Electrical Gremlins

[Pete Masterson]

Just before Christmas, we concluded a 3-month trip. In general my
coach handled beautifully and without serious problems or any
mishaps. Truly, the Blue Bird is a wonderful vehicle to drive.

However, I've noticed a few gremlins of an electrical nature:

1. Cruise control doesn't work when the headlights are on. Not a
serious problem as I don't often drive at night, but annoying if I
'flash' the lights to signal a passing truck.

2. The Jake brake has become intermittent. First noticed about half-
way through the trip, the Jake brake simply wasn't working while
crossing Texas. After staying for a month in Lockhart, the Jake
worked again. (I'd checked all the fuses, circuit breakers, etc. and
none were blown or bad.) Then it started working some of the time and
not -- even cutting in and out for several seconds at a time while
going down a hill at a constant speed.

3. I also had troubles with the umbilical cable between the coach and
the toad. While the various lights are important, the greatest
concern is that the transmission lube pump for the toad receives its
power from the coach through the cable. I cleaned the contacts with
"tuner cleaner" and used some dielectric grease that improved (but
did not solve) the problem. It seemed to be particularly bad on cold
mornings with the lube-pump alarm cutting in and out frequently for
the first 5 to 10 miles. (Much cable jiggling and plugging/unplugging
would seem to help.) The wires to/from the connectors seem to be
tight and in good condition.

I checked all the ground straps and ensured that they were all tight
(no loose connections were found). Battery voltage was indicated at
12.85 to 12.9 -- normal for the AGM batteries in the coach.

Any thoughts/comments would be appreciated. I plan to start checking
the voltages on the various connections -- and to look for loose or
corroded connectors. I also plan to disconnect the various ground
straps, clean the contacts, and reassemble them.

Pete Masterson
'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42
El Sobrante CA
aeonix1@...





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