Only 2 of the 12 Running Light on coach work

[loquito]

This is on a 1992 Win Warrior.

I have 12 little running lights, 5 yellow ones above the over cab window, 5 red ones across the top of the rear of the coach, and 2 red ones down low on each side of the coach in the rear.

The 2 in the rear down low work just fine. The 10 up top in the front and rear do not work at all. I changed out all the bulbs but the top 10 still do not work.

Can anyone offer any direction on where to start on this problem? Am I missing a fuse? How and were does the wiring run?

Please help me light my nights.

Home of the eternal dark

Steven in Alaska

[Maineah]

It’s a bit on the expensive but if you never again want to deal with clearance lights switch to led’s. The wiring is daisy chained (only one power feed and ground wire) so if one works they all should. Your wiring maybe a bit different but that generally is the way they are wired. Bad grounds are usual a good place to start, the holder for the bulb leaves a lot to be desired very weak point clean inside of where the bulb fits and the little contact at the back of the bulb. For years I have fought with clearance lights and decided that the led’s were looking real good I bought 10 from the local NAPA parts dealer for around a $100.

[loquito]

are you saying that you replaced the lights housing and all? Were do the wires start, were is it grounded?

[turtle]

Depending on the coach manufacture the clearance lights DC supply will start somewhere in the parking light circuit with a splice.

There is a separate power and ground wire running around the front and back. Each clearance light is spliced into that single 2 wire run.

You can replace the entire clearance light with LED lights which are completely sealed, are much brighter than the original ones, and have a VERY long life span.

http://www.toymike.com/sunrader/pics/LEDmarker.JPG

The original lights on your coach are Bargman 99 (unless someone has replaced them in the past)

I have used the M1 series lights from this manufacturer.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/truck_lights.htm

They are 12 diode LED units, the mounting holes are in the same location as in the Bargman 99 lights, they are completely waterproof, and they are bright as the dickens. The only "gotcha" is that there is not a ground wire.... BUT.... there is a tinned ground lug where you can solder on a ground wire very easily. I would recommend that you solder the positive and negative lead into the coach clearance light wiring and use heat shrink tubing over them. The LED clearance lights will be around longer then the motor home so there is no need to make an easily replaceable connection, just solder the wires and forget about them. Life expectancy of a LED is somewhere around 10k hours and there are 12 diodes in these lights so the chances of all 12 diodes going out during your or your motor home's life time are astronomical. When you install them on the body pack the back with Butyl putty tape and screw them down. If you find that the wood behind them (inside the coach) has become punky and the screws spin, use some wooden toothpicks to fill the holes and your screws will go into good solid wood. Use stainless steel screws to attach them.

If you want to be able to do this work easily you may want to look for a light duty rolling scaffolding that you can put up to the lights and work off of. I find that this was one of the better investments I have made as it makes a LOT of RV maintenance very easy to do.

http://www.toymike.com/diesel/pics/toyhouseScaffolding.jpg

http://www.toymike.com/sunrader/pics/plexi2.jpg

[loquito]

Thanks Mike.

I will be replacing my lights with the ones from Superbrightleds.com.

The scaffold was a good hint too.

Well I'll let you know how it goes.

Depending on the coach manufacture the clearance lights DC supply will start somewhere in the parking light circuit with a splice.

There is a separate power and ground wire running around the front and back. Each clearance light is spliced into that single 2 wire run.

You can replace the entire clearance light with LED lights which are completely sealed, are much brighter than the original ones, and have a VERY long life span.

http://www.toymike.com/sunrader/pics/LEDmarker.JPG

The original lights on your coach are Bargman 99 (unless someone has replaced them in the past)

I have used the M1 series lights from this manufacturer.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/truck_lights.htm

They are 12 diode LED units, the mounting holes are in the same location as in the Bargman 99 lights, they are completely waterproof, and they are bright as the dickens. The only "gotcha" is that there is not a ground wire.... BUT.... there is a tinned ground lug where you can solder on a ground wire very easily. I would recommend that you solder the positive and negative lead into the coach clearance light wiring and use heat shrink tubing over them. The LED clearance lights will be around longer then the motor home so there is no need to make an easily replaceable connection, just solder the wires and forget about them. Life expectancy of a LED is somewhere around 10k hours and there are 12 diodes in these lights so the chances of all 12 diodes going out during your or your motor home's life time are astronomical. When you install them on the body pack the back with Butyl putty tape and screw them down. If you find that the wood behind them (inside the coach) has become punky and the screws spin, use some wooden toothpicks to fill the holes and your screws will go into good solid wood. Use stainless steel screws to attach them.

If you want to be able to do this work easily you may want to look for a light duty rolling scaffolding that you can put up to the lights and work off of. I find that this was one of the better investments I have made as it makes a LOT of RV maintenance very easy to do.

http://www.toymike.com/diesel/pics/toyhouseScaffolding.jpg

http://www.toymike.com/sunrader/pics/plexi2.jpg

[turtle]

I had a member PM be and ask for detailed explination on what to do... I thought I would post my answer to them to help others.

****************************************

Set up a secure platform to work off of. I purchased a rolling scaffolding to work off of and it is "da bomb". If you don't want to spend the $$ for scaffolding use 2 ladders and a STRONG walk board (I think I paid $100 for my scaffolding on sale at tractor supply). The scaffolding is nice because it is large enough to hold all of the tools and bits you will need to do the job and have plenty of room to move around. What ever you use make sure that it is secure and that you are comfortable working off of it. You may be able to rent some industrial scaffolding with wheels at an equipment rental place for a small price (you will only need it for 1 day and you will only need 1 buck of it with 3 walk boards... make sure you get one with wheels because you will have to move it around front, back, and sides). Industrial scaffolding will not be as adjustable is the kind I purchased but it will be more solid then ladders and a board. Scaffolding is nice for this job. Anything else will be a compromise, make the job take longer, and be a PITA.

The cover on the Bargman 99s snaps off so pop that off and take out the bulb (just so you don't break it and get cut). Remove the 2 screws holding down the plastic backing plate. You may need to use something like a 5 in 1 tool to pry it up if it is stuck down with caulk or some other gunk. There is a little play in the wiring so you can get the plate out about an inch or so. With the wires under stain use a very small screwdriver and lift up on the brass tabs that the wires are under and slide the wires out. Do the same for all wires.

The LED lights will only have a + (red) wire as they are designed to ground using the mounting screws to a metal truck cab or trailer. Since the Sunraders are fiberglass you will have to solder a ground lead on the back. When you look at the back you will see one screw hole that has a tab coming off of it that has a glob of solder on it. Connect your ground wire there using a soldering iron (that is what it is for).

Cut about 1-2" of heat shrink tubing, slid a piece up on each of the 2 wires coming off of the LED and solder the + and - wires to the leads coming out of the hole in the Sunrader. Move the heat shrink over the solder connections and shrink it using a butane lighter. Stuff as much of the wire back into the hole as will fit.

Turn on your parking lights after wiring each LED to make sure they work before mounting them. I had 1 LED out of the batch I purchased that had a couple of DOA diodes so it is always best to check them before making them a permanent part of the motor home. If you wire them up backwards (reverse the + and -) they will not turn on.

Take your original screws and match them up to stainless ones. I want to say they were #8 and 3/4" long but measure what your originals are and use the same size so that they do not pop through the interior.

Stuff some putty tape inside the back of the LED so that there is about 1/16" - 1/8" hanging out (not too much). The LED will have a weep hole on one side, make sure that side is facing down and using new stainless steel screws, tighten up a little on each side at a time once the LED light makes contact with the body. You want to have the putty tape squeeze out around all sides BUT you do not want the LED to come in contact with th body, you want a putty tape "gasket". You can use a window scraper (razor blade) to cut the access off around the light. If you hold the window scraper parallel to the light and press down firmly you will get a nice clean cut at the LED and not scratch the body. If you find an area that the putty tape does not squeeze out and there is a gap roll a little putty tape in to a small sausage and stuff it under the LED using a 5 in 1 or a credit card. You can tool the putty tape with a windshield installing tool or a credit card. Here are some of the tools I used on mine (windshield install tool, credit card, 5 in 1, and window scraper) http://www.toymike.com/sunrader/pics/plexi4.jpg

If any of the screws seem to be stripped, stuff in some wooden toothpicks into the holes and put the screw back in. I had to do this on a couple of screws.

IMPORTANT: After attaching each light, turn on the parking lights and make sure they are still working before moving on to the next light.

[loquito]

Thanks for posting this, I am looking forward to resolving this issue, I love having a project.

I had a member PM be and ask for detailed explination on what to do... I thought I would post my answer to them to help others.

****************************************

Set up a secure platform to work off of. I purchased a rolling scaffolding to work off of and it is "da bomb". If you don't want to spend the $$ for scaffolding use 2 ladders and a STRONG walk board (I think I paid $100 for my scaffolding on sale at tractor supply). The scaffolding is nice because it is large enough to hold all of the tools and bits you will need to do the job and have plenty of room to move around. What ever you use make sure that it is secure and that you are comfortable working off of it. You may be able to rent some industrial scaffolding with wheels at an equipment rental place for a small price (you will only need it for 1 day and you will only need 1 buck of it with 3 walk boards... make sure you get one with wheels because you will have to move it around front, back, and sides). Industrial scaffolding will not be as adjustable is the kind I purchased but it will be more solid then ladders and a board. Scaffolding is nice for this job. Anything else will be a compromise, make the job take longer, and be a PITA.

The cover on the Bargman 99s snaps off so pop that off and take out the bulb (just so you don't break it and get cut). Remove the 2 screws holding down the plastic backing plate. You may need to use something like a 5 in 1 tool to pry it up if it is stuck down with caulk or some other gunk. There is a little play in the wiring so you can get the plate out about an inch or so. With the wires under stain use a very small screwdriver and lift up on the brass tabs that the wires are under and slide the wires out. Do the same for all wires.

The LED lights will only have a + (red) wire as they are designed to ground using the mounting screws to a metal truck cab or trailer. Since the Sunraders are fiberglass you will have to solder a ground lead on the back. When you look at the back you will see one screw hole that has a tab coming off of it that has a glob of solder on it. Connect your ground wire there using a soldering iron (that is what it is for).

Cut about 1-2" of heat shrink tubing, slid a piece up on each of the 2 wires coming off of the LED and solder the + and - wires to the leads coming out of the hole in the Sunrader. Move the heat shrink over the solder connections and shrink it using a butane lighter. Stuff as much of the wire back into the hole as will fit.

Turn on your parking lights after wiring each LED to make sure they work before mounting them. I had 1 LED out of the batch I purchased that had a couple of DOA diodes so it is always best to check them before making them a permanent part of the motor home. If you wire them up backwards (reverse the + and -) they will not turn on.

Take your original screws and match them up to stainless ones. I want to say they were #8 and 3/4" long but measure what your originals are and use the same size so that they do not pop through the interior.

Stuff some putty tape inside the back of the LED so that there is about 1/16" - 1/8" hanging out (not too much). The LED will have a weep hole on one side, make sure that side is facing down and using new stainless steel screws, tighten up a little on each side at a time once the LED light makes contact with the body. You want to have the putty tape squeeze out around all sides BUT you do not want the LED to come in contact with th body, you want a putty tape "gasket". You can use a window scraper (razor blade) to cut the access off around the light. If you hold the window scraper parallel to the light and press down firmly you will get a nice clean cut at the LED and not scratch the body. If you find an area that the putty tape does not squeeze out and there is a gap roll a little putty tape in to a small sausage and stuff it under the LED using a 5 in 1 or a credit card. You can tool the putty tape with a windshield installing tool or a credit card. Here are some of the tools I used on mine (windshield install tool, credit card, 5 in 1, and window scraper) http://www.toymike.com/sunrader/pics/plexi4.jpg

If any of the screws seem to be stripped, stuff in some wooden toothpicks into the holes and put the screw back in. I had to do this on a couple of screws.

IMPORTANT: After attaching each light, turn on the parking lights and make sure they are still working before moving on to the next light.