Author Topic: Coach Power Switch issue  (Read 7854 times)

Luce Snellgrove

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Coach Power Switch issue
« on: March 21, 2015, 07:28:56 PM »
I am in Pacific City Thousand Trail Park (Oregon). I have been having issues with the Coach Power switch and ultimately had to fold a piece of paper to hold it on. Anyway, it is now not working at all and all the battery operate lights and fridge are not functioning.

Ken at Beaver Coach Sales told me to bypass the switch. So, I need to know how you do that. I think there are 2 top and 2 lower leads coming into the switch. So, do I just put them all together?

Thank you so much. If I cant figure this out I need to come home. Thank you.

KC Snellgrove
2005 Beaver Montery Olivia Jean
440 CAT
38 footer
« Last Edit: March 21, 2015, 07:38:12 PM by Glenda Farris Co-Admin »

Steve Huber Co-Admin

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Re: Coach Power Switch issue
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2015, 07:55:22 PM »
Luce,
Not sure  how your coach is wired but I wouldn't be surprised if there are only 2 wires at the switch as it is probably used to trigger a relay. If only 2, simply jumper them. If more than that, do no jumper them together unless you know how the switch operates, e.g.  which terminals are connected when the switch is thrown.
Steve
Steve
2015-          07 Contessa Bayshore C9,  400 hp
2013-2015: 00 Marquis Tourmaline, C12, 425 hp
2005-2013: 01 Contessa Naples, 3126B, 330 hp

Joel Ashley

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  • OSU Class of '73, Oregon Native. RVing 39 years
Re: Coach Power Switch issue
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2015, 09:34:34 PM »
KC, you might turn off the Coach Main switch in the battery bay first, to avoid arcing when you jump the leads.  I'd use a jumper wire that's at least as big as the existing leads, although the switch is really only a low-amperage one that, as Steve notes, sets off a latching solenoid on the wall in the BigBoy/Fuse Buss compartment above the batteries.

The one time I had similar issues I just happened to be at BCS.  They serviced the switch, and changed out the solenoid just to be sure.  As I've reminisced on the Forum before, Ken pulled no punches about owners' use of that confounded "salesmen's" switch by the door;   leave it alone and only use the Main Switches to shut down and revitalize your coach.  I'd be surprised if he didn't offer similar commentary during your conversation.

The door switch was meant only for infrequent use on dealer's lots and doesn't stand up to repeated wear by owners.  So for others relatively new to ownership, whose switch has yet to become an issue, please leave it in the ON position 24/7/365.  If you're ambitious enough, jumpering it can avoid young kids' misdeeds and your inadvertant deactivations while fumbling the doorway switchline in the dark.

Joel
Joel and Lee Rae Ashley
Clackamas, Oregon
36.9 ft. 2006 Monterey Ventura IV, aka"Monty Rae"
C9 400HP Cat

Edward Buker

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Re: Coach Power Switch issue
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2015, 10:15:35 PM »
Luce,

I believe that this is a momentary switch that triggers a latching relay back in the battery compartment. Each pulse moves it from on to off and then back to on if it is working right.

You need to know which relay is the latching relay in the back. When you find that, it will have two large leads and some small wire or wires that trigger it. If you can get it to cycle at all, and you can put your hand on it you should be able to hear it or feel it cycle. If you cannot get it to work at all BCS may be able to identify it for you.

The right way to jumper is to have a cable with approx. the same size wire as what is on the larger terminals now ( little larger or slightly smaller wire is OK if that is what they have at the automotive store) if you cannot move one of the existing larger cables to the other lug tying the two large cable together. Either lug as a "hitching post" would be fine.

Basically you will bypass the relay by wiring the two heavy wires that are there now together on one of the single lugs or jumper it with the new short jumper if the wires are too short to move one of the existing wires to the other lug.. You do not want to change any of the small wiring at the switch or the small wires at the solenoid. You do not want to leave "switching" power that comes from the small switch up front on that latching relay all the time, it was not made to work that way.

Later Ed

Gerald Farris

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Re: Coach Power Switch issue
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2015, 06:07:45 AM »
KC,
Ed is right. Only jump across the large terminals at the salesman switch solenoid (not the Big Boy solenoid) in the electrical (battery) bay and do not jump the switch at the front door.

Gerald
   

Steve Huber Co-Admin

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Re: Coach Power Switch issue
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2015, 06:28:24 AM »
Ed, Gerald,
I agree with your fix, but what is the issue with jumpering the salesman switch?
Steve
Steve
2015-          07 Contessa Bayshore C9,  400 hp
2013-2015: 00 Marquis Tourmaline, C12, 425 hp
2005-2013: 01 Contessa Naples, 3126B, 330 hp

Gerald Farris

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Re: Coach Power Switch issue
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2015, 06:53:10 AM »
Steve,
The salesman switch is a momentary switch designed to supply a very short signal to latch or unlatch a relay and was never intended to supply a continuous current to a circuit. Besides even if the latching relay were to operate with a continuous current, it would overheat and fail because the windings are not designed to operate at 100% duty cycle.

Gerald

KC Snellgrove

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Re: Coach Power Switch issue
« Reply #7 on: March 22, 2015, 06:24:38 PM »
THANK YOU FELLOW BEAVER LOVERS! This is KC and here is what happened. It all started after I took my Olivia Jean to Petersen CAT on Columbia Blvd to do maintenance on the engine. When I got home I had significant electrical problems regarding the house batteries... I messed with it for 2 days and could not figure it out! Finally I called CAT and asked them to send someone out and explained the problem...fix it....they hemmed and hawed. I told them I had not had this problem prior to taking my rig to them. Well the following morning  a man arrived and within minutes found the problem....he said with a smile aww...."Well this could be the problem!" as he held up the UNATTACHED GROUND WIRE! HA. He cleaned the house batteries and check the fluid as I has asked to be done when the rig was in the shop. We left for the beach and all was well..happy...then after a week all house battery operated things stopped functioning. As I was looking for it I noticed the drivers front wheel going FLAT!  OH MY GOSH....now things became VERY URGENT! I finally found the solenoid in box above batteries and jumped it getting power to the bedroom slide and filled the tire then WITHOUT HAST skidoodled to Tillamook to Les Scbwabs (I was in Pacific City Thousand Trails) ...it was 3:00..drove 25 MPH feeling very anxious and paranoid, but got there in time. The tire fellow found the tires had sand in them (he said a good thing), but the tire (?) valve was not the right one and the sand particles get caught and cause a slow leak.....so he replace the stems then stating I would not have any more problems.....ON OUR WAY HOME ---EXHAUSTED...now I have to change that $%^&*() solenoid. So the question after a long diatribe...

Does anyone have any suggestions where I can a solenoid?....since I cannot dump the potty due to the macerater wont work....no batteries....Thank you ....so much KC

Edward Buker

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Re: Coach Power Switch issue
« Reply #8 on: March 22, 2015, 07:03:23 PM »
KC,

I would jumper the latching relay permanently in the manner I mentioned in my last note. As long as there is a way to leave your coach plugged in, it is not needed. The coach should remain plugged in to preserve the life of your batteries anyway. On occasion you may need to disconnect the batteries from the coach, use the manual switches in the battery compartment for house and chassis. The salesman switch up front was a way to depower just a portion of the 12V systems but it was not a really good well executed idea that tended to create more trouble then it was worth. It gets inadvertently shut down and at times, like in your case, proves to be unreliable.

Later Ed

Keith Oliver

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Re: Coach Power Switch issue
« Reply #9 on: March 24, 2015, 03:55:19 PM »
KC:  I had a power issue with my salesman switch when my Contessa was new to me.  I eventually found that the fuse beside the solenoid was 1/2 blown.  Once replaced, all the electrical gremlins left the coach.  It is a 250 amp slow blow fuse.   The only way to tell it is 1/2 blown is with a meter.  IIRC the only component it is attached to is the solenoid. 
For details, see my post of May 24, 2011,"what is using all my electricity?"