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Old 12-03-2018, 10:51 AM   #21
oddjobal
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I have a 2012 295RK. Bought it used about a year ago. On one of the first camping trips we noticed the lights diming/bright/diming..etc. Battery was the first place. Replaced it. It started again but after a long time. (many hours) I put a meter on the 12v and monitored it, 13.6V and it would start to drop down to 11.9v. The charger would kick on and back up it would go again. Found no loose connections in the front control area. I put a battery charger on and that seemed to solve the issue. I spent about $20 on ebay and purchased a small (1x2) 12v digital panel meter and connected it to the TV DC in the storage compartment with Velcro.(to monitor) and a $15 12v smart charger. I hook it up when camping and it keeps the DC voltage at a constant level. What I need to do is pull my panel and make sure all the connections are tight as many people have suggested. Have not done that. Love this Owners Club. Lots of smart people with great ideas
 
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Old 12-03-2018, 05:04 PM   #22
Carl n Susan
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You might want to check that self resetting circuit breaker that everyone complains about. When they get tired they open. Usually when running a big 12V load (like the hydraulic pump). But that CB goes two ways. If your battery is down to 11.9 (way low!!), the converter is going to want to pour a bunch of amps at 13.6 to recharge it. That heavy a charge also goes through the CB on its way to the the battery. The CB doesn't care which way the 12V is flowing. If it exceeds its (diminished) capacity it opens. When it cools, it closes to allow the 12V to flow again. What is happening is the charger putting out 13.6, then nothing, then 13.6 in a vicious cycle. Dimming of the lights are a symptom of changing voltage.

Stick your head in the front compartment up close to the CB and you should hear it click as it opens and closes.
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Old 12-03-2018, 05:49 PM   #23
oddjobal
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I will give that a try and I will also make sure all the CB wire a nice and tight. A loose connection will cause these symptoms. In my Alpha Gold I had a problem like this and it was the converter fan was not working and it would over heat, cool down and over heat again, I replaced the Fan and never had the problem again. Thanks for the suggestion. I put a band aid on the problem instead of fixing it
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Old 12-18-2018, 11:45 PM   #24
whutfles
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Doing last minute fixes on the RV today in prep for our winter trip. I noticed last fall when I winterized while reaching under the driver's side rear to drain the fresh water tank that the fender skirt had a bolt that was slightly loose as my hand touched it. So today I was going to tighten that bolt. Well, the bolt hole in the fender skirt had worn big enough from vibration and corrosion that it was larger than the bolt head. I tried to unscrew the 3/8" bolt and it was rusted to the frame and broke off. There was bolt underneath the fender about an inch away holding down the coroplast. As I pulled back on the fender to get to that bolt I found a bracket attached to the fender and up against the outside of the frame which didn't allow the fender to move much. But there was a 2 inch opening in that bracket that allowed a piece of 16 ga romex to pass thru from the big slide back into the area by the rear bumper near where the power comes in. And there it was staring at me - 2 crimped connections (one broken off). I cut out the bad connector and put in a new one and taped it all back up and reattached the fender using the bolt that previously held the coroplast up. Went inside the RV and the lights were on above the dinette and above the couch.
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Old 12-19-2018, 12:57 PM   #25
BuilderBob
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whutfles View Post
Doing last minute fixes on the RV today in prep for our winter trip. I noticed last fall when I winterized while reaching under the driver's side rear to drain the fresh water tank that the fender skirt had a bolt that was slightly loose as my hand touched it. So today I was going to tighten that bolt. Well, the bolt hole in the fender skirt had worn big enough from vibration and corrosion that it was larger than the bolt head. I tried to unscrew the 3/8" bolt and it was rusted to the frame and broke off. There was bolt underneath the fender about an inch away holding down the coroplast. As I pulled back on the fender to get to that bolt I found a bracket attached to the fender and up against the outside of the frame which didn't allow the fender to move much. But there was a 2 inch opening in that bracket that allowed a piece of 16 ga romex to pass thru from the big slide back into the area by the rear bumper near where the power comes in. And there it was staring at me - 2 crimped connections (one broken off). I cut out the bad connector and put in a new one and taped it all back up and reattached the fender using the bolt that previously held the coroplast up. Went inside the RV and the lights were on above the dinette and above the couch.
Sounds like you found the problem you were looking for!
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