Swapping two AC's. Much of a job? Bounder 34ft

Question

I basically have just about given up on the factory AC units on this 34Ft Bounder, 1996. This weekend just about was my limit.

I am having my 90yr old home tented for termites. So the dogs and I are--or were---moved into the motorhome.

Front AC would not come on. Rear AC only works when I open the panel and set the Intelli-**** to REAR TEST. Then it only runs (compressor on) constantly.

The generator started surging after a few hours and quit. Might be the cheap fuel pump I put on it. I do have a new replacement carb. I got 100 gallons of fresh gas in the tank. I tried tinkering but nothing. Runs for a while, maybe an hour then starts surging then dies.

After popping the circuits in the house, and trying to run off generator, I gave up. SInce the house is tented I am stuck.

So we moved into the travel trailer which has your standard Coleman AC unit. Crowded but at least in 100d plus weather it is cold in here. I mean actually it is nice. 110 today and I think we are at 70 in here. I love this little Mallard.

Interesting to note is the Mallard will run on a 3500 wat generator but the motorhome wont. It acts like the compressors are stalliing. Not enough amps.

SOOOOO Question is. I am tossing both AC units. I am tired of the Bounder shed wall thermostat not working. I cannot wait to toss it in the trash. Upgraded new AC units will be purchased.

IF and when I buy two new AC's, standard dial connections at the unit, I would now need to wire in a thermostat for the furnace right???

Or is there another way around this. The wall unit rarely has worked in the past few years. The AC units will run on fan only but begin to skip on and off even running a 30amp connection. Then I find the rear unit compressor on but now the fan is off.

Its fine to run on the "TEST" mode (only the rear works) but it runs solid with no cycling. 110 deg is fine, but at night it gets to the point of 100 below zero.

I was told the Bounder wall thermostat was a problem from day one with these units. At 20 years it is long overdue for the trash can..

SO I want to put standard 15k units up top with manual controls. But what do I do with the furance? Is this easy to put a thermostat on the wall so it will run? Is it possible to put thermostats on the wall in the back for the AC? Not that I am being cheap but if there is a way around this silly Fleetwood Electronic Temp control thingy on the wall I am all ears.

gjac · Answer

I had a similar issue with mine during a power outage last week. Lost power for 5 days and tried to run front AC, only rear worked. My MH is a 96 also the AC is Duo Therm with a 24 year old Duo therm thermostat. With out writing a novel about 3 days of trying to fix it it turned out to be the thermostat. The on of switch(heat, off, and cool) was loose and the little brass spring clips were loose and shorted out tripping my CB. When I remove the switch I saw it is held in place by only metal tabs and loosened over 24 years of use. I re bent the brass springs inside so they would make contact and re bent the switch housing so it would remain in place and got the front AC to work again. I don't know if this is your problem but I would look at the thermostat first. Hope this helps.

rustymacintosh · Answer

I also go out to work on my books. Yosemite National Park is where I caught Covid last Dec

This dumbass unit has some electronic wall control that either need to bypass or toss

the freakiing unit sucks but it is 1996 technology

dougrainer · Answer

Yes, the furnace just needs a standard CHEAP bi metal wall tstat to run the furnace. The link will show you just one tstat. At your Intellitec wall mounted Tstat system you just need to find 2 wires from the furnace. The furnace just has 2 wires that go to the Wall tstat system. One is 12 volts positive from the furnace and the other is the return of the 12 volts to the furnace. You will see a BUNCH of wires and a schematic would really help. Otherwise you can go to the furnace and see which and what color those 2 wires are and find the same at the Intellitec wall control. Yes, you could install AC wall tstats but that would involve running the wiring to each tstat. On a 25 year old motorhome that would be a waste of money. Just install new Roof tops with ceiling mount controls. Now, I know you are frustrated, but to blame a 25 year old system for your troubles is not normal. THINGS wear out and go bad. The Intellitec system was installed on hundreds of thousands of Motorhomes in the 90's and yes, they did have problems. But those problems happened after years of use. The problem now is, it is almost impossible to find replacement parts. From your description of your AC problems, you have 2 bad AC compressors after 25 years. Try replacing the upper units first and see if the Intellitec system starts to operate as designed. If not, then purchase the manual inside control kits. The New upper units do not come with the lower control kits, so, you will not have wasted any money. The Intellitec system is smart enough to detect HI amp draw like when you have a defective compressor and cause the system to not allow it to run. I would purchase the Upper and lower units with the understanding that if I did not need the Lower control I can bring them back for full refund. Doug

https://www.amazon.com/Suburban-161154-Wall-Thermostat-White/dp/B003G9DD8S

rustymacintosh · Answer

GOOD INFO Doug, I will be working on this all weekend since the frustration level has gone off the end of the rail. I like my motorhome, its just a red headed stepchild. The travel trailer also built by Fleetwood has been a good unit, the AC is stone cold.

IF I buy two units, two overhead AC's, are they pretty much plug and play to the Intelligent thermostat? Or do I need to purchase a overhead AC compatible...

fuzzyface · Answer

You need to purchase similar units. Dometic customer service is very helpful in determining which A/C will fit. HINT: Don't forget to set the dip switches (don't ask how I know).
The most difficult part of the job is getting them on the roof.

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Swapping two AC's. Much of a job? Bounder 34ft

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