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iquilt888 · 04-24-2014, 08:47 PM

This morning I tried to get my furnace to run, with zip luck.

Went out and opened the furnace compartment. Inside I found a small red light blinking, 3 blinks then stop only to begin again. According to the trouble sheet that means an igniter failure. OK now what?

Have no idea what-so-ever what an igniter is (not really) or for that matter where it might be located. Even if I knew where it was located don't know what to do next. Looked around for some sort of reset button to no avail. Also checked the information that came with the furnace. It was as you might guess absolutely no help.

Just to let you know my coach is a 2008 Fleetwood.

Any help that will let me fix this myself will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for any and all comments.

Petes Dad · 04-24-2014, 08:51 PM

Low voltage? Shore power hooked up or on batteries?

TBS-POPS · 04-24-2014, 09:41 PM

Probably one of two things. Either the thermocouple has soot on it shorting it out to the heat shield which grounds it or the thermocouple is bad but probably the first prob.Turn furnace off. Follow the gas line from the regulator in the furnace to the burner chamber. should be a smaller line also this is the pilot line. Where they come together in the burner tube there is also a metal finger with a wire coming out the bottom. clean the soot off the finger and where the small pilot line is and also the igniter probe. this will unsoot the probe and will let the igniter light. do this with the furnace off!!! then turn it on and see if the igniter lights the furnace. this happens to water heaters too.If igniter clicks,sparks, and pilot lights but igniter still sparks then thermocouple could be bad .

RV Wizard · 04-25-2014, 02:27 AM

Ignition failure means it just did not ignite before it went into default. This van be cause by half a dozen reasons. Many times the units just needed to be cleaned and insure the gap between igniter and burner iw 3/16".

wa8yxm · 04-25-2014, 09:07 AM

That pattern = "Ignition Lock Out".. Now let's get to causes.

First, at the top of what looks like the blower motor (Top center in the opening) is a switch/circuit breaker (it is both) turn it off and the light should go out, With the Thermostat turned up high enough turn it back on,, It should try to start... Observe, listen and smell (CAUTION hot exhaust if it lights)

You should hear the blower come on (you will feel cool air from the exhaust) then you should hear a CLICK as the solenoid opens, YOU MAY (or may not) smell the propane additive, You should hear a "Snap Shap" sound as the ignition system tries to ignight the gas, and the gas should ignight (you will feel warm air and HEAR the change in sound when it ignights, you may also see the flame) then (Since it is ignition failure mode) the gas and flame should shut off, after a short pause it will attempt to re-light,, Twice, then it will go into lock out again.

Let us know what is NOT happening or if this sequence is as describe above..

What I know

Blower does not start: Serious issue, could be bad motor or bad wire or connection or bad mother board.

Blower but no CLICK from solenoid.
Sail switch, low batteries, Control board, Solenoid, connectors or wires.

Solenoid but no gas flow (NOTE: this can be tricky testing for gas flow) Bad solenoid, insect nest in burner orifice.

No SNAP SNAP SNAP, Mother board, spark gap (NOTE: I have worked on two furnaces, one oil, one gas, that had intermittent operation on both the spark gap was excessive and correcting fixed it, One of those was my Atwood)

Flame comes on well but ... cuts off after a few seconds

Bad thermal sensor (Very unlikely) Bad connection (possible, very possible) bad control board (My problem) Remove and re-connect wires a few times (NOTE high voltage during ignition) if this does not fix it replace control board with a Dinosaur board.

That's what I did, New Dino board, No problem.

I did a bunch more testing but then I have the tools and knowledge to do it, I do not recommend the added work.

gripper · 04-25-2014, 12:53 PM

[QUOTE=wa8yxm;
if this does not fix it replace control board with a Dinosaur board.
That's what I did, New Dino board, No problem[/QUOTE]

wa8yxm, I sent you a PM, on a similar problem I'm having with my rear furnace. Gripper

DiverGuy1960 · 12-24-2022, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RV Wizard

Ignition failure means it just did not ignite before it went into default. This van be cause by half a dozen reasons. Many times the units just needed to be cleaned and insure the gap between igniter and burner iw 3/16".

several days of -6 with highs of 16 ... I replaced the burner and igniter but didn't know the correct gap setting.. 3/16 did the trick and it fired right up.

BRRRR!!!