Halitosis
Moscow, ID
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Ok... I'm stumped. Hopefully someone can help shed a little light.
2004 FunMover 39C...
My "control panel" is partially dead. The switch that powers the slide-out isn't working (so my slide-out is stuck in the "in" position).
The water heater switches (both LP and 110V) don't work... so I can't turn on the water heater.
The thermostat on the panel doesn't operate the furnace anymore... so I can't turn on the heat.
And the hobbs meter (hours counter on the generator) isn't turned on anymore. (Blank LCD display).
However... I can start my generator... everything else works in the RV... I have 110V and 12V around the rest of the RV.
I have looked at all of my fuses (12V)... even fuse #5 (appliances).
I've taken off the panel from the wall, and I can see that the water heater switches and generator hours display are powered by the same lead wire (orange)... the thermostat has a different set of wires... and the slide-out has a different set of wires.
I can't get my head around the "common thread" between all of these.
Can anyone shed any light on this issue... or at least give me some sort of hint as to what to start looking for?
Any input is most appreciated...
Jay
2004 Thor Fun Mover 39C
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Winnipeg
Los Angeles
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I assume that all of these problems occurred at the same time? One electrical gremlin that can be difficult to spot is a broken ground wire. Everything tests OK, because you are testing the high side, not the grounds.
When you say you "looked" at the fuses, I hope you mean that you used a meter to check them. A bad fuse can usually be found with a visual check, but not always.
Good luck.
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Halitosis
Moscow, ID
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Yes, all of these issues occurred at the same time.
Broken ground wire... hmmm... I'll have to think where else I can check that, and where the system might be grounded to the chassis....
I have looked at the fuses, and I've swapped them around into different areas to see if I can get the problem to move (since most of my 12V circuits are 15a). Nothing changed.
Jay
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Dusty R
Charlotte Michigan 48813
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Could be a broken wire, but more likely a bad connection, loose or corroded, especially where it fastens to the mh frame.
Many times on the 12v system there is only one wire, the hot one, to the fixture/appliance, and the ground goes straight to the frame.
Dusty
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garym114
Bluff Dale, Texas
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Joined: 07/24/2006
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You have to understand what is needed to make each circuit work and how each is supposed to work. Do the switches make the connection for operation or do they operate a relay?
The thermostat, LP water heater, slide in and hour meter all need 12v to operate.
If you plan on fixing it yourself you have to have the right tools. In this case the right tools are a 12v test light and a multimeter. If you are going to get a multimeter you might as well get a digital one.
Start with the simple one, the thermostat. The red wire to the thermostat has to have DC power. It is usually 12v or 7v DC.
Does the water heater control board have 12v?
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St. George Ut.
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Bet that they all have a common ground stud. You will need a wiring diagram to locate the stud. More likely corrosion at the stud.
Denny
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Halitosis
Moscow, ID
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Thanks for all the input. I was able to short the solenoid to get the slide out too operate. Bit of a challenge this weekend with no hot water.
The more I think about it, a common ground wire makes sense. ill start down that path and see what I can dig up.
Jay
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Winnipeg
Los Angeles
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Sometimes it can be easier to rewire rather than track down the problem. In RV's, they run wires all over the place and then close them in with cabinets and appliances. Its not like a car where standard convensions are followed and servicability is a requirement.
If it is a bad ground, you may be better off simply adding another ground wire.
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oldtrucker63
Harlan Kentucky
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My "control panel" is partially dead...Could it be a bad control panel?
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Halitosis
Moscow, ID
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Thank you again for all of your input...
Here's my update: it's worse than we thought. We found evidence of mouse under the shower.
I searched all over the frame-rail for grounding points... (and found lots of them). They all looked good with no evidence of broken wires or corrosion.
The control panel shares the other side of the wall with the shower... I had the panel pulled from the wall, and shined a light down into the wall to see what I could see... and found mouse droppings and some of the insulation from around the furnace pulled into a nest.
I'm betting that a mouse has chewed through one of the wires.
SO... here is what I've done.
The items that are not working are: Slider control switch (making the slide-out inoperative)... the generator "hours counter"... the hot-water heater switches, and the thermostat control.
All of these items are provided power with an ORANGE wire that I can trace down to the 12V power converter under the stove. (And I can always verify that the orange wire on the converter HAS power, but the orange wires on the control panel DON'T).
(Note... I know I posted before that I was getting power to the "high-side" of the circuit, but I think I was checking the wrong wires... there's another orange wire with a black stripe that I think was muddying up the mystery as I was trying to piece the puzzle together...)
The ORANGE WIRE is wired to fuse #5, which is "appliances". This is a 15a fuse...
From what I can tell, 15a is extreme overkill for this circuit. Every "appliance" that's on that circuit is actually the lower-power side for a relay. (switch for the slider actually throws a solenoid relay (2a or so) that controls the hydraulic motor... the switch for the hot water heater is MOST CERTAINLY a relay, since the hot water heater is 110V... and the furnace wires are far to small a gauge (look like 18+ gauge wires) to be handling anything serious.
SO... I stole power from the water pump wire switch on that control panel. I wired the main feed from the water pump into the orange wires on the panel... and everything came to life.
From my shotgun math, this should all hold... I'll double check the amp draw with my multi-meter before I solder everything together, but I don't think it's going to be a problem.
I'll disconnect the orange wires completely so that whatever "short" or open circuit doesn't become a hazard under the chassis, and I'll just feed the "appliance" circuit from the water pump circuit.
And... I've already put out traps for that stinking mouse.
Feel free to jump in if you think anything I'm doing is a danger to myself or others... and THANK YOU AGAIN for taking the time for your input.
Hopefully someone else will stumble across this thread and find it useful...
Jay
here's some keywords for Google to help in the internet search:
Control Panel Appliance Fuse FunMover Fun Mover 2004 39C Slider Slideout water heater generator
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