A/C Condenser fans?

gunny · 07-03-2005, 05:39 AM

Hello folks, new to this forum, looks like you have a good one here!

We have an '03 DL Journey 36' we bought used this past March and so far it has proved to be a fine machine.

Running dash air with the engine at an idle results in moderately cool or even warm air blowing out of the vents, speeding the engine to 1200 rpm results in the air cooling off considerable. Driving down the road at fairly warm temperatures (high 80's or low 90's) the dask air doesn't do a lot and have to resort to running house air to keep comfortable.
I have noticed that the 2 fans the cool the A/C condenser on the left rear of the coach seem to never come on.
Thoughts, comments, ideas?

gunny · 07-03-2005, 05:39 AM

Hello folks, new to this forum, looks like you have a good one here!

We have an '03 DL Journey 36' we bought used this past March and so far it has proved to be a fine machine.

Running dash air with the engine at an idle results in moderately cool or even warm air blowing out of the vents, speeding the engine to 1200 rpm results in the air cooling off considerable. Driving down the road at fairly warm temperatures (high 80's or low 90's) the dask air doesn't do a lot and have to resort to running house air to keep comfortable.
I have noticed that the 2 fans the cool the A/C condenser on the left rear of the coach seem to never come on.
Thoughts, comments, ideas?

imgoin4it2 · 07-03-2005, 05:50 PM

Condenser fans supposed to come on when you turn AC dash switch on. Mine did not. Found wire from switch to a relay under the geneator hood was disconnected. My mech got the wiring diagram from winnebago, but actual was totally different. Factory finally said to leave all existing wiring in place and run a new wire from switch to relay in fuse panel in front. Mech had the dash all apart and tracing with his hands found the blade connector unplugged. Plugged ends together and ended 12 hours of work with a operating AC. yh to Acbd.

gunny · 07-03-2005, 05:56 PM

That's what I thought, should have fans when the A/C is on. Will go looking at the wires tomorrow, see if I can figure out how to down load a wiring diagram from Winnebago, that would make life a whole lot easier.
Thanks Howard.

jhanan · 11-13-2007, 01:44 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by imgoin4it2:
Condenser fans supposed to come on when you turn AC dash switch on. Mech had the dash all apart and tracing with his hands found the blade connector unplugged. Plugged ends together and ended 12 hours of work with a operating AC. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

12 hours @ $95 an hour! Ouch. I seem to have the same problem. My dash AC is not any good. On any day above room temp, I need to run the gen set and the house AC. I have never seen the fans kick on on the side mounted condensor! Time to start troubleshooting the wiring on those fans.

Where exactly are these plugs for the condensor fans?

Thanks, Jeff.

ichn2go · 11-13-2007, 02:11 AM

Someone said: Fans come on when you turn the AC on. Is this at idle sitting in your yard and Did you really mean that if you turn the AC on at the dash the fans should come on?? Just asking cause I have a question if mine do or don't . thanks...

Eric Hennen · 11-13-2007, 03:45 AM

Before you go to a lot of trouble, try spinning the fan blades by hand. I had a seized fan, which was why one of mine wasn't coming on. The electrical plug connections near the fans at the back are also not the greatest, and could be corroded. My fans do not come on immedeately, but seem to be temperature controlled. I have heard that if you call for Max air conditioning, they will come on.

Clay L · 11-13-2007, 05:12 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by ichn2go:
Someone said: Fans come on when you turn the AC on. Is this at idle sitting in your yard and Did you really mean that if you turn the AC on at the dash the fans should come on?? Just asking cause I have a question if mine do or don't . thanks... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Unless they have changed the setup, the AC fans don't come on as soon as the AC is turned on. There were two things that turned them on.
A coolant temp sensor or a pressure sensor in the AC.

Moder2 · 11-13-2007, 02:09 PM

Follow Eric's advice...

Go spin them and make sure they are not seized up. They should both spin freely when off.

The rest are correct about the fans not coming on right away also, they are on temp switches.

Disconnect the plugs from the fans and see if you have 13 volts at the plug when the a/c is calling for them on (condenser will be fairly warm.)

If you have power at both plugs, the fans are bad. I had to replace both of mine. Found exact replacements at Advance Auto Parts, but I am sure AZ, CQ, and NAPA can probally all get them too. Advance had them on the sales floor, in stock. They were about $50.00 a piece, and a pretty straight forward R & R.

John

Tom-NC · 11-13-2007, 02:57 PM

I had the same problem with my A/C a while ago and found that the relay for the S/C fans was NG. There is another relay there which you should be able to swap temporarily to make sure fans work.
My fans come on as soon as I turen on A/C with engine running and they are load so you should be able to hear them.
BTW the relay is under the hood on the drivers side I believe.

jhanan · 01-20-2008, 11:50 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by gunny:
That's what I thought, should have fans when the A/C is on. Will go looking at the wires tomorrow, see if I can figure out how to down load a wiring diagram from Winnebago, that would make life a whole lot easier.
Thanks Howard. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Gunny - are your fans operational? What turned out to be your problem? No time to diag my problem AC yet.

Randy Chesnutt · 01-20-2008, 01:21 PM

I had problem with mine. I would lose cool air for awhile then it would come back. After talking to a winibago tech at GNR. He told me to check the vacum pump for a hose leak. Which made scents to me because I would have alot of water draining out of the AC drain which meant that it was cooling and that one of the vent door was closing.He gave me a drawnig on the vacum system and how to check for vacum leak. The vacum pump is eletrical. If you look above your gen. you will see a round plastic looking ball. you have two hoses that come off it. One hose go over to the AC controller that will operate the AC vents the other hose off the ball goes to the vacum pump. Just follow it down to the right and you find the pump. Check and make sure all the hose are pushed on good at all connection. I found one that was not. That was my problem.I never check to see if my fans run all the time.I knew that the way it was opperating that it was working ok on that part.It was the vent going closed,then it would open and cool air would come back out. Call the service teck for drw.

jhanan · 03-03-2008, 05:39 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Clay L:
Unless they have changed the setup, the AC fans don't come on as soon as the AC is turned on. There were two things that turned them on.
A coolant temp sensor or a pressure sensor in the AC. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

My issue turned out to be the ground wire (white wires) switch on the hot side. I found out this is a pressure switch. My system was low on fluid - measured at 5psi. I charged the system with an "RV" size canister and a gage and use able to get the system up to 30psi. Upon inpection, the cooling fans now kick on momentarily and run for about 5 to 10 seconds and then shut off. When only 5psi was in the system, that pressure switch would never close. According to the book, the system should hold 45psi of fluid, measured on the cold side. I tried several times to get more in with the large can I had purchased - more was left in the can, but I could never get more than 30psi in the system.

jhanan · 07-01-2008, 05:38 PM

Purchased another can of fluid at got close to 45 psi on LP side. Had to trash the 1/2 a can of the 1st can since I could not getting any more out of that one. System is working pretty good these days and fan cycle all the time.