EastBound Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 What's up guys - I just bought a 1990 Toyota Winnebago and have been working on it daily. Currently, I am replacing the standard light fixtures with LEDs. I was replacing the first fixture and started stripping the two wires to connect to the new LED fixture and as I stripped the second wire, half of the lights went out on one side of the rig while the other stayed on. I now realize that stripping wires with all of the power on was not a good idea..The air vent fan doesn't work either. The RV has a 250 watt solar system attached to it. I checked the wiring with a probe and all of the wiring and devices that are not on (lights, air vent fan) have power coming into them, so they are hot. Any advice on how to get the power back on and what the issue could be? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 I suppose start with the basics. Test the bulbs. Check the ground. You say you're getting power. If the bulbs are good, then you're missing the ground to complete the circuit. Your can download your 1990 wiring diagrams here:- http://www.winnebagoind.com/diagram/Wiring.htm Of course there's no telling what mods previous owners might have made beyond adding solar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 I believe they are fused right and left. So how do you know they have power? How did you check them? You found a ground somewhere else than at the light? A DVM has virtually no resistance it will not load a circuit so it can trick you into thinking you have voltage when in fact you have a poor connection or poor ground that can not carry a load. On low voltages a simple test light is a better choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastBound Posted April 28, 2018 Author Share Posted April 28, 2018 5 hours ago, Derek up North said: I suppose start with the basics. Test the bulbs. Check the ground. You say you're getting power. If the bulbs are good, then you're missing the ground to complete the circuit. Your can download your 1990 wiring diagrams here:- http://www.winnebagoind.com/diagram/Wiring.htm Of course there's no telling what mods previous owners might have made beyond adding solar. Thank you for the link to the wiring diagram. I checked the wiring to all of the new led lights and they all seem to be wired up the same as the original lights were. The only ground connection that I would be missing would be the ground wire coming to each light fixture, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastBound Posted April 28, 2018 Author Share Posted April 28, 2018 3 hours ago, Maineah said: I believe they are fused right and left. So how do you know they have power? How did you check them? You found a ground somewhere else than at the light? A DVM has virtually no resistance it will not load a circuit so it can trick you into thinking you have voltage when in fact you have a poor connection or poor ground that can not carry a load. On low voltages a simple test light is a better choice. I checked the fixtures/wiring with a voltage tester and it blinked on each device. Is it possible that I blew a fuse when I cut that second wire on the first fixture? Right after I cut/stripped that second wire on the first fixture I started on, that is when the power stopped on half of the rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 To test the 'missing ground theory', grab a piece of wire and rig a new temporary ground to a fixture that is still working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastBound Posted April 28, 2018 Author Share Posted April 28, 2018 2 hours ago, Derek up North said: To test the 'missing ground theory', grab a piece of wire and rig a new temporary ground to a fixture that is still working. Could I have shorted the circuit? I checked the fuse panel below the couch and pulled out each fuse one by one while the working lights were on and none of the lights were effected by each fuse that was pulled out. Is there another fuse panel somewhere on the rig? How else would I get power back if I shorted the circuit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 It's hard to guess what changes might have been made to your rig in the last 28 years. I think the fuses under the couch should be protecting your light though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastBound Posted April 29, 2018 Author Share Posted April 29, 2018 7 hours ago, Derek up North said: It's hard to guess what changes might have been made to your rig in the last 28 years. I think the fuses under the couch should be protecting your light though. It ended up being the fuse that was blown out. The fuse looked good but I went to the auto store to pick up the five fuses it was equipped with and replaced them all. Lights came back instantly. Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted April 29, 2018 Share Posted April 29, 2018 And you've managed to ID which fuse is for which circuit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastBound Posted April 30, 2018 Author Share Posted April 30, 2018 14 hours ago, Derek up North said: And you've managed to ID which fuse is for which circuit? I just pulled out each fuse and replaced it with a new fuse. Once I replaced what I remember being the third fuse from my left, the half of the lights that were off before kicked back on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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