Community Forums

akwally · 07-23-2013, 10:11 PM

hoping someone can help me out. I have a 2001 Fleetwood wilderness 5th wheel and am having electrical issues.

when I measure voltage at my batteries I have 12.57 volts, but at the breakout panel everything is 10 volts. all my lights are dim. I have followed the wires as far as i can and everything seems ok, no breaks or splices that might be causing a high resistance. is anyone aware of something that the dc power runs through that could be causing the problem? I just replaced my ac to dc converter because I thought that was causing the problem but it is still doing the same thing. any help would be appreciated.

**CLIFFTALL** · 07-24-2013, 05:14 AM

Welcome to irv2. Have you checked the outlet the converter is plugged into and the DC output from the converter ?

Cliff

Swamp Man · 07-24-2013, 09:20 AM

Ok. Let's start with the simple things first. Check the ground from the batteries to the frame. I mean take it apart, clean it, and install it. Follow the ground wire from the frame up to the electrical panel. Make sure you have a good connection at the panel. Next clean all of the battery connections and follow the hot lead to the electrical panel. Make sure you have a good connection.

Get a meter and look at the voltage each battery when the trailer is unplugged. Check it again with the trailer plugged in. You should see a difference in the two reading with the higher being when the trailer is plugged in. Since you have replaced the converter, check the fuse in it. Then check the outlet it is plugged into. Make sure the main breaker for the electrical panel is on. Look at the instructions that came with converter and find the leads that go to the battery. Most converters now days have maintenance charge cycle and a charging cycle. Read the manual and see what they are. Measure the voltage coming out of the charging leads. If the batteries are as weak as you say, the converter should be in full charging cycle. The converter when plugged in, also supplies 12v to the 12v side. So, your converter might be bad (call the manufacturer and see what they say).

One other thing to check if you have one is the battery cutoff switch. I don't think yours has one but it does not preclude the fact someone installed one during the trailer's life. Sometimes they can go bad and create problems.

akwally · 07-24-2013, 07:42 PM

the problem is when I am dry camping and have no power plugged in. my batteries are new this spring and they both just load tested good disconnected. I have no problem when plugged in I get a over 13 volts. When disconnected from AC power I can turn on everything in the camper and still have 12.5 volts at the battery, but only 9.5 volts at any light receptacle and at all the fuses. if I turn everything off I have 12.5 volts at batteries and 10.0 volts everywhere else. I disconnected the converter to see if it was putting a draw on the system, but nothing changed. I did find a couple of splices on the main power wires at the fuse panel, they look good but I am going to replace them anyway. I checked the battery cutoff switch someone had installed and I show 12.5 volts going in and coming out. I will take your advice and check all the grounds and see what happens.

Thanks

akwally · 07-24-2013, 10:05 PM

Thanks Swamp Man, checking the ground idea sent me in the right direction. I just can't believe that Fleetwood would use 10' of wire where a foot would work. I followed the ground from the battery up into the camper into another bundle of wires over to the bathroom drain pipe where it went thru the floor. I found I could give it a tug and every time I did the propane leak detector would chirp so I knew I was on to something. I had to cut the membrane under the camper to find the wire and reached up in the insulation and followed it with my hand as far as I could, then cut another hole and reach up in and follow it again. it finally came out on the side of the battery box and low and behold it was attached to a very loose ground stud. once I tightened it up my problems were solved. this has given me problems since I purchased it 4 years ago, it just wasn't as noticeable until I changed out all my bulbs to LED this year. it had a lock nut so it couldn't have worked loose, I think it came from the factory that way.

Thanks again, I am now a happy camper again

Roam America · 07-26-2013, 08:28 AM

Swamp Man · 07-29-2013, 09:56 AM

I am so glad that you found it. Did you shorten the run of wire to get rid of the up and over, down, and around? I am glad to have contributed in a small manner to helping you.