List of Technical Questions - New Beaver Owner Trying to Get Rig in Shape

[Anand Shah]

Hi All,

Our family purchased a new-to-us 2007 Beaver Marquis Lapis (C15), after spending the last summer at 20 national parks in a smaller Thor DP Bunkhouse model - and deciding that we love this form of travel and are planning to go west this summer and and to Alaska next.  I've spent the last month getting to know the coach and fixing all kinds of random stuff (wind sensors, 12V issues, dead lights, plumbing, new drag bar, minor air leaks, lift supports, etc).  Next project is to convert the rear closet into bunk beds.

I read the forum religiously and have learned a lot so far - super grateful and hope to pay it forward -  but would love some help if anyone has time to help me answer some questions that I can't seem to answer and neither can the previous owner -

1 - I can't seem to get the Girard door awning to work.   I understand the larger awnings are 110v (though I don't see the breakers) and they work.  But the door awning switch is in the multiplex and I hear the solenoid click but no awning movement.   Any help on where to look?

2 - The Aladdin system works fine, but the clock is off and I can't seem to get it to set properly.  It randomly goes from 4p to 8p to Midnight.  On an old PC this would have been a dead CMOS battery.  Any ideas?   

3 - Also, the Aladdin has 4 camera inputs behind the instrument cluster, one is for an inside camera, which I have installed (Weldex) but it doesn't show up.  When I opened the dash cover I found several hack job RCA cables that I don't understand and weren't connected on one end.  I'm going to take some pics but any advice appreciated.  I'm assuming the wiring runs in the cabinets and down the front driver's pillar.  I'm trying to figure out if I can just replace it with a dash cam but need to run 12V.  Any advice on where to tap 12V in the dash?

4 - I have a 30A breaker behind a door in the top of the Washer/Dryer cabinet.  Can't figure out what it is for.  Picture attached.  It is not for the Washer/Dryer (which is now a single unit).  Ideas?

5 - There is what looks like a 30A connector on the tow hitch, and a second 6-pin connection (but the small side) and a second 4 pin connection.  I'm told the first owner was a racer and that these are to power a trailer.  Any confirmation of this?  Pic attached.  Trying to figure out if I can remove.

6 - The coach has 5 solar panels and 8 AGM batteries (takes up half a storage bay).   The house battery disconnect does something (I hear the click/thud) but the inverter still runs when the disconnect is off.  Is this normal?

7 - Can someone confirm slides out THEN level?  Seems counterintuitive and the manual could be more clear.  Coach has Air/Hydraulic level (three point).

8 - I can't for the life of me figure out how to get the bay lights to work.  The rocker on the dash lights up.  The bay lights do not.  The fuse seems ok.  Ideas?  Pic attached.

9 - My hazards flash normally, but when I hit the brakes they go solid.   Hazards flash both red brake lights and the amber, and the middle light.  This doesn't seem normal.   Hazards should still flash when I hit the brakes, one would think.  Ideas on where to start hunting this problem down?

10 - I can't seem to find the controller for the KingDome In-motion.  Where would that normally be?  I'm not sure we'll ever use it but trying to figure out how it works since it is on the roof.  There used to be some satellite phone, too.  The doc still exists.  Anyone want it?   Is it fairly easy to route a new cable to the roof?  How do I access the hole in the roof that all the cables come through from inside?  I'm trying to install a booster/MIMO antenna on the roof.

11 - lastly I heard that the power harness for the CAT C15 might help with mileage.  I'm not inclined to modify the motor, but wonder if anyone has done this and if there are serious downsides (I'm guessing I could ask Dave, too).

Ok I'll stop for now.   Sorry for all the questions, grateful for the help!

Best Regards,

Anand

[David T. Richelderfer]

Maybe I can help with one question.  We always move the slides when the leveler's travel light is ON - GREEN.  That means we move the slides out before leveling and move the slides in after starting the coach's engine, airing up, and letting the leveling system go back to travel mode - travel light ON - GREEN.

We also have both air and hydraulic 3-point leveling in either manual or automatic modes.  We rarely use hydraulic leveling.

[Anand Shah]

Thanks - so to be clear you bring the slides in on Travel mode as well, not from level?

[David T. Richelderfer]

Yes, we move the slides IN and OUT from an "unleveled" position when the air bags are pressured full and the travel light is ON - GREEN.  One time I started moving a slide before starting the coach's engine and bringing the air bags up to travel mode.  The rear upper corner of the streetside living room slide caught and stopped moving in while the other three corners continued to move in.  Fortunately, I always stand so that I can watch the slides move when opening or closing them.  I immediately stopped closing the slide and pushed it back out.  It had moved only a few inches.  I started the coach's engine to let the air system come up to running pressure and waited for the travel light to come ON - GREEN, then proceeded to move the slides in with no further issues.

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Anand,
If possible, please convert photos you plan to post on the Forum to .jpg rather than .jp2 format. The .jp2 format will require many of us to download another app to open and view them.
Thx! Steve

[Keith Moffett]

Anand
Lots to answer.
1). Re leveling.  David is right.  Always move slides while in travel mode then level.  As a side note if you are in a spot that it wont quite level on air you can get as close as possible with the engine running.  Turn off level and allow to rebuild air and re level again as this will often take up that small difference.

2) the door awning should be addressed with Gerard.  Probably a bad switch.
3). The Aladdin.  Do you mean you accessed the plugs from the panel above the steering wheel?  If you go to menu and the engine screen then arrow right what do you see?
4). Have you considered the modification to add bunk beds may hurt resale down the road?  Perhaps a sofa bed?
5). Kingdoms in motion may be out dated.  Seems I recall a point several years ago with a big change that warranted a new dish.  May be wrong there.
6)  Look at the library (or ask Steve Huber) about the box by the laundry.  Not sure if the Marquis wiring is there but Thunder is and its similar.

[Anand Shah]

Anand,
If possible, please convert photos you plan to post on the Forum to .jpg rather than .jp2 format. The .jp2 format will require many of us to download another app to open and view them.
Thx! Steve

Thanks will do!

[Anand Shah]

Anand
Lots to answer.
1). Re leveling.  David is right.  Always move slides while in travel mode then level.  As a side note if you are in a spot that it wont quite level on air you can get as close as possible with the engine running.  Turn off level and allow to rebuild air and re level again as this will often take up that small difference.

2) the door awning should be addressed with Gerard.  Probably a bad switch.
3). The Aladdin.  Do you mean you accessed the plugs from the panel above the steering wheel?  If you go to menu and the engine screen then arrow right what do you see?
4). Have you considered the modification to add bunk beds may hurt resale down the road?  Perhaps a sofa bed?
5). Kingdoms in motion may be out dated.  Seems I recall a point several years ago with a big change that warranted a new dish.  May be wrong there.
6)  Look at the library (or ask Steve Huber) about the box by the laundry.  Not sure if the Marquis wiring is there but Thunder is and its similar.

Thank you for this.  Will call Girard.   The 4th Camera shows up as fuzz.   But there is no video input in the Aladdin box.  There are two different RCA cables there that are not connected.  Don't understand.  I'll take a pic and post when I get back to the coach (it is parked 2 hrs away).

I have considered that the bunks might reduce value.  I intend to make it convertible back to closet, but I also think there are an increasing number of families like ours that are looking for rigs - not sure many of them are willing to look at older bigger Beavers, but I'm confident there will be someone!  If not, I'll convert it back.

Do I just leave the kingdome on the roof?  Maybe I can replace it with something newer.  Any recommendations?

Good to know on slides.   Travel Mode > Slides Out > Level > Start Up > Back to Travel Mode > Slides In

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Anand,
1.   If you haven’t already noticed, the rear closet is right above the engine and the hottest section of the coach. Bunk beds in this location will be very toasty for quite some time after driving all day.
2.   The breaker above the washer / dryer was for the washer / dryer and stove. See pgs 115 -116 in the 07 Marquis wiring diagrams for more info. Are you sure it is not for the single unit? If not, what breaker is feeding the washer/dryer?
3.   The wires coming from the roof are normally anchored with cable clamps so it is not easy or possible to pull them from inside (unless they were added later).
4.   Aladdin manuals are located in Coach Assist.
5.   Your coach came with a 7 pin tow connector. Any other connectors were added by a previous owner. See pg 180 in 07 Marquis Wiring diagrams for wiring of connector.
6.   Not sure but bet that King Dome controller is behind a panel in your front cabinets, probably close to switch. See pg 71 for wiring diagram.
7.   Not clear what you are referring to re “power harness”. In any case, remember that you never get something for nothing. To get better mileage the engine will need to be derated which means you will lose power. To get increased power, the engine will create more heat as it has to work harder. Best (IMHO) is to leave well enough alone. Your Marquis is a heavy coach and is well matched to the engine. To get better mileage, drop your cruising speed and idle time.

Steve

[Scott Shearer]

Anand,

1. All of our ‘Girards’ are 120 VAC and are on circuit #8 in the inverter sub-panel.

2. Our Aladdin clock freezes periodically, resetting the system fixes it, but if you’ve turned the house battery disconnect off you’ve already reset it. There may be something wrong the Aladdin VCM.

4. Sub-panel with 30A breaker above Washer/Dryer. If the breaker is a double pole breaker (240V) it is probably for the optional 240-volt dryer (although I believe the sub-panel was usually installed next to the main panel). If it is a single pole breaker (120-volt), might it be for the 30-amp connector at the hitch?

6. Your inverter/charger is independent of the house battery disconnect; it will invert/charge (house batteries only) with the disconnect in the off position. See page 79 in the 07 Marquis wiring diagrams.

8. Bay lights. See page 164 in the 07 Marquis wiring diagrams.

9. Your hazard lights work exactly like ours.

Scott

[Anand Shah]

Anand,
1.   If you haven’t already noticed, the rear closet is right above the engine and the hottest section of the coach. Bunk beds in this location will be very toasty for quite some time after driving all day.
2.   The breaker above the washer / dryer was for the washer / dryer and stove. See pgs 115 -116 in the 07 Marquis wiring diagrams for more info. Are you sure it is not for the single unit? If not, what breaker is feeding the washer/dryer?
3.   The wires coming from the roof are normally anchored with cable clamps so it is not easy or possible to pull them from inside (unless they were added later).
4.   Aladdin manuals are located in Coach Assist.
5.   Your coach came with a 7 pin tow connector. Any other connectors were added by a previous owner. See pg 180 in 07 Marquis Wiring diagrams for wiring of connector.
6.   Not sure but bet that King Dome controller is behind a panel in your front cabinets, probably close to switch. See pg 71 for wiring diagram.
7.   Not clear what you are referring to re “power harness”. In any case, remember that you never get something for nothing. To get better mileage the engine will need to be derated which means you will lose power. To get increased power, the engine will create more heat as it has to work harder. Best (IMHO) is to leave well enough alone. Your Marquis is a heavy coach and is well matched to the engine. To get better mileage, drop your cruising speed and idle time.

Steve

Hi Steve,

Thanks for these answers.   I'm going to dive deeper into the wiring diagrams.  I did look at them before posting but there are a lot and I'm not as astute with them as I should be.

Responses:

1 - I'm aware the bunks will be warm & cozy.  I also appreciate that many Beaver fans will not like that we are doing this.  However, our last coach the engine was under the large bed and we dealt with it fine, but having sleeping for the family that is separate from the living area is a must have and the choice of this Beaver was for the ability to convert this on the floorplan (we also looked at a Dynasty Palace III, HR Navigator 43FST and CC Affinity models, but wanted a Beaver).   

2 - There is a breaker above the driver's seat labeled for Washer/Dryer.  This breaker was off, and the Washer/Dryer worked (it is 110v).  It could be for a 240v dryer or maybe for the rear tow hitch 30A.  I'll try to hunt it down next time I get to the coach.

3 - There are lots of wires added later I think.  Three antennas at least that do not look original.   

4 - Will look at Coach Assist now.

5 - Yes, it was clearly added later.   There is a jumble of connectors at the hitch.  One 4pin, One 6pin, the Power connector, 7pin Spade, another 4 pin, and a trailer brake air line.   I'm trying to clean it up.

6 - I'll look again, but no luck.  There is an rocker on-off for something next to the Magnum Interface, next to the Antenna up-down, next to a Diagnostic port - that is all I have in the cabinet above the pass seat.  The next one over the door has the sat phone thing. 

7 - I agree.  Not going to modify.  Read about the "power harness" on another forum that gives a HP and Torque boost but also improves fuel economy by 15 percent.  Don't need more power or torque, but fuel economy is attractive.

Thanks!

Anand

[Anand Shah]

Anand,

1. All of our ‘Girards’ are 120 VAC and are on circuit #8 in the inverter sub-panel.

2. Our Aladdin clock freezes periodically, resetting the system fixes it, but if you’ve turned the house battery disconnect off you’ve already reset it. There may be something wrong the Aladdin VCM.

4. Sub-panel with 30A breaker above Washer/Dryer. If the breaker is a double pole breaker (240V) it is probably for the optional 240-volt dryer (although I believe the sub-panel was usually installed next to the main panel). If it is a single pole breaker (120-volt), might it be for the 30-amp connector at the hitch?

6. Your inverter/charger is independent of the house battery disconnect; it will invert/charge (house batteries only) with the disconnect in the off position. See page 79 in the 07 Marquis wiring diagrams.

8. Bay lights. See page 164 in the 07 Marquis wiring diagrams.

9. Your hazard lights work exactly like ours.

Scott

Scott -

Thank you for the answers here:

9 - thanks for confirming this is normal.

8 - Got it - will hunt down and investigate from wiring diagrams.

6 - what does the house disconnect actually disconnect?

4 - noted - will open and check wiring for single vs two pole

2 - will leave the Aladdin alone and let it work in peace for as long as it does

1 - Thx.  going to try to call Girard.

Anand

[Scott Shearer]

Anand,

6. If we are talking about the battery disconnect switch located in the battery compartment, when off, most of the house 12-volt power is off. There are at least two circuits that by-pass the disconnect. One feeds the ‘always hot’ circuit in the front run bay to power circuit board #5 (CO detector, propane detector, radio memory, etc.), see page 97 in the 07 Marquis wiring diagrams.

The other circuit is the invertor/charger, the invertor will invert and the charger will charge the house batteries even if the disconnect is off.

The battery isolator (Big Boy Relay) will drop out when either the house or chassis disconnects are in the off position so the chassis battery charge will not be maintained (at least that’s the way ours works).

Most of the high-amperage 12-volt passes through the rear run box and is protected by hi-amp waterproof circuit breakers.

Scott

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Anand,
A caution. If the BIRD/Big Boy system is on there will be 12v on both the house and chassis circuits for about a minute after the disconnect switch is moved to Open. This is due to the built in delay of the BIRD. So wait a few minutes and use a meter to verify lack of voltage before working on stuff, especially in the rear run box.
Steve

[Anand Shah]

Anand,

6. If we are talking about the battery disconnect switch located in the battery compartment, when off, most of the house 12-volt power is off. There are at least two circuits that by-pass the disconnect. One feeds the ‘always hot’ circuit in the front run bay to power circuit board #5 (CO detector, propane detector, radio memory, etc.), see page 97 in the 07 Marquis wiring diagrams.

The other circuit is the invertor/charger, the invertor will invert and the charger will charge the house batteries even if the disconnect is off.

The battery isolator (Big Boy Relay) will drop out when either the house or chassis disconnects are in the off position so the chassis battery charge will not be maintained (at least that’s the way ours works).

Most of the high-amperage 12-volt passes through the rear run box and is protected by hi-amp waterproof circuit breakers.

Scott

Thank you - very helpful.  I have a solar panel and MPPT charge controller connected to the chassis batteries directly that I use where it is stored.  Good to know that the house batts will keep being charged even if the disconnect is off;  for some reason, I'm pretty certain that the house disconnect in my previous coach disconnected the inverter.   But maybe I am wrong, I don't remember ever testing it.