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mscamping's avatar
mscamping
Explorer
Jan 03, 2015

AC some times short cycling

We have an '03 38' Holiday Rambler Motorhome with 13,500 AC front and back.. Each has its own thermostat, the old slide rule type.. The temp can be 75 in the coach and the AC will keep coming on even if I have the thermostat on 85+ degrees.. Then it may start short cycling sometimes..
Is this a thermostat problem or an AC problem??
Thanks for all replies..

3 Replies

  • Bad tstat. Just swap the tstats and see if the problem goes to the other AC unit. Doug
  • It sounds more like a stuck compressor contactor. Will the compressor run even when the fan motor is off? That can verify it is a stuck compressor contactor, and after a time without the fan running, it will overheat, shut down for about 5-7 minutes and then try to restart.

    You should disable the power to any A/C that has the compressor running without the fan running. You could still use it, however make sure that the fan stays on any time that the compressor is running, then shut off the circuit breaker when you no longer need the cooling for a while. Let the properly working unit keep the area cool when not there.

    In my Coleman units, the circuit board controlled the compressor. At one time back in 98 or 99, Coleman sent out replacement circuit boards due to some sort of defect with the original design, and where to be installed at a service center (unless the owner could do it himself). It was a simple replacement, and only took about 20 minutes to locate the control board, mark the wires, disconnect them, and reconnect everything to the new board.

    The control board on mine was above the air filter, inside a box. Do not open that box with the 110 volt power on. The thermostat is powered by another 12 volt DC circuit, so be careful with those wires. Not so much that you might get shocked, but might damage the thermostat if it is turned on, and you short out a wire to ground, and then might have to go looking for whatever fuse feeds the thermostats!

    Good luck!

    Fred.