ELECTRONIC MELTDOWN

Thanks Dick, I'm going to go see the the company that did the shoddy job in the first place, I'll get them to replace it.

I think I've also found the reason the lights aren't working. After checking behind the front panels as Leadsled suggested and not seeing anything, I also took the whole front cabinet panel off the truck last night. I found one wire that is pretty melted in the camper wiring, the sad part is it disappears into the camper skin at the back of the camper, pretty pissed off about the whole thing at the moment, this is turning into a major red ass.


It may be time to take the gloves off with this RV place. I'm puzzled how it fried wires after the fuse block? There are only a few wires going to the back for lighting, heater and fridge. Is there a wire going forward and coming up behind the panels?
 
Mark I. / RJones,
I failed to mention in my previous posts that I did go by and talk to the RV place last weekend before I rewired it myself. I wanted the owner to know one of his guys had screwed up and he fully agreed. He said if I had any problems with the rewire he would be happy to help. I brought it to him tonight and he offered to fix it this weekend, since I have plans to head to DV again we agreed on next weekend. Rather than sweat it too much I reckon I'm just gonna go enjoy my camper in the desert without lights. Thanks for all your help everyone.
 
Mark I. / RJones,
I failed to mention in my previous posts that I did go by and talk to the RV place last weekend before I rewired it myself. I wanted the owner to know one of his guys had screwed up and he fully agreed. He said if I had any problems with the rewire he would be happy to help. I brought it to him tonight and he offered to fix it this weekend, since I have plans to head to DV again we agreed on next weekend. Rather than sweat it too much I reckon I'm just gonna go enjoy my camper in the desert without lights. Thanks for all your help everyone.


I just thought to myself, "Sunman would make a really great neighbor." So I decided to move closer to your point of view.
 
I just thought to myself, "Sunman would make a really great neighbor." So I decided to move closer to your point of view.


You can't get this kind of nice comment just anywhere. Mark, you're a class act as are you Mr. Sun. Sunman, travel safe and have a great trip to Death Valley......we need another of your great trip reports!
 
Wow. As an electrical ignoramus, I have tried to follow this thread and grasp what y'all are talking about. This thread is a perfect example of why WTW is such an awesome website: knowledgeable folks helping less-knowledgeable folks without a hint of attitude.
 
Mark, you're a class act


No kidding Ski. Our paths will cross some day Mark.

And I echo what Durango Steve said.
 
This thread is a perfect example of why WTW is such an awesome website: knowledgeable folks helping less-knowledgeable folks without a hint of attitude.

Right on! :) That's why I found this site 11 months ago...and I'm generally in the "less-knowledgeable" group when it comes to RV/truck-gear, so I've mostly been a knowledge recipient.
(Now, if there are ever any questions about chemical-engineering or pharmaceutical-dosage-form development, maybe I can contribute.
biggrin.gif
)
 
Right on!
smile.gif
That's why I found this site 11 months ago...and I'm generally in the "less-knowledgeable" group when it comes to RV/truck-gear, so I've mostly been a knowledge recipient.
(Now, if there are ever any questions about chemical-engineering or pharmaceutical-dosage-form development, maybe I can contribute.
biggrin.gif
)

X2!

There are lots of great people on this site. Thanks to the many that have helped me in the past.

This entire thread has me racking my brain and thinking about the electrical system in my Hawk. This thread prompted me to add a fuse to the FWC wiring from the battery seperater to the house battery.

I am wondering why FWC uses a "auto reset" type 30 amp circuit breaker under the hood. I am replacing mine with a "manual reset" circuit breaker. Here's a manual reset breaker I picked up. Note the reset button on the end.

manual breaker.JPG

The reason I switched to the manual reset breaker is I'd like to know if it ever trips....and if it does trip.....I don't want it to reset without first diagnosing the problem that tripped it in the fist place. I can see a scenario where someone is bouncing down a jeep trail and a wire shorts out and trips the breaker.....then the wire bounces around enough where it isn't shorting and the circuit breaker closes again.....then the wire shorts....well.....you get the idea.

Also, I found these nifty covers for the circuit breaker that will prevent someone from shorting across the two exposed (and hot) studs coming out of the circuit breaker....which would turn your truck into a welder.

cover.JPG

covered breaker.JPG

cover on breaker.JPG
 
X2!

There are lots of great people on this site. Thanks to the many that have helped me in the past.

This entire thread has me racking my brain and thinking about the electrical system in my Hawk. This thread prompted me to add a fuse to the FWC wiring from the battery seperater to the house battery.

I am wondering why FWC uses a "auto reset" type 30 amp circuit breaker under the hood. I am replacing mine with a "manual reset" circuit breaker. Here's a manual reset breaker I picked up. Note the reset button on the end.

View attachment 11694

The reason I switched to the manual reset breaker is I'd like to know if it ever trips....and if it does trip.....I don't want it to reset without first diagnosing the problem that tripped it in the fist place. I can see a scenario where someone is bouncing down a jeep trail and a wire shorts out and trips the breaker.....then the wire bounces around enough where it isn't shorting and the circuit breaker closes again.....then the wire shorts....well.....you get the idea.

Also, I found these nifty covers for the circuit breaker that will prevent someone from shorting across the two exposed (and hot) studs coming out of the circuit breaker....which would turn your truck into a welder.

View attachment 11697

View attachment 11696

View attachment 11695

Nice find! Do you have a source for these covers? My breakers are wrapped in electrical tape but these covers sure look better!
 
I am wondering why FWC uses a "auto reset" type 30 amp circuit breaker under the hood. I am replacing mine with a "manual reset" circuit breaker. Here's a manual reset breaker I picked up. Note the reset button on the end.

The reason I switched to the manual reset breaker is I'd like to know if it ever trips....and if it does trip.....I don't want it to reset without first diagnosing the problem that tripped it in the fist place. I can see a scenario where someone is bouncing down a jeep trail and a wire shorts out and trips the breaker.....then the wire bounces around enough where it isn't shorting and the circuit breaker closes again.....then the wire shorts....well.....you get the idea.


If there is a brief high amp surge when connecting a really dead battery to the truck you won't unknowingly trip it and continue on your merry way of driving only to arrive at the next place with a dead battery. That's my guess anyways.

I got them here for $1.62 each.

http://www.wiringproducts.com/contents/en-us/d11.html


Cool find!
 
you really want a auto-reset breaker.

like pods said, if you run down your house batt it will trip that breaker a few times during the first minutes after your isolator connects it to your truck charging system.
 
you really want a auto-reset breaker.

like pods said, if you run down your house batt it will trip that breaker a few times during the first minutes after your isolator connects it to your truck charging system.


Well, OK then. I quess I'll put the auto-reset breaker back in.
 
To close this thread out (if anyone actually cares) I thought I'd add that the RV place tracked down the phantom short problem to a wire in my Fantastic Vent that had come loose from the butt connector, reconnected, recrimped, problem solved. Part of me finds this to be an extreme coincidence that this would happen nearly simultaneously with the "meltdown". I know I was using the fan and house lights the night before the incident. But be that as it may, the house power functions fine as does the fan and I'm back in business. Case closed.
 
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