Compartment/Awning light? 2016 Journey WKP40R

[mattthematt]

Hello all. I have an exterior lighting issue I hope someone can shed some light on:
This is for a 2016 Winnebago Journey WKP40R (new to to us). All exterior compartment and awning lights have ceased to work. The only operable light is the "Service" light above the water bay. This all happened at the same time. The compartment lights are controlled by independent rocker switches on each light. The awning LEDs are controlled by a rocker switch inside the cabin door. There is also no dedicated "Compt Lights" switch in the stairwell or coach that that I see. I can find no discernable fuse panel for any of these lights, and no breakers (associated to lighting or not) are tripped. The main interior lighting (working fine) is controlled by a Firefly G6A integration system which do have a couple labels that MAY pertain to the compartment lights...which are illuminated green.
I've contacted Winnebago which resulted in their head scratch, who referred me to Firefly. Called Firefly and they're too busy to speak to me, so I've had to email them and am awaiting a response.
I'm not sure if these lights are wired Christmas light fashion (one bulb burns, non of the others operate), but if so...I wouldn't think that would affect the awning LEDs. I am not currently in the coach (away for work), but my wife is and has no outdoor lights at night. So I'm trying to figure this out in a proxy fashion. Anyone have any ideas?? I have switch the "Coach Batt" switch off for 30 seconds, then powered back on in hopes that may reset the Firefly system. That yielded no results as well.
We are currently connected to shore power via a 50A pedestal.
Thank you.

[Morich]

This one is a tough one on a number of levels, so let me start with why we are not finding the best info?

One is that Winnebago has moved from putting full wire by wire schematics online after the 2010 model year. Heartbreaking there!

We now get installation drawings that show where a cable may tie things together and given us labels on the small wires and a list to decode those ID labels. NOT the best for us!

So we have more guessing than normal and may not find the right clues.
There are two builds of your RV, early model has a 7th digit in the serial number being 1, while a 2 there means later year builds. that throws a little doubt into what I am pulling up for the right build date.
But what I see may not have changed, so lets see if this fits what you have?

Click this snip from the drawings to see if it looks right?


Top of the head, do you know if both these groups of lights work off the chassis battery or the coach battery?

This may be where we get into trouble! Does your wife know about and understand the two battery disconnect switches and would she know if she happened to bump one to the off position?

The info I find on the awning light switch ( middle of second row up) says it has power from fuses both for awing light as well as compartment lights!
Not the good firm info but it might say that both work off the chassis battery. That "could" mean bumping the chassis switch to off would kill both items you are having trouble on????
If not moving/driving the RV, would she notice if the chassis battery was disconnected?

We could talk about how to read the labels and how to decode them but that leads to checking voltage on the wires on the back of that switch.
Often NOT the job to assign to many to do remotely if the wife is not into that sort of thing!

The info is from the wire labels just below the name of the switch, ZZK, JF, MC, WC?
From this list, we can decode:
https://www.winnebago.com/Files/File...ical_guide.pdf

Jf goes fuse to coach light #4, WC goes fuse to compartment lights. ZZK goes from this switch to awning light!
Seems power comes in from fuse to this switch (does it get there?) and when switch closes, power goes on to awning light!

That seems a clue that this switch may be a factor in both your problems and need some checking???

[mattthematt]

Originally Posted by Morich

This one is a tough one on a number of levels, so let me start with why we are not finding the best info?

One is that Winnebago has moved from putting full wire by wire schematics online after the 2010 model year. Heartbreaking there!

We now get installation drawings that show where a cable may tie things together and given us labels on the small wires and a list to decode those ID labels. NOT the best for us!

So we have more guessing than normal and may not find the right clues.
There are two builds of your RV, early model has a 7th digit in the serial number being 1, while a 2 there means later year builds. that throws a little doubt into what I am pulling up for the right build date.
But what I see may not have changed, so lets see if this fits what you have?

Click this snip from the drawings to see if it looks right?
Attachment 187535

Top of the head, do you know if both these groups of lights work off the chassis battery or the coach battery?

This may be where we get into trouble! Does your wife know about and understand the two battery disconnect switches and would she know if she happened to bump one to the off position?

The info I find on the awning light switch ( middle of second row up) says it has power from fuses both for awing light as well as compartment lights!
Not the good firm info but it might say that both work off the chassis battery. That "could" mean bumping the chassis switch to off would kill both items you are having trouble on????
If not moving/driving the RV, would she notice if the chassis battery was disconnected?

We could talk about how to read the labels and how to decode them but that leads to checking voltage on the wires on the back of that switch.
Often NOT the job to assign to many to do remotely if the wife is not into that sort of thing!

The info is from the wire labels just below the name of the switch, ZZK, JF, MC, WC?
From this list, we can decode:
https://www.winnebago.com/Files/File...ical_guide.pdf

Jf goes fuse to coach light #4, WC goes fuse to compartment lights. ZZK goes from this switch to awning light!
Seems power comes in from fuse to this switch (does it get there?) and when switch closes, power goes on to awning light!

That seems a clue that this switch may be a factor in both your problems and need some checking???

Thank you for the in depth information. This helps a lot.

She does know the difference between the two switches, and both are on and illuminated...along with the Awning Light switch.
Now where it gets tricky is she's not up to pulling that panel off and checking with a multi meter. Something I'm used to, she is not though. The other issue I have is finding the fuse for either circuit. The only fuse panel we can find correlates with the chassis, not the coach. So it really only applies to systems of a driving/moving nature. There may be fuses behind the switch panel, but again with the drawings I have found there is no representation for such fuses.

In a more recent development, I discovered that this in fact DID NOT happen at the same time. Compartment lights failed first, awning lights failed only about 48 hours ago. So now I'm thinking there are two distinctly separate issues here. Which makes this even more fun to diagnose remotely. What I do know is that both Coach and Chassis switches are on, and we cannot find a specific switch for just "Compnt Lights", which seems odd to me. I'd like to think there is a master switch somewhere to kill that circuit should one be left on causing a parasitic draw due to neglect.

I do have her checking the wiring on the exterior of the coach at the awning to see if wind or any other sort of movement may have rubbed a jacket to the bare wire causing a short. Lets wait and see how eager she is to get up on the ladder. I really do think the awning lighting is an issue were it exits the coach to the awning sleeve, or down at the light strip somewhere.

Compartment lights...to me this has to be a breaker, fuse, or switch that we haven't found yet.

[mattthematt]

Update: Compartment lights are sorted. Heard back from Firefly and they directed us to a touchpanel button (that of course was off) that does toggle the entire compartment circuit. So that's good.
Now just need to get to the bottom of the Awning lights.

[Morich]

Sounds like progress and notice that it is different does mean the idea I had formed is not likely true!
I had thought that si9ngle switch having both circuits for light on the awning and light for compartments, might make it a logical place for both problems!

I will do more searching on other ideas. Terrible to not have a trued drawing we could search more logically but we do what we have to do!

Totally blind on Firefly!

[mattthematt]

Yeah we're getting there. I was fortunate in the fact thay Firefly sent all sorts of docs that we didn't have before. So for the future this will be great.

It is strange that I cannot find any sort of doc/schematic for the awning. I'll keep looking. For now all I know is both the deployment of the awning, and light function is all on rocker switches that are not included in the Firefly integrated system. Just wish I could find fuses for thay exterior system.

Thanks again for the help!

[Morich]

In the name of more questions?
Are you aware of the fuse panel outside left front at the driver's side?
Possible under a panel or cover?


detail at above location shows Awning power?
Front side


And turned for backside! Bottom right breaker is now bottom left!!!


That circuit ID of FFD shows feeding power to awning control box! Idea of where that box might be?

[Morich]

Bit of idea why we may not find the awning info?
The added parts like furnace, air cond. and awning are considered "added" and Winnebago has little to no info on them once they are installed as they do nothing with the wiring or breakdown.
They plug the wiring together and mount but any problems with those items is considered the problem of who made it!
We have to go to Norcold for frig wiring, HWH for jacks, etc.
Getting the details of the awning would require going to the folks who build the awning if we get past the point of knowing power gets to the big red line between Winn and awning maker!

Do you know if the awning moves in/out or if it is only a problem with awning light?

[creativepart]

The Operator’s Manual for the 2016 Journey says you have an Awning Power switch that must be turned on before the awning extend switches operate. Seems like awning power would need to be on.

Does this look familiar?

[mattthematt]

Originally Posted by Morich

In the name of more questions?
Are you aware of the fuse panel outside left front at the driver's side?
Possible under a panel or cover?

Yeah we checked those. All seem OK. I'm resigned to the fact it's exterior wiring somewhere from the last wind storm

[mattthematt]

Originally Posted by creativepart

The Operator’s Manual for the 2016 Journey says you have an Awning Power switch that must be turned on before the awning extend switches operate. Seems like awning power would need to be on.

Does this look familiar?

That's our set up. She missed the Cpmt button for those lights. So those work now.

Awning power is for the the use of the awning itself...which does work thank god. Just trying to trace down this lighting issue. Pretty sure it's an exterior wire that was damaged.

[DNC]

I have a 2016 Journey and had an issue with my awning lights. The lights are an LED string that slides into a groove in the cylinder. A small wire is fed through the leading seam of the awning material. When the awning is retracted it is stowed in an semi-circular aluminum cover. The small wire was taped to the inside of the cover and enters the wall at the top of the vertical member that is attached to the wall and supports the awning and it's arms. The tape used to tape the wire to the inside of the cover was not very good; it was a piece of Velcro rather than tape. Looked like the builder was looking for something sticky and just used what was handy. The wire came loose and, after extending and retracting the awning the wire broke. I spliced in a piece of good wire and secured it with Flex Tape. Used the Flex Tape inside the cover and on the wall. It's been working for several months.

[Morich]

Yes, does sound time to get into the info from the awning itself. Many of the items on our Rv are ordered from other builders and looked at as being the other companies problem when trouble comes around.
Do you happen to have a small booklet in the bag of info which should travel with the Rv when changing owners? That would be the easier place, rathe than online searching for info.

Half the "FUN" of Rv is trying to get the right info on hand! Best of luck on the chase!

[mattthematt]

Now that I'm "home" I've had a chance to dig deeper into this.
Found the inline 5A fuse at the switch: tests good
Removed the switch to test: tests good
Measured voltage from the switch to AFTER the fuse: tests good.
Wiring on the xterior of the coach looks OK, but it's dificult to test voltage with the meter I have (probes as opposed to alligator clips).
What I do know is both awning LED strips (door awning and main awning) failed at the same time. Also the wiring coming off the switch is different than the wiring coming out of the coach. So there is a distribution/splice point somewhere.
Another thing I find odd is when these lights were working, they were pretty dim to the point they were almost not usable. So to me it seems like something was failing and finally did. Almost like there is a diode somewhere.
Anyway...the hunt continues.

[mattthematt]

Update: so I figured since these lights weren't working, I decided to cut the exterior wires before where they enter the awning sleeve. This way I was able to strip the leads back and test voltage...12.99 VDC. So voltage is there, it's just an issue down the line toward or at the awning.
I'm going to eliminate this issue and future ones by installing an LED strip under the awning on the coach itself. It can use the same switch, and will be more effective.

[Morich]

Before going too far, have you looked at both sides of the circuit? It has to have 12volts but it also has to have a path back to ground and that second point is easy to miss if not thinking real sharp!