Need advice on electrical issue before I break my other foot!

[frickinducky]

I brought our class c 1999 coachman leprechaun in to a shop in OH for electrical work almost two months ago. Basically, things work intermittently. Including the slide out and step. For example, the last few days, if we turn off the generator, we have no lights or fridge (even on gas as it has an electric ignition). The no light thing became a big problem Friday. I am disabled and on bad nights, I need light to get out of the cab over bed. Well, no lights = my falling and breaking my foot and ankle. This means I am on crutches and it would be great to be able to have the slide out stair work reliably.
We did some serious driving since OH (we are near Nederland CO now) and only once did the house charge indicator go to green. No matter how long we drive or run the genny, we flash red. Anyhow, if someone can direct me to schematics or has some idea, you will be my hero. I don't have another 650$ to repeat what was already done, so if I can narrow it down, or even better, fix it, life would be cool and groovy.
I know I may need to provide more info..

Be well and have a splendid day all.

 

[Zil]

works intermittently. If your batteries are good, I would start with the battery terminals. Remove the negative first. Then remove, clean, replace and tighten all the connection points. Include the ground to frame connections.

 

[frickinducky]

I am working on that this afternoon, but I have read that certain solenoids can also be an issue. Any idea where I could find the schematics for the electrical system? I just emailed the mechanic in Ohio to see what he did and replaced (he was suppose to email me a detailed receipt, but never did) so rechecking that can be done last, but honestly, I don't even know if we have a battery disconnect switch.

Thanks much.

 

[blars]

A bad electrical system can kill a battery quickly, as can not fully charing the battery.  Most alternator hookups are not designed to fully charge the house battery, and it takes 6-24 hours of generator runtime to fully charge your battery depending on the converter/charger.  Older non-3 stage ones can take days.  So I expect your battery is close to dead, even if it was new 6 months ago.

 

[bee]

Are you saying that as soon as the generator shuts off the lights go out?<br><br>Well to deal with the dead battery issue,<br>First start at the batteries.&nbsp; Get a Volt meter and with the engine off and electrical loads off get a voltage reading.&nbsp; Then start the motor and get a voltage reading after a few minutes.&nbsp; Then let the system rest for a little bit and get a voltage reading with the generator on.&nbsp; Basically verify that charging is happening when it is supposed to.<br><br>Grab all battery connections and try to wiggle them, tug on all wire connections, make sure everything is good, tight, and clean.&nbsp; Trace the wires from the battery they have to go somewhere again make sure all connections are clean and tight.&nbsp; Post up your findings.<br><br>In addition to posting up your voltage readings, can you be more specific on&nbsp; when your stairs don't work properly?&nbsp; Do they work all the time with the engine running or generator running and only intermittent on battery power?<br><br>

 

[Southwest]

<a href="http://coachmenrv.com/OwnerManuals.aspx" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://coachmenrv.com/OwnerManuals.aspx</a>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br><br><br>

 

[James AKA Lynx]

Bad battery, bad connections, that also means where the wires goes into the connector, could be loose or broken, or bad switch. <br><br>James AKA Lynx<br><br>James AKA Lynx

 

[wagoneer]

can of worms, methodical tracing comes to mind a good tester line tracers, relays switches if you can not do it yourself get ready to empty your wallet, these great mobile homes are meant to last a while and targeted towards people with money. Sometimes you get lucky and find a decent honest detective to sort this out Good luck. PS I have long ago stopped cutting wires I did not understand.

 

[frickinducky]

I agree that we need to change batteries. Will get the voltmeter today and give that a whorl. Because it seems to be tied to when we drive, I think something is loose. For example, prior to driving to the Boulder ER, had electrical without genny, after coming back to our site, problems. As to the stair, it isn't as frequent (and I lubricate it monthly). Lol. Thought I already emptied my pockets on this one.

Okay, stupid newbie question - Is the button near the batteries/steps that says stor/use the battery disconnect?

This will be fun.

 

[frickinducky]

Skip that last question. Previous owners had put an I Love My Mutt sticker over half the panel. Yep. Battery disconnect.

 

[frickinducky]

Wooo hoooo! Thanks to the kindness of stranger, we have electrical issues fixed. Turns out the mechanic didn't actually deal with the corrosion issues.

 

[James AKA Lynx]

Great! I hope you have learned enough to handle a lot of your own problems now.<br><br>Keep an eye on the battery for a while for quick discharge. Running a battery very low is the most common killer of batteries.<br><br>James AKA Lynx

 

[frickinducky]

Actually, our encounter has been a lot of fun -with useful info! These guys have been doing this for decades. They are sharpe, generous and downright groovy. Got a general idea today of how to change my shocks. Not the same set up, but seeing him work on his has given me a lot of confidence. Plus, they are good strolling buddies.

 

[rokguy]

<EM><STRONG><SPAN style="COLOR: #888888">Yep good advice and also keep an eye on that alternators charging output if you have a gauges fitted.</SPAN></STRONG></EM>

 

[rvwandering]

&nbsp;Sometimes everything just lines up! We happened to be planning to visit the area where the frickinduckies are camping and after reading this post I realized that a little help would go a long way in resolving their problem. Electrical issues can be tricky but Tony is great at troubleshooting. Fortunately it was a pretty simple and fast fix with the two of them ( with a broken foot yet! ) and Tony crawling around on the ground and getting dirty. The click of a refrigerator coming on never sounded so sweet!<br><br>&nbsp;And we got to spend some time sharing a beautiful campsite and getting to know a couple of funny,smart and interesting people. Wishing many happy trouble free traveling days to you guys and hopefully we'll met again down the road!

 

[user 423]

Hey, great to hear things worked out!&nbsp; Paying it forward with the help...

 

[frickinducky]

Hey slow day, that is the hope and plan. Pay it forward is a wonderful and simple way of beating back the dark.

 

[frickinducky]

By the by, Tony is awesome, but so is Karen. They put up with our mild insanity. And dogs. And cats. And yes! A fridge clicking on equals seripium signing in the celestial choir!