12 Volt DC Short to RV Frame Caused Leveling Jacks to Malfunction - Bonus Lake Crescent Quick Look
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- Опубліковано 25 сер 2024
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Certified Mobile RV Technician, Darren Koepp, was called out to troubleshoot this RV's leveling jacks that were not working. By following the trail of 12 volts, he located a wire that was shorting to ground causing overheating of some wires and the malfunction in the leveling jacks.
Bonus feature: Quick look at Lake Crescent in Washington.
If you are in need of RV Repairs in the Olympic Peninsula area of Washington state, submit a service request on our website at myrvworks.com today!
Sometimes these videos are quite baffling, just as the RV tech is often baffled while doing service. I am learning the language and visual understanding of the parts despite the confusion. It is very helpful that you use the language of pathways and turn it into a story. My goal is to watch everything you release in an effort to gain a holistic understanding of all the mechanisms that are involved. Thank you for pressing on in your quest. I am in the process of changing careers from Construction to becoming an RV tech. Thanks a million for allowing me to tag along!
Thank you for using a common sense diagnostic procedure that lends itself to accuracy in the repair and not unloading the “parts cannon” at the customer’s expense. That is a value one can never complain about.
I have to tell you that this EXACT thing happened to me. The relay kept getting hot and not working and i was not sure exactly how it all worked but youtube to the rescue again and your video specifically showed me how to fix it. Thanks a million.
Great video, very helpful, my system on my coach is acting strangely, as a retired mechanic over the years I've found if a system is acting odd its generally a ground issue, you have given me a place to start, thanks alot.
Great job! I appreciate how you don’t edit out some of the bloopers like your negative probe falling off of the chassis ground. Great reminder that such things happen to everyone. Thanks again for a thorough real-world explanation.
I try my best to keep it real. None of my videos are scripted. So my dyslexic words are in full display to everybody. On some videos I call refrigerators air conditioners and vice versa. Thanks for watching and happy camping.
I don’t know much about electricity and it’s flow but you have definitely enlightened me how to find a starting point when it comes to trouble shooting electrical problems, thank you
It's fun to follow the trail of 12 volts with you. I learn something on every video. Thanks. i've been a lot of lots of Olympic trails too. Beautiful up there. Hurricane Ridge can't be beat.
As a Fire Control Technician working Missile Fire Control Radars, DC grounds were the worst (hardest) casualty to troubleshoot. Sure wish I had one of those Fluke meters to help us. Great job, I really enjoyed the "Refresher Training". :-) v/r, TS USN(Ret), Denver, CO
Oh my...bad things can happen when big wires short...hammer the alternator..burn up the rig...crazy stuff...you fixed the levelers but more importantly save their rig from burning!
Yes, this one came with curve balls. When I got the call that the levelers weren't working I was thinking no big deal. Well 2 hours later I found the problem. Customer was happy. Never know how these things are going to turn out. But I will say that when I found that it was better than crack lol.
You are a wealth of knowledge and watching your videos have helped tremendously with my used RV. Thank you for all you do to make us understand and help us trouble shoot our systems!! You are awesome!!
really enjoyed this one. I did the same type of work for 24-8 years as an industrial electrician with a natural gas company. great job
It is a very beautiful lake a couple of friends and I took a motorcycle trip up to Washington from California several years ago and took that road out of Port Angeles and discovered Crescent Lake. We were riding all the way back down Highway 1 to Calif. The road and the view was amazing.
Sounds like it would have been a great ride! They just milled and resurfaced the entire road along Lake Crescent. So smooth now!
Great video. Even 5 years later. I’m Chaco g down a complete meltdown of the break away switch and both wires leading from it to the junction box. No wires left after melting thru and hard plastic case for the break away switch is melted also. Am hoping the blue wire from the junction box to the brakes still has integrity. Will see soon.
I don't know if your video has helped me with my slide out problem yet or not, I've been troubleshooting the electrical for a while now, but I want to compliment you on not only your thoroughness but also your explanation/camera work in your troubleshooting as you go along! Awesome job! I have a feeling I have a ground short somewhere in the electrical mess under my RV as well so back to hunting!
I love your videos because you explain your thought process. I use to be a mainframe computer tech at IBM before I became a software developer. My biggest advantage in software development was I knew how to debug. They don't teach students how to debug in Comp. Sci classes. While getting my BS in Comp Sci I would be asked to come in early by other students to show them how to use the debug tools and explain how to attack a problem.
Thanks for that comment. One thing you might notice is on my new videos I'm starting to get a little bit more into the thought process on why I am beginning if point A and moving to point B instead of moving to point C excetera I think you understand what I'm trying to say. A lot of people might understand theory of operation but it's knowing where to start that is sometimes the thing that has them beat. I appreciate your comment. Happy camping.
Thanks for doing this video. I have electric jacks and cannot get them to go down or come up and I know there is power to them. Looks like I need to start a hunting expedition like you did. Thanks again.
Hi Dale, Good luck! This one took over 2 hours solo to track down so stay with it. The tools I use do make it a whole lot easier - especially when I know the fault was 41' feet away.
I will be rooting for you. The feeling you get when faults like this are found is better than any drug out there though. Have a look at t his other video I did on leveling systems and it may help you get your head in the game: ua-cam.com/video/9zvPGBhTK70/v-deo.html
Best of luck to you!
Cheers,
Darren
This would be a great time for the client to walk up with a file folder filled with schematics for the coach... one can always hope. Lol.
Those power cables are looking quite crispy. Love a good troubleshoot. Very satisfying to solve.
Finding things like that is better than crack! LOL. The sad thing is even with schematics in hand they would not point to where the fault was. Schematics is how it is SUPPOSED to be and not how some yahoo mechanic wired it right!
I have all the new parts on order and will be going back to make the final repair and making another Happy Camper!
Cheers,
Darren
That loose cable near the front batteries originally went to the positive terminal of the closest battery. It was to use the leveling jacks with chassis battery.
I stayed at camp David on the west end of the lake for a church youth summer camp many years ago. Such a beautiful lake.
It is certainly one of my favorite places and it is a 15 minute drive from us. Last fall we baptized my son in its waters so it has a special connection for that reason too.
My RV Works, Inc. So not only do we follow 12v. But we follow the Creator as well. Congratulations on the baptism.
Good job! Your the best and most professional RV mechanic on you tube.
Hi Greg,
Thanks for that vote of confidence! I just do what I do eh'. It is good to hear that is is helping so many others out there!
Happy Camping!
Cheers,
Darren
Your videos are Soooo Informative !!! I learned and will do many of the items you explained to us... And,,, you have that perfect Speaking/Toned Voice that a quality UA-camr need's when explaining your video...
Thank's for your Help...
Jack in Little Rock, Arkansas
Hi JaLyn, Thanks for the kind comment. I never ever expected this channel to take off like it did. My family and I have been exciting to see each milestone - it took months to hit the first 100 subscribers and now it is off the chain! LOL. It is because of folks like you that I will continue to make more video's of the repairs I work on.
Cheers,
Darren Koepp
What a service manual tell you how to construct a battery lol. I really love the video. I will have to
get me one of those TS90 really nice. I keep forgetting I'm retired I just can't help it. I have worked
on power systems repair down to the component level. I really enjoyed watching your trouble shooting procedures !
Seems so easy to watch and understand when I'm the one watching. You are really quick to notice things that
so many other would not have noticed. Such skill only come with many years experience . Thanks so much for sharing
this with me !
Excellent diagnostic skills. I wish I had 1/10 of that ability. Thank you for sharing.
Beautiful lake thank you! It never ceases to amaze me how you can start with one project and it turns into much much more on an RV!
Love Lake Cresent. I grew up going to the log cabin resort. Grandma ran it for years and also had a house on the lake
Thank you, DC Electric is my greatest weakness when it comes to working on the RV, thanks again, And the lake was a nice bonus!
Very good video, loved the step-by-step discovery and solution....amazing what you find sometimes.
I really appreciate you taking the time to make these videos. Keep it up.
Thank you for the great video of troubleshooting...very informative and pleasant to watch
You are awesome sir. Thank you
I have a 2018 thor and just found out that thor posts all of there schematics for there customers on their website. So, I downloaded them all... saved them to my drive and even printed out a book that j keep in my coach.
That is a great idea.
For this one, even if I had all the schematics I am not sure it would have helped. The schematics would have shown where that wire was 'supposed' to be not where some mechanic decided to leave it hanging. Still having schematics would have helped me in my sleuthing.
Happy Camping!
Cheers,
Darren
It'll as though it was an overdosing flaw on the negative side of the 12 volt system. They probly looped all negatives to the battery then ran a jumper to the floor of the battery box and you just simplified it... nice job.
Great job
Thank you for the extras. I had not yet ever seen that lake. 👍
I enjoy your videos they are very informative and helpful thanks for taking the time do do them.
Good detective work!
You are so thorough on these vids...I really enjoy them & have learned a lot...that being said...I haven't figured out how to do the patreon (sp) yet so I can really get into these.
& yes I DO want to see more bonus features...I lived for a while in Pacific Beach & really enjoyed the area...except for the salt air rusting every thing I owned...lol.
Keep the videos coming.
This is cool. Loved the bonus
I liked both bonus features 💜
Thanks Mary, I plan on doing that more, folks seem to like it.
I had a meeting with my 8 year old son that accompanies and helps on many of these service calls. We decided to let him do some troubleshooting in some upcoming video's so stay tuned for that. Even bought him a uniform shirt like I have - I will call him "Mini Me"... :-)
@@MyRVWorks wow that's cool. I love the idea.
M an i stumbled across your videos and channel and I can't stop watching. Thank you your helping to pass my time during these COVID days
great information
Excellent troubleshooting video - really learned something - Thanks
Thanks for the comment!
Sometimes when you find the culprit it is better than crack!!! LOL. Will be heading back out there to make final repairs soon.
Awesome work👍
Great Video Thank you
Daren,
WOW... Totally got into this video. Good job.
NRVIA Inspector Eugene Elder
I like this guy. Experienced and enjoyable to listened to. Learning a lot. Reminds me of a Les Stroud type but as an engineer rv technician :) thank you for sharing.
Bought a 2006 bounced with a auto level system was.told the panel was bad but no one makes a replacement
I ended up installing 8 toggle switches an now it is perfect
Awesome lake!
Your awesome thanks for going through all this.
Great video. Thanks.
❤️ these videos. 😎
You are truly awesome. Great job. Wish I had just a little of your electrical wisdom. Thank you so much
Thank you for the great video. I always learn something. PS Lake Crescent is an amazing lake. Been there many times.
Great video. You are a good teacher. Thanks. Stay safe and havagudun.
Super job troubleshooting
great video like always People here's a helpful tip when you have multiple wires connect to the positive side of the battery before or as you remove the wires tape then with red tape so you can identify the positive wires and know where they go minis side can be taped green that's the standard code red + green _ once again great video
Very informative and methodical !!!
I appreciate your time and information !!!
Great detective work! 😀
GREAT Video, excellent for learning to diagnose problems like this! Thank you! Wish you were in the Sacramento area! If you know of a good tech in this area please let me know?
Thank you for the video and I like the bonus feature!!
You are one smart guy 👍💯👌
Great. Search. Patients. Is. Pay off
We're going to your area next year to have you do a complete systems-check on our 1990 Holiday Rambler Imperial we bought last year. Camping World wouldn't do it for us because we didn't buy it from them. The only other place around here that would work on it kept it for 2 months and didn't solve the starting problem. I figured it out later...starting battery that would drop to 7 volts within 2 seconds and a starter relay with crusted lubricant on the contact-washer that connects the 2 terminals. I kinda figured that professionals charging $125 an hour would figure out basic stuff like that. So, I hope you can give us a list of problems and solutions and hopefully repair a couple things like leveling jacks, heater, etc. We're sincerely looking forward to meeting you. A good Mechanic is worth a long trip (from New Orleans/Baton Rouge area.)
It would be great to meet you. I grew up in Covington and graduated from Saint Pauls. So it'd be good to get some other Southern folk up here but make sure you bring sweet tea LOL. I don't work on anything on the Driveline or mechanical engine systems but on your RV systems I'll be able to help you out. See you in the spring
@@MyRVWorks It took me a few hours to understand...not a Mechanic, a Technician! They're worth a long trip too.
We love your videos,they have helped us a lot .Thanks
It looks like at one time the source of power was the second set of batteries and that shorted wire (maybe #2 copper ) that was touching ground (and connected to the ANL fuse) was at one time connected to those batteries. Someone that did not know what they were doing rewired this. Thats why it's always so important to mark the positive wire with Red tape or heat shrink. Good job showing us the process.
Also it might be helpful for your followers if you drew a simply diagram showing the battery and the solenoid and the path the hydraulic jack motor so they can follow along with the process as you trouble-shoot .....cheers.
Thanks for the tip, if I get time in the middle of all these jobs I could do that.
Thanks for the bonus.
So it looks like that loose wire should have been connected to the positive on the battery in the front and through the fuse for some reason. I guess checking with the manufacturer would clear up what the connection was for. The fuse must be there for a reason. I suspect someone changed or disconnected the battery and forgot that wire. Good troubleshooting. I watch gain more knowledge of RV wiring for the time i need to trouble shoot mine
I 2ish you were in Tennessee!
MAN ! < I tell everyone ," LOOSE WIRES CAUSE FIRES "
I have a similar problem on my Keystone fithwheel.
well done video
Thank you for this!
Seems whomever swapped the engine batteries forgot to connect the one positive cable. I imagine that cable charges the coach batteries when the engine is running.
One minute they work and next don't. It should be covered. Build a box after is fixed. Make sure u leave access to it
Nice lake!
So, it was a lose ground, correct? So what did you do! Did you tighten everything in the ground side? You didn't show any of that. I still like your programs. It's still very informative.
I am looking for trouble shooting of hydraulic levels and slides. I have forgotten most of what I had learned at NRVTA about Hydraulic systems.
Great video. I am hunting a problem where all my slides are working backwards and I believe is that solenoid messing with me. Thanks
Very helpful
Well done, thxs
So what was thar wire suppose to go to in the battery box? It was fuded with a big fuse and...…? Did you find out from Jayco what it was supposed to go to or do?
We have all the parts on order and when they arrive we will be heading back out to make the repair. We have a call into Jayco for schematics on that unit but they have not sent them yet. The customer states that everything works so I will be very curious to find out myself.
Cheers,
Darren
@@MyRVWorks So I didn't see a follow up video and it looked to me like the (maybe 00) wire that got hot was suppose to connect to positive in the forward batteries due to the fuse near that source and travel back to the relay.
It looks like the relay was a combiner relay for the two battery banks and allowed emergency jumping or tying the two banks together and charging by connecting the two battery banks together when the alternator was charging. Were you ever able to confirm this?
I see lots of info on jacks that won't retract and on the whole system will not deploy. What about when one of my hydraulic jacks suddenly refuses to deploy but all the others go up and down just as they should?
It seems logical that the "orphaned" front cable that was the source of the short, may have slipped back there, and was forgotten to reconnect, when someone replaced the batteries at one time in the past. Did you try reconnecting to the positive battery pole and see if everything (except the melted solenoid) worked then?
Since everything worked once I orphans that wire we did a full stop. The customer did not want to keep running the bill up while I continue to troubleshoot other possible circuits.
the wire at the solenoid that you found an issue with, shouldn't be grounded and should be sending power to the pump motor or whatever device needs to be powered correct? but in the end it looks like you reconnected it to a ground?
I just liked and subscribed. I also want to say Semper Fi. I have a question that I hope you may be able to help me with. My auto park seems to act up when my headlights are turned on, any idea where I should look first? Thanks.
I love the way you explain and trace shorts.... what's the meter called that showed short 41 ft away? I just subbed
Where is the chassis group for the leveling system
Its a relay not a selinoid. A relay uses electricity to control electricity. A selinoid uses electricity to control a mechanical action. Example; the starter on your car is controlled by a selinoid also sometimes called a bendix. A selinoid also controls the hydrolics on you leveling jacks
The thing that confuses me is you don’t put a fuse on a ground wire
I have Atwood levelers . 3 out of 4 will go down on auto ,one won’t . I can do them individually. What should look for on the one that won’t respond on auto .thanks
My 1998 Fleetwood bounder dash lights on all jacks down and red light blinking,I filled the reservoir and it still blinks ,the power on does not light
What was the tester that gave you the distance to the short?
That is a Fluke TS90. And a secret weapon if there ever was one... That has helped me trace out some of the most difficult wiring faults and with out it I am not sure I would have been able to have found them. I have other video's that I use it in. Here is one that I do a quick demonstration on using it, starting at the 10:50 mark: ua-cam.com/video/lJXTBdirykQ/v-deo.html
Cheers,
Darren
Get a laser pointer to pick a place to
What is the name of the tool for finding shorts
My rear RV Jack's will go down but not up (without significant force) the front have no problem at all. I thought it was the springs at first but now that it just doesn't even go without force I'm worried I could be damaging something. Any thoughts? It goes down no problem, just not retracting.
Did you end up also replacing the melted solenoid? What was done with the two disconnected cables?
Fleetwood just through theirs together. They are all different and most electrical parts are not made anymore
You lost me at the end. What was that last wire. It was connected to the fuse. Was it hot or ground?
Semper Fi
Can someone tell me if WF8945PEC WILL REPLACE A Magnetek 6345 converter.
Great video. Did you need to change the solenoid?
Yes, once all the failed parts were determined we ordered them and got back a week later to make all the proper repairs. Now it's good as new.
Good deal. I love watching a real professional work. Thanks again for sharing this valuable information.