2005 Keystone Montana Inverter?

[Dimomma]

Hi BB! I thought it was fixed but not. Found a blown fuse but really don't think it's the cause. The new battery I replaced is drained. Trickle charging it now. The hunt for the converter is going to happen today along with any other fuses. Yikes!! Wish me luck ��.

[mhs4771]

I would drop the rear bulkhead in the basement. On our 2010 Montana the Converter was mounted in that area and was plugged into a standard duplex outlet and over time the converter plug worked it's way out and we lost all 12V once the batteries were drained.
Plugged it back in and used cable ties to keep it from working out again.

[Dimomma]

That's interesting. I'll do that! Thank you mhs4771.

[Carl n Susan]

The converter is a separate box under the steps to the bedroom. The easiest way to access it is to remove the back wall, on the passenger side, of the pass thru compartment.

But you should first obtain a Volt/Ohm meter. You really need it to determine what component is failing. I posted a description of the wiring between the converter and the batteries and what to check at each point for proper voltage. I am darned if I can find it now. I will continue to look for it.

But rather than shotgun replace all the parts along the eletrical pathway, it will be much easier, and cheaper, to find just the failing component.

[Dimomma]

Thank you Carl n Susan. A volt meter is on my agenda today. I didn't see your post on the wiring diagram. I replaced the blown fuse and it looks like it does go into whatever component is behind the wall. The trickle charger doesn't seem to be keeping up. I've got my work cut out for me. Damn this getting older gets in the way!

[Carl n Susan]

Shuckie Darn, I found it. Now I need to save it somewhere for the future. This attempts to describe the flow of 12V power between the converter and the batteries. This was more oriented to newer Montanas. There are a couple of differences with your 2005 vintage.
1. The converter is a separate box and not part of the Power Distribution P. No big deal.
2. You do NOT have a Disconnect Switch so don't worry about that piece.

============================
Here is some info from a previous discussion of a similar problem.

The 12V flow from the converter to the batteries is pretty straight forward. As others have pointed out, here are the places to look. All connections should have 13.5 +/- Volts if the converter is working.

• The converter is part of the power distribution panel -Ensure the CB for it is On
• There are Reverse Polarity Fuses on the converter which protect against connecting a battery backwards. - Ensure they are not blown.
• Check the output voltage at the converter. - it should be in the 13.5V DC range.
• The power then runs to the Disconnect Switch in the Convenience Center. - Ensure the Red Key is in the position where it can *NOT* be removed. If removed, this interrupts the power charging the battery. The Disconnect Switch is not know to fail, but you can remove it to check there is power in and out of it just to be sure.
• The power next flows to the group of 50 amp self-resetting CBs behind the battery. We all know about the one that hiccups and interrupts the hydraulic system. That one also passes power to/from the converter and batteries. You want to check it and it's brother (it is in the current flow to the battery) to ensure there is 13.5V on *EACH* side of the CB.
• The last connection is the one from the 50 amp CBs to the batteries. Ensure you have clean connections and the cables are not corroded (watch out for internal corrosion under the shrink wrap).

Somewhere along this path there will be the problem. A simple VOM should find it. I hope this helps.

The full blown discussion is *Here* The most common causes are :
o - the Battery Disconnect Switch in the convenience center is in the wrong position (the Red Key should be in the position where it can't be removed)
o - The red plastic covered self resetting 50 amp circuit breakers behind the battery have failed. ___________

[BB_TX]

Question for all. Do the older converters work correctly with sealed batteries? Seems I remember reading they worked well with flooded batteries but not so with newer sealed batteries.

[Dimomma]

Thanks Carl n Susan! Had to stop the process for right now. I'll be diving into the basement tomorrow morning. Convenience center? (Fuse box, breaker box?) Red plastic covered CB's behind the battery? Uhh....I have red plastic covered stubs for the positive connections. Confused....are there breakers I can't see? My lack of terminology and electrical knowledge is probably making you folks crazy. But I have to do this myself due to financial constraints. I really appreciate all of your help.

[BB_TX]

The small metal boxes on the wall behind the batteries are auto reset circuit breakers. They trip when they heat up due to too much current. And automatically reset when they cool back down.
One of them had a red plastic cover in your earlier pictures.
These are cheap and easily replaceable and known to go bad. You might consider replacing them. Amperage of each should be stamped on the side of the metal box.

[Dimomma]

Aha! Another unknown now known! I thank you immensely! One by one I'll conquer the beast.

[Dimomma]

If anyone is still watching this thread....I can't for the life of me find the converter. From one post I found it said if there's a vent in the closet, the converter is not far away. I've pulled the bedroom closet apart. Needs more insulation. Pulled the steps apart. Vacuumed up mouse droppings and such. Replaced mouse poison. Pulled the false wall in the basement. Newer furnace had been installed but no converter that I could see. Pulled the front off of breakers. Won't be tearing that apart by myself. My question now is; could it be stuffed behind the furnace? I followed some wires but they went into a solid wall. I have a vent in my W/D closet just behind the breaker and fuse box. Should I pull out the breaker/fuse boxes? I have one more area to unscrew but I'm pretty sure that a couple of months ago it was mainly plumbing. Any help out there? TYIA

[BB_TX]

Dimomma - maybe I missed it but I didn’t see what floorplan you have. But here is an older discussion about a failed converter on a 2005 3400RL. They found the converter behind the breaker panel in the bathroom.

https://www.montanaowners.com/forums...ad.php?t=41638

[Foldbak]

I'm fairly certain that the converter is part of the fuse/breaker box on most RV's.

[h2ojocky]

Dimomma I would recommend that you add your model to your signature.
This is how you do it: On the 2nd brown banner in the top left, click on User CP, then Your profile, then edit your details, then ForumCo Signature.

If we know what model you have it is easier to give more specific advice!

[Carl n Susan]

Originally Posted by Foldbak

I'm fairly certain that the converter is part of the fuse/breaker box on most RV's.

Not in 2005. They used an IOTA DLS45 converter which came in a separate box from the power panel.

[Carl n Susan]

Dimomma - As H2Ojokey wrote, we really need to know what nmodel 2005 Montana you have. Adding it to your signature ensures it is in every post.

I can't believe we are this deep into the problem and no one has asked about your model. Many, but not all, 2005 models had their IOTA converter behind the step area. As noted by BB_TX the 3400 was an oddball. That model had the power panel in the bathroom and the IOTA converter was stored behind it. You have to pull the power panel to access it, not a big deal as there is slack in the wires, but turn off the 120V and 12V power sources first.

The best aid as this point is pictures of your existing power panel and its location (along with your model number).

[jimcol]

Originally Posted by Foldbak

I'm fairly certain that the converter is part of the fuse/breaker box on most RV's.

It is not on my 2006. A separate unit, kind of under the steps, behind the pass thru panel on the passenger side.

[twindman]

Originally Posted by jimcol

It is not on my 2006. A separate unit, kind of under the steps, behind the pass thru panel on the passenger side.

Ditto for me in my old 2006 2980.

[Foldbak]

Originally Posted by Carl n Susan

Not in 2005. They used an IOTA DLS45 converter which came in a separate box from the power panel.

My bad

[Dimomma]

Hi BB! I finally got a friend to come over and locate the damned thing. It was behind the breaker box and fuse box. You have to take both of them out in order to get to the converter box. What a PITA! It would've taken me days. Thank you for the help!