Electrical Proplems

Not sure which of your two problems you are asking about.

First: you said you plugged in...nothing... (problem 1) but then you ran the generator Got power.. For five minutes, Then the Generator died (Problem 2) but suddenly shore power worked.

Tried the Generator again it ran for five minutes and then died. (problem 2 confirmed) no comment on problem 1

problem one, No shore power in the beginning: Transfer switch hung. Now this may be indicative of impending "Doom" (Switch failure) or it might be a bug in the system.. NO, not a "Computer bug" (well do you know why we call computer glitches "Bugs".. i do) but the original Computer Bug (an insect on the relay contacts) used to have to clean bugs off switch contacts on my dad's farm a couple times a year. (not kidding).

You will have to decide if you want to replace the transfer switch "just in case" or if it can be inspected.


problem 2 Generator only runs 5 minutes.. Sounds like the Fuel Filter, but there are other possible issues including (But not limited to) air filter, dirty carb and low oil.

I agree with VIC. Altering or removing an ATS altogether is a step backwards. Also, an Auto Gen Starter (AGS) is a benefit under some conditions like with pets during a power outage.

Ernie,
It seems you are saying that even with the gen running, the ATS is switching to shore power, even if not connected. If that is wrong, please correct me. If gen is running it should defer to gen over shore. On you Allegro gasser, you probably have the Surge Guard ATS 41260. It is in your elec compartment. See pic in link. Sounds like you may already know that, though. It has a fairly poor customer rating.

You need a voltmeter to test the input and output in the ATS. Be careful. Turn off gen & shore power before opening the front of the ATS. It is also sometimes hard to diagnose if problem is intermittent.

You can see some reviews in the Tiffin RV Network Forums. Lot of good info there.

A recommended replacement is the Surge Guard 40350RVC1.

Tiffin Motorhomes may even send you a replacement. Contact them. Stephanie McCarly, stephanie.mccarley@tiffinmotorhomes.com, 256-356-8661. Service & Technical Assistance, 256-356-0261 Press 6. If Tiffin will replace the part, talk to them about getting the Surge Guard 40350RVC1 instead and offset the cost by the cost of the 41260 part.

vic46 wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

Ernie8 wrote:
I have a 2014 Allegro Open Road, just last week I set up to camp and plug the power in and no power to the coach. The power box and breakers where all checked and found all Ok. I tried the generator and it gave me power in the coach, however after about 5 minutes the generator cut off and power was immediately restored to the shore power. I check it a home and it does the same thing. If I run my generator without plug in to shore power it will run only about 5 minutes and cut off. Any help it greatly appreciated.

Sounds like the ATS as said and yes you can fix it, like anything else, but the best and long term solution is to remove it altogether and install an outlet in it's place and just like the one on a shore pedestal. Now you're either plugged into one or the other and thereby eliminating all maybes. I mean you have to store the cord somewhere when disconnecting form shore, so why not plug in to the genset in the process for being ready for the road.
Some National RV's like mine came from the factory this way.

That option seems like a step backwards. The ATS is a valuable component. If shore power is discontinued in the middle of the night the ATS lights up the gen and you continue sleeping. The resolution of the problem is to determine what the problem is and fix it. It sure sounds to me like the ATS is either gone or on the way out.

Don't want my genset starting, which it won't anyway. Also don't want anything else happening with what are usually short outages, anyway.
My fridge would silently switch over to the inverter however and then gas if the batteries got too low, but other than that, I'd rather not be disturbed with any of it and especially not a genset running under my bed....lol
As far as I'm concerned, having an ATS is just something else to possibly fail, but hey, it's different strokes for some folks and either way, I can fix it.

tropical36 wrote:

Ernie8 wrote:
I have a 2014 Allegro Open Road, just last week I set up to camp and plug the power in and no power to the coach. The power box and breakers where all checked and found all Ok. I tried the generator and it gave me power in the coach, however after about 5 minutes the generator cut off and power was immediately restored to the shore power. I check it a home and it does the same thing. If I run my generator without plug in to shore power it will run only about 5 minutes and cut off. Any help it greatly appreciated.

Sounds like the ATS as said and yes you can fix it, like anything else, but the best and long term solution is to remove it altogether and install an outlet in it's place and just like the one on a shore pedestal. Now you're either plugged into one or the other and thereby eliminating all maybes. I mean you have to store the cord somewhere when disconnecting form shore, so why not plug in to the genset in the process for being ready for the road.
Some National RV's like mine came from the factory this way.

That option seems like a step backwards. The ATS is a valuable component. If shore power is discontinued in the middle of the night the ATS lights up the gen and you continue sleeping. The resolution of the problem is to determine what the problem is and fix it. It sure sounds to me like the ATS is either gone or on the way out.

Ernie8 wrote:
I have a 2014 Allegro Open Road, just last week I set up to camp and plug the power in and no power to the coach. The power box and breakers where all checked and found all Ok. I tried the generator and it gave me power in the coach, however after about 5 minutes the generator cut off and power was immediately restored to the shore power. I check it a home and it does the same thing. If I run my generator without plug in to shore power it will run only about 5 minutes and cut off. Any help it greatly appreciated.

Sounds like the ATS as said and yes you can fix it, like anything else, but the best and long term solution is to remove it altogether and install an outlet in it's place and just like the one on a shore pedestal. Now you're either plugged into one or the other and thereby eliminating all maybes. I mean you have to store the cord somewhere when disconnecting form shore, so why not plug in to the genset in the process for being ready for the road.
Some National RV's like mine came from the factory this way.

"Ernie8".......Just in case you don't know, the Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) is a black box, about the size of a cigar box, typically located inside your power bay. Your shore power cord runs into the ATS. The ATS decides which power to use, the shore power or the generator. It sounds like yours is going bad or has a loose connection as mentioned. Make sure you disconnect the power cord and the generator is off before doing anything. Open the ATS box, usually the lid has tabs, that allows you to pry it open. Inside you'll find where the power cord is attached to three or four large screws, depending if your coach is 30 amp or 50 amp. Tighten all of the screws. It takes a large screwdriver and a fair amount of force.

Every coach manufacturer determines what power source they want to have priority when both shore power is connected and the generator is running. It sounds like your coach is making shore power the priority over the generator, but I find it odd that the generator is shutting off on it's own after five minutes, like it's being told to.

Maybe someone else will know if the newer systems are capable of doing that.

Loose connection in the transfer case.

After running the gen for 5 minutes you then have shore power? If so that sounds like the ATS.

Could be 2 problems: With shore power Check that you are getting 120V to and out of the ATS. If there is no power into the ATS then it's your plugs, wiring, any junction boxes or cord reels. It could be the ATS or any wiring from there to the CB panel.

Then see about the gen and this could be another problem. Any gen codes?

If you're not very sure about checking for 120V then get help.

Sounds like the transfer switch is failing.