Forum Discussion

MCpaceArrow's avatar
MCpaceArrow
Explorer
Sep 23, 2020

Wiring issues...

We just got a 1985 Fleetwood pace arrow. Everything seemed fine until my boyfriend switched one of the batteries. Since then we've been having a problem with the negative on the converter getting hot whenever turned on. He's been working at it for 4 days and can't figure it out. Previous owner redid all the wiring but did it all with black wires Note: he is not a novice when it comes to wiring and electrical.
Seeking Advice
  • coolmom42's avatar
    coolmom42
    Explorer II
    Sep 25, 2020
    MCpaceArrow wrote:
    Maybe "wiggle" was a bad word choice. He went through each wire on the converter and noticed some of the screws were loose. Once he tightened them up. The issue was gone.



    Loose connections are the cause of many many electrical problems in RVs. It's a good idea to go through the entire RV and check all the accessible connections.

    And I agree with the labelling thing. I have a little Brother printer and it saves my sanity.
  • MCpaceArrow's avatar
    MCpaceArrow
    Explorer
    Sep 24, 2020
    Maybe "wiggle" was a bad word choice. He went through each wire on the converter and noticed some of the screws were loose. Once he tightened them up. The issue was gone.
  • garym114's avatar
    garym114
    Explorer II
    Sep 24, 2020
    Fix it so the wires do not 'wiggle' in their connector and the connector is firmly connected to the battery. Tape is not a fix.
  • Lwiddis's avatar
    Lwiddis
    Explorer II
    Sep 23, 2020
    After the taping Matt suggested, take a photo or two for reference next time.
  • Matt_Colie's avatar
    Matt_Colie
    Explorer II
    Sep 23, 2020
    MCpace,

    It may have just been a bad connection heating the conductor.

    So, if it is all black, first, get him a roll of red tape. He'll know what to do with it.

    Then, get him a sealed label printer. I like the brother line. He can label everything so he knows for sure where it goes and/or what it does.

    You seldom get to work on this stuff on a sunny afternoon.

    Matt - puts labels all over clients stuff
  • covered_wagon's avatar
    covered_wagon
    Explorer
    Sep 23, 2020
    A good volt meter can tell you which one should be the ground and which should be the positive wires. Everything running thru the fuses should be positive and the battery cables are easy to do the same way making sure they go to the correct lug on the convertor.

    If you have two batteries make sure they are paralleled correctly. Pos to Positive and negative to negative.
  • MCpaceArrow's avatar
    MCpaceArrow
    Explorer
    Sep 23, 2020
    UPDATE: He took that "one last look" at the converter. Wiggled some of the wires around and the issue is gone. Still scratching our heads and checking it every 10 minutes.
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    Sep 23, 2020
    Sounds like he put it in backwards. But without checking no can be sure.

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