2005 30D sightseer electrical Issues

[boldm]

Long winded, but here goes;

My chassis battery is original, and needs replacement. I went to start it and there was not enough juice to start the engine. I pressed the transfer?? switch on the dash to engage the coach batteries and the MH started fine. I then retracted the slide and noticed it was operating slowly, so engaged the switch on the dash again and it retracted as it should. Now I have electrical problems,
3 things have happened, and i'm wondering if they are sheerly coincidental or related.
1),The coach batteries will not charge while the MH is running. 14 Volts on the chassis, 12.5 on the coach. If I depress the switch on the dash it will then charge the coach batteries until I release it. (Okay, so the isolator/solenoid may be fried, but still 2 more issues)

2) the aux 2 speed rear heater will not work, checked and no power to the switch on the dash.

3) The steps will not automatically retract when in the off position with the door closed when the MH is started. They will retract when I turn the switch on. Basically the auto retract fuction is not working.

All 3 of these problems occurred at the same time, I'm wondering if there is a common ground issue, or when retracting the slideout with a dead battery resulted in a undervoltage issue that caused this???

I checked all fuses/relays behind the dash, under the hood, and the circuit breakers beside the steps, and everything appears okay.

[Jbmsr]

I would have the alternator tested first. By engaging the battery boost then testing you are reading the coach charging and supplying additional power to the slide out that it should already have if the alternator and battery were sufficient. Low current can cause whacky operations.

Jesse

[Yellowboat]

Try replacing your engine battery and charging the new battery. Then see if you still have the other problems. Then try trouble shooting the other problems. It could be a common ground or a problem with your isolator. I'm not a electrician and I don't like working on electrical problems.


I have the Sightseer 29R. My battery isolator / solenoid is located in the compartment above my propane tank. It is located in a black electrical box attached to the back wall of the compartment.

Safe travels.

JD

[tderonne]

Originally Posted by boldm

1) The coach batteries will not charge while the MH is running. 14 Volts on the chassis, 12.5 on the coach. If I depress the switch on the dash it will then charge the coach batteries until I release it. (Okay, so the isolator/solenoid may be fried, but still 2 more issues)

2) the aux 2 speed rear heater will not work, checked and no power to the switch on the dash.

3) The steps will not automatically retract when in the off position with the door closed when the MH is started. They will retract when I turn the switch on. Basically the auto retract function is not working.

I think there may be a common problem between #1 and #3, and maybe #2....

The solenoid that links the batteries together when the engine is running is the same one that engages when you press the button on the dash. your description tells me two things: The solenoid is good (it engages when you press the switch), BUT it has lost its ignition sense.

That second part, sounds like what is wrong with the step, no ignition sense.

Time to dig into your schematics. I bet there's a fuse you have missed somewhere.

As for the rear heater. They are problematic. Might be linked to the first two issues though. It could easily be blowing a fuse (that's one problem they commonly have) that is cutting power to the solenoid and step. Again, hit the schematics.

[grtharris]

boldm, Under in instrument panel there is a chassis fuse panel check the fuse in the upper right hand corner above the flasher. It feeds wire (KE / 14 YEL RUN ONLY POWER SOURCE) which goes to the three devices that are not working.

[boldm]

Originally Posted by grtharris

boldm, Under in instrument panel there is a chassis fuse panel check the fuse in the upper right hand corner above the flasher. It feeds wire (KE / 14 YEL RUN ONLY POWER SOURCE) which goes to the three devices that are not working.

Thanks,

I checked that fuse, and it is okay. I checked the fusebox with a volt meter and with the motor running it is getting full chassis voltage through the fuse. I double checked the plug going to the rear heater (on the dash) and confirmed it is not getting any power. My gut tells me this may be a problem in the ignition switch, I say this because it does seem awfully loose (lots of movement in all directions when in the run position.)
Any comments???

[John Hilley]

I think your diagnoses of the ignition switch may be correct. Is it a Ford or Workhorse chassis?

[boldm]

Originally Posted by John Hilley

I think your diagnoses of the ignition switch may be correct. Is it a Ford or Workhorse chassis?

Ford!!!

[tderonne]

If the fuse has power, the ignition switch is ok. It feeds power to the fuse.

I'm having some trouble tracing the wiring through the diagrams though. Circuit KE comes from the ignition switch. I see it in the Winnebago diagrams and in the Ford diagrams, but I don't see where it goes to the fuse, I need to stare at it some more.

There is a Ford fuse that supplies the KE circuit though, F2.38 in the Central Junction Block (the one under the dash). That's worth checking.

And circuit KE feeds circuit WH that goes to the step. There is a circuit breaker in the stepwell for that. Again, worth checking it. (It shows as a 6 amp breaker, there's 2 of them shown, easy to be sure both are ok.)

[boldm]

Circuit breakers appear okay,
Definately the KE circuit(s) have no power.
I am away from the MH for a couple of weeks, (Sept 12), but will check the central junctions box and report my findings,

thanks!!!

[tderonne]

And I think I have the schematics figured out now. The "RR Auto Htr" fuse under the dash isn't in the schematics. There's also a relay there for the heater. (My '04 Adventurer on a Ford chassis. I have the fuse and relay. It's in my schematics. Mine has more detail about the Ford connections too.) Makes sense that the fuse shows power. It's the KE circuit that pulls in the relay to send power the heater.

Let us know what you find....

[YC1]

Originally Posted by boldm

Thanks,

I checked that fuse, and it is okay. I checked the fusebox with a volt meter and with the motor running it is getting full chassis voltage through the fuse. I double checked the plug going to the rear heater (on the dash) and confirmed it is not getting any power. My gut tells me this may be a problem in the ignition switch, I say this because it does seem awfully loose (lots of movement in all directions when in the run position.)
Any comments???

Change the fuse in any case. A digital voltmeter will fool you. If you checked the voltage with none of the devices engaged a cracked fuse or bad wire will fool you. You should be able to download a schematic if I remember correctly on my 05 Sightseer.

[gregoryd73]

It sounds like you are doing the right diagnostics and looking at your responses, the only thing I can think to add is:
1. if your coach has the rocker switch near the step, make sure that is always in the ON position.
2. make sure the battery cables are in good shape with clean connections at the batteries.
Let us know what the resolution is ... Dennis-WU6X

[skigramp]

You can temporarily link the coach and chassis batteries together with jumper cables ... start your engine (and let it run for a couple of hours ... notice you are getting the same voltage on both batteries while the engine is running ) ... then shut off the engine, disconnect the jumper cables ... let it set for 30 minutes ...

Now check the voltage on the batteries ... If either bank is below 12.5 volts you have a bad battery (or batteries). The battery is not holding a charge.

Remember that the solenoid that connects the two battery banks needs power in order to activate it ... if the battery bank that supplies the power is not holding a charge it will not activate.

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by boldm

Long winded, but here goes;

My chassis battery is original, and needs replacement. I went to start it and there was not enough juice to start the engine. I pressed the transfer?? switch on the dash to engage the coach batteries and the MH started fine. I then retracted the slide and noticed it was operating slowly, so engaged the switch on the dash again and it retracted as it should. Now I have electrical problems,
3 things have happened, and i'm wondering if they are sheerly coincidental or related.
1),The coach batteries will not charge while the MH is running. 14 Volts on the chassis, 12.5 on the coach. If I depress the switch on the dash it will then charge the coach batteries until I release it. (Okay, so the isolator/solenoid may be fried, but still 2 more issues)

2) the aux 2 speed rear heater will not work, checked and no power to the switch on the dash.

3) The steps will not automatically retract when in the off position with the door closed when the MH is started. They will retract when I turn the switch on. Basically the auto retract fuction is not working.

All 3 of these problems occurred at the same time, I'm wondering if there is a common ground issue, or when retracting the slideout with a dead battery resulted in a undervoltage issue that caused this???

I checked all fuses/relays behind the dash, under the hood, and the circuit breakers beside the steps, and everything appears okay.

Many of us have suffered with this same problem. Please look at the this diagram: http://www.winnebagoind.com/diagram/...ire_148421.pdf

I suspect that your problem is with a failed "Battery Mode Solenoid". Replace it and your start battery will once again charge correctly.

Look forward to your updates.

Rick Y

[grtharris]

This thread was started 5 months ago, boldm did you get you problem fixed?

[boldm]

Originally Posted by grtharris

This thread was started 5 months ago, boldm did you get you problem fixed?

No, not yet. I'm up in Canada and put the motorhome away for winter before fixing the problem. As soon as it warms up I will continue on.

Thx for the responses so far,

[boldm]

Originally Posted by tderonne

If the fuse has power, the ignition switch is ok. It feeds power to the fuse.

I'm having some trouble tracing the wiring through the diagrams though. Circuit KE comes from the ignition switch. I see it in the Winnebago diagrams and in the Ford diagrams, but I don't see where it goes to the fuse, I need to stare at it some more.

There is a Ford fuse that supplies the KE circuit though, F2.38 in the Central Junction Block (the one under the dash). That's worth checking.

And circuit KE feeds circuit WH that goes to the step. There is a circuit breaker in the stepwell for that. Again, worth checking it. (It shows as a 6 amp breaker, there's 2 of them shown, easy to be sure both are ok.)

Originally Posted by tderonne

And I think I have the schematics figured out now. The "RR Auto Htr" fuse under the dash isn't in the schematics. There's also a relay there for the heater. (My '04 Adventurer on a Ford chassis. I have the fuse and relay. It's in my schematics. Mine has more detail about the Ford connections too.) Makes sense that the fuse shows power. It's the KE circuit that pulls in the relay to send power the heater.

Let us know what you find....

I believe tderonne is on the right path.
The KE circuit has no power at any time.
It is a circuit which is fed off the chassis battery, and once the motorhome is running, everything on the chassis circuit is 14+ volts except for the KE circuit which is 0 volts.
As well I have replaced all fuses and relays for the users that are not working,
I need to dig deeper and see why the KE circuit is dead.

The KE circuit is also the trigger for the "Battery mode solenoid" so I'm thinking the solenoid is fine,