Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
Sunline RV Forum
Sunline User Photos

Go Back   Sunline Coach Owner's Club > Technical Forums > Repairs and Maintenance
Click Here to Login

Join Sunline Club Forums Today


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 08-02-2009, 08:44 AM   #1
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 12
SUN #920
larreddo
1998 22b kicking 30 ampbreaker

We just purchased a 1998 saturn 22b. 1st thing we did was plug into our outside outlet , well as soons we did the breaker kiked.
Come to find out that we had only 20 amp breaker. So i got my electrician to come and and install a dedicated 30 amp line to plug into. The 30 amp breaker is 110 and is fine, checked the camper plug, it is wired correctly.
But when we plug into 30amp shore, you immediatly hear a hum under the dinnette bench back and then the shore breaker kiks off. I am thinking the hum is the converter. Does anyone know where the converter is located in the 22b? is it accessible?
The 2nd issue may or maynot be related. My wife was standing outside onthe grass with her hand on the door jamb when we 1st plugged in and she said she got a shock.
I contacted the previuos owner and he swore that they just used the camper in march and it worked perfectly and he also swore that he never did any mods to electrical. Any suggestions? HELP
__________________

__________________
larreddo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2009, 08:55 AM   #2
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 12
SUN #920
larreddo
brake lights not working either

also the brake lights arent working, donot know if its related though
__________________

__________________
larreddo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-03-2009, 09:27 PM   #3
Moderator
 
JohnB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Ohio
Posts: 12,643
SUN #89
JohnB is on a distinguished road
Hi larreddo

It sounds like you have short in the converter and a big one if you are taking out the 30 amp main.

Also maybe a grounding problem if the wife was shocked. The 102 incoming ground should of absorbed the shock and breaker trip and not your wife. She was a better ground then the electrical one.

Did you find the converter? May be in the area you heard the hum before the breaker tripped. Or follow the shore line cord in the TT.

Any possibility of posting some pics of the breaker box and the converter if they are separate? And the breaker box with the cover off if you can safely remove it. If not then leave it on. A name and model of the converter would help.

Since we may for the moment trust the prior owners statements, a wire may have vibrated thru some insulation and now creating a short.

The best way to trouble shoot this is with an ohm meter and start checking for a path to ground on the main power with the camper unplugged and battery unhooked. If you are tripping a 30 amp breaker, there is a short somewhere. It is a process of elimination trouble shooting now.

Do you or a buddy of yours have a volt/ohm meter and is electrically friendly? I can tell them where I would start looking but this is something that takes a prior skill to help sort out what you are looking for and how to not get hurt in the process.

Hope this helps

John
__________________
Current Sunlines: 2004 T310SR, 2004 T1950, 2004 T2475, 2007 T2499, 2004 T317SR
Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
2005 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.8L V10 W/ 4.10 rear axle, CC, Short Bed, SRW. Reese HP trunnion bar hitch W/ HP DC

Google Custom Search For Sunline Owners Club
JohnB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-03-2009, 09:29 PM   #4
Moderator
 
JohnB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Ohio
Posts: 12,643
SUN #89
JohnB is on a distinguished road
The brake lights, totally different problem then the 120VAC.

Do the tail lights and clearnce lights work? How about turn signals.

Did you check the bulbs? One element may be burnt out.
__________________
Current Sunlines: 2004 T310SR, 2004 T1950, 2004 T2475, 2007 T2499, 2004 T317SR
Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
2005 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.8L V10 W/ 4.10 rear axle, CC, Short Bed, SRW. Reese HP trunnion bar hitch W/ HP DC

Google Custom Search For Sunline Owners Club
JohnB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2009, 06:20 AM   #5
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 12
SUN #920
larreddo
22b kikn breaker diagnosed

I had an rv tech come out and he checked the magnetek 6332 converter with his ohm meter and said its burnt out. also he found a short in bathroom gfi that probably caused shock to wife. as for brake lights i havent got to them yet but the turn signals work and i always thought the brakelights and turn signals were same circuit.
__________________
larreddo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2009, 07:10 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
Steve Collins's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: New York
Posts: 1,846
SUN #264
Steve Collins is an unknown quantity at this point
Re: 22b kikn breaker diagnosed

Quote:
Originally Posted by larreddo
as for brake lights i havent got to them yet but the turn signals work and i always thought the brakelights and turn signals were same circuit.
What kind of tow vehicle are you using? Does it have combined brake and turn signal lights all in one bulb or is the turn signal separate?

My wife's Grand Cherokee has the brake lights separate from the turn signals, and we've burned through two of the after-market convertor modules that combine the brake and turn signal into a single line.

As a start, open up the lights and remove the bulbs. Clean the bases of the bulbs real well, and do the same to the sockets. Check the bulbs to make sure both filaments are intact. The three primary causes of troubles with trailer S/T/T (stop/tail/turn) fixtures are:
1. Dirt/corrosion interfering with the flow of electricity
2. A broken filament which can cause all kinds of squirrelly behavior.
3. Bad or missing ground.

Pick up a small tube of dielectric grease at your local auto parts store. Lightly coat every exterior bulb base and socket on the trailer after cleaning them. It will prevent all kinds of problems. Also, liberally use the stuff on both the male and female contacts of the 7 pin trailer/TV connector. I also use it on battery terminals, exterior ground points, and any other place that I can find.
__________________

'12 F250 4x4 Super Duty PowerStroke 6.7 diesel
2011 to present: '11 Cougar 326MKS
1999 to 2011: '99 Sunline T-2453
SUN264 * Amateur Radio kd2iat monitoring 146.52
Steve Collins is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2009, 09:16 AM   #7
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 12
SUN #920
larreddo
magnetek conversion

thanks for info , havent got to brake lights yet. Going to change out old magnetek 6332 to new pd4635. I am no electrician, but I try and succeed on most things i attempt. On a scale of 1-10 how hard is the installation of the pd4635? My rv tech wants to charge me 150.00 to install. Thought id save some money , but if too many wires to trace then maybe i better leave to him. Any tips you can give on ez installation?
__________________
larreddo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2009, 09:50 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
Steve Collins's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: New York
Posts: 1,846
SUN #264
Steve Collins is an unknown quantity at this point
Re: magnetek conversion

Quote:
Originally Posted by larreddo
thanks for info , havent got to brake lights yet. Going to change out old magnetek 6332 to new pd4635. I am no electrician, but I try and succeed on most things i attempt. On a scale of 1-10 how hard is the installation of the pd4635? My rv tech wants to charge me 150.00 to install. Thought id save some money , but if too many wires to trace then maybe i better leave to him. Any tips you can give on ez installation?
Go here and look over the conversion instructions: http://www.bestconverter.com/Magnete...CO_ep_8-1.html

Based what I see there, I would not hesitate to do the job myself.

JohnB and several others have done this or similar conversions. None of them reported any difficulties.
__________________

'12 F250 4x4 Super Duty PowerStroke 6.7 diesel
2011 to present: '11 Cougar 326MKS
1999 to 2011: '99 Sunline T-2453
SUN264 * Amateur Radio kd2iat monitoring 146.52
Steve Collins is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2009, 10:56 AM   #9
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 12
SUN #920
larreddo
magnetek conversion

Actually mine should be easier than the one illustrated, I am only changing out the converter itself. Anyone doen just that? I know there are a few wires to deal with while changing whole panel, as illustrated, but how many wires do you deal with just for converter?
__________________
larreddo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2009, 11:04 AM   #10
Moderator
 
JohnB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Ohio
Posts: 12,643
SUN #89
JohnB is on a distinguished road
Hi Larredo

I’m glad your RV tech found the problems. Good.

A few things.

You said Progressive Dynamics pd4635. First off the Progressive Dynamics is a top end convertor IMHO I have one but a larger one and in a different case style.

This is the one you stated

http://www.bestconverter.com/PD4635-...on_p_350.html#

I see they have the Magnatec upgrade too.

The WFCO Steve pointed you to is a good convertor, but I feel the Progressive Dynamics is a step up. The PD has a change wizard (make sure you get that option, it seems to list it. ) and you can force the controller into different charge modes. The WFCO has been reported here on SOC that you cannot force the modes. The PD also has a desulfation mode which is key to long life maintenance to a lead acid battery. Last I checked the WFCO did not have that feature. I’m not knocking the WFCO, it is for sure a good convertor, just it is not as advanced as the PD in features from what I have found.

But the PD you gave us was a 35 amp convertor. Was your original a 35 amp? If so then it may be that the wiring in the system can only handle that to charge the battery and keep the coach running. PD does make a 45 and a 55 amp. While you can never use all the 45 or 55 to charge the battery, it does allow the battery to be charged at high rate and still keep the camper running.

If you are planning on doing a lot of bondocking, and no shore power hookup, then the 45 amp may help you. Running a generator to charge the battery and also use things in the coach at the same time is the help. The 35 amp will still do the job, 20 amps to the battery and then 15 amps for everything else of 12 VDC. It fits and many older TT where only made that way. Point is now that you are buying a new one, the little extra may not be that much. Just make sure the RV tech sees what the wire size going from the battery to the convertor that it can handle this. Most of the new ones are no. 6 awg with a 30 amp fuse or breaker in the charge line.

Now do you do this yourself or hire. The $150 sounds like about 2 hours of RV tech time. Which is not that bad as you are paying for the knowledge.

I’ll give these comments on this topic.

If you where already a level of electrical friendly, then doing a convertor upgrade is very doable. You already know what else to look for in an electrical system and what to end up with. And in this case you just work thru the new issues as they arise.

If you are not electrically friendly yet, there is then the unknown as you do not now the basics of what normal should be. When you work on an old system or even new for that matter, you notice other things not right, and then is the time to fix them. Wrong wire size for fuses, bare wires, loose connections, etc. And then there is the pure electrical theory part. That skill of identifying what is wrong comes thru prior learning and doing.

If you understand normal home wiring and grounding, doing a convertor upgrade is not a large issue. However if this is your first task at this, then maybe the 1st time, maybe pending your self confidence hire the RV tech. BUT learn from him. Quiz him. Understand what he is doing and why. Ask him, what on a yearly basis should I take off the panel and check every screw for tightness. What problems go wrong in a RV that I can look out for and help myself. Ask him what he did with his ohm meter to trace this down. They sell pretty cheap ones now a days at Radio shack and Harbor Freight. And for like $15 they will do most everything in a RV that my $450 Fluke meter does. Just I use mine at work for other higher end things.

It sounds like you are ready to learn and good for you. You have to sort out where you feel you can do this now or the next time.

However it comes out, good luck and we are here to help. And post some pics if you have a chance before and after.

Hope this helps

John
__________________
Current Sunlines: 2004 T310SR, 2004 T1950, 2004 T2475, 2007 T2499, 2004 T317SR
Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
2005 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.8L V10 W/ 4.10 rear axle, CC, Short Bed, SRW. Reese HP trunnion bar hitch W/ HP DC

Google Custom Search For Sunline Owners Club
JohnB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2009, 11:14 AM   #11
Moderator
 
JohnB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Ohio
Posts: 12,643
SUN #89
JohnB is on a distinguished road
Re: magnetek conversion

Quote:
Originally Posted by larreddo
Actually mine should be easier than the one illustrated, I am only changing out the converter itself. Anyone doen just that? I know there are a few wires to deal with while changing whole panel, as illustrated, but how many wires do you deal with just for converter?
Hi again

See here for my converter upgrade. This one may be more to it then yours and probably the other end of the spectrum. It all depends on the actual DC fusing system. On mine I cleaned up a few other things in the process above and beyond just a convertor upgrade

http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/ph...ht=progressive

Hope this helps
__________________
Current Sunlines: 2004 T310SR, 2004 T1950, 2004 T2475, 2007 T2499, 2004 T317SR
Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
2005 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.8L V10 W/ 4.10 rear axle, CC, Short Bed, SRW. Reese HP trunnion bar hitch W/ HP DC

Google Custom Search For Sunline Owners Club
JohnB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2009, 01:09 PM   #12
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 12
SUN #920
larreddo
magnetek conversion to pd upgrade

Well I just removed old magnetek and it was pretty simple. all I had to remove was 3 wires from dc board and 1 wire from ac power bar and 1 wire from ac breaker. so thats a total of 5 wires that are ez to get to . I ordered the new one and am waiting to come in mail, But so far so good.
Mine is not as elaborate as yours john.
__________________
larreddo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2009, 01:13 PM   #13
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 12
SUN #920
larreddo
pd4635 installation guide

heres the guide that was on the site i bought from. By the way the converter was only $195.00 +free shipping

https://bestconverter.3dcartstores.c...ies_c_133.html

click on the "product manual" button
__________________
larreddo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2009, 09:05 PM   #14
Moderator
 
JohnB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Ohio
Posts: 12,643
SUN #89
JohnB is on a distinguished road
Well good. Your on your way to recovery.

Some time look at Radio shack or Harbor Frieght for a cheapy digitial volt/ohm meter. They can do a lot in a RV to figure out what is and is not working.

Keep us posted on the progress

John
__________________
Current Sunlines: 2004 T310SR, 2004 T1950, 2004 T2475, 2007 T2499, 2004 T317SR
Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
2005 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.8L V10 W/ 4.10 rear axle, CC, Short Bed, SRW. Reese HP trunnion bar hitch W/ HP DC

Google Custom Search For Sunline Owners Club
JohnB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-23-2009, 05:41 PM   #15
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 12
SUN #920
larreddo
final update on converter replacement

new converter replacement was easy as pie and had no problems installing. I did find out that the true culprits were the 2 gfi outlets. 1 in kitchen and 1 in bathroom. Also replaced both outlets and all is well.
__________________
larreddo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-23-2009, 09:06 PM   #16
Moderator
 
JohnB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Ohio
Posts: 12,643
SUN #89
JohnB is on a distinguished road
Good for you! Glad things worked out and all is well now. Thanks for reporting back how you made out.

Happy Camping now

John
__________________

__________________
Current Sunlines: 2004 T310SR, 2004 T1950, 2004 T2475, 2007 T2499, 2004 T317SR
Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
2005 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.8L V10 W/ 4.10 rear axle, CC, Short Bed, SRW. Reese HP trunnion bar hitch W/ HP DC

Google Custom Search For Sunline Owners Club
JohnB is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
1998 t-22b vin larreddo Sunline Community 4 08-04-2009 10:13 AM
1998 2363 Solaris Advancer buck Introduce Yourself 3 10-13-2008 07:58 PM
1998 2363 Solaris Advancer buck Introduce Yourself 0 10-13-2008 07:25 PM
1998 saturn westernmassachusetts Sunline Travel Trailers 3 06-17-2008 09:36 AM
Tire Kicking and Dumb Luck emam Sunline Community 13 07-11-2007 10:56 AM


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sunline RV or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:16 AM.


×