Electrical Gremlins

[Pete Masterson]

I've looked at one or another of those plugs a couple of times --- so
I'll give a really close look with a magnifying glass. This is just
the suggestion I was hoping for...

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



On Dec 27, 2007, at 11:49 AM, Rob Robinson wrote:

> Pete your gremlins with respect to the cruise and jake sound a
> little (not
> completely identical) like the problems I was having with my cruise
> and
> tranny retarder. It turned out to be a burned connection in one of
> the five
> cannon plugs up front. They are accessed through the outside front
> panel. We
> missed it at first, second and third inspection but after looking very
> closely at these fine male/female connections within the cannon we
> finally
> found one that was slightly discoloured. I recommend looking for
> problem
> with a magnifying glass. We didn't try to replace the connection
> but rather
> jumped wired around it.
>
> On 27/12/2007, Pete Masterson wrote:
>>
>> 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@...
>>
>> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Rob, Sue & Merlin Robinson
> 94 WLWB
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]