dukeman7595 Report post Posted October 6, 2011 I am a new member and have asked some folks for advice on several topics. We bought a 37-foot 1992 Fleetwood Southwind Class A motorhome with a 454 engine with 84,000 miles (one owner). This coach was well taken care of and appeared to have no problems. As I stated in another topic, we have never been on an RV trip. Our intention was to visit the GRAND CANYON, via Springfield, Missouri, about 1,300 miles. We began our trip on Sept. 27 and stopped at KOA Rt. 40 exit 108, driving 400 miles the first day. We proceeded to KOA rt. 40 exit 335 New Mexico, approx. 325 miles. This is where the trouble began. I had been running the generator while driving to cool the coach when the main breaker tripped. Once at KOA N.M. I hooked in the 30-amp hookup and reset the breaker. After approx. 20 minutes, the breaker tripped again and I noticed it was very hot to the touch. Now we are without any AC. I pulled the cover off the breaker panel and discovered all the ground wires were burnt at the ground terminal. I was able to cut the burnt wires off and reattach them to the ground terminal. This seemed to do the trick -- the panel remained cool and we had Ac once again. To make a long story short, we turned around and came back to Missouri. No GRAND CANYON. We loaded the car and went. I bought this coach for $9,000 to see if RVing was for us. Now, well, I just don't know. Can anyone give a reason why the ground wires would burn in the first place? NOTE: We had no more trouble with the breaker tripping after I fixed the wires, but it soured are trip to continue. Sincerly, JOE Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shields Report post Posted October 6, 2011 Hi Joe, There are lots of reasons why the wiring failed; corrosion, genset output problems, lack of maintenance of the AC units, and so forth. We would need more information to try to help you sort that out. However, you should know we have all had trips like yours. A motorhome has lots of interconnected systems (mechanical, electric, hydraulic, propane, etc.) and they all need attention from time to time. Your coach is nearly 20 years old and it will probably take you awhile to get everything into the top shape you'll want to have it in. It took us about a year to get our coach to the point where we could leave cross-country at any time. This is a very fun hobby, and a motorhome can add a lot of fun and freedom to your travels. Don't give up, catch a short trip soon and just go enjoy the sunset and dinner. Best wishes for a better trip next time out. Tim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OkieDave Report post Posted October 6, 2011 I agree with Tim. A MH is just a house on wheels and has all the same systems etc. that you have at a house plus all the systems of your car. Do you ever have problems at home or car? Yep, thought so. So you too will have problems from time to time with a the MH. We have had small problems on every long trip that we made, but nothing to make us turn back. You really don't have much invested in your coach, so spending a little here and there should not deter you. Obviously you are handy since you fixed the problem and you will find that if you are handy you can fix a lot of the problems without going to a RV repair facility. If you do need to use a professional, I have found that the mobile RV repair guys costs less than than the dealers and usually can get one to come right away instead of making an appointment for several days or weeks later. You will also find a lot of help right here on this forum as well as forums for your brand of coach. RVing is really a great and economical way to travel. You have your own kitchen and you get to sleep in your own bed every night. We wouldn't trade this kind of traveling for anything else. Don't give up. Keep on travelin'. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Koliver Report post Posted October 6, 2011 I am a firm believer in the old "you get what you pay for". Most on this forum have paid a lot more than you have for their Coaches. Some 10 or 20 times what you have paid. You will have to expect a few teething problems in order to get your coach roadworthy. Once you have done so, you will know your coach better, so will be able to anticipate problems and take care of them before they get you to the "turn around" stage. Presumably you bought this coach "to see if RVing is for us" with the intention of trading up if the experience was positive. Maybe you paid too little and should start a little higher up the market. Don't give the whole concept a bad rap for a single problem in a cheap coach. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NavyDad89 Report post Posted October 6, 2011 Can anyone give a reason why the ground wires would burn in the first place? NOTE: We had no more trouble with the breaker tripping after I fixed the wires, but it soured are trip to continue. Sincerly, JOE Joe, As others have said, there is always something to service, check, or repair on any RV to keep it operating successfully on a trip. That trip can be a weekend jaunt or a trip across the country. One of those items that quite often is forgotten is that all the connections to both the 110 volt breaker panel as well as the 12 volt fuse panel and batteries need to be checked periodically and re-tightened. Even cleaned, especially at the batteries. Since your coach is almost 30 years old, and I will almost bet that no one ever checked the terminal connections, it is not surprising that you found what you did. It is also likely that your repair has solved that problem, maybe permanently. I'm fairly confident that the ground wire lugs on your breaker panel were loose for some time and eventually built up enough heat to burn the wires right at the connection. You mentioned that the panel remained cool after you made the repair and that is why I am so confident that was your problem. I suggest you remove that panel cover again (with all power off and your shore cord unplugged for safety) and check each connection, both positive, neutral, and ground, on every breaker as well as the incoming power leads from your shore cord or automatic transfer switch. If you do have an automatic transfer switch (many older and most newer coaches do have them) make sure to check those connections as well. Even a half turn on the screw on a connection can cause quite a lot of excess heat as well as current load where the cable is not securely fastened. Good Rving! Ed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ClayL Report post Posted October 6, 2011 SNIP I'm fairly confident that the ground wire lugs on your breaker panel were loose for some time and eventually built up enough heat to burn the wires right at the connection. You mentioned that the panel remained cool after you made the repair and that is why I am so confident that was your problem. I suggest you remove that panel cover again (with all power off and your shore cord unplugged for safety) and check each connection, both positive, neutral, and ground, on every breaker as well as the incoming power leads from your shore cord or automatic transfer switch. If you do have an automatic transfer switch (many older and most newer coaches do have them) make sure to check those connections as well. Even a half turn on the screw on a connection can cause quite a lot of excess heat as well as current load where the cable is not securely fastened. Good Rving! Ed I agree. A loose connection causes increased resistance and that generate heat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
