The kid Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Hi everybody, I have a strange problem at the moment with my 92 Itasca Spirit. I have recently taken the motor home out of storage for which it has been completely covered for 5 months. I periodically visited to run the engine for around five minutes at a time. I went for a long weekend last week into the mountains. While I was driving out I put the fridge onto 12 volt although when I arrived after around 2.5 hours of driving everything was dead. I was under the impression that whilst the engine is running the motor home can support it self and the battery would charge? So now everything is dead no lights no fridge nothing. After driving the next day for several hours there was enough charge to light the flame for the fridge for 3 hours after this it died again. The next day it had a minimal charge enough for it to try to light the flame for the fridge. It did not have enough charge to get ignition and it died again. I checked all of the fuses both in the engine in my fuse box all are fine. I made the mistake of leaving the coach battery in the motor home without charging on a external charger. I didn't know this at the time.. I checked the battery and topped it up with distilled water to cover the plates the battery needed 1.5 litres of distilled water to do this. I dont know what this means? Now this is where is gets strange in the past and according to the user guide the motor home when attached to a electrical source will supply 12 volt to the interior lights and appliances and charge the battery. When I connected the shoreline no lights none of the appliances work although when I connect a light to a socket it would work. All of the sockets work inside and out. Im confused as to why it would be bypassing. I opened up the convertor pannel it was very dusty inside I cleaned it up although that had no effect. I connected a jump lead from my engine battery to the coach battery and all of the lights and appliances work. If anybody can help me I would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou in advance for your time wisdom and expertise. Danny + Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Your coach battery is TOAST. If it took 1.5L of water the plates inside were uncoverd for a long time and have been damaged. Your converter is trying to charge a shorted battery and can't run the lights at the same time. Try unhookinh the coach battery and then plug in the shore power line and see if everything works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nibs Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Hey Danny, as well as what WME said, the truck will not charge the house battery quickly. You either have a solenoid or an isolator, which allow the alternator to charge the house batteries but not to discharge the truck battery, and neither is great. The main problem is that with either, the alternator responds to the combined voltage of the truck and house batts, and since the truck batt is about fully charged, the alternator thinks you don't need much power. Added to that if your system uses an isolator, most of them have an internal voltage drop of 0.8 volts, which means that the house bat never gets a full charge. It usually takes at least 4 hours driving time to replace the power used during last nights camp. Most of us leave the fridge on propane (except when plugged in) because to use the 8 or 12 amps the fridge uses on 12 volt further extends charging time.............Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The kid Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 Thank you both for your fast response. I will take out the battery and plug in the shore line to see if anything works then. Why if the battery is dead would the converter not provide power for the rest of the motorhome. In a circuit would it not consider powering the motorhome to a be a priority? and charging it to be a secondary objective? If I take the battery out and want to test it just with a shore line do I have to connect the two battery terminals together to create a circuit or is that not necessary? Thank you again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nibs Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 If you just unhook the negative terminal on your battery you will have essentially removed the battery. If you know someone with a knowledge of 12 electrical systems, get him/her to look over your shoulder. Be careful you can do quite a bit of damage if you arent to sure what you are doing. PS next winter run your engine for at least 20 mins when you start it. Personally, i think once a month is enough, but be sure to run your dash air when you do run it, to keep the seals lubed........Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 You may have a converter issue when you plug it in it does not supply 120 power the power line does so your outlets will work the converter only makes 12 volts DC for the lights and any thing in the coach that runs on 12 volts. If it boiled the water out of your battery it may have done in the converter/charger. You may luck out my stock converter did the same thing to my battery I filled it 2 years ago and it's still working. I did however replace the converter with a modern 3 stage charger/converter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futar Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 You may have the old 120ac to 12dc inverter. They have a bad habit of boiling the coach battery. They also will not power things like a cell phone because their dc output is substandard and not well filtered. There is an upgrade kit called a parallax 7345RU. It's an easy conversion. http://rvpowerpartsplus.net/index.php?main...;products_id=17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Everyone is correct. Your battery is toast, and your converter could have failed. The old converters have an internal solenoid. When you plug into shore power the solenoid (automatic switch) disconnects your battery from the inside 12 DC circuits and those circuits are then powered from the converter. Also at that time the battery charger is switched to the battery. The 6300 converters are total junk. Another problem is the isolator under the hood. You probably have the old style looks like a ford relay. They get carbon build up on the contacts which raises the resistance across its contacts and that's very bad. Switching to a solid state isolator will cure that problem. How to test all this you ask. You need a Cheap volt meter available at most auto parts stores and radio shack. A digital one is preferable. Start with plugging into shore power and the engine off. Before plugging into shore pwr check the battery voltage (you have a new battery by now right?) it should be 12 volts to 12.8 volts. Now plug into shore pwr. Check the voltage on the coach battery, the converters battery charger should be supplying around 14 volts to the battery. If it has not changed from your previous reading the converter has a problem. Now disconnect from the shore pwr. Start the engine and take a reading at the coach battery. Again it should be around 14 volts. If not the isolator may have failed. Locate the isolator under the hood. It will have three poles, to large and one small. With the engine off you should have voltage only on one pole. That pole will be the coach side. If you do not have voltage there the circuit breaker may be bad. The circuit breaker is a small (3/4 x 1 inch) two pole box near the battery. Assuming you do have voltage at the isolator, with the engine running check all three poles for voltage. The two largest ones should have about the same voltage each. The smaller one is the ignition wire. When the ignition is on it activates the isolator / solenoid. It should have at least 12 volts. Get a new battery first before you start this testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The kid Posted April 25, 2009 Author Share Posted April 25, 2009 Hi everyone, OK I disconnected the battery and connected my generator. When I powered up my generator the lights, water pump and sockets work. However now the Fridge and heater don't work. I checked all of the fuses again cleaned further inside the heater and the back of the fridge compartment. I also have spotted a water leak. It appears to be dripping from underneath the metal box that the generator sits in. When I look inside the couch there is no sign of water damage or leakage. I have checked the dump valves although it does not seem to be coming out of here. I am also confused about a switch I found just underneath the sink it has on.. off printed. when I turn it on I can hear the generators tone change as it is using more power although I don't have a clue what it does. I have spent 4 hours today trying to find a solution. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated to save what's left of my sanity. Cheers Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 The switch sounds like it connects the generator to the system. I bet it also disconnects the shore power, its whats called a transfer switch. Take some pics of all this stuff and post them, it might help with the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The kid Posted April 26, 2009 Author Share Posted April 26, 2009 I don't think that this is the generator switch. The generator switch is next to the fuse box and is silver and has no witting. This switch is "wood" colour. I will take some pictures tomorrow Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 If the generator tone changes when you switch the switch something is putting an electrical load on the generator. It may be a remote switch that operates the transfer switch. When disconnected from shore power run the generator and test an interior 120v outlet with the switch on and off and see what you get. You are probably going to have to trace the wires and see where they go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The kid Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 OK I took some pictures they are not exactly Kodak moments but I hope that they can help you understand my electrical problems. I also have a hole in the front of the motorhome that I fixed on the outside with a fibreglass kit but the front window area is leaking and I don't know where from. Any suggestions of how I can repair the inside? I took pictures of everything I thought would help you. The size was to large to post all of them on here so I created a album on photo bucket which you can access with the link: http://s681.photobucket.com/albums/vv175/ToyotoITASCA/ Thanks again for your help Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Do you have a friend locally that understands wiring? It looks like the converter/charger is an older type with out much regulation it probably will boil the water out of the battery if you leave it plugged in some people have used a timer on their power line and only run the charger an hour or so a day it's a cheap way out. No ideal what the switch is for but #14 sj cable and a 15 amp switch is not heavy enough for a 2800 watt generator you really need to find some one close to home to have a look, that wiring could use some help I'm sure it is a good part of your issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The kid Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 Hi, I dont live in the US anymore I live in Switzerland now. I caqn try to find an electrition however this is costly and expensive. Do you have any idea why the fridge and heater would not be working? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The kid Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 If the generator tone changes when you switch the switch something is putting an electrical load on the generator. It may be a remote switch that operates the transfer switch. When disconnected from shore power run the generator and test an interior 120v outlet with the switch on and off and see what you get. You are probably going to have to trace the wires and see where they go. Hi Greg I have posed some pictures now. if you could take I look I would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Hi,I dont live in the US anymore I live in Switzerland now. I caqn try to find an electrition however this is costly and expensive. Do you have any idea why the fridge and heater would not be working? Wow I would say it's a dead give away with the relays and the wiring just laying behind the fridge I would love a trip to Switzerland though! Trying to figure out what is wrong will be very hard to do from Maine. Maybe you could find some one in a car shop that is clever with automotive wiring it's not overly complex but it looks like a few hands have been in there. A couple of beers and a nice home cooked dinner might help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 OK I have taken one of the photos and labeled some of the wires for you etc. You will need a multi tester or voltmeter to test some of these points. Just remember that shore power can kill you so extreme care must be observed. Find the solenoid in the picture. With out connecting to shore power you should have 12 volts dc on the red and blue wire (positive) and white common (negative). The solenoid will be connecting both the red and blue wires together when not plugged into shore power. Test 2, plug into shore power, the blue wire should have 12 to 14 volts, The red wire should have 13 to 16 volts. The solenoid (when connected to shore) will connect the blue wire to its power and connect the battery to the battery charger. On the left side of the picture you can see some round gizmos with wires connected to them, these are diodes which rectifies the alternating current into direct current. The 6300 is a very primitive power supply in electronics terms. It is known as a have wave center tapped type and will allow a great deal of alternating current to pass into the coaches 12 volt dc when in operation. Its very bad for any 12 volt dc powered electronics. As for the switch I have no idea from the pictures. You are going to have to access the back of it and follow each wire and see where they are connected. Do this with out the generator running and not plugged into shore power. If it is connecting directly to the generator I would like to know if there are two or three wires on the back of the switch. There might be a huge safety concern with this switch. In another of your photos "battery charger" you have a water leak from your filler tube. As for the battery charger there can you determine if it is actually connected to the battery? Does it have its own plug to connect to 120 volts? In the picture "back of switch" that's not a switch, that is a 120 volt plug. I would like to see a picture of the back of the generator switch, a close up and a wide angle showing all the wires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The kid Posted April 29, 2009 Author Share Posted April 29, 2009 OK I have taken one of the photos and labeled some of the wires for you etc. You will need a multi tester or voltmeter to test some of these points. Just remember that shore power can kill you so extreme care must be observed. Find the solenoid in the picture. With out connecting to shore power you should have 12 volts dc on the red and blue wire (positive) and white common (negative). The solenoid will be connecting both the red and blue wires together when not plugged into shore power. Test 2, plug into shore power, the blue wire should have 12 to 14 volts, The red wire should have 13 to 16 volts. The solenoid (when connected to shore) will connect the blue wire to its power and connect the battery to the battery charger. On the left side of the picture you can see some round gizmos with wires connected to them, these are diodes which rectifies the alternating current into direct current. The 6300 is a very primitive power supply in electronics terms. It is known as a have wave center tapped type and will allow a great deal of alternating current to pass into the coaches 12 volt dc when in operation. Its very bad for any 12 volt dc powered electronics.As for the switch I have no idea from the pictures. You are going to have to access the back of it and follow each wire and see where they are connected. Do this with out the generator running and not plugged into shore power. If it is connecting directly to the generator I would like to know if there are two or three wires on the back of the switch. There might be a huge safety concern with this switch. In another of your photos "battery charger" you have a water leak from your filler tube. As for the battery charger there can you determine if it is actually connected to the battery? Does it have its own plug to connect to 120 volts? In the picture "back of switch" that's not a switch, that is a 120 volt plug. I would like to see a picture of the back of the generator switch, a close up and a wide angle showing all the wires. Wow thank for all your help I do feel that I am stabbing in the dark on some things. A few of the cables have been cut my common sense is telling me that this is a bad idea to connect anything back up again. Is the filler tube the tube in which water is added to the tank? It only appears to leak when there is power to the water pump. I am still confused as to why when I disconnected the battery and connected shore power the fridge and heater don't work the lights and water pump to and 230 vaults is available. I will test what you suggested and post a picture of the generator switch. I did have a electrical problem in the fall the problem being that due the motor home not having sufficient insulation and the outside temperature being to low the difference in temperature was causing condensation in the electrical compartment under the couch tripping the power until it had cleared 15 mins tops. Everything worked fine until I put it into storage. I think i will post another post for the leaking front section. I trully apprecuate your help cheers Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Your very welcome I think you are right in assuming there have been modifications. The battery charger picture suggests that is a mod of some sort as that was not original equipment. The cord (black) that comes off from the right, how does it connect and to what? The black and red on the left, where do they go? My concern with the switch you are calling the "generator switch" which is to the right of the converter might just be connecting the generator to the shore circuit with out going through a transfer switch or disconnecting the shore power cord. If that's the case when the generator is running you might have hot power on the prongs of the shore power cord. That would be a huge safety concern. Taking hold of these wires and following where they go and recording it on paper is the only way you will be able to figure it all out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Hey Greg take a look at the switch picture again there are no neutrals hooked to it. Wonder if it might be a switch for that add on charger? They have used a 14 awg SJ cable to run some thing. You don’t think they are using that toggle switch as a transfer switch do you? Maybe hooked to a SPDT relay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Hey Greg take a look at the switch picture again there are no neutrals hooked to it. Wonder if it might be a switch for that add on charger? They have used a 14 awg SJ cable to run some thing. You don't think they are using that toggle switch as a transfer switch do you? Maybe hooked to a SPDT relay? The switch picture is actually the back of an 120 volt electrical outlet near the sink. But your thinking is on track with mine. It could just be for the charger, switching it between shore or generator power. A switch could be used as a transfer switch ie a single pole double throw or it could just supply generator power to a relay activating the relay and the relay is the transfer switch. Last possibility is it just connects the generator to the shore circuit with out disconnecting the shore power cord. Any type of properly operating transfer switch will disconnect the shore power cord. I have seen some where you have to plug the shore power cord into a generator outlet in order to get power from the generator. What brings all these questions up is that when the switch is flipped the generator changes tone as if there is a load being applied to it. For info no load will have a higher pitched sound, a load will lower that pitch. I rally think this is going to have to be a hands on grab hold of the wires and follow where they go and wright it all down. Hopefully Danny can take a wide angle photo showing the back of that switch and the wires. The switch is located next to the converter, the existing photo entitled "back of switch" is near the sink. In the picture "Back of fuse box" my guess is the greenish and purple wires on the far right with the red tape are the two wires going to the switch. In the "battery charger" pic the red and black look like they are going down through the floor probably to the battery compartment. The "battery compartment" photo shows allot of wires, much more than I would expect to see connected directly to the battery. My guess is a red and black wire in there will find its way back to the "battery charger" picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 I agree there have been some people in there that had a good thought but seems like they never finished it. Mine has the fool proof transfer switch except when I forget to plug it in and every time I do it's raining. One thing that bothers me do you think he maybe back feeding the grid with the generator when he flips the switch? Might explain the change in pitch. That would not be good at all. I wonder how they dealt with the converter/charger and the add on charger, treated the add on as a battery? It would be good to know where the red and black go. If they are both on line at the same time it will surely cook the battery. Sure would be nice if he could find a local to help him out. And there is still the fridge problem looks like it has a igniter system for the gas there must be some extensive interlocks for that plus the igniter it's self. Another thought is this thing in Switzerland? I'm fairly certain Switzerland is 240V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nibs Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Danny, a couple of us over here in N America are interested in shipping our Toyotas over to Europe for a visit. How did you get yours there, any details/ info would be appreciated. As th boys are telling you, a look is worth a 1000 photos. The systems arent that complicated, but trying to understand what some one has done without a full schematic is tough.......Tony PS they are both very knowledgeable and to be trusted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The kid Posted May 1, 2009 Author Share Posted May 1, 2009 The switch picture is actually the back of an 120 volt electrical outlet near the sink. But your thinking is on track with mine. It could just be for the charger, switching it between shore or generator power. A switch could be used as a transfer switch ie a single pole double throw or it could just supply generator power to a relay activating the relay and the relay is the transfer switch. Last possibility is it just connects the generator to the shore circuit with out disconnecting the shore power cord. Any type of properly operating transfer switch will disconnect the shore power cord. I have seen some where you have to plug the shore power cord into a generator outlet in order to get power from the generator. What brings all these questions up is that when the switch is flipped the generator changes tone as if there is a load being applied to it. For info no load will have a higher pitched sound, a load will lower that pitch. I rally think this is going to have to be a hands on grab hold of the wires and follow where they go and wright it all down. Hopefully Danny can take a wide angle photo showing the back of that switch and the wires. The switch is located next to the converter, the existing photo entitled "back of switch" is near the sink.In the picture "Back of fuse box" my guess is the greenish and purple wires on the far right with the red tape are the two wires going to the switch. In the "battery charger" pic the red and black look like they are going down through the floor probably to the battery compartment. The "battery compartment" photo shows allot of wires, much more than I would expect to see connected directly to the battery. My guess is a red and black wire in there will find its way back to the "battery charger" picture. Greg, I brought a volt meter today it cost me around $30 bucks although there is alot of different settings. I am not sure which to use to test. I have attached a picture and maybe you could advise me. Other than that i will use your previous advise for testng tomorrow. Thanks again Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Maineah brings up a good point, is your shore power 240 volts? If it is be really careful when plugged into shore power. Maineah is right on another note, I do fear that your generator could be backfeeding the grid with the generator via that switch. You really need to trace where those wires lead to from that switch next to the converter. I have added some notes to the volt meter picture. Where I have labeled it 12vdc is the direct current (DC) side. The other side labeled "Shorepower" is for alternating current (AC). If your shore power is 240 set it to 600, if its 120 set it to 200. Always set the meter to one step higher than what you think your voltage is. The test leads can be left in the same holes for both DC and AC readings. Back to Maineah's point about your shorepower voltage. If your shorepower is 240 Volts AC then there should have been some modifications to the system to accept that voltage. Everything here in the States is 120 Volts AC. And my wild guess is the generator is only 120 volts AC and not 240 unless someone installed something different. Its too bad your not across the street cause we could get it straightened out in a short while with some hands on. Getting ready to go the Big Sur Rally on our Maiden Voyage . Don't know if we will have any internet access there or not. Last year there was none. So it may be late Sunday eve PST before I can get back to the forums here. Be careful when plugged into shore power and running the generator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Swiss power, 230 volts 50 cycles. It's two wire, 230 volts across the neutral not like ours with 120 volts each side. I don't know how well the converter would deal with that much voltage it's a normal 10 to 1 transformer so it would have to deal with 23 volts across the regulator. I think any thing 120 volts with Swiss power with the kind of load the MH would need would require a step down transformer I don't believe the cheap power converters would be able to handle it. So if the generator is back feeding it's bucking 230 volts this could cause unpleasant things like fires. Danny this should be your first step to find out what kind of voltage you have inside your MH. Please be careful if you are not sure what you are doing please ask first. Check your outlets in the camper when it is plugged in the tips of the volt meter will fit in the outlet if it's 230 volts unplug it and let us know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The kid Posted May 2, 2009 Author Share Posted May 2, 2009 Swiss power is 230v Im going to test now and take some pictures hope it goes well...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The kid Posted May 3, 2009 Author Share Posted May 3, 2009 Hi everyone hope your weekends wells went well. Ok so I started out by measuring the current in the battery when it was not connected to anything it gave a reading of six volts. Secondly I checked the reading on the generator it was giving a reading of 247-250V Then I rechecked all of the little fuses that were on the cables from the battery it appears that nearly all of the then had been subject to heat damage and had been mealted I replaced all of the them and further checked the connecetions. Now I put the battery back in the compartment and started the generator. I took a reading on the battery and it was being supplied 13.59V by the battery charger and now there was a light illuminated on the charger that was not there before. I checked the lights inside they work took a reading at the socket which fulcuated between 234-237v the fridge works on 230 and gas although it did not not work on 12 volt as there was not enough charge there. I tried the heater it came on for 5 seconds just the fan but it wont work anymore. Any suggestions on what to test? I have attached a picture of the thermostat with no cover. Secondly Some one suggested me to take a reading at the battery when the engine is running to check if the solinod is running correctly i could not identify a reading but I could not see the solionid either i took some pictures of my engine bay for anyone with eagle eyes to spot. Greg you told me that my feeder tube was looking after a closer look at the pump it is leaking from the front section when power is added and then it will weap. Do I need to take the pump apaert to fix I have no idea what to look for wlthough I did post some more pictures. In regard to testing the solionod in the power convertor I got the following readings: red - white 3.84V Blue - white (genertor attached) -13.59v after the egenrtor had been running for maybee 8 mins I took a reading at the battery and now it was at 7 volts I am thinking if buying a charger to try and save the battery do you think it is worth a try? Thankyou for your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 OK has this thing spent its life in Switzerland? It sounds like it is set up to run on 230 volts you might check the charger and see if it has a 230 volt rating that would be a dead give away. Now none of this works when it is plugged in? Can you check the power cord with the generator running be careful if some thing is wrong with the transfer switching the plug maybe hot hook the meter up first then start the generator. Leave the meter connected and switch the transfer switch and see what happens under no circumstances should there be any power at the plug. Is there any way you can find a tag on the converter that might give a voltage rating? As far as the heater it will run and not make heat if the battery voltage is low it will not allow the fan to turn fast enough. (more on that later) The water pump is a standard Shurflo pump you can buy rebuild kits for them. I did not see the relay in your pictures for the batteries usually it's on the inner fender panel left side. I would not buy a charger just yet I think it's working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The kid Posted May 4, 2009 Author Share Posted May 4, 2009 yeah I think some modifications have been made. When I flick the switch there is not electricity at the socket I tested that last time. Will the heater only work if there is sufficient charge at the battery even if my generator is plugged in? What do I need to test to get the heater working again? and in regard to the water pump it is leaking at the front bottom is this a seal or something more serious? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 The pump is leaking at the plastic end? If the plastic is not cracked you can probably get away with a kit actually I think you can order the kit with the plastic parts. OK the heater needs a good flow of air to open the gas valve (electrically) there is a little switch inside that senses air flow so a low battery will not move enough air. Maybe I did not explain what I wanted you to do well enough what I am trying to do is make sure this thing is safe first. When the MH is unplugged form the power source check the prongs on the plug that plugs into the house. Again it is possible that they will have power when the generator is running so hook your meter up first then start the generator. Check the meter in each position of the transfer switch there should NO power in either position. What we are trying to do is make sure the generator is not back feeding the power lines. Here is what I think, the converter is pooched from more voltage then it should have had and that is why they added the charger also it supplies power to your 12 volt stuff when it is plugged in well, that is what is meant to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 yeah I think some modifications have been made. When I flick the switch there is not electricity at the socket I tested that last time. Will the heater only work if there is sufficient charge at the battery even if my generator is plugged in? What do I need to test to get the heater working again? and in regard to the water pump it is leaking at the front bottom is this a seal or something more serious?Thanks Earlier you mentioned the voltage on the battery was 3 volts or so. Its no good any more. You have to buy a new one. The battery charger will not save it. My guess is it sat at 3 volts for a long long time. The new battery charger may have been added because the internal 6300 has failed and or as Maineah said earlier it may also be online with the 6300 charger which is bad. Now as for the heater, if you are plugged into shore power the 6300 series converter takes the battery out of the circuit and the 6300 supplies the power to the coaches appliances such as the heater and lights. So a dead battery when on shore power or generator power will not have an affect on the heater. The heater will attempt to light 3 times, if it does not light after the 3rd time it locks itself out of the ignition cycle. You will have to turn the thermostat on / off switch to off to reset the lock out. I do not think the fan stops running during the lock out. It will continue to run until the temp is turned to low or the on / off switch is set to off. The on / off is the slide switch at the bottom of the thermostat. I would think that when you are plugged into shore power or running the generator and you have 13 plus volts to the coach circuit that should be enough to run the heater fans and produce enough air flow. When Maneah mentioned not enough air flow he could be right. There has to a certain amount of air flow to push open a flapper which internally activates a small interlock switch (also known as the sail switch) which is part of the circuit that allows the gas valve to open. Basically think of along piece of wire to the gas valve with several switches severing it, all have to be in the on position before the gas valve will open. There can be several reasons for a heater not to light. The sail switch being just one of them. Try tightening the screws on the end of the water pump. Might fix it. Looks like it has been leaking for along time and may have to have a kit as Maineah mentioned. I am noticing all the mount screws are not there. Is there any RV parts source near where you are? You might just consider a new pump if its affordable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Greg I think the converter is pooched from what I understand nothing is powered when it's plugged in. You know them better then I do maybe you could talk him through a diagnosis on the converter. I understand the workings but haven't a clue as to the wiring scheme. The charge seems to be doing all the work with the generator running. Maybe it is a 230v European charger/converter. Who knows maybe they have disconnected the shore power and just use the generator to power the whole works I still would like to know about the possibility of a back feed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The kid Posted May 6, 2009 Author Share Posted May 6, 2009 My converter is working is was the fuses that had been melted by something but I changed them and now the battery charger works. In regard to my furnace the fan is not even spinning it did spin when I first tried for maybe 5 seconds. But now it when respond. There is a reset sequence where you turn the temperature off and then the power at the bottom of the thermostat off and then it resets(I think). I did that and it dis not work. In regard to the isolator in the engine bay I could not find it I attached some pictures of my engine in a previous post. Cheers Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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