reinventedAXELROSE Posted April 2, 2023 Share Posted April 2, 2023 So lets start a fresh like @WMEsuggested and yes I do have a voltmeter ready to go! First off long time fan of the forum, y'all really have helped me gain the courage to purchase one of these RV's! A couple questions.... 1.) i noticed that when my car is running, all my 12vc lights begin to dim, then then moment I turn the car off or disconnect from shore source my lights are bright again? Does this have to do with my converter being faulty thus not providing enough recharge to my battery while my alternator is running and connected to shore? 2.)Might sound stupid but when I don't have my shore connection plugged into rv lots power source or my generator, where does one plug it in? Just in any old outlet inside my rv or is there a special place I need to be plugging in in order for my converter to work that maybe I'm just missing? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted April 2, 2023 Share Posted April 2, 2023 (edited) 1st use for the voltmeter😁, check the wiring on the house battery. Previous owners (PO) have been known to "miswire" things. Your lights are DC and will run with either polarity. If something is wired wrong the alternator could be fighting the house battery. Some time universal RV wiring color code🤪 Black is + and white is - (ground) The shore power plug is just that a shore power or generator plug. If your boondocking push it back into its storage space and leave it there. Edited April 2, 2023 by WME Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reinventedAXELROSE Posted April 2, 2023 Author Share Posted April 2, 2023 I've tested the previous owners battery earlier in the week and they had drained it past the point of recognition so I went out and purchased the cheapest rv deep life battery i could find at autozone for like $120. Heres the strange part so riddle me this.... previous owners had this dead battery in this i assume acid proof box that you can either access via latch from the outside or underneath the couch dinette seating.... however all these wires run from the battery (remember dinette side) to the couch side where my converter and electrical panel are.... so once i removed the dead battery I didnt even wanna oooo with that old setup so I just placed my battery near my electrical panel for the time being until I build my Solar board with all my gadgets n what not. but I noticed in the manual provided by the previous owners it states the house battery should live under the hood alongside the starter battery? crazy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extech Posted April 2, 2023 Share Posted April 2, 2023 first. with engine running the house battery is charged by the alternator. next with engine off and shore power plugged into receptical battery is charged by the converter. one or the other not both at the same time. when not using shore power the cord is simply stored in it cubby plugged into nothing and the coach will run off the battery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 WOW It seems there 2 converter/battery threads going at the same time, I went to the other one🙄. So were you able to check the polarity of things?? Also as we dig deeper can you post photos? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reinventedAXELROSE Posted April 29, 2023 Author Share Posted April 29, 2023 On 4/2/2023 at 10:37 AM, extech said: first. with engine running the house battery is charged by the alternator. next with engine off and shore power plugged into receptical battery is charged by the converter. one or the other not both at the same time. when not using shore power the cord is simply stored in it cubby plugged into nothing and the coach will run off the battery so my lights (12v interior) are all super bright when not plugged into a source of 110, its only when I plug myself into a source of shore power (generator, rv park hookup, etc) that my interior lights are literally at about 50% max brightness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted April 30, 2023 Share Posted April 30, 2023 This seems to be a common problem in RV's. I see many posts about it online. All converter related. Lights work fine on battery because you have a new one. Plugging in the lights only have access to the power from the converter and seems like it isn't working. Converter could be shot but it could be something as simple as a bad ground. Check the voltage at your house battery first unplugged then plugged in. The voltage should jump from 12 something to over 13. Means the converter is converting. Find the ground to the frame and check that it's secure and in good condition. You might be looking at getting a new converter. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 This is where a cheap multi meter comes in. It kind of points to a tired converter or lack of power to it. (poor 120 volt connections) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reinventedAXELROSE Posted May 1, 2023 Author Share Posted May 1, 2023 6 hours ago, Maineah said: This is where a cheap multi meter comes in. It kind of points to a tired converter or lack of power to it. (poor 120 volt connections) To which i have a voltmeter! How could i see if my converter is shit? I also have a powermax 3 converter from an old project I could use, just would need some advice on setting it up seeing as though it actually has the plug attached to the wire unlike my current converter which is hardwired. Id assume I could just cut the plug, then match colors to colors tho correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted May 2, 2023 Share Posted May 2, 2023 Check the voltage of the battery and polarity. Tape the + battery wires together, tape the - wires together. Then remove them from the battery, plug in the RV power cord and again check voltage and polarity of the battery wires. Your trying to make sure everything agrees. Let us know results. Some of the older converters have a transfer relay. IF the transfer contacts are dirty that could reduce voltage to your lights. When your measuring the voltage in the above step and it's less than 12v try hitting the converter with a large screwdriver handle, maybe you can jar the contacts to aid troubleshooting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extech Posted May 2, 2023 Share Posted May 2, 2023 do NOT assume colors will match if replacing converter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reinventedAXELROSE Posted May 27, 2023 Author Share Posted May 27, 2023 On 5/1/2023 at 8:16 PM, WME said: Check the voltage of the battery and polarity. Tape the + battery wires together, tape the - wires together. Then remove them from the battery, plug in the RV power cord and again check voltage and polarity of the battery wires. Your trying to make sure everything agrees. Let us know results. Some of the older converters have a transfer relay. IF the transfer contacts are dirty that could reduce voltage to your lights. When your measuring the voltage in the above step and it's less than 12v try hitting the converter with a large screwdriver handle, maybe you can jar the contacts to aid troubleshooting I've heard about this magical transfer relay.... where would one find this relay? same area as my power board / converter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted May 28, 2023 Share Posted May 28, 2023 Its usually in the converter. Sometimes a blue cube, sometimes just a relay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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