No message center or fuel guage

[Rick Buddrus]

Am having a problem with the buggy. The fuel guage is not working nor is the "Message Center" No lights when key initially turned on, no self test, no park brake light, nothing. NO breakers popped, NO fuses blown. Freightliner folks suggest the VDC computer may have gone out. Problem is that I can not find it. Looking for a bit of help from someone that has this model coach. 03 Horizon 39QD or Journey DL 39QD. The VDC computer is the Freightliner interface computer IT IS NOT the CAT engine computer. Anyone know it's location?

Any help appreciated.

[Rick Buddrus]

Am having a problem with the buggy. The fuel guage is not working nor is the "Message Center" No lights when key initially turned on, no self test, no park brake light, nothing. NO breakers popped, NO fuses blown. Freightliner folks suggest the VDC computer may have gone out. Problem is that I can not find it. Looking for a bit of help from someone that has this model coach. 03 Horizon 39QD or Journey DL 39QD. The VDC computer is the Freightliner interface computer IT IS NOT the CAT engine computer. Anyone know it's location?

Any help appreciated.

[RKL2]

Rick....see my July 28th post "Journey Indicator Lights problem" Same problem as yours but mine quit on the road....
First thing to check is the 135Amp circuit breaker located on the rear passenger side frame rail....you should have 12v on the top post and 12v on the bottom outpot post...if you don't the breaker has failed which was my problem...
another way to test this is to lead a 12v wire from the battery to the bottom post of the breaker...the bottom post has 2 output wires, one for the VIM computer and the trans computer, the other, a heavier wire fires the entire chassis ignition system and all the things you don't have....if this is your problem, let me know as I have the part number for the breaker...
the breaker is on a seperate panel attached to the frame with another breaker and the starter solonid...the breaker in question is the one to the rear of the coach....good luck....RKL

[RKL2]

Rick ..the VDC computer is actually called a VIM. open the engine cover and it is the black square box on the passenger side.. next to the 2 silver boxes. they are all located on a rail which runs across and over the engine....
your computer is probably fine in that it does not fire the other equipment that you say is not work...but if the computer is not getting 12v thru the breaker then neither is the main power chassis solonoid...
Ask me how I know....3 Freightliner service centers and 2 allison centers couldn't find it, the customer service tech at Freightliner told me exactly what the problem should be and he was correct....a failed resettable circuit breaker which fires the VIM and the rest of the chassis lights etc.....RKL

[Demoman]

RKL, how about the part number for the fuse. I have been having intermittent problems and would like to pick up a spare.

Thanks
Steve

[RKL2]

Steve.....the part is a resettable 135amp circuit breaker....Freightliner part # BUS 181135P010...RKL

[Rick Buddrus]

For those of you that have been following this thread, here is the latest.

Just got the buggy back from FL. They wound up having about 9 clock hours into it and the final fix was to remove the connector at the message center end and then plug it back in. Suspect that when the batteries were checked and then reconnected, something "latched" up the VIM ( Freightliner Computer) and removing the plug allowed it to reset. Just speculation though, don't think we will ever know for sure and i'm not of the frame of mind to try to repeat the problem. They did find the breaker on the frame rail but they said it was a thermal reset type that will reset itself after cool down. Incidentally, there were three breakers down there. Location was passenger side, framerail,outward, general area of battery slides. Not the fix I would like but, hey, we are rolling again. All covered under FL warrenty.