Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » Rear AC, water heater, furnace and remote start electrical issues (Are all of these electrical problems linked the the Onan??)
| Rear AC, water heater, furnace and remote start electrical issues [message #212012] |
Sun, 23 June 2013 22:09  |
dpottebaum
Messages: 100
Registered: January 2013
Location: Bondurant, Iowa
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I have a 1978 Royale with the rear dinette. I purchased it a little over a year ago and have been slowly getting things in working order/fixed up. I have an electrical issue that I think might be linked to the generator somehow? I checked all of the wires for mouse damage and did not find any issues (even pulled out the refrigerator and the plywood false bottom to check the wires that run under there). Checked all of the fuses/breakers and they are fine too. The things that don't work are the rear air (bench tested it and it worked when removed from the coach), the water heater, furnace and the remote start for the generator. Anyone ever run into this and figure it out? Any help is very much appreciated. Thank you!
Dave Pottebaum
Bondurant, Iowa
1978 Royale
[Updated on: Sun, 23 June 2013 22:22] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Rear AC, water heater, furnace and remote start electrical issues [message #212020 is a reply to message #212012] |
Mon, 24 June 2013 00:32  |
Craig Lechowicz
Messages: 541
Registered: October 2006
Location: Waterford, MI
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You either have several relatively un-related problems, or don't fully understand which systems are run from shore or generator power and which are run from the coach 12 volt battery system. The rear air is 110 volts, so either the onan generator needs to be running, or you need to be plugged into shorepower for it to operate. If it's the original type of electric GMC water heater, the same goes for that. (some have replaced their water heaters with propane ones. You want to it to be full of water before turning it on, or it can cause it to burn out the heating element, which may be your problem.) There is a switch for the water heater inside the electrical cabinet where the fuses are. The furnace is run from the 12 volt electrical system to both run the control circuits and the blower for it. There are a lot of different issues from stuck fans, to control boards, to sail switches and more that can make it not work. Often the remote start switch for the generator stops working because of a broken or corroded 4 pin connector located inboard of the generator underneath the coach. Most people just cut the connector off and splice the wires together. But, it is going to be a one item at a time and lots of test light or meter work type of experience . . .
Craig Lechowicz
'77 Kingsley, Waterford, MI
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| Re: [GMCnet] Rear AC, water heater and remote start electrical issues [message #212024 is a reply to message #212012] |
Mon, 24 June 2013 03:12 |
Emery Stora
Messages: 959
Registered: January 2011
Karma: 4
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The things not working are probably not related.
First of all the remote start is a 12 volt problem. The water heater and rear air are 120 volt.
First, the remote start. The problem is likely corrosion in the plug in the wire bundle leading from the control panel on the Onan down to the lower right of the Onan. This is a 4 conductor plug. I suggest that you cut the leads on each side of the plug on at a time and put on heat sharing tubing and solder the leads back together. This should fix that problem.
For the water heater take the plate from the end of the heater and check the voltage at the connections at the thermostat. If there is 120 volts there, check the output of the thermostat. You might have a bad thermostat or you might have a burned out heating element.
For the rear air check the voltage from the 120 volt connection there.
If you have have 120 volts at the water heater and at the air conditioner you know your breakers are ok. You said that you checked them? How did you test them?
Another common problem is that the wires inside the breaker box often become loose. Tighten the wires at the breakers, and also on the two bars inside the box where the grounds and the common wires connect to the bars. Heat and cooling of the wires will loosen the screws over time.
Let us know if you have voltage to the appliances so we can give further advice.
Emery Stora
77 Kingsley
Frederick, CO
On Jun 23, 2013, at 9:09 PM, Dave Pottebaum <pottebaum5@msn.com> wrote:
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> I have a 1978 Royale with the rear dinette. I purchased it a little over a year ago and have been slowly getting things in working order/fixed up. I have an electrical issue that I think might be linked to the generator somehow? I checked all of the wires for mouse damage and did not find any issues (even pulled out the refrigerator and the plywood false bottom to check the wires that run under there). Checked all of the fuses/breakers and they are fine too. The things that don't work are the rear air (bench tested it and it worked when removed from the coach), the water heater, and the remote start for the generator. Anyone ever run into this and figure it out? Any help is very much appreciated. Thank you!
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| Re: Rear AC, water heater, furnace and remote start electrical issues [message #212106 is a reply to message #212095] |
Mon, 24 June 2013 19:03 |
dpottebaum
Messages: 100
Registered: January 2013
Location: Bondurant, Iowa
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All great stuff folks! Thank you! I did my trouble shooting with shore power connected using a voltage tester. I have some more investigating to do and the Coachmen wiring diagram is likely to help a bunch even though mine is not a rear bath (looks like some of it is universal to all Coachmen). I've got a couple issues with the generator, so I never tried to run the rear AC on the generator. I did a voltage and continuity test on the breakers. They all seem fine. The wires seemed tight at the box, but I'll go through them all again. I've got power at the furnace, but nothing clicks, hums or otherwise when I hit the thermostat. There is no power at the switch under the sink for the water heater so I need to backtrack from there. That one really has me baffled but maybe a loose wire at the box. I will bypass the bad plug on the remote start for the Onan. Thanks again for all of your help. This is a great community of folks!
Dave Pottebaum
Bondurant, Iowa
1978 Royale
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| Re: Rear AC, water heater, furnace and remote start electrical issues [message #212141 is a reply to message #212110] |
Mon, 24 June 2013 22:52 |
dpottebaum
Messages: 100
Registered: January 2013
Location: Bondurant, Iowa
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Well I learned a little more tonight.
Confirmed that the furnace has power getting to it. The blower fan is not stuck (spun it manually). Still nothing happens when turn on thermostat. Likely a bad blower relay? Can't find any sort of "reset button" on the furnace.
Discovered that there are two heavy blue wires that run from the area by the water heater through the floor along the frame and up to the engine compartment. Looks like one is supposed to be the power source for the water heater and the other goes to the 12V on the fridge. Both have been cobbled up by the radiator and have in line fuses added to them. Not sure how they were supposed to attach to a power source/battery. Can't seem to find the other end of the fuse for either line. The Coachmen wiring diagram does not indicate these power lines in their schematic that I can find.
Dave Pottebaum
Bondurant, Iowa
1978 Royale
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| Re: Rear AC, water heater, furnace and remote start electrical issues [message #212238 is a reply to message #212012] |
Tue, 25 June 2013 19:09 |
kingd
Messages: 592
Registered: June 2004
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It doesn't make sense that the wires from the water heater go to the engine department. The water heater uses 110/120 V A/C.
Depending what frige you have, it could use 12V D/C, 110V A/C
or both and maybe also propane. The electric water heater original to a GMC MH won't work on 12 V D/C. I've never heard of any RV electric water heater that used 12V D/C to heat the water.
DAVE KING
lurker, wannabe
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Re: Rear AC, water heater, furnace and remote start electrical issues [message #212240 is a reply to message #212238] |
Tue, 25 June 2013 19:43 |
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mike miller
Messages: 3576
Registered: February 2004
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
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| kingd wrote on Tue, 25 June 2013 17:09 |
It doesn't make sense that the wires from the water heater go to the engine department. The water heater uses 110/120 V A/C.
Depending what frige you have, it could use 12V D/C, 110V A/C
or both and maybe also propane. The electric water heater original to a GMC MH won't work on 12 V D/C. I've never heard of any RV electric water heater that used 12V D/C to heat the water.
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A Royale would have came with a PROPANE water heater.
It would need 12 volts to start the burner. My Birch also has a seperate wire, with a fuse, from the front house battery to the water heater. Same with the refer. On mine, the refer only uses 12 volts in 12v mode as it has a pilot light. But most newer propane refers need 12v to run the controls.
As someone else has brought up, Coachman products have a 30amp cord and are not set up for running both ac units at the same time. I have seen some Royales with switches to switch power of the rear ac. Maybe a Royale owner could explain how it works.
Mike Miller -- Hillsboro, OR -- on the Black list
(#2)`78 23' Birchaven Rear Bath -- (#3)`77 23' Birchaven Side Bath
More Sidekicks than GMC's and a late model Malibu called 'Boo'
http://m000035.blogspot.com
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| Re: [GMCnet] Rear AC, water heater, furnace and remote start electrical issues [message #212243 is a reply to message #212238] |
Tue, 25 June 2013 19:54 |
Emery Stora
Messages: 959
Registered: January 2011
Karma: 4
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Royales have 12v leads that go to the switch, usually to under the sink, that provide the current to operate the controls and igniter on the propane water heater used by Coachman. This also had a 120v electrical heating element. Fastened to the case, in series are two disk circuit breakers to cut off the electric when the heater hits a certain temperature. They used two in series just in case one should stick in the closed position.and not switch off. It would be rare for both to fail at the same time so a good one would still be in the circuit. The shut off switch for the electric part of the heater is usually located beneath the kitchen sink.
Emery Stora
On Jun 25, 2013, at 6:09 PM, Dave King <kingd@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>
>
> It doesn't make sense that the wires from the water heater go to the engine department. The water heater uses 110/120 V A/C.
> Depending what frige you have, it could use 12V D/C, 110V A/C
> or both and maybe also propane. The electric water heater original to a GMC MH won't work on 12 V D/C. I've never heard of any RV electric water heater that used 12V D/C to heat the water.
> --
> DAVE KING
> lurker, wannabe
> Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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