New Unit - Electrical Oddities

[TucsonJim]

Today, I tried to turn on the overhead light in the battery compartment of our '24 Solitude. It worked before, but it's not working now. A little later, I turned on the switch for the outside cap lights, and viola, the light came on in the battery bay.

Okay, for some reason one of the factory geniuses decided to power an interior light via a switch that powers the exterior lights. I guess I can live with it.

But just out of curiosity, I decided to check the voltage to the light. I disconnected the WAGO connectors that the light wiring was attached to, and inserted my volt meter probes. Sure enough, when the outside switch was turned on, I had 13.1VDC. BUT when I turned the exterior light switch off, the voltage to the battery bay light wiring was 6.3VDC!! It was not "off", just reduced voltage to the point the battery bay light would not illuminate.

HUH? How can that be?

Jim

[Country Campers]

Poor ground?

Brian

[Sandridge4]

Mine is the same way, never thought to check voltage just figured they wired it that way for some odd reason. Guess I check the voltage! If you figure out fix would like to hear what you did to correct.

[howson]

TucsonJim

Where was the black (negative) lead of the multimeter while taking the measurement? Sometimes a "good" measurement (seeing 12v) on a power input to an inoperative light is measured because the negative lead of the multimeter is placed on a good chassis point, or return (aka "ground"). The light that's not working,though, has a broken return line thus it's not working. But the multimeter "sees" 12V so it's easy to get confused.

The 7v difference you measured? Only thing I can think of is there's another load in series with the front compartment light causing the voltage drop. When the outside lights are turned on, the front caps have a higher resistance than the mystery load, so 12v is shown across both the cap lights and the front battery compartment light.

But that's all speculation on my part. Just thinking out loud...

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Hmmmm. 6.3 volts is likely half your battery voltage.....which could be as Brian suggests is a bad ground. Your ground path going through another fixture creating a voltage divider network. Without diagram though....a lot of guessing on my part.

[TedS]

Something in series and getting half the voltage drop? 2×6.3=12.6

[Yoda]

TucsonJim

Jim is there a way to get a few pictures of the Wago and wiring to and from. remember GD color codes all of thier wiring and uses the same color for the entire run. I would double check the ground in your front bay. It will be below the power bar. Usually a bolt with star washer as you know. Check that it is a good ground. Also look for where they tie all the ground wires together. before tying to that ground. Remember my big blue nut wire bundle issue. They probably have a wago there, but check that the insulation was striped back far enough on all the wires that are inserted in the wago.

Just brainstorming here.

Keith

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