RV Cutting out

[Lorraine]

Hi everyone, i wonder if anyone can help,we have a problem with our RV cutting out whilst driving, we can be driving for about an hour and all of a sudden the RV will cut out we loose all lights engine and everything. Just wondered if anyone else had experienced anything like this.
Our RV is a Holiday Rambler Ambassador 2000 model

Thanks Lorraine

[Mike Canter]

Hello Loraine, welcome to the forum. So are you driving that large motorhome down those small country lanes over there. Is that a gasoline or a diesel motorhome? Since you are losing the lights and motor I would suspect that you have a bad or loose connection on the battery cables. You should check them and make sure that both ends of them are tight. Wiggle them real hard. You can turn on the headlights and have somebody watch the lights while you wiggle the wires and see if they flash on and off. If they are tight then take them off the battery and clean the battery posts and the inside of the cables with a wire brush. You should also check the other ends of the cable where the negative attaches to earth on the chassis and where the positive attaches probably to your battery disconnect switch. If all is good then you may have a bad battery disconnect switch. let us know what you find out.

[Lorraine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Canter Hello Loraine, welcome to the forum. So are you driving that large motorhome down those small country lanes over there. Is that a gasoline or a diesel motorhome? Since you are losing the lights and motor I would suspect that you have a bad or loose connection on the battery cables. You should check them and make sure that both ends of them are tight. Wiggle them real hard. You can turn on the headlights and have somebody watch the lights while you wiggle the wires and see if they flash on and off. If they are tight then take them off the battery and clean the battery posts and the inside of the cables with a wire brush. You should also check the other ends of the cable where the negative attaches to earth on the chassis and where the positive attaches probably to your battery disconnect switch. If all is good then you may have a bad battery disconnect switch. let us know what you find out.

Hi Mike, i'am not brave enough to drive it down the country lanes, i tend to breath in when another vehicle is passing, i call it the suicide seat, Denis drives it and i am the back seat driver. The RV is a diesel, Denis has tried the battery connections and they all seem ok, Denis will have to check out the battery disconnect switch.

Thanks for you help
Lrraine

[Mike Canter]

A battery connection can look OK but can be dirty on the post. Also the cable can be bad going into the terminal. One thing you can try on the disconnect switch is forst take off the positive cable then on the back of the disconnect switch move one of the two positive cables to the other cable so they are both joined together on the same terminal. This will put the disconnect switch out of the circuit so you can see if it still happens. Coming off the far end of that positive battery cable will be a smaller cable probably an 8 or 10 gauge that will be giving the lights and dash and engine its 12 volts, That can be loose somewhere also. If you have a forward Electrical Run Box (panel) and a Rear Electrical Run Box (panel) in the engine compartment then you should check for tight connection in both of those boxes. I found in my Forward Run Box the main power cable coming in to two long copper strips to be loose.

[RCLImperial]

I had a similar problem with my last motorhome, a '97 Endeavor DP. It was on a Freightliner chassis, so your problem may not be the same, although the symptoms are the same. It turned out to be a thermal circuit breaker that supplied power to the chassis. It would suddenly open, killing the lights, engine and gages. I would coast to a stop, and after a minute or so, the lights would return and I could start it up. That breaker would overheat and when it cooled down, it would reset. Replacing that breaker cured the problem.

Dick Lucas, '04 HR Imperial

[Lorraine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCLImperial I had a similar problem with my last motorhome, a '97 Endeavor DP. It was on a Freightliner chassis, so your problem may not be the same, although the symptoms are the same. It turned out to be a thermal circuit breaker that supplied power to the chassis. It would suddenly open, killing the lights, engine and gages. I would coast to a stop, and after a minute or so, the lights would return and I could start it up. That breaker would overheat and when it cooled down, it would reset. Replacing that breaker cured the problem. Dick Lucas, '04 HR Imperial

Hi thanks for all the information, as said before all battery connections have been tested and are ok, Denis is going to check out the battery disconnect switch, but it sounds quite possible it could be this thermal breaker, we just need to know where to find it, more work.
Thanks for all the info Lorraine

[Mike Canter]

Lorraine, I went over to my MH and took a picture of my Auto Resetting Thermal Breakers. Mine are located in the Forward Run Box which is outside the MH under the drivers side window. Some are also located in the Rear Run Box in my engine compartment. My circuits breakers were not bad but where they attached to the copper bus strip nuts were loose which created high current and made them get hot. They look wicked and dangerous but that is only 12 volts on them. You can see the red wire at the top bringing in the power.The question I have is does this going on and off ONLY happen when the lights are on and engine running? Do you have to be moving down the road or will it happen when standing still? If so you can probabaly turn on the headlights, heater fan on high and fog lights to draw as much current as possible and see if you can get it to do it while parked.

[Lorraine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Canter Lorraine, I went over to my MH and took a picture of my Auto Resetting Thermal Breakers. Mine are located in the Forward Run Box which is outside the MH under the drivers side window. Some are also located in the Rear Run Box in my engine compartment. My circuits breakers were not bad but where they attached to the copper bus strip nuts were loose which created high current and made them get hot. They look wicked and dangerous but that is only 12 volts on them. You can see the red wire at the top bringing in the power.The question I have is does this going on and off ONLY happen when the lights are on and engine running? Do you have to be moving down the road or will it happen when standing still? If so you can probabaly turn on the headlights, heater fan on high and fog lights to draw as much current as possible and see if you can get it to do it while parked.

Hi Mike, it only happens when we are driving along, it has happened once when it was daylight, so no lights on and twice at nigh time with all lights on we do think that it is something getting hot, as soon as we come to a stop within a minute it will start up again and we carry on, but i have got to say it is scarey when your driving along a motorway and you loose all power.
Denis is at work at the moment but you have given him a lot of ideas now where to look.

Thanks for the help and the picture.
Speak soon
Lorraine

[RCLImperial]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lorraine Hi thanks for all the information, as said before all battery connections have been tested and are ok, Denis is going to check out the battery disconnect switch, but it sounds quite possible it could be this thermal breaker, we just need to know where to find it, more work. Thanks for all the info Lorraine

If it helps any, the location of the thermal breakers on my '97 Endeavor were located on a rear chassis rail near the battery compartment and the engine. They were rated at something like 100 amps and were about the size of a cigarette pack.
On my '04 Imperial, they are located inside the rear access doors for the engine. It is a side radiator. There are 3 of them, 2 at 120amps, one at 150amps. They are labelled "Buss HI-AMP"

Look for heavy, red wires connected to them. They should be located somewhere near the battery bay.

Dick Lucas

[TXiceman]

Lorraine, as noted, a connection may look good, but you need to clean them to be sure. after cleaning the connections, coat them with a dielectric grease or some stuff called No-Ox. An electrical supply should have some of the stuff.

ken

[Lorraine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCLImperial If it helps any, the location of the thermal breakers on my '97 Endeavor were located on a rear chassis rail near the battery compartment and the engine. They were rated at something like 100 amps and were about the size of a cigarette pack. On my '04 Imperial, they are located inside the rear access doors for the engine. It is a side radiator. There are 3 of them, 2 at 120amps, one at 150amps. They are labelled "Buss HI-AMP" Look for heavy, red wires connected to them. They should be located somewhere near the battery bay. Dick Lucas

Hi Dick, yes all this information does help.

Thanks very much Lorraine