Short in light circuit -
folivier - 05-17-2014
After I extended the slides I had no inside lights on the front slide. It was a blown 20amp fuse. I replaced it and all the lights worked. However that night the fuse was blown again. I didn't use the lights during the day other than to check that they were working.
So I must have a short somewhere. Since it happened after the slide was extended I'm thinking it must be a pinched wire that feeds the slide.
Any idea where to start looking?
RE: Short in light circuit -
encantotom - 05-17-2014
behind the valence (which you and i took off in alberta), there is a bundle of wires that go in and out when the slide is extended retracted. that is where i would look. another question is about the lights. are they ones you put led's in? it is slightly possible one of those or the socket is shorting, but not likely
tom
RE: Short in light circuit -
folivier - 05-18-2014
Mine doesn't have that bundle behind the top valence. I think yours was for the rope lights.
Interesting about the led fixtures. Some of them when I inserted the leds the clips popped up and did short against the reflector, but these were on different lights. I'll check that out today or tomorrow. Otherwise I'll dig around under the slide. I did hit some VERY BUMPY roads driving back.
RE: Short in light circuit -
encantotom - 05-18-2014
on mine, that buncle was on a plastic chain that had ALL the wiring for the slide. coax, lights, outlets, quite a thick bundle
tom
RE: Short in light circuit -
folivier - 05-18-2014
I remember that bundle on yours. It looked like a big bicycle chain. Mine doesn't have that chain.
Thinking about it the fuse blew when all the lights were off. So the problem should be between the fuse and the light switches and not the light fixtures.
I'll call Newell tomorrow and see where the wires run.
RE: Short in light circuit -
folivier - 05-30-2014
I called Newell and they said there is a "scissor arm" the wires pass through for the slide to extend/retract. It is located in the roof of the passenger side basement compartment behind the front wheel. Actually it is just forward of that compartment and accessed by pulling out the 1" foam board in the top of the compartment. Fortunately Newell has some spare wires in that bundle, presumably for electric blinds. My plan is to use one of the spare wires to replace the bad wire. But wait the plot thickens! A couple days ago we had tremendous winds and torrential rainfalls. Over 12" in a 24 hour period. One of the local cemeteries actually had coffins floating up out of the ground!
http://wgno.com/2014/05/29/massive-flooding-causes-caskets-to-rise-from-their-graves/#axzz339uKKhxb
So I pulled in the slides. Today after I extended the slides I checked all of the overhead light fixtures for shorts and they are ok. Out of curiosity I put in another fuse and now the lights are working. So there must be a skinned wire somewhere in that bundle. It's raining again so if it ever stops I'll get back to work on this issue.
RE: Short in light circuit -
encantotom - 05-30-2014
sounds more than creepy. any coffins float by you?
tom
RE: Short in light circuit -
prairieschooner - 05-31-2014
Ghosts in the Wiring?
RE: Short in light circuit -
ccjohnson - 05-31-2014
"Chasing down a hoo-doo there"? "Born on the Bayou"?
RE: Short in light circuit -
folivier - 06-02-2014
No hoo-doos, voo-doos, or roug-a-rous!
All done. The scissor arm was right where Newell said it was. To make it simple once I located the bundle of wires I cut the red wire and ohm'ed the wire at the fuse box in the closet and no mo' short! So I just used one of the spare wires to bypass the bad wire.
What took so long was the 18" + rain we've had this past week. Today was the first day that looked dry enough to attempt this project. Well yesterday was but to keep up the tradition I try not to work on Sundays.
I wonder if I could start a business selling coffin anchors?