypsmith]

12.5 with EVERYTHING on doesn't sound too bad. Now what does it read with everything off? If the batteries are in good condition, but low on charge, I would expect 13.5 to 14. This is where a cheap digital voltmeter comes in real handy, to see if the analog gauge is accurate or not. Oh yes the digital reading should be taken between the + and - battery post with the charge system on, expect 13.5 to 14, after turning the charge system off, and allowing the batteries to rest, about 30 minutes, 12.6 should be normal.

[abyrd]

Both my tach and speedo float when power is off, they both zero when the switch is on and tach reads correct when engine is running, speedo is all so correct when traveling.

 

JIm

 

[desertdeals69]

On 4/24/2018 at 9:55 AM, chollenback said:

DesertDeal69:

 

How would you reset the Brake light proportional valve?

Disconnect the wire and see if the light goes off.  If it does then look at the end of the valve, It requires the shuttle valve to be in the center, on some there is a stem that is hooked to the shuttle and it can move the valve to center.  The reason the valve is off center is the brake system is out of balance causing the valve to move off center.  Too move it may take opening the bleed valve on one wheel in the front and one in the back.  If the light doesn't go off when disconnecting the wire something else is amiss.  See if the reservoir has a sensor and if it is low.

[desertdeals69]

6 hours ago, chollenback said:

 

The Tach and Speedo still "float" after being turned off. I will disassemble and clean as indicated and hope it works. 

The tach and speedo do not need cleaning if they are accurate when running.  If they are slow to respond to a change then you want to clean the bearings.  Battery voltage should be about 12.5 + - .2 volts unless the engine or charger is on, then the voltage should be about 14.2 volts.

[chollenback]

battery (chassis) is 12.91v and house is (13.87), 12.5V is with everything on. when i turn everything off it stays the same in the voltage gauge. maybe volt gauge is bad? the speedo and tach work great when driving but float when off. i guess i am good then (unless i am missing something)

 

thanks to all

[kaypsmith]

On most coaches, the gauge on the dash will only show what is happening with the chassis batteries because that is the drivers way of knowing about the chassis battery condition. The battery isolation system if working properly, does just that, isolates the chassis from the house batteries. The inside lights and other 12 volt house appliances should wired to the house batteries. Not too big of a surprise that an analog gauge will be a tad inaccurate. I would be surprised if a 95 model has a digital gauge.

[murmanone]

I have some good and some poor copies of wiring diagram pages  for a 95' Safari.  I don't recall which model they are for, but they were not for my model. However, I found that they were very helpful.  If you are interested contact me. I know a lot about my 37' Sable which is a 95' model year. I have overcome several electrical issues over the years with the help of these diagrams.

[manholt]

You can also send a PM to RSBILL EDWARDS, he has 2 Safari's, I think one is a 95'.  He has taken both apart and put back together again, with modifications over the years!