Quote:
Originally Posted by barryy
Thank you John
I have traced the DOT light wires from the 7-way to the where they run to the road side rear...where they disappear behind the paneling of course.
Logic would say they run to the curb side tail then lower marker lamp then daisy chain as you said up to the upper markers and then along the road side to the front...I say the road side because the lamps all have 2 green and 2 whites...(one in and one out per color) until you get to the lower curb side marker where there are one white and one green.
Stands to reason that this is the last lamp in the series. Now my dilemma...All lights(DOT) work except the front 4 which I stated earlier. Suggesting a break in ground somewhere between last rear marker and first front marker.
BUT....a test light hooked between the *white and a ground* lights the test light...when test light is hooked between *green and ground* the marker lights energize.
This seems opposite of the expected outcome. I get this same result no matter which of the 4 forward mounted marker lamps I test.
I would run a jumper wire from one of the forward lamps to chassis ground except that it goes against rationale to attach a green to a ground..though that is what makes the lamps work.
A note: Nothing in the coach appears to have been disturbed. I.E.: Paneling, wiring, nothing to suggest this coach has been tampered with in it's 25 years...Actually the reason I purchased because it is nearly perfect inside and out.
|
Hi Barry,
First, you get an A+ for your troubleshooting and posting about it!
This one is an odd one. We all learn from these posts, and how you work your way out of them. This is good for all!
I do not think you are "yet" at the point to start removing panels or to just leave it. Something is not totally adding up just yet.
Lets confirm a few things. The front area 4 marker lights, 2 on the top front wall, and one on each front left and right side. All amber lights. Yes, those are all parallel daisy chained together. And it seems that green and white wire that feeds the first in the chain is the problem at the moment.
To the green and white feed wire routing on the front wall. I'm not sure "yet" that the green and white come from the back of the camper, up to the front of the camper. We did not yet talk about the junction between the 7 wire truck cable to the camper DOT wires.
Need you to check and confirm what I am going to talk about. What you described on the rear of the camper does fit with how Sunline even wires the newer campers. The DOT wire bundle runs from the 7 wire cable junction all the way to the back wall under the camper where you can see it, then it goes up into the wall to never be seen under all the siding etc.
See here on one of my Sunline project campers I am rebuilding. This the back wall and we tested the DOT lights by jumping the 7 wire plug pins to make darn sure all the lights work before we put the siding on. This is how I feel yours is wired like, as it fits your word description.
Now, how do they get a green and a white marker light feed to the front wall area? Here we need you to confirm a few things. On a 2003 camper, Sunline started the front wall green and white wire feed "at the 7 wire cable junction". Meaning they had 2 green and white wire feeds. This all starts at the 7 wire cable. One green run, goes to the back wall. A 2nd run starts the 7 wire cable junction and goes up into the front wall. But, this was what was done in 2003. Yours was built in 1985. Did they create that front wall feed, at the back wall and run it all the way to the front, or create the front wall feed at the 7 wire cable junction? Good question, I know.
See here for my project camper on the front wall. The green and white come-up from bellow into the front wall, then parallel daisy chain from each amber light until they get all 4 of them.
Please find the end of the 7 wire cable where they spliced into it creating the rear wall green wire feed. Look if there are 2 greens at that cable splice running into the camper, one to the rear and the other somewhere else, like the front wall? Back in 1985, that junction may be just all electrical taped under the camper OR come up inside the camper into a wooden junction box inside the camper with 2 fuses in it (truck charge fuse and battery charge fuse) and the joining of the rest of the DOT wires (the brown, red and yellow if yours has back up lights.) If yours has that junction box up front inside on the floor most times , that is a key piece of info. They bury that box under a cabinet or sofa etc pending the floor plan. Does your have that junction box? The front wall green feed wire could start in that box, go through the floor and then up to the front wall so you cannot see any of this under the camper.
If you can find the start of the 2nd green wire, that creates a place to trouble shoot from.
Now this statement. I have a possible explanation for this.
Quote:
BUT....a test light hooked between the *white and a ground* lights the test light...when test light is hooked between *green and ground* the marker lights energize.
|
What you are describing sounds like a wire color polarity mix up. The test light is a helpful tool, but it does not tell polarity and it can act as a jumper wire with a resistor in the middle of it. Try using the voltmeter and confirm which wire, green or white is the positive wire? I can see how a test light will give you the results you found if the wire color polarity is mixed up.
It is not beyond belief, that the camper was built with a wire color mix up. It happens. Incandescent light bulbs do not care about polarity, they will work either way. Just it makes it hard for someone 35 years later to trouble shoot, it... Like maybe, you.
Find the 7 wire cable junction into the DOT wires, the polarity of the front wall green and white, are now more clues to the problem.
If you find that wooden junction box, take some pics of the inside of it so we can see how many green wires are joining to the 7 wire cable. Also look, how does the white 7 wire cable wire tie into the camper DC ground wires. That white wire junction may be part of the mix up/problem too.
Hope this helps and curious on how you make out.
John