jleamont Report post Posted November 30, 2015 I have a friend that just purchased this coach in Louisiana on Friday. Upon picking it up the dealer informed him the unit has no lights on the rear what so ever, come to find out his brake and turn lights on the rear only work when the headlamp switch is in the off position, as soon as the headlamp switch is turned on, no lights in the rear. Either way none of the rear marker lights or tails lighting will illuminate. Seems like a two part problem to me, the first being a bad ground and the second being no power or a completely open ground for the parking lamp circuit to the rear. Anyone have any places to start chasing this electrical problem down, known common areas of concern? I am thinking there is a corroded connector somewhere at the rear where, where to start looking is the question. One thing, the dealer just had the Speedometer replaced, so the dash would have been apart during that repair. The chassis is a 2004 Freightliner Raised rail side radiator with a Cummins ISL400 32,000 GVWR. I have not seen it yet so I do not know what model the chassis is. My instinct tells me I will be at his house this weekend trying to figure this out. Any ideas? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted December 1, 2015 Joe, You mentioned that the coach is built on a Freightliner chassis, so if you contact them and have the VIN number handy. They should be able to supply the chassis wiring information. The rear marker lights, brake and turn signals on the coach should be connected to a connector located in the right rear area of the chassis. The issue with the headlight switch sounds like a different issue, but that wirings is also covered in the chassis wiring information. Still having issues with my computer, so speel check and all my drawings are not avalable. Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted December 1, 2015 Thanks Rich, I will have him make the call. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted December 7, 2015 Rich, it was the main connector that feeds the rear of the unit, completely corroded up and pins were rotted off. Nice to hear from you, I haven't seen many posts from you recently, I was getting concerned. Thanks again, Joe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huffypuff Report post Posted December 7, 2015 Thanks for sharing Joe as this is becoming a problem on our older coach. Seems like the manufactures are saving money by using connectors that aren't so weatherproof. I had one to my generator with a connector up on the frame that was about 4 wires that had a wire corrode in half. Picture of it is in my saved pictures under my profile. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted December 7, 2015 Joe, glad the issue was just the tail light connector! They use the trailer style connections and they are prone to contamination. There are better ones on the market, but at a price and more labor intensive when assembling electrical harnesses. Did the connector repair clear the headlight switch issue? Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted December 8, 2015 Rich, yes everything now works. I was convinced he had a ground issue on the chassis Brake/turn circuit somewhere in the rear especially when the headlights were turned on the chassis brake and turn signals would disappear, never had any rear top marker lights either which made me think there was a corroded multipin connector somewhere in the the coach with an issue. Puff, the connector looked similar to the one in your photo, just with more pins. Not a weather tight connection at all. After it was cut out it wouldn't separate without prying it apart, completely full of corrosion. He has begun the process of cleaning up a coach someone didn't take care of trying to make it nice again for his family to enjoy. Other than the lighting everything mechanical appears to be working properly. I told him in the spring to bring it over and we will replace all filters and fluids so he can establish a baseline on his maintenance (coach sitting the rest of the winter), I just want to test the coolant to make sure it can handle the cold winter temps up here. He has begun to pull out the carpet in the back to start replacing that first. Looks like a long winter for him to play with it and make it suit his needs. Funny from the dealers photos it looked pristine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted December 8, 2015 Since that is a linered engine, when you check the coolant, check for: Freeze point SCA concentration (assuming this is regular low silicate for diesel coolant with added SCA, not one of the new OAT-based coolants) pH Can get proper test strips at any diesel shop (OK, any good diesel shop). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted December 8, 2015 Thanks Brett, I have a kit from Napa in my tool box, now that I think about it I have to check the expiration date. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
