a/c unit stays on in auto '13 Journey

dsbike · 04-20-2013, 02:11 PM

On our 2013 Journey 42e.

My DW called me yesterday and informed me that one of the 3 a/c units seemed to be running continuous. She had each zone set for 76'. She went to bed so she could go to work for night shift. When she awoke one of the zones was at 72' and the a/c unit was not turning off, she double checked the setting and it was in fact set for 76'.

I have also had one of the a/c units seemed to run for a few minutes, shut it self off and then immediately cycle back on. I have blown air into the sensors when this happened and it seemed to work properly. I suggested she try this and she did with no success. Has anyone else noticed this type of operation of the a/c or heating systems?

I also have not been able to figure out exactly which zone is what area in the mh. I think zone 1 is the kitchen, 2 the living area, & 3 the bedroom. There is no info in the manuals as to which is which other than there are 3 zones. Does anyone know what zone is where?

I have not been at the motor home very much due to my DW & I working in different cities. I plan on going to spend a few days with her in 2 weeks.

Any help or suggestions would be helpful. When I visit next I plan on calling Winnebago to see what they can tell me. I can't take the mh into the dealer for any service for at least another month.

jesilvas · 04-20-2013, 02:53 PM

Is it possible it was running in heat pump to get back up to 76*F?
Also, if you turn off Zone 2&3 and turn on Zone1, you'll find out which is which.
It is possible there are relays sticking in the control board on the affected unit.

dsbike · 04-20-2013, 07:36 PM

Would the system automatically switch the heat pump to heat when set on cool?
I asked my DW to try to determine which zone is which by turning 2 zones off, but she was needing to leave for work and didn't have time. As I stated I wasn't there and won't be for a few weeks, I have done that a few weeks ago but I forget exactly what I figured out.
I suppose a sticking relay is possible, was really curious if anyone else has seen similar results.

motohomer · 04-20-2013, 09:51 PM

If its set to cool, the heat pumps will not come on.
Our setup is similar to yours, 3 A/Cs but only 2 zones. That said, the ductwork is still all connected together. It is common for the bedroom to cool off quicker than the living room. The bedroom A/C will shut down BUT cool air from the living room units will still spill into the bedroom resulting in it getting much colder (or hotter) than the setting.
It is also possible to get 'dead spots' around the sensors. Be sure one of the vents is pointed in the vicinity of each sensor to ensure circulation.
- I have also seen a Tour with the sensors wired to the wrong A/Cs, so anything is possible. Hope you get it figured out.

dsbike · 04-21-2013, 07:32 AM

"It is also possible to get 'dead spots' around the sensors. Be sure one of the vents is pointed in the vicinity of each sensor to ensure circulation."
Interesting: I'll have to have DW check for this. Thanks. Actually makes a lot of sense, its the simple things that stump us some times.

Wayne M · 04-21-2013, 08:47 AM

dsbike,
I have only fooled with two zone AC's in a previous RV. Each zone had its own programming feature. So each zone could be set to have the "Fan On" or in complete Auto mode. Check all the settings for each one and see if one says Fan: On. if so, push the right button to make it say Fan: off.

Happy trails.

dsbike · 04-24-2013, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne M

dsbike,
I have only fooled with two zone AC's in a previous RV. Each zone had its own programming feature. So each zone could be set to have the "Fan On" or in complete Auto mode. Check all the settings for each one and see if one says Fan: On. if so, push the right button to make it say Fan: off.

Happy trails.

Verified all setting in auto and temps set the same. I will play with it next week when I visit the DW. Until then I know nothing more about it.
Thanks for the suggestions.

tfcyoko · 04-24-2013, 04:40 PM

Our front unit was constantly cycling when in heat pump mode. Had the Dealer look, turned out it was tightened down too much at the factory and had crushed the gasket leading to other problems...covered under warranty. We only have 2 zones and zone 2, the bedroom, worked fine, front unit was so noisy it made it uncomfortable to sit in the living area. Hopefully the problem is fixed, will repost once we get the coach back and camp again.

buzz_85 · 04-27-2013, 03:35 PM

I have a 2013 Merdian 34B which has 2 coleman units (2 zones). Both units control boards went bad due to a problem with the boards. The problem according to Winnebago is the boards were not compatible with the thermostat unit. When mine went bad they would either cycle on/off every few second or woud not cycle off at all. My repairs were covered under warranty and I would assume yours would be also. The problem I had is a known problem with the 2013 models and Winnebago is correcting. It did not take but a week to get the units repaired each time, so it is a relatively quick fix.

dsbike · 04-30-2013, 04:22 PM

Now that I have returned to the RV I can give much more detailed info. I figured out which zone is where. I tried each zone separately first in gas mode for heat then in electric mode for heat then cooling.
In gas mode only zone 1 &2 are used & they work as they should.
In electric mode Zone 1 & 3 work as they should, set the temp 1 degree above actual temp for heat and they come on warm the area up then shut off. I also checked for electric mode bringing on the gas heaters for extreme temp difference Both zone 1 & 2 did the supplemental gas heat correctly.
My problem lies within zone 2 electric heat or cool. Set the temp 1 degree below or above actual temp , set the control for either cool or heat. The heat pump system turns on and takes the room area to the desired temp, apprx 5 - 8 mins. Then it shuts off and within 15 secs it kicks back on, runs for a few secs then shuts off. It repeats this scenario several times to cool or heat & actually lowers or raises the temp beyond its selected set temp. After about 2-3 mins I shut the system off.
Talked to the service manager at the dealership and explained what others on this forum said. He had never heard of this, but they are going to look at it next week.

jesilvas · 04-30-2013, 08:13 PM

What was ambient temp outside?

dsbike · 05-01-2013, 06:42 AM

60-65 degrees

dsbike · 05-23-2013, 09:19 AM

Follow up on heat pumps not performing as they should.

Had the mh at the dealership last week, picked it up on Sunday and drove it to our next destination. The tech found the thermostat to be faulty. It was turning on the gas heat with only a 3 degree seperation, should be 5. One of the zones, I believe #2 was approximately 10 degrees different than the set temp. He said there was a bad resistor in the thermostat to cause this. He verified with an ohm meter. He installed a new thermostat and told me all was working correctly.

My original plan was to go to their shop sit in the mh and actually verify correct operation prior to accepting it. However I developed kidney stones and required emergency surgery due to lodging and infection. All this at the same time as the rv was being worked on. I was only able to talk to them on the phone. So i took their word that it was working fine and they never experienced the rapid cycling of the heat pump. Now come Sunday and my DW starts her new assignment on Monday.

On Monday morning I decide to test the system because on Sunday evening it seemed to act odd again. Well lo and behold zone 2 fan cycled on and off 15 times in a 6 min 30 sec time frame. Zone 1 & 3 seemed good. However all 3 zones seemed to have a very close tolerance of temp change as to when the system would come on, only 1 degree. It should be cool to 2 degrees below then kick off, come back on at 1 degree above selected temp. As I stated mine were within 1 degree or less to cycle on and off.

I called the dealer back and was waiting for the tech to call me, then I called Winnebago's tech help line. They agreed with me that the temp range was to narrow and wanted to try another thermostat. So with the mh 70 miles from the dealership and i had to return to the area, I stopped at the dealership and explained what I had again. They are ordering me another thermostat and this time I will take it to the mh and install it myself. Wish me luck that it fixes it this time . If not the mh goes back to the dealer and i sit there in it until it works correctly.