Inverter Problem

[Pete Masterson]

Intermittent stuff can be really tricky. A previous Toyota Camry I
had would just shut down from time to time. Couldn't start it back up
(Had to call AAA several times). Three trips to the shop-- nothing
found that was wrong except the battery was a little low due to the
attempts to restart. Finally, someone suggested, "get a new
battery" (The battery was 6 years old.) Got a new battery and the
problems all went away. Seems the old battery was intermittently not
delivering enough volts, shutting down the engine computer (which
shut off the engine). Of course, it would test "low" but charge right
up with the big charger used at the shop. Then it would test OK --
but what didn't show up was that the battery was dropping down very
quickly and was not recharging adequately with the alternator due to
age and normal degradation.

So, take heart that you will eventually find the real reason for the
shut downs. Something some where is causing a major voltage loss. The
inverter may be part of the problem or it may simply be a victim of
the problem. At least, it seems involved and is clearly the place to
start tracing circuits and testing continuity to find what's really
happening.

As a service manager I once did business with said, "Don't worry,
these things have a way of getting worse." (What he meant was, that
an intermittent problem tends to eventually degrade into a non-
intermittent problem that can then be found and solved.) Of course,
the problem I had (that couldn't be found) "got worse" in the toll
plaza of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge at the height of
morning rush hours... (But the problem was found!)

Pete Masterson
'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42
aeonix1@...
On the road at Lockhart, TX



On Nov 16, 2008, at 12:41 AM, George Burke wrote:

> Randy, Pete gave you some great info. As he and others said you
> have one of the the hardest types of problems to diagnose, an
> intermittent one. I would have your INVERTER and related WIRING
> looked at CLOSELY. Do you actually know if the inverter pulled your
> batteries down, or are you just thinking that because you lost
> power? You may be losing intermittent power to all coach functions;
> engine, radio, lights, etc.: when this problem rears its ugly head.
> It took me quite a few dollars and a yrs. time to find out why my
> wifes Volvo would just cut off. Very scary, and a real pain. Good
> Luck, and in the mean time, leave your radio on to give you warning
> before it shuts down. At least now you know what to do! Regards,
> George Burke 1977FC31 Charlotte
> On Sat, Nov 15, 2008 at 3:23 PM, Randy Merrill
> wrote:
> Hi Everyone,
>
> I have an ongoing problem with the inverter on my 2003 LX. This
> scenario has happened twice: While driving down the highway with the
> inverter running the radio volume goes off. Then, the coach loses
> all power and stalls. It happened once in Washington, DC traffic
> last summer and again today coming home from Fort Valley. I
> recognized what was happening today when the radio volume cut out
> and the coach started losing power. I reached up and shut the
> inverter off and the coach "came back to life" and I continued home.
> This is a very dangerous situation to say the least. It seems to me
> that the inverter is pulling from the coach batteries and running
> them down and causing the coach to stall. I had the coach at the
> factory all last week having the electrical system checked out and
> they say that there isn't any problem that they could find. They
> said all batteries are in good condition and the inverter is fine
> and the changeover switches are working fine. I told them about the
> inverter problem and they said there isn't any way for the inverter
> to be causing the coach to stall. I spent $600.00 at the factory
> having everything checked out and am not satisfied that there "isn't
> anything wrong." I wondered if anyone else has had anything like
> this happen? I really want to get this straightened out before I
> head out on my next trip.
>
> Randy Merrill
> 2003 LX
> Ocala, FL
>
>
>
>