cheeze1
Morristown, NJ
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Joined: 08/21/2003
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Following BPlus' advice I used Eternabond on my major roof seams and it's true, seems like a bomb would have to take it off. It's not overly pretty, but it is up high and if you do a neat job, it won't look bad, and you only can see the front/rear edges from the street. It has a death grip once in place, for sure. I called there for additional advice when I received it and they were very helpful.
btw, hey BPlus, is the e that close to the t on the keyboard???
Chas, Morristown, NJ
Trail Lite 213 B-Plus 
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rcwaz
huntley,illinois
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Joined: 09/19/2006
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The dealer re-opened for the season and I got my MH in for the leak repair. They mentioned that they knew right where to look, the brackets holding the awning. Apparently there have been others leaking in the same spot. For those who might be confused, the awning bracket extends up over the top seam to the roof where it is anchored. Unfortunately they used silicone sealant so I will have to redo this when it gets warmer. They insist they ran water and had no leaks. I will look at the eternabond material for a permanent fix.
Unfortunately while I was there they asked if I had noted the frame had twisted. Apparently other units like mine had an issue where the frame extensions twisted after towing vehicles (apparently heavy vehicles). I inquired further and was told the point of attachment of the frame extension is the weak point and needed reinforcement with welded plates. I will monitor mine although I tow a lighter vehicle. I'll consider a pre-emptive fix when the warrantee runs out.
An issue that would apply to many B+ owners is the cab-over dripping morning dew, condensate, and dirt onto the windshield. Mine drips directly onto the middle and when cleaned it is difficult to remove the marks. I tried Rain-X a three times but it seems the dripping removes it at the point of contact. I don't have a solution except adding the vinyl gutter from Camping World. I used it in the past and it does re-direct the condensation that runs down the sides to a location other than the glass. I have about 15 ft of white left over in the garage but I really need black for my full paint 293TS. Any better ideas?
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ron.dittmer
Near Chicago
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Joined: 02/26/2007
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rcwaz,
It sounds like your leaks were the result of awning mounting screws piercing the skin. Not split seams. Did I understand you correctly?
My old 1983 RV SEEN HERE leaked water when brand new, where the marker light wiring passed into the motorhome. The water had leaked past those rubber marker light gaskets. I simply unscrewed the marker light from the vehicle, sweezed silicone caulk into the hole, and then mounted the light again. I did that for every marker light and the problem never happened again.
About water dripping from the cab-over onto the windshield. My old 1983 RV had that too, but I simply lived with it. Good luck was on my side with my new Phoenix Cruiser. It's much less an irritant, having only the streaking.....No direct water drops. None of those water bombs on the glass.
Bought new in June 2007, Phoenix Cruiser-2350
Fits inside our garage.
Dingy towing a red Toyota MR2 Spyder
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burlmart
Baton Rouge
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Joined: 03/28/2005
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rcwaz
I think our recently found roof leak was at the front awning bracket screw - caulked it and several spots with dicor rubber roof caulk and it's ok for now.
maybe an exterior windshield cover that people use for sleeping privacy would protect the windshield, though I do not know how these covers hold up to extended UV rays.
we put our rig back under the awning of our off-site storage place for now. may consider an on-site awning in the future.
2005 Trail Lite 213
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happyjack2
Winchester VA
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Joined: 05/06/2007
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We keep the windshield covered all the time with the wrap around cover we purchased at CW last April. Seems to be holding up well after a year in the outdoors. I still have to clean the windshield before we go as moisture gets under the cover but there is no stain from the cab over.
Bill & Maggie
LT USNR Ret.
2003 Trail Lite 211 B+
Chevy 6.0L
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rcwaz
huntley,illinois
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The awning bracket attachment on the roof and the skylight over the shower forms a dam that directs water off the roof at that point. Apparently the screws were not sealed as you both have experienced.
I have used the windshield cover on a class C I had (the '85 I believe). I would think that leaving it on would leave it so dirty I might not want to leave it in the garage while we're traveling. I certainly wouldn't bring it on a trip.
I live near a construction company that does not have a paved lot. Clouds of dust roll over the neighborhood when the trucks cruise through the lot. All of this dust sits on my RVs until the morning dew. I used the gutter across all of my windows on the 5th wheel so I didn't have to wash the windows constantly and it worked exceptionaly well. I even formed it to follow the round corners of the windows. It's a little tricky to install. It's best to let the gutter hang and relax for a week, clean the location with acetone and alcohol, and then get an assist with a heat gun when installing it, especially on the tight radius of a window.
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TonyTiger
Pennsylvania
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Joined: 12/20/2002
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I've known many of you on this list for a long time. I have a MH problem which is general in nature so I thought I'd try it on you first. I'm stumped on this one and don't want to pay the dealer to be stumped at $70 an hour. Four Winds Siesta class C 2005 vintage 5500 miles.
Norcold Refrigerator, two door model N611 works fine when set to propane setting using DC current. If I switch the refrigerator to Auto setting to use AC it blows the GFI where I am plugged in. Tried two different GFI circuits to be sure that circuit wasn't goofy.
Diagnostics I have tried. Tested the 3 prong AC outlet behind the refrig where it plugs in. Two green lights on the tester meaning it is properly wired. No ground problem indicated.
Checked the connectors on the back of the refrigerator that enter the circuit board. All are seated. Removed and reinserted each.
Tried to follow the ground wire it disappears through a caulked hole below the interior horizontal wall behind the refrigerator and above the wheel arch. Reemerges behind the controller panel and enters the wiring harness. No obvious crimp etc.
All other AC appliances seem to work (don't trip the GFI in the barn) this includes microwave, TV, antenna amplifier. I even tried plugging the little AC vacuum into the AC outlets (after testing each with the tester).
History:
Had Kwickee step motor replaced last Fall, no obvious problems under there.
Replaced both house batteries last Fall due to Kwickee step motor problem draining them repeatedly.
Replaced DC Contactor (Isolator solenoid) under the hood which had corroded and was no longer making adequate pass through of power which contributed to the battery replacement issue.
Last thing touched was the DC contactor, went and checked; it is wired correctly (the same) as original and matches the diagram that came with the part.
Any ideas what to check next? Everything else worked this week, I just set the refrig to gas and had no problems while plugged in to shoreline power.
Tony
* This post was
edited 04/05/08 04:22pm by TonyTiger *
Trail Lite 235S Gone; Four Winds Siesta
Pennsylvania
Me, the wife and the boys (2 Border Collies)
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Gene in NE
Omaha
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Joined: 09/15/2003
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TonyTiger - Welcome back to this thread. A GFI tripping does not usually mean overcurrent rather it typically means a short (internally to the device) to ground. Having the fridge on auto sets the fridge to automatically switch to gas if no 120V AC power is available or vice versa. Does the GFI trip immediately when the fridge goes to 120V AC? I believe you are saying, the GFI never trips if the fridge is either turned off or set to propane only; is that correct? If that is true, it is the fridge causing the problem and not some other device that might co-incidentally turn on and pull power (i.e. the steps). I would try plugging the fridge into a long extension cord to the barn GFI and see if it trips the circuit just to be sure it is the fridge. I would also try plugging that same long extension cord to the barn in a non-GFI receptacle just to be sure the fridge is not drawing too much current. If the fridge does not trip a non-GFI receptacle it likely will run fine on 120V AC from generator power or shore power that does not have GFI protection. However, if you happen to touch the chassis of the fridge with one hand and a good ground with the other hand you'll feel the tingling or worse - not safe.
You should be able to take an "ohm" meter and after unplugging the fridge from the 120V receptacle get a resistance of something other than "1" between the round pin and either of the flat pins on the power plug of the fridge.
After all of the above, I would suspect you have a simple short in the electric heater on your fridge.
2002 Trail-Lite Model 211-S w/5.7 Chevy
Gene
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TonyTiger
Pennsylvania
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Joined: 12/20/2002
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Thanks, Gene. Good to hear from you too!
I put an Ohm meter on the plug from the power board of the refrigerator. Both terminals to the ground plug one at a time. My lowest setting was 100 Ohm so I can't tell exactly what was happening but I would say a reading of 0 to 1 so it was not definitive.
I plugged the refrig AC cord directly into an extension cable and into the barn GFI outlet. The GFI blew as soon as I pushed the refrigerator switch to auto, the "On light" went out. No error flash since it lost power. Strange, I thought the 12 volt might power a message. The barn doesn't have a non GFI outlet so I'll have to wait to get elsewhere to perform that test.
I agree all signs are that the AC heater unit or power board has a short. Has anyone replaced that part themselves? My search here and on google has not found much except a service manual on the Bryantrv.com site.
Tony
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Gene in NE
Omaha
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TonyTiger - If you are getting a reading on your Ohm meter other than "1", then you have an internal short from one of the hot leads to the ground terminal. The Ohm reading or value would only tell you how good the connection is. You have already discovered the problem.
As I mentioned in my previous post, be sure you are not touching the frame of the fridge (while plugged into AC) while touching any other good connection to ground as the electricity will flow through you.
I would suspect that your fridge works fine when plugged into a non-GFI receptacle, but it is a potentially dangerous unit.
I'm not familiar with the Norcold fridge, but I would start by finding where the power cord connects to the fridge (not plugged in). Using the Ohm meter you should never have a reading between those connections and the frame of the fridge other than a "1" - just like if you are not touching the two prongs of the Ohm meter together. I would then do a close visual inspection to determine how the electricity travels through the unit looking for some contact to the frame of the unit or ground. Somewhere in the circuit you should have a heating coil and I suspect that it has somehow shorted to ground.
I had a similar situation with my water heater. It worked when we got the motorhome, but the next time we tried to use the heater a fuse would blow. Tracing the electrical circuit on the water heater, I found the problem where the wiring connected to what I call the temperature of the water sensor. The sensor had slipped out of place and the sensor was touching the steel tank. Moved it to where it should be and problem solved.
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