Santa ... Shannon 160 Posted May 11, 2013 Report Share Posted May 11, 2013 Hey guys, I'm having a problem with my trailer I just bought; the interior lights won't work even though the battery has juice (house meter says 2/3 charge and my multimeter reads 13v). The radio, fridge and fans work (off of the same battery) but NONE of the house lights work (chassis lights are fine). The trailer is still hooked to the truck, and I thought this might be some kind of safety feature to discourage riding in the trailer on the road. But I unplugged the 7-pin and still no joy. I don't see any blown fuses. And the lights worked when on shore power (actually, I haven't tried this since getting it home, but they worked at the seller's house). I also tried them with the 7-pin connected and the truck running, no joy. Anyway, I'm at a loss of what to try next. I didn't see anything in the manual about a master switch. Any ideas? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpy and Grandma 739 Posted May 11, 2013 Report Share Posted May 11, 2013 That sure sounds like a fuse or possibly a loose connection. Did you check them with a meter? I would definitely try it again on shore power. Unless the previous owner rewired something to prevent the battery from going down from a light being left on they should all (lights, fridge, fans) be powered from the battery and or converter at the same time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Santa ... Shannon 160 Posted May 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2013 I just can't imagine they'd put ALL the interior lights on one circuit. But I will test each tomorrow, once we get it up the driveway. Right now its parked on the street, and I'm not keen on being inside based on the number of accidents we've had on our street. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wak648...Bill 94 Posted May 12, 2013 Report Share Posted May 12, 2013 Have you checked the GFI? One camper I had, the every light and outlet that ran through the GFI. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caveat lector 181 Posted May 12, 2013 Report Share Posted May 12, 2013 Make sure your breakers are reset. When some breakers blow, it's tough to tell Quote Link to post Share on other sites
arthuruscg 34 Posted May 12, 2013 Report Share Posted May 12, 2013 Check the grounds. Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ftwildernessguy 778 Posted May 12, 2013 Report Share Posted May 12, 2013 I pulled the fuse to the water heater once just to ensure I wouldn't accidentally turn the thing on when it was dry. A few days later I went into the trailer and the lights worked on one side, but not the other. I tried everything to get them to work. Finally I remembered that one fuse and put it back in. Sure enough, all the lights worked. I would have thought the water heater would be on its own circuit. Not in my trailer, anyway. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Santa ... Shannon 160 Posted May 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2013 Well, not that it makes any sense, but everything is working now. I cleaned the battery terminals and everything is on. Don't ask me how the fan worked before but the lights didn't if there was no battery connection!? Anyway, thanks for chiming in, fiends. We're probably going seen outta town tomorrow for a couple of nights in Asheville (3.5hrs up the road) and give this thing a real trial. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted May 12, 2013 Report Share Posted May 12, 2013 Great! Enjoy your trip! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Santa ... Shannon 160 Posted May 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2013 Oh, and before anyone points out that the trailer is nose-high in my siggy... I lowered the hitch a couple of inches today! Thanks again, guys! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
arthuruscg 34 Posted May 12, 2013 Report Share Posted May 12, 2013 Bad / corroded grounds will do crazy things. Like back feeding thru other circuits to find a path to ground. I have yet to find a trailer that was properly grounded from the factory, so that the terminals and wiring would not corrode and the chassis steel not rust. Oh and remove as many of those stupid crimp connectors and vampire splices as possible. Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Retired and Happy (Ken) 101 Posted May 14, 2013 Report Share Posted May 14, 2013 Santa, Glad to see you back. We would love to meet you at the Fort some day. We do Christmas/New years there every year. Enjoy the new rig. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MattFromPA 0 Posted May 16, 2013 Report Share Posted May 16, 2013 Had a similar problem, the bunkhouse and bathroom lights stopped working suddenly. Turns out the screw-down terminal on the circuit board for that circuit had nearly corroded away completely. Luckily there was an unused terminal left on the board so I just transferred to it.At the same time I realized my outside extension cord was starting to fall apart (the molded plug was coming undone, made all sorts of nifty zapping sounds) so my dad and I pulled a new cord through and hooked it up.It turned out to be quite an education, especially for my father (an electrician). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mikeymouse1 25 Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 I just chased a electrical a/c issue for six hrs and found a loose power wire to the thermostat behind the furnace under the fridge. Recrimped the wires today and the ac died again found a scotch lock slash terminal on a toggle switch P.O.S. in the furnace that was loose Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Retired and Happy (Ken) 101 Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 This seems to either be :techno: or has something to do with :oregonian_winesmiley: . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ftwildernessguy 778 Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Sounds to me like the thermistor on the ratchet switch took a crap. I'd test it with a bipole randal probe. If it tests positive, all is good. If not, I'd think about going to a larger bypass solenoid. WWLD? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BayLake Campers 83 Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 As long as you're got your bipole randal probe out you might as well check the muffler bearings and the head light fluid too and dont forget to let the winter air out of your tires and put summer air in. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caveat lector 181 Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Total thread hijack, so feel free to skip ahead. Just thought there might be a seadoo owner out there that could benefit.Our seadoo started cutting out under heavy throttle. Then, starting it became real spotty. So, I started eliminating potential causes: new fuel filter, new battery, new plugs, new air filter, check fuses, new gas, etc. Still nothing. So, I tried cranking it one last time. Looking down in the engine compartment, I notice a tiny spark. Lo and behold, a ground wire to the block had become loose. I cleaned the surfaces and tightened it up. Thing starts right up and runs like its new.This is 2nd time I've had problems with a loose wire. Last year, there was a loose wire to a relay on the front of my TT. The battery wouldn't take a charge. After tightening the loose wire, the battery performed great.Next weekend I'm taking a couple of hours and tightening up all the connections on my TT. I'm starting to understand that it's time well spent. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Yup, as some folks say, TTs and MHs are rolling earthquakes and connections come loose pretty easily. So checking all those connections regularly is a good thing :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Specularius 102 Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Be sure and check the connections to the fuse panel. I checked mine and this is what I found: I was glad it had not progressed any further. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caveat lector 181 Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Thanks. I'll add it to the list Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Santa ... Shannon 160 Posted May 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Wow, scary! I've melted a 30 amp plug due to loose connections, but at least the melting smoking bits were outside! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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