24T Electrical Problem

gzrglyde · 06-17-2019, 06:24 PM

Hooked up RV to 30amp at site, but battery seemed inop...could not deploy awning or slideout. Kept it all hooked up over night, next morning, still nothing. Took battery and had it tested...it was dead...bad. Got new deep cell battery, fully charged and hooked it up. Still cannot deploy awning or slideout, and when I have a light on in the RV, and I open the frig (it is working on electric), the light starts blinking and there is a clicking noise behind the frig. 7 hours later, the clicking is gone, and the light stays steady when I open the frig door. Still cannot deploy awning or slideout? I cannot figure this out? All fuses are good. Anyone had this issue? Ideas? I have called a couple local mobile RV repair guys, but no call back yet...

us71na · 06-17-2019, 07:44 PM

It sounds like your 12 volt power supply is not working, hence the dead battery and you may have a ad 30 amp fuse. Did you check the 30 amp fuse between the battery and the trailer. It should be located near the battery.

gzrglyde · 06-17-2019, 07:46 PM

There is no 30 amp fuse, but there are two 15 amp fuses.

RetiredOne · 06-17-2019, 08:50 PM

How old is your unit? Since you put in a brand new battery and it didn't help, it sounds like a connection issue.

If your unit is at least a few years old, I would trace your ground wire from the battery to the frame to see if you have a good connection. Many people have reported that their ground connections corroded away. Your symptoms sound like when higher amperages are pulled, you see the flickering and chattering of the relays.

The awning motor and slide draw high amps, so that adds the thought of a bad ground if the battery is good.

That sounds like either a bad connection at the battery posts (did you wire brush or clean the terminals when changing the battery?), or a bad ground connection going to the frame.

gzrglyde · 06-18-2019, 05:45 AM

All the battery connections are squeaky clean...at the battery. The cables to the battery are cover with those plastic wire protectors, so I have to get that off to be able to trace the ground...and it has been pouring rain. But...this morning I get up and everything is working. The slide went out no problem...the awning went out no problem. I had these same issues back in March and found the old battery was very low on water. Once I put distilled water in it, and let it charge for a day, it all worked. This trip though, the battery was dead-dead. And although this new battery was charged, and showed 12.65v, it seemed to need to be hooked up to the RV overnight to function properly...odd that seems. I wonder if it is because it is a deep cell battery?

gpd2111 · 06-18-2019, 05:59 AM

Like said earlier check your ground. If it's been raining there could be water that got into a bad connection and completed the circuit. Water is a good conductor.

gzrglyde · 06-18-2019, 06:01 AM

Good point there. As soon as scuba gear is not required, I will get under the unit and check grounds...

Jagiven · 06-18-2019, 06:27 AM

I am a bit suspicious if it is a battery or grounding issue. If the MH/TT is connected to shore power, the converter will provide all the 12V DC power required to move the slideout and awning, and a battery is not required.

I would spend some time looking at the converter. If you have never looked at the backside it is a wiring nightmare, it looks a bit like a rats nest, as there are wires everywhere. I would start with the power fully disconnected, and tighten all the wire lugs on the backside.

gzrglyde · 06-18-2019, 06:30 AM

I am trying to figure out where the inverter is located now...

RetiredOne · 06-18-2019, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jagiven

I am a bit suspicious if it is a battery or grounding issue. If the MH/TT is connected to shore power, the converter will provide all the 12V DC power required to move the slideout and awning, and a battery is not required.

I would spend some time looking at the converter. If you have never looked at the backside it is a wiring nightmare, it looks a bit like a rats nest, as there are wires everywhere. I would start with the power fully disconnected, and tighten all the wire lugs on the backside.

I was coming back to reference that. Since the new battery is at 12.6 volts, that would be fine for the slide and awning. Instead of being a bad ground, it could be a bad positive at the converter or at a point where the positive connects to the 12 volt system, maybe at the relay.

Somehow, the power from the new battery isn't getting into the system, which might be why the old battery died, a bad connection on the positive side, and the converter couldn't charge it.

gzrglyde · 06-19-2019, 05:32 AM

My converter is located under the frig, and behind the breaker panel. I do not think a 5 yr old could get in there. Appears that if I take the drawer out that is under the frig I may be able to get a look, but is seems there is no way in hell to really get at the converter. I am going to try another check to see if the converter is charging the battery. I am going to use a voltmeter and check battery charge. Then I am going to disconnect shore power and check battery voltage again. Next, I am going to operate the slide in and out a few times, and check battery voltage again...I expect it to be lower. Then I will plug in shore power and check to see if battery is charging. I was able to contact a mobile RV repair guy who does great work...he seems to think I have a converter problem. Once the rain stops, I think I will have him come out and check things...all I have is a voltmeter and very few tools with me.

Jagiven · 06-19-2019, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gzrglyde

My converter is located under the frig, and behind the breaker panel. I do not think a 5 yr old could get in there. Appears that if I take the drawer out that is under the frig I may be able to get a look, but is seems there is no way in hell to really get at the converter. I am going to try another check to see if the converter is charging the battery. I am going to use a voltmeter and check battery charge. Then I am going to disconnect shore power and check battery voltage again. Next, I am going to operate the slide in and out a few times, and check battery voltage again...I expect it to be lower. Then I will plug in shore power and check to see if battery is charging. I was able to contact a mobile RV repair guy who does great work...he seems to think I have a converter problem. Once the rain stops, I think I will have him come out and check things...all I have is a voltmeter and very few tools with me.

They can be a pain to get to, yours sounds like a dream location. Mine is along the back wall in a little hallway area between the linin closet and the bathroom wall. No light, no space to really sit on the floor to work.

Once you remove the 4 screws it pulls away from the wall (abit), then I had to reach in and unscrew (#2 square drive) the wire clamp holding the shore power cord down. Once that was loose, the whole box assembly pulled out from the wall nicely. From there the entire box is easy to access.

gzrglyde · 06-20-2019, 05:36 AM

I ran the checks my electrical engineer bud gave me. Checked battery voltage with RV hooked up to shore power: 12.99v. Unplugged from shore power: 12.94v Ran slide in and out twice: 12.75v Plugged into shore power: 13.5v

Verdict is the convertor is working...

Still scratching my head as to why I had the initial problem.

Jagiven · 06-20-2019, 06:21 AM

May not be your issue. For a while jayco was not good about ensuring the wire lugs where tight. Converter and everything else maybe good, but if you have a loose wire, you may get intermittent issues. When I pulled mine, I had lots of loose connections.

Also might be worth contacting jayco with your vin number and ask for both the 12volt and 120 volt wiring diagrams.

gzrglyde · 06-20-2019, 06:24 AM

True enough. As soon as it dries up a bit here, I am going to check wiring connections...

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