Community Forums

max49 · 05-10-2007, 07:43 PM

I don't know if this is a Damon thing or Workhorse but My left turnsignal indiator just stays on steady but the turn sinals, front and rear blink. Seems strange. Any idea what's wrong?

max49 · 05-10-2007, 07:43 PM

I don't know if this is a Damon thing or Workhorse but My left turnsignal indiator just stays on steady but the turn sinals, front and rear blink. Seems strange. Any idea what's wrong?

N5IIG · 05-11-2007, 02:18 PM

Max I don't know for sure how this works, but does the flasher relay feed the signals and bulb in dash cluster separately. Point being that if that part of the relay that feeds dash bulb may be bad, or contacts closed. I can't see it being a bad ground or bulb in the dash cluster. If a bad bulb or ground I am thinking that the bulb would not work at all. Just thinking out loud.................Jim

Chandler · 05-11-2007, 05:01 PM

Max..That's an easy one...I think. Do you have the parking lights on while you're seeing this?

Try this. Have someone sit in the MH and go out, pull the bulb and socket and wiggle the bulb. It should clear up. Sometimes when the bulb loses it's ground, the power back feeds up and through the indicator light on the dash. Let us know if this works..If not, I'll scratch my head some more.

Chandler

max49 · 05-13-2007, 05:30 PM

Just got back, turn signals works fine with head or parking lights off, thought it fixed it self, but with the lights on the left indicator light stays on steady.

Chandler · 05-13-2007, 05:47 PM

Hi Max! That said, I stand by my diagnosis. When the lights are on, the power is feeding back due to a lack of a ground, to the dash indicator. Seen it many times.

Good luck.

Chandler

max49 · 05-13-2007, 06:47 PM

Hmm, I might change the bulb or bulbs. It seems strange the way it is wired. My turnsignal and side light blink simutaneously or together when the lights are off but they blink alternately when the head or parking lights are on.
I think the Damon/ Workhorse combination is wired very poorly. When it was almost new the left turn sig indicator would just stay on , all the time but only when the headlights were on. The turnsignals were'nt actually on , just the indicator light. It was a bad trip, I drove 250 miles and every 3/4 of a mile it would start beeping at me because it thought that I forgot and left my turn signal on. The only way I could get it to stop would be to put my right turn signal on for a second, then I was beeper free for 3/4 of a mile.
It was under warranty and I took it in and they charged me for it because they said they just changed a light bulb.
I just hope my original electrical night mares don't start coming back.
I had to put about 12,000 miles on it before it started acting like a new MH.
If changing the bulbs doesn't work , I guess I'llstart checking some ground wires.

John-D · 05-14-2007, 04:16 AM

The side marker lights blinking either in step or opposite the rear turn signals (and front) is Working as designed, And it is a very clean, simple and logical design that makes a lot of sense

here is what they did

Most non-blinking lights and the front/rear blinking lights are wired from the control switch or blinker to ground.

LIke this

Ground {-battery+}--blinker--switch--bulg--ground

The marker lights that blink however are wired across the Turn/Tail (or turn park) light leads

Thus, when your headlights are off, considering the small size of the marker light and the large size of the tail lights, the marker sees the tail light as "Ground" and the turn signal line as "Blinking" and blinks in step

When the tail lights are on the marker light is smaller still with respect to the turn signal bulb so it sees the tail light as hot and the ground (Turn signal) as blinking

HOT-HOT light off Ground-Ground light off

Tail hot turn off, Light on

Turn Hot tail off Light on

Work out the logic and you will see that ONE of the circuits (Tail or turn) has to be off for the marker light to light.

Thus they blink IN step when the tail lights are off and out of step when they are on.

Lights on for safety

Chandler · 05-14-2007, 05:54 AM

Max, I'm glad you told me that. It's definately a ground. The way the side marker and turn signal are wired makes them blink alternately. The turn signal ground goes through the side marker light so that when the turn signnal is on the ground path prevents the side marker from lighting. When it's off the ground is returned to the side marker and it lights. There was a thread on RV.Net forum a while ago that addressed this very thing. There was a wiring diagram posted so you can understand how it works and hopefully how to fix it. Give me a little time and I'll find it. It is a simple fix, we just have to fine the bad connection. Hang in there, we'll get it straightened out!

Chandler

Chandler · 05-14-2007, 05:57 AM

Good post John...Do you remember the thread on RV.net? Gotta be a ground missing so the power is feeding back to the cluster...

Chandler · 05-14-2007, 06:04 AM

Hey Max..I found it. try here

max49 · 05-14-2007, 04:41 PM

Thanks a bunch, I'm lucky to have you guys be so helpful. I'm going to study this information, it'll probably take awhile before it can soak into my head tho.
I still think it is much more complicated than it should be.
I think I have it fixed now but heres how. As I told you , all the lights seemed to be working with the lights off and they also seemed to work right with the headlights on except the indicator light did'nt blink. I also found out that with the key on and engine off and lights on the sinals and indicator light worked and blinked right. I thought it fixed it self again. Wrong, as soon as I started the engine, the indicator light stopped blinking again. I climbed under it and decided to change the clearance light bulb while every thing was on and it was blinking, but not the indicator. As soon as I put the new bulb in the indicator light started blinking. So it appears that for what ever reason it's working again but I don't have lots of confidence in it yet. I guess I'll see.
Another strange thing I found was if I took the clearance bulb out the signal bulb would'nt work either. I could possibly have that backwards.
Any ways, John and Chandler , you guys gave me some good information. I going to save this page to my computer because I've had plenty of electrical problems so far and I'm sure I'll have more.
Thanks again.

Chandler · 05-14-2007, 05:49 PM

Well...I guess that's good news...right?

Looking at the wiring diagram on the link I sent you, the directional shouldn't go out if the marker's removed...unless it's somehow wired differently. I'll try mine tomorrow and see what it does.

Let's hope it stays fixed!

Chandler

John-D · 05-15-2007, 02:59 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chandler:
Good post John...Do you remember the thread on RV.net? Gotta be a ground missing so the power is feeding back to the cluster... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thank you Chandler and to answer your questions

NO, don't recall the thread may have been before my time

And yes, I agree, there is a ground missing.

And for another poster. The marker light missing will make no difference, the turn signal does not go THROUGH the marker light, nor does the tail light, both go past it one on one side one on the other. If it is not there nothing inside the MH will notice, only a person outside would notice the missing light.