Bathroom 3 bulb light tripping breaker

rhigg1959 · 11-27-2017, 05:48 PM

I just purchased a 2002 Journey DL 36GD. It has some minor issues that I've searched the forum about but not finding anything. Before I go too far, I just wanted to reach out to find out if any of these are common and what fixes may be out there.

1. 3 Bulb light over bathroom sink kicks breaker when turned on
2. Step cover does not close. I have seen some threads about this possibly being the pneumatic cylinder broken
3. Fuel guage shows empty. I know I will just have to test guage and sendor.

I haven't picked it up yet and wanted to maybe get some ideas on where to start.

**ThomB** · 11-28-2017, 06:49 AM

Not sure I can help with anything but I would suggest a purchase of a couple LED's for the vanity light. Sounds like a short someplace to trip the breaker. The LED's will draw less power but not sure that will fix the issue totally.

grtharris · 11-28-2017, 01:20 PM

rhigg1959, remove the bulbs from the fixture and set if it still trips the breaker. If so pull the fixture and check for loose wires touching ground.

rhigg1959 · 11-28-2017, 03:51 PM

I will try that.

rhigg1959 · 11-28-2017, 03:52 PM

I will give that a try, thank you

rhigg1959 · 01-03-2018, 02:55 PM

I wanted to post an update on my original post. What I found that was tripping the breaker was the exhaust fan in the bedroom was left on and with the dome closed, the fan will not operate but I guess current is still applied. Once I turned the fan off, the breaker quit tripping. I then raised the dome and turned the fan on and all worked as expected.

rhigg1959 · 01-20-2018, 05:46 PM

Another update. It wasn't the fan either. The 15 amp circuit breaker will trip several times in a row, then it will work properly for a short time, then start tripping again every time you reset. I replaced the circuit breaker thinking maybe it was weak, and it worked for about 30 minutes then tripped. All of this is happening with the coach in storage, not moving. Nothing worse than a short.

NMBluept · 01-24-2018, 08:30 PM

You didn't say if you had pulled the light fixture to check the wiring - sounds like you have a partial short that is drawing right at the circuit breaker rating.

I had the step cover fail on my 2002 Horizon 32td, turned out to be the switch. Carefully pry the switch out of the panel and use a jumper to by-pass it to see if the step works. I got a switch from DigiKey, but Lichtsinn RV also had it. The pneumatic actuator on my Horizon was located on the drivers side under the "hood". That actuator has a couple of manual operation buttons on it that allow verification of pneumatic operation. Those buttons should help determine if the pneumatic cylinder is the problem.

The fuel gauge could be "interesting". I think I have seen some troubleshooting tips for fuel gauges on a forum, either here or on iRV2. Keep in mind the dash indicators/gauges are controlled by the VDU (Vehicle Data Unit) that is mounted in the engine area - look for the 1/4" green & red air lines going to it.

Good luck,

rhigg1959 · 01-25-2018, 04:23 AM

I finally found the problem I had with the basement lights not working while looking for the short causing my breaker to trip. There was a harness unplugged under the fridge. I plugged it back in and all the basement lights work now. It looks like the breaker controls the light in the galley over the sink, the makeup light in the bathroom and a exhaust fan in the bathroom. I will start disconnecting those one at a time to see if I can find the problem.