Community Forums

moore101 · 05-22-2015, 10:11 AM

Hello everyone,
I am the proud owner of a 95 Country Coach Magna 38' motorhome, chassis #5266. It is in great shape inside and out and most of the house systems work, there are a few minor issues I am working on now. Have owned a number of travel trailers and 5th wheels but this is my first class A. Luckily the previous owner was very meticulous with documentation so I have all manuals and diagrams.

A few pictures of her are attached. And on to the questions...

Is it ok to start the coach when plugged into shore power?

Are there any systems that could be damaged by turning on/off when connected to shore power? I am testing everything now and want to be sure that I don't fry something.

I am chasing a few 12v electrical issues (thank goodness for the wiring diagrams!) and have found the fuse status lights in the front electrical bay aren't working even though 95% of the systems are functional. Is there a trick to getting the fuse lights on? Center coach electrical bay is working correctly.

Finally in the last picture any idea what the hole in the overhead control panel is for? My guess is the voice box as the coach doesn't talk like described in the manual. Is this worth trying to source a part and fix?

Thanks and hope to see you on the road, I'll be the guy in an older CC waving franticly when driving by...

-Loran

BFlinn181 · 05-22-2015, 10:37 AM

Nice looking RV! You shouldn't damage anything by starting while plugged in to shore power. Trying out the systems for a short time also won't damage anything. Don't start generator or plug/unplug shore cord with heavy loads (air conditioner) on as that can cause arcing in transfer switch or shore cord plug. As to the circuit status lights, I can't help you. You might try changing out a known good light with a non-functioning light to see if it's the circuit or just the light.

CoCoDave · 05-22-2015, 12:08 PM

All of our "basement" doors have a "pin switch" that tells whether the door is open or closed. The fuse status lights are enabled by the "pin switch" in the front run bay. On occasion the switch does not make good contact when the door is opened. What usually works is to push the pin in and then let go so it snaps out. These switches also enable the lights in the compartment and feed the alarm if you have one.

Don't know about the hole/speaker. I have mixed feelings about the voice. Ours works but sometimes it's too much of a good thing.

Congratulations on your coach!

deandec · 05-22-2015, 12:56 PM

We have owned coach #5280 for 13 years, but with a front entrance door and same color scheme.

It appears your cockpit seating is reversed from ours. You have the buddy chair as the captain chair.

I believe the hole is for a clock. Ours is digital but some were anolog.

It is ok to start the coach when on shore power. You can also start the generator when on shore power (the transfer switch defaults to generator) but I always disconnect shore power first.

Also remember to turn off the roof AC before disconnecting shore power or stopping the generator.

The center chassis fuses may not light because you have a poor ground connection.

Try using a temporary new ground connection from the ignition solenoid just below the center row of chassis fuses to see if that lights things up.

deandec · 05-22-2015, 01:11 PM

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Peralko · 05-22-2015, 03:13 PM

You got some good answers already. Our coach was seven coaches ahead of yours on the assembly line. Try jiggling the pin switch to get the lights come on. We have had to replace a few of the pin switches--Country Coach has them. Like Dean said, the hole is probably for a clock. Dean has the same clock we have, in the same location you have a hole.
Nice buddy seat, Dean! Ours had one from the factory, but a previous owner replaced it with a regular chair. The dogs like to lay with DW when we travel, so she misses the buddy seat. Tried to get one, but not easy to het hold of. Of course now we are getting too close to trading.

deandec · 05-22-2015, 06:33 PM

Hey, we would like to get rid of the buddy seat but most likely will have to just buy new chairs to make a matched set.

Our driver's chair fabric has seen a lot of action so needs to be recovered or replaced in the near future.

I will say, that the Ultraleather material is wonderful. (Just about $63 per yard wonderful!)

Peralko · 05-22-2015, 07:54 PM

Your chairs look identical to ours, except I stashed the driver's seat and installed a RECARO seat I had laying around so I could have a heated seat. When we sell the coach, I plan to reinstall the original driver's seat.

TimSullivan · 05-22-2015, 11:22 PM

Congratulations, great looking rig. I think you will be very satisfied with it.

moore101 · 05-22-2015, 11:44 PM

Thanks everyone! Good to know briefly testing systems is ok when plugged into shore power.

Thanks Dean and Dave for the tip on the ground for the fuse status lights, that was it. I could not find the original ground so I connected it through the door/light switch, problem solved! Now on to tracing the water dump which isn't getting power...

Peralko · 05-23-2015, 09:09 AM

I had to take the dump valves apart to clean them out. They tend to rust up--I ended replacing one of them with a manual valve eventually. They are about $300 each, and there are 4 of them.