Electrical Issues and Questions

[Kevin H]

My '99 Dolphin has been immobile for quite some time (1 1/2 years). There were no batteries in it (chassis nor house) as we ran off shore power the entire time. We have been living in it fulltime.

We are preparing to go mobile. I replaced all three batteries (1 chassis and 2 house). I have not hooked up the house batteries yet, but I do have the chassis installed.

Now here is a loud and repeated click that appears to be coming from a solenoid/switch on the fuse panel. It will click and the 12v house lights will dime, then click and they will brighten up. This repeats every 30 seconds or so. I disconnected the chassis battery and all is normal.

I have a Disconnect button on the control panel, but I do not know how it works. It is a two way rocker. Push one side and it returns to center and the same when you push the opposite side. Can anyone shed light on what is happening and a detailed description of the use and function of the "Disconnect" button? I am at wits end on this one!!!

Thanks a lot and Happy Trails -- Kevin

[Thorfinn]

Without seeing it, it's hard to say where the problem could be. If the thing that is clicking is a little bigger than a fuse, but has a metal body, it could be an automatic circuit breaker. This opens when you have a short, then resets itself after it cools. If this is what it is, then it should pull out just like a fuse. If this is the case, I would remove it, then power up everything else and try to figure out what circuit is dead. That should lead you to the short circuit. After correcting the fault, re-install the breaker and test it all out.

Good luck!

[LVJ58]

Why don't you connect the house batteries and see if that resolves your problem..also you should never run anything in your coach on the 12v system without house batteries. The converter is not designed to power your coach 12v system on a continuous basis without the house batteries in the circuit.

The clicking you hear is most likely your "isolator" solenoid engaging and disengaging.

[wa8yxm]

If it has been sitting for more than a year,,, You may be in for a shock.. I've replaced a lot of brake master cylinders on "Road Kill" cars I picked up that had sat for less than a year... Seems to damage hydraulic systems to just sit there.

[Kevin H]

Thanks for the responses. I installed the house batteries. All is working great now. I had no idea the system needed the batteries in order to work well. I assumed the inverter would work independently. Fortunately, no evidence of any problems at this time.

As to the brakes, fortunately again, I drove the coach about 175 miles this weekend and all appears fine. Stopped fine with no noticed issues.

Happy Trails!! -- Kevin

[ernieh]

Did you make a series of hard stops in that 175 miles? Any water that the brake fluid absorbed may not boil till you really need your brakes.

If it was mine, I would have the fluid flushed.

[Kevin H]

Thanks for the suggestion, Erneigh. I was considering bleeding them for the same reason. No I will for certain.

Happy Trails!! -- Kevin

[LVJ58]

Hey Kevin, glad to hear all is working well for you. Now go have some fun, safe and trouble free journeys....