b987 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 Hi everyone! My name is Brian. Awesome community you guys have here. I just got a 1986 Travel Master a few weeks ago and have been trying to fix it up. It is now registered and inspected and the interior is beginning to come along. Hopefully sometime soon I can go on a trip or two. My problem is pretty much what the topic description says. The lights and stuff work off the alternator and shore power but not off the coach battery. I bought a new battery but still nothing. Fuses and breakers look ok. The wiring is hard to follow with all the splices and kind of resembles spaghetti. Any tips on what to look for or where to start? Thanks in advance, Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 The coach battery has a #8 wire going to the converter/charger and the fuse panel inside of it. Have a good look at you battery ground do you own a volt meter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b987 Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 Please forgive my ignorance, Maineah, but I am not sure what a #8 wire is. I do know where the fuse panel is though. I don't own a volt meter, but I could pick one up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Wire sizes get bigger as the numbers go down so a #8 is bigger then a #10 Most of your lighting will be a #14 or possibly a #12 the # 8 is the feed wire to the fuse panel and the converter/charger. A voltmeter is a good thing to have a test light will work for you too and the learning curve is much shorter. Old MH's will at some point have wiring issues vibration, old connections and the worse are people that have twisted two wires together and becoming instant experts because it worked. No reflection on you but if you see some thing all covered with tape or two wires of different colors going who knows where it's suspect. Another one of my favorites is lamp cord. Grounds are very important unlike a car where metal is every where MH's have mostly wooden frame work so being non conductive it takes two wires to make things work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Another one of my favorites is lamp cord. Don't forget speaker wire! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I was born and raised on the Chesapeake Bay and have been around boats most of my life and beyond a doubt the worst wiring I have ever seen was on boats not the stock wiring but what the "experts" considered proper wiring. Now gas powered boats go boom just because they can but add a little "fancy" wiring and it ups the chances by a factor of about 4 and yeah speaker wire fits right into the mix good stuff that. I think a lot of it revolves around the fact that 12 volts won't directly kill you so the fear factor just is not there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanman Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Maineah I was born and raised on the Chesapeake Bay and have been around boats most of my life and beyond a doubt the worst wiring I have ever seen was on boats not the stock wiring but what the "experts" considered proper wiring. Now gas powered boats go boom just because they can but add a little "fancy" wiring and it ups the chances by a factor of about 4 and yeah speaker wire fits right into the mix good stuff that. I think a lot of it revolves around the fact that 12 volts won't directly kill you so the fear factor just is not there. It's an epidemic, when I got my boat(used) the 8 trac was wired to the ignition, had to have it on, motor running or not, to get sounds. Fixed that and asked the seller why it was wired like that and he replied "I don't know but now that you mention it I had to replace the ignition black box a while ago" !! When we got the Toy same thing !! I changed it so the stereo, radio and cassett, fed from 3 way switch, rt is on motor batt, center off, left is to coach 12V. I like leaving it off when parked as the stereo doesn't lite up, looks like there isn't one there. vanman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 you guys are right on i just love peoplewho wire lights and heater moter with speacker wire my 78 had junk of that format .I like to use the right wire and solder as much as i can. water pump wires in my new dolphin ran in the springs of the couch by some idit not any more. i really want to wake up in a bed of flames from a short WHY SPEND A DOLLOR ON FLEX HOUSING AND STRAPS OR ZIP TIES. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I have lived in the old houses these idits wired the same way. my sons house we dont know who did it they added on roofed over the weather head 240 volts going to the pole right through the three tab shingles we looked at that blew our minds not that way now crazy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b987 Posted March 22, 2012 Author Share Posted March 22, 2012 Thanks for the reply, Maineah. I picked up a voltmeter and found a problem with a wire that had a splice and five connecters in about a foot. There was a fuse inserted or spliced into this wire and it was blown. I couldn't tell at first. It just looked like some kind of connector to me. My electrical background is limited. Anyway, I seem to have power in the camper now. I am hoping the battery will charge ok from shore power or the alternator. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 b987 welcome glad you are geting there congts you have found what is known as a line fuse not in a fuse block Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Thanks for the reply, Maineah. I picked up a voltmeter and found a problem with a wire that had a splice and five connecters in about a foot. There was a fuse inserted or spliced into this wire and it was blown. I couldn't tell at first. It just looked like some kind of connector to me. My electrical background is limited. Anyway, I seem to have power in the camper now. I am hoping the battery will charge ok from shore power or the alternator. Thanks again. Good now you can put your volt meter to work and test the charge rate with the engine running at the coach battery then turn it off and plug it in and check the charger's rate too. If they test good your all set for the summer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 When I first got my MH there were a lot of spliced wires in it. It took about a weekend, but I replaced all of them with a bit larger wire and one piece. I gained about .75v at the battery with the engine running. That may not seem like much, but it represents about 30% of a charged battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b987 Posted March 23, 2012 Author Share Posted March 23, 2012 Good now you can put your volt meter to work and test the charge rate with the engine running at the coach battery then turn it off and plug it in and check the charger's rate too. If they test good your all set for the summer! Not sure how to do that, or what to look for, or the settings on the meter, Maineah. Do I hook the leads up to the battery terminals and just look for a change? Would I set the meter to test for voltage? Sorry for the dumb questions. Thanks 5Toyota. I learned something new, which is always good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Not sure how to do that, or what to look for, or the settings on the meter, Maineah. Do I hook the leads up to the battery terminals and just look for a change? Would I set the meter to test for voltage? Sorry for the dumb questions. Thanks 5Toyota. I learned something new, which is always good. What I would do is have a look at your coach battery voltage that will give you a starting point once the engine is started the coach battery voltage should climb it may take awhile to charge the battery so as long as it is climbing it most likely is fine. After you have had a little trip you could check it again and it should be a bit above 12.7 after sitting awhile. You can go through the same procedure when you plug it in. Pictures of your wiring may help with some suggestions on how you might clean it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Try Googling "How to use a multimeter". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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