COURTESY LIGHTS ON DUTCH STAR

[SNAIL1]

The courtesy lights (in bedroom and bath room) in our 2001 DSDP are driving me crazy. We purchased the coach about 6 months ago and i know they worked because i saw them at least once.

I've checked every fuse i can find. There is one in the outside drivers side compartment that the dock electrical line enters. It is located behind a cover held in place with velcro in the same area with the switching solenoids for the electrical system.

I found the inline fuse blown on the fuse marked "ctsy lights and batt boost". I assume this is for the courtesy lights in the coach bedroom and bath. I have removed the wall switch in the bedroom and find no 12 volt power. I can make the lights operate by jumpering 12 v power from the bedroom ceiling light wire at the switch to the gray and white wire on the courtesy light switch. The gray and white wire from the wall switch is obviously the power from the wall switch to the 3 lights at floor level.

The courtesy light wall switch has 3 terminlas. One for the gray/white wire, one for a black/yellow wire and one as i remember a solid gray wire. None of the wires have 12 volt power.

I have checked continuity between the middle terminal of wall switch and the two other switch terminals. With the wall switch on, I have continuity between the middle terminal and the top terminal; no continuity between the middle terminal and the bottom terminal. With the wall switch off, I have continuity between the middle switch and the bottom terminal; no continuity between middle terminal and the top terminal.

So far I have not been able to identify the gray wire (i believe it to be the power supply wire) or the black and yellow wire. I know the gray/white wire is the power to the lights from the switch and I believe the gray wire is the power supply. I have no clue what the black and yellow wire serves. Can anyone help. There is a courtesy light switch on the switch panel beside the driver seat.

Thanks for your assistance.

[SNAIL1]

The courtesy lights (in bedroom and bath room) in our 2001 DSDP are driving me crazy. We purchased the coach about 6 months ago and i know they worked because i saw them at least once.

I've checked every fuse i can find. There is one in the outside drivers side compartment that the dock electrical line enters. It is located behind a cover held in place with velcro in the same area with the switching solenoids for the electrical system.

I found the inline fuse blown on the fuse marked "ctsy lights and batt boost". I assume this is for the courtesy lights in the coach bedroom and bath. I have removed the wall switch in the bedroom and find no 12 volt power. I can make the lights operate by jumpering 12 v power from the bedroom ceiling light wire at the switch to the gray and white wire on the courtesy light switch. The gray and white wire from the wall switch is obviously the power from the wall switch to the 3 lights at floor level.

The courtesy light wall switch has 3 terminlas. One for the gray/white wire, one for a black/yellow wire and one as i remember a solid gray wire. None of the wires have 12 volt power.

I have checked continuity between the middle terminal of wall switch and the two other switch terminals. With the wall switch on, I have continuity between the middle terminal and the top terminal; no continuity between the middle terminal and the bottom terminal. With the wall switch off, I have continuity between the middle switch and the bottom terminal; no continuity between middle terminal and the top terminal.

So far I have not been able to identify the gray wire (i believe it to be the power supply wire) or the black and yellow wire. I know the gray/white wire is the power to the lights from the switch and I believe the gray wire is the power supply. I have no clue what the black and yellow wire serves. Can anyone help. There is a courtesy light switch on the switch panel beside the driver seat.

Thanks for your assistance.

[siggyd]

If your switch has 3 terminals( wires) attached,then it is a 3-way switch. So look for an other 3-way switch on the opposite side of the area.That switch may be broken or in between ON or OFF. Hope this explanation helps a little.

[Max Hubrich]

Snail1,

I just went out and checked mine. I have a '02 Mountain Aire.

I have two switches for the courtesy lights. One is on the dash board next to the drivers seat, the second one is on the wall in the bedroom. Both can turn the lights on/off and operate independent of each other.

[927palmetto]

I have a courtesy light question, too. 2005 MADP 4304. I have a courtesy light near the refridgerator and one next to the bed. I thought there was one in the salon either at the galley cabinet or perhaps below the sofa on the curbside.If there is one located there, it does not work.I cannot find it. Any suggestions on where to look?

[allynne]

927palmetto,

I also have an'05 MADP 4304. I have 3 courtesy lights: 1 in the bedroom, 1 in the base of the shower and 1 by the refer in the galley.

Al sawyer
'05 MADP

[SNAIL1]

Thanks for the input. There are two switches: one on the dash beside the drivers seat--this is a 2 position switch/on or off. The second is on the wall in the bedroom. I can find no other switches for the lights.

I have flipped the dash switch numerious times and the bedroom switch with no results. These two switches are working--i've checked them with my continuity meter. The only think that makes sence to me is that i have a broken wire(S), or bad connection some place in the system. But with power coming from two sources, the front switch beside the drivers seat and from someplace else to the switch in the bedroom it seems unlikely to me that both are bad. If the fuse in the outside electrical compartment is in fact the courtesy light and the fuse is good, unless there is another fuse someplace in the system, it seems the wire(S) must be broken.

[GaryKD]

Hi SNAIL1,
This may sound dumb, but it will take little time and no $s. My courtesy light setup is the same as yours. In the panel, where the fuse is located, there are several fuses in the same buss. Consider checking all the fuses, with a meter. I say this because two of my circuits on that buss are either miss labeled or miss wired.

[SNAIL1]

Thanks Gary, I have checked every fuse in the coach that i have found--in every box from the front to the rear, inside and outside the mh.

That's why i'm so flustrated. I suspect the three wires on the switch are: gray/white wire to the lights, black/yellow and gray are power supply. The wire from the compartment outside has a couple of color wires that i can see before it disappears into the coach but neither match the colors at the switch. I haven't pulled the panel near the drivers seat to see which color wire serves that switch. I don't understand why i have no power at the switch if the fuse tests good.

[GaryKD]

The only other thing I can think of is that the power wire to the switch in the dash has fallen off. If yours is like mine, the wires behind the dash switches is a rats nest, at best. If one of the wires has fallen off the switch, that can cause interesting symptions. I've had this happen on a couple of items. It is not easy to find or fix. My dash has many wires that are hooked up to nothing.

[SNAIL1]

Well, I did some more work this morning. I now know the problem is someplace before the switch on the front panel. I can jump 12v to the switch at the panel by the drivers seat and make everything work as it should.

Your correct the wireing in the dash area is full and goes every which way. I must say Newmar does a much better of bundling the wiring that our old motor home mfg. I'm now at the point I will have to seperate the wires and trace the purple with white strip wire to it's source.

I've again checked the fuse and wiring as far as i can trace it in the rear electrical outside compartment. One fuse is marked "courtesty lights and battery boost". I can't follow it through the coach so i'll start at the switch up front. There has to be a broken wire or fuse i haven't found. If i have to i'll install a wire with an inline fuse from the panel over the steering wheel to the switch. I know it will work but really don't want to do that.

thanks,

[GaryKD]

SNAIL1, your a better man than me. If I could not quickly find the source of the power, I'd find a coach 12V under the dash and tap into that wire for the lights. Problem fixed. Finding a coach 12V among all those wires is easy. Turn the chassis power master switch off. The only power, in all those wires should be coming from the coach batteries.

[siggyd]

I think I found the answer to SNAIL1's problem.
On Dutch Star and others the power comes off the "Disconnect Relay" in the back electr. bay by your power cord.From the relay it goes to fuse F3 (7.5 Amps in back bay) to a (purple only) wire to a feed through connector up front,it changes color to purple/white,then to your "Momentry Battery-Overide" switch and also to the Dash switch.The "In Use " switch must be ON ! for the courtesy lights to work.
I can email the diagram,if I have an email address. Siggy, 05 KSDP 3720,Cat C7,330

[GaryKD]

Siggy,
Thanks, this is good to know. It is another switch to look at for a wire that could be loose or fallen off.