Electrical Issues

drillagent wrote:
Ok, so I followed some advice and pulled down each light that's powered by the lone switch. Lo and behold, the ground is burned out on one of the lights. Question now becomes, how do I get the rest of the lights to work while I'm waiting on the replacement fixture?

You should be able to bypass the wiring for the bad fixture so that the remaining lights work.

Ok, so I followed some advice and pulled down each light that's powered by the lone switch. Lo and behold, the ground is burned out on one of the lights. Question now becomes, how do I get the rest of the lights to work while I'm waiting on the replacement fixture?

Switch on indicators use power coming out of the switch to chassis negative for 12 volts.

You have to check power to the terminal going into the switch.

If voltage is low then the power distribution that feeds that switch is defective. How does it test out? Voltage coming in?

Is this a nightmare system where individual wires appear out of nowhere to power each switch? If it is - between the DC fuse panel and the switch panel there is a bad connection.

Usually, behind the FUSE panel factory idiots connect multiple wires to one switch in a halfass manner. Pull each fuse the test the switch for total loss of power. When total loss of power occurs, you have found the villain.

If four wires are connected to one fuse, be cautious and take a cell phone image before disconnecting. I have run into too many folks who disconnect four wires, forget about one then go nuts with the "new" problem.

One step at a time and you will find and correct the problem. Keep the image of Benjamin Franklin in your memory. It makes for great worry beads.

Ok, so I got a multimeter and tested a light that works. Just over 12 volts. So then I tested a light that's not working and got just over 4 volts. How does that happen? Now what do I do? I'm confused.

I think you have a loose nuetral (ground) wire. The way they throw things together it's surprising anything works. I had my ceiling lights go dim one night and I found it was a bunch of wires come together and fastened with an undersized wirenut. They where loose and some had fallen out. New larger size wirenut fixed it. Then I went through the whole camper and found simalar loose wires. Remember, a lot of motion goes on hauling down the road and things become loose. To test, take a single wire from the neg terminal of the battery and run to the lights. You really need a voltage tester and learn how to use one. Asking helps but testing is the only way to fix anything

Do you have a hand-held meter?

drillagent wrote:
We'll, that didn't work. I swapped out the "good" switch next to it and it still doesn't work. And the switch is good because it worked in the new location. So now what? How do I tell if the fuse is good without pulling all of them out? The fuse box isn't labeled very well. If the fuses are all good, then what? It's awful dark in here.

Did you try this?

CA Traveler wrote:
Use a long wire connected to a good frame ground and with a voltmeter measure the voltage to both sides of the switch. If OK then measure at the light positive. If OK then the negative will be volts above 0V.

You could also measure the switch negative wire for it's bulb.

We'll, that didn't work. I swapped out the "good" switch next to it and it still doesn't work. And the switch is good because it worked in the new location. So now what? How do I tell if the fuse is good without pulling all of them out? The fuse box isn't labeled very well. If the fuses are all good, then what? It's awful dark in here.

Assume nothing. Famous last words is to look at a "good looking" crimp terminal and dismiss it. With a significant load applied a bad connection will get hot. Look especially at the POWER inlet wire terminal. I would replace both terminals for drill.

That sounds like a plan. I'll try that and see what happens.