Front Cap Upper Running Lights - How to Service?

[GerryB54]

2018 Jayco Precept 35s, not sure how to service these lights, there are five amber lights embedded into the front cap...3 not working and 1 broken.

Has anyone changed the bulbs in these?

[Foretm]

Lots of good info in this thread... Basically you have the easy way and the hard way. Easy way, you can pull them out through the front and splice in new lights. Hard way, you have to remove the front power shade, the trim pieces above and access the lights from the back. I would try to get to them from the outside. I replaced all of mine at the same time.

Suggestion, Insert a screw right through the front of the lense and into the body of the light and use a claw hammer or other prying bar to pull them out. Be gentle and realize that you're not only trying to break the rubber seal but also these lights have been sealed in from the rear at the factory. Lastly these are your friend if you have a heat gun. Better connection that crimp and much eassier than normal soldering.

[GerryB54]

I do use these heat shrink butt connectors, thanks for all the suggestions and info.

[GerryB54]

Got this far today, ordered new lights and butt connectors, coming in Tuesday.

[GerryB54]

These butt connectors with solder in the center work great! I used a heat gun I had purchased a while ago from Harbor Freight. I did see on the Amazon site for these connectors people complaining that they melted the wire before the solder released but I had no such issues.

[GerryB54]

Got the center 3 replaced, need to do the other 2 tomorrow. Great info supplied here, thanks to all!

FYI, on the RV side, the black wire is 12V positive and the white wire is 12V negative.

Still need to get a little silicone around the rubber edges but they really fit snug as is. Silicone won't hurt!

[Foretm]

Originally Posted by GerryB54

These butt connectors with solder in the center work great! I used a heat gun I had purchased a while ago from Harbor Freight. I did see on the Amazon site for these connectors people complaining that they melted the wire before the solder released but I had no such issues.

I've had the same experience as you, they work well, hold strong and yes it does take the solder a bit to melt, but if you set the heat gun properly, you don't burn the wires. My guess is folks may be doing this with a torch or lighter and you have to use a heat gun.

[GerryB54]

Well, my luck ran out on light #5 over the drivers side...light and wire just pulled out completely, so will have to get at it from the inside. My issue isn't as difficult as some have posted. I don't have the overhead bed so it's just a panel removal with the driver side speaker. Looks like the power shade can remain in place.

I did try to fish the wires out from the hole, and pulled out a long (4') length of black and white 10G wire connected to nothing! I'm guessing it is the wiring run for the overhead bed lift, which I don't have. They should have capped off the wire ends but I'm expecting too much from the Jayco assembly line.

I'll tackle the last light when it's cooler...my main AC isn't working and waiting for some onsite service...changed capacitors and still not cooling.

[Foretm]

Yea that wire was the one that got me too... its so short, hard to deal with from the outside. Check the front window shade, I had to remove that as well since it was in the way of those two panels. While you have the panels down, consider some insulation up there too, there's nothing behind that fiberglass front cap, so you may want to put some, I did.

[GerryB54]

Thanks for the tips!

[GerryB54]

I might have got lucky, and don't have to dismantle much of the interior...I loosened up the panel on the drivers side and tried to remove it...it sticks but one of the two wires falls out the crack and I get the other one out too! I tested them and they are the two wires for the driver side light. Now I have to fish something through the outside hole and pull these two wires up. May have to add a foot onto each so I have some slack but think I'm in pretty good shape.

[GerryB54]

Michael, How do those panels pull out?...I was having trouble getting the one to budge.

[GerryB54]

Originally Posted by Foretm

Yea that wire was the one that got me too... its so short, hard to deal with from the outside. Check the front window shade, I had to remove that as well since it was in the way of those two panels. While you have the panels down, consider some insulation up there too, there's nothing behind that fiberglass front cap, so you may want to put some, I did.

Michael, I couldn't get my panel to move much...was tight by the windshield. How did yours come out?

[GerryB54]

Well, I did get lucky and didn't have to dismantle the interior to complete this project! As I posted earlier, the two wires with the two plastic clips on them dropped down from the overhead drivers side panel. Cut the plastic clips off and stripped back the wires.

I fished a tape measure metal ruler down through the hole from the outside and fished it past the panel by the two wires.

I connected 12" of wire to these two ends with the solder butt connectors, taped it to the metal tape measure and fished them back out from the outside giving me 9" of wires to attach the new light to.

Attached the two light wires to the fished out wires with the solder butt connectors, tested the light and then pushed it back into the hole.

5 lights replaced with 4 from the outside and 1 that was a little more challenging.

Thanks again for all the info supplied here, couldn't have done it without you!

[Foretm]

Great!!! glad you got it done... I wasn't as lucky and had to pull apart the interior, but i see it this way. The more I know about how it goes together, the more I can fix on my own when it breaks.

[GerryB54]

Originally Posted by Foretm

Great!!! glad you got it done... I wasn't as lucky and had to pull apart the interior, but i see it this way. The more I know about how it goes together, the more I can fix on my own when it breaks.

Any info on how those panels come out? I removed all the screws and it was still tight against the windshield. I didn't want to pull on it too hard.

[Foretm]

Once I removed the screws, the panels came down without much trouble. I had to remove my front window shade though as it was in the way, as well as the a pillar cover on the drivers side. Make sure you get all the screws. There may be a slight design difference between our two years, not sure. No magical trick, just removed all the screws and everything in the way, and it came down.

[GerryB54]

Originally Posted by Foretm

Once I removed the screws, the panels came down without much trouble. I had to remove my front window shade though as it was in the way, as well as the a pillar cover on the drivers side. Make sure you get all the screws. There may be a slight design difference between our two years, not sure. No magical trick, just removed all the screws and everything in the way, and it came down.

Yesterday I silicone sealed around the lights and screwed the panel back in place, and on further examination I did find two screws that were right next to the two I had removed, so I'm sure that was holding it in place. Since I had fished the wires through from the outside I didn't remove the panel, just reinstalled the screws I had removed. Thanks again.

[Bill Johnson]

Originally Posted by GerryB54

Well, I did get lucky and didn't have to dismantle the interior to complete this project! As I posted earlier, the two wires with the two plastic clips on them dropped down from the overhead drivers side panel. Cut the plastic clips off and stripped back the wires.

I fished a tape measure metal ruler down through the hole from the outside and fished it past the panel by the two wires.

I connected 12" of wire to these two ends with the solder butt connectors, taped it to the metal tape measure and fished them back out from the outside giving me 9" of wires to attach the new light to.

Attached the two light wires to the fished out wires with the solder butt connectors, tested the light and then pushed it back into the hole.

5 lights replaced with 4 from the outside and 1 that was a little more challenging.

Thanks again for all the info supplied here, couldn't have done it without you!

Just wondering if you could put a link or the name of the lights you used, Mine is a year old and and I figure they work right now. How did you know the size of them so they would fit right in?

[GerryB54]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08YY4SRYS...roduct_details