American Coach: Revolution Tail Lights

[Hedge-Hog]

I read through these taillight issues and I am currently experiencing a similar issue on my 2008 Fleetwood Revolution LE. There are 5 sets of lights on each side and while the top 3 work, they are dull. The bottom two on each side (not sure what triggers these) do not work and the bulbs are good. Any suggestions on what these lights do, what might be wrong, and how do I get more lighting power to the top 3 sets of lights?

[Tha_Rooster]

So you tried headlights, brakes,flashers, and back up lights the sockets are known to corrode even though the bulbs are good.I think the only way to make them brighter is to put a brighter bulb in.

[Hedge-Hog]

Rooster, the DW and I tested the brakes which only illuminates the very top red lens, tested the flashers which only illuminated the second lights down, the next and third set of lights are white and come on when put in reverse, however, the bottom two sets of lights which are red do not ever illuminate. Not sure when they should come on but everything is corroded and dirty with a lot of fine dust. I disconnected the electrical harness which is about 8" off the back of the bulb and tested it with an electrical tester and I did not get any power. I also checked all the fuses which were all good. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[Tha_Rooster]

Head lights maybe

[HeapBigEngin]

On our Revolution, those bottom lights are the standard "running" lights/tail lamps that go on with the parking and headlight systems. If your front parking lights and headlights go on, those rear lights should go on as well. Your side marker lights should also illuminate.

What you described sure sounds like a combination of a grounding issue (dim lights are always a definite clue) and a connection/wiring issue. I have done the "grounding dance" way too many times! One of the common areas to consider is the wiring hookup for your toad at the hitch and how those wires are hooked into your main wiring harness at the rear that provides power to those rear lamps. If your front lamps and side marker lights are working properly, suggest you give that rear wiring a very close inspection. Also check your circuit fuses for corrosion on them....not unheard of, BTW.

One of the likely suspects back there oftentimes turns out to be the brake/taillamp converter that many of our coaches require. These things are notorious for burning out because the amperage requirments of the tow dolly or toad exceed the converter's capacity. Please don't ask me how I have learned this lesson more than once. A "bad" converer can cause the issues you are having depending on how it's wired into the main harness back there. Also, because there are so many wires and connections within that whole area that are subject to moisture, crud, etc., it is a prime area that can cause the problems you described. After checking the fuses as mentioned, suggest you grab your 12V test light and test for power through the numerous wires at the rear of the coach as mentioned above. Again, if your front lamps are working properly and all fuses are OK, your problem will most likely be at the rear of your coach.

BTW....and this may sound ridiculous but, hopfully, not insulting....make sure that the "dullness" of the rear lights is actually an electrical issue. Why? Those plastic lenses on our Rev dull down significantly over short periods of time. I polish them several times a season with a plastic renewing polish to undull them and keep them clean....and they look like new! Just a thought, FWIW.

Please let us know what you find....it will definitely help the rest of us. Thanks!

[Hedge-Hog]

I appreciate the help HeapBigEngin and Tha_Rooster as I was able to get the bottom four lights working again. Turns out a tight zip-tie against frame close to the trailer hitch cut through the wiring. However, all the lights are still not as bright as I would like.

HeapBigEngin, you obviously know your Revolution and I appreciate your detailed response, where can I find the converter that you mention as a possible issue? Thanks again.

[HeapBigEngin]

Originally Posted by Hedge-Hog

I appreciate the help HeapBigEngin and Tha_Rooster as I was able to get the bottom four lights working again. Turns out a tight zip-tie against frame close to the trailer hitch cut through the wiring. However, all the lights are still not as bright as I would like.

HeapBigEngin, you obviously know your Revolution and I appreciate your detailed response, where can I find the converter that you mention as a possible issue? Thanks again.

Hey, you are welcome. Glad you found the non-working lights issue and passed along your results. Re knowing our Rev, that comes primarily from my need to address certain issues that have come up over the years....none, thank Heaven, too awfully serious. Being a bit of a "gear head" in general helps as well.

I use a tow dolly to transport our toad. Maybe you already know the following info, but maybe not. The Revolution, like a lot of other coaches, has individual brake and turn signal lamps/bulbs on 2 seperate circuits. However, our dollly has the more conventional single circuit system that powers both the stop lights and the turn signals. Hence, you have a double circuit system on the coach feeding 12V into a single circuit system on the dolly (I imagine this would likely also apply to a toad configured the same way as the dolly, but I have not fooled with that setup.). The converter, yes, "converts" the Coach's outgoing 2-circuit 12V into the dolly's incoming 1-circuit system so that they can "talk" to one another. Hope that makes sense....

I have no idea if you have a converter or where it may be located if you do. I thought I read somewhere that Fleetwood may have incorporated their own type of converter within their wiring system and harnesses on later year coaches. (Customer service at American Coach could answer that for you....and they are super!). If you have a converter and it was installed "after market", it would by at the rear of the coach up underneath so that it would tie in to the lamp wiring harnesses back there. That's where mine is anyhow.

If you determine you have an "aftermarket" converter issue now or in the future, I will pass this along FWIW. Do not buy the cheap ones....they are junk. I replaced two of the junk variety in successive years. Last year, I installed a Hopkins electronic converter with its own circuit protection via a fuse wired into the coach's battery system for power. It has a full 8 amp capacity. And this where the cheap ones go away....they fry themselves because the lamps on the dolly can easily exceed the cheap converter's usual 2-5 amp capacity. When that happens, you will lose some/all dolly bulbs since power can no longer go through. It can also cause grounding issues depending upon how it is wired into the coach. And, as I mentioned before, dim lights is a very strong clue to a grounding issue. And maybe that's all you have now....dunno. If you need a new converter, get a good one.

Sorry for the long post....just trying to help you save some time and aggravation. Wish I had known this 3 converters ago!! Again, please keep us posted....Thanks!

Take care.....Heap.

[akeyzoo]

I have one lens on my rev which is dull because the reflective paint on the INSIDE of the lens has failed to some degree. No idea how to fix that unless I improve my ship building in a bottle skills. I called FW and they want $80 PER lens. We have 10. Would be nice to have all new as my new headlamps look great. Tried my damndest to find an aftermarket or non FW option, but no luck. If I replace just one lens the others will look like crap. I have used plastic polish on the exterior.

blech.
Chris

[Tha_Rooster]

I just went and cleaned 4 tail lights that were corroded. I took a picture of the lights.