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Old 07-21-2021, 02:07 PM   #1
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Brake Light Fuse Pops on 2018 311FS Leprechaun

2018 311FS on Ford Chassis/V10

Popped the Under Hood Brake On/Off Fuse (location 30) a few weeks back. Happened while parked and with this fuse blown it does not allow the vehicle to shift out of park and of course, vehicle brake lights were out. I was able to override the shift interlock by using the brake controller button and had brake lights on the RV and trailer we were towing. Using the brake controller button, we were able to have brake lights and trailer brakes to safely limp home.

Initial online searches suggested replacing the brake light switch about the brake pedal. Easy replacement at about $14. Replaced the fuse under the hood and everything worked fine. Went to leave on our next planned trip and touched the brake pedal to shift out of park and fuse blown again.
This time, even trying to use the brake controller button didn’t help. No brake lights on RV, and no brake lamp power on the trailer wire connector plug in the back. Pushing the button on the brake controller does send power to the trailer brake terminal as normal.

More researching and diagnosis. Replaced Multi-Function Switch. Same issue. Removed rear lamps to check for faulty wiring, any possible intrusions of water in the lamps. No issues found. All three brake lights are LED style and are fully operational when on as running lights.

Removed connectors on the Shift Interlock Solenoid to see if that was our culprit and the fuse still pops.

Next obvious step will be to scavenge the wiring, something I am not looking forward to but is only the next choice. Being this is a cut away, I am not sure if the brake wiring was grounded by Ford at the factory or later done at Coachmen when the build was done. Hoping, desperately hoping that I can find where the brake wiring is grounded to on the chassis. And even more so hoping is where I will find our issue. Has anyone had to chase the ground wires on one of these units and could be of help as to the possible location?

Any other thoughts on what our Excellent Electrical Experience could be?

This stinks!

TYIA for any assitance.
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Old 07-22-2021, 07:30 PM   #2
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Does this problem happen only with your trailer hooked up? Does it happen without trailer hooked up? If problem occurs only when trailer is connected, I would suspect bad trailer wiring. If it happens without trailer hooked up, I would suspect bad tow vehicle wiring. If you can narrow it down to one or the other, you will save alot of time troubleshooting the problem.
I know many people have had issues with trailer brake wiring at or near the axles. Good luck.
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Old 07-23-2021, 05:47 AM   #3
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Happens with or without the trailer. We narrowed that down as we have a tester box for the trailer lights. I'd actually preferred to have had it been the trailer versus what I suspect will be an expensive dealer repair here shortly if I can't find the root cause of this.
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Old 07-24-2021, 08:28 PM   #4
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It would have been nice to narrow your search to the trailer, but at least you can focus more on the tow vehicle. I'd look real close at any and all connections and wiring. Hopefully, it'll be something like a chaffedor punched wire. Good luck on your search!
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Old 07-24-2021, 11:23 PM   #5
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https://www.irv2.com/forums/f59/inte...ue-546647.html

Not sure if you've seen this thread, may be something to look at.
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Old 07-26-2021, 07:15 AM   #6
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Finally! Found broken and chaffed wires on the body wiring harness where the loom splits off to the rear of the rig. Just forward of the rear axle the harness was tight against a cross member for the frame. There are 7 wires as part of the assembly, however only four of them are used/applicable for our RV.

Two wires were cut through with a third pretty chaffed up.

The repair was to splice in new wires, adding a few inches to each wire to keep it from touching the cross member. For good measure and just to be safe, I added a piece of clear rubber hose zip tied around the loom just in case it would ever come in contact.
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Old 07-26-2021, 09:14 AM   #7
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Great news...you saved yourself that dreaded trip to the dealer! Glad you got the problem located and fixed.
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