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Old 01-22-2023, 12:57 PM   #1
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2001 winnebago journey(newbie)

Hello everyone, happy to be here! Hopefully at some point we'll be able to help someone ....and offer tips....as others do so frequently on this forum. Happy camping We have lots of grandcritters growing up, and kids that love to do horse shows. Owning a MH just makes life more comfy for these trips.
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Old 01-22-2023, 03:23 PM   #2
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Greetings Jorie,
It all sounds wonderful! The Journey is a great Class A. Are you going to tow a horse trailer with it?
Welcome to the forum.
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Old 01-22-2023, 03:34 PM   #3
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Greetings Jorie,
It all sounds wonderful! The Journey is a great Class A. Are you going to tow a horse trailer with it?
Welcome to the forum.
Eagle5
I'm thinking maybe. Not sure I'm ready to be that long LOL. But, I'm sure once we get more comfortable moving around, we'll tow it behind. In the meantime, we just drive 2 vehicles.
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Old 01-22-2023, 04:14 PM   #4
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Welcome to the group and hope it works well for you!
There are some definite things to watch on a motorhome that we don't see on the normal car/truck, so do be aware as a way to avoid possible battery trouble!

When we drive a car every few days or week, we keep the start battery recharged but if we store the motorhome for a few weeks, we really have to stay alert to avoid either the start or the coach batteries from running down as it is NOT as simple as it looks. There are battery drains that can sneak up to kill them---even when the switches are off!
It is possibly one of the most frequent problems we see here!

I'll stop with the warnings and just say , ENJOY, but do ask questions on things that may be different and not clear.
It can take the fun out if we find we have messed it up needlessly!
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Old 01-22-2023, 07:12 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Morich View Post
Welcome to the group and hope it works well for you!
There are some definite things to watch on a motorhome that we don't see on the normal car/truck, so do be aware as a way to avoid possible battery trouble!

When we drive a car every few days or week, we keep the start battery recharged but if we store the motorhome for a few weeks, we really have to stay alert to avoid either the start or the coach batteries from running down as it is NOT as simple as it looks. There are battery drains that can sneak up to kill them---even when the switches are off!
It is possibly one of the most frequent problems we see here!

I'll stop with the warnings and just say , ENJOY, but do ask questions on things that may be different and not clear.
It can take the fun out if we find we have messed it up needlessly!
By any chance, do you know of a good write up that I can read about caring for the batteries so I can do my best to prevent that from happening to us? Thank you and I don't mind the warnings, if it saves us from future headaches We have a lot to learn I'm sure.
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Old 01-22-2023, 08:41 PM   #6
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Seeing your other post, I'm thinking you are up on what a battery needs for cleaning the posts and keeping water in it but might be at a point where there is a lot of guessing on how the RV electrical fits together?
I give a guy lots of street cred if they know what TCM means, let alone where to find one!

So tell us what level do we need to start? Are you okay with knowing how to take care of battery water and keep them clean or should we start there and work up? Nothing wrong with not knowing but no need to talk about how to walk and talk if you've been there!

Part of the knowing what to expect is finding out exactly what you have when we get into a RV that folks might have added or changed things. Not all RV are the same and once folks do a few changes we need to watch for them.


Step might be to sort out exactly which RV you have as a way to start with the right drawings. Winnebago does a pretty good job of putting info online for electrical, plumbing and parts but they also leave a lot of the chassis part out as they feel that is not "their" part. So we often need info From Freightliner, Ford, etc.
Things like where to find the TCM?

But for wiring of the Coach 12Volt DC and the 110AC things, can you spot which 2001 Journey?


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Wiring here:
https://www.winnebago.com/Files/File...ram/Wiring.htm

Plumbing:
https://www.winnebago.com/Files/File...m/Plumbing.htm

Parts catalog can help find how they put it together, so we can get it apart?
https://catalog3d.winnebagoind.com/menu/Parts.htm

I don't know of any specific places to read up on how the elctrical works as there are so many different year, make, models in all sizes and it may be easier to just go through and look at what you have. It's a bit to swallow all at once but not all that hard. But it can get like telling a guy where to find the oil dipstick on a Ford and it turns out he has a Volkswagon!

We can make more progress if we are talking about the right things!
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Old 01-22-2023, 08:58 PM   #7
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ahhh, yes we have the wkp36L. I've been running through so much info, taking screenshots...book marking wiring diagrams schematics. Trying to soak it all in. I'm on the home end researching while they are limping back home..literally. Beginning to also wonder if the vdu unit could cause any of the issues they are having. They have full tank of air, but low air light. Which I was reading typical solder points are bad. But in reading I also noticed it sends other vital info between the units. So many, could be..might be...what a headache. LOL
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Old 01-23-2023, 09:02 AM   #8
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Yes, noticed the other post but that will likely be in the chassis and diesel end where I often know almost nothing, so better to get info from others who have ideas.

I feel better on the electrical end of things like the 110AC and coach. We get good info on many of those issues and some on the chassis/start side of it.
I feel like I can do pretty well on explaining how they each are seperate but tie together at different times for different reasons.

So while you are stuck with just wondering on the big issue, how about I just do a rundown of the electrical and batteries, so you don't have as much hazard from them?
Excuse me, please if I go too much in detail on things you may already know. I like to know we get it covered and if you already knew, just ignore that part. No offense intended!

Let me start at where we plug into power.
The 110AC electrical drawings are here:
https://www.winnebago.com/Files/File...001/135425.pdf

And then we run into a question of which model as there are four pages but only one fits your RV as it can be a 30 amp or a 50 amp with different options on each one!
These are ALL for the 36L but lots of different things on each, like the power cord which can be three prongs for hot, neutral and ground, or it can be four prongs, two 110 hot, neutral and ground!
No 220AC involved, just tow 110 hot, so a different plug shape than for stoves or driers!

So step one to knowing your RV, might be to sort if your cord has three or four prongs. If three use one of the first two pages and ignore pages 3 and 4!

And then when finding which of two drawings, 30 or 50 amp, look for whether you have an inverter breaker panel seperate from the main breaker set?
So four choices on which page to look at?
Page 1-30 amp no inverter panel
Page 2 -30 amp with panel
page 3 -50 amp but no panel
page 4 -50 amp with inverter panel.

Reason for starting at the 110 AC side is that is where we get the power to run the converter/charger which charges the batteries.
Kind of like to know how/where the charger gets plugged into the wall??
If you can sort which RV you have, we can cut out a lot of confusion on where things go! When you get time and hands on the RV again, see if one of those match?

Meanwhile all of them have a box for the Auto Transfer Switch (ATO) as a first stop for the power coming from the cord or the generator. That part is pretty much auto and not too much to study. The main thing on them is that power comes in from one or the other as I marked red or green and the ATO chooses which to send out like on the blue lines to the RV.
Click this snip to get a better view.
Click image for larger version

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This drawing gives the physical location of the 110AC things like the transfer switch and again, you need to choose which sheet shows what you have with the ATS down about sheet 9. Usually a big box right where the power cord comes in.

About the only complaint on them seems to be the screws holding the wires can get loose, so if you want to look at them and tighten them , it might be worth the time but not something everybody does! The main thing is that IF they begin to get loose, they arc and burn themselves up and then you get bigger trouble than just checking they are tight.
Don't forget to unplug before sticking a screwdriver in there!!
Forget I said that! I bet you knew that!
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Old 01-25-2023, 09:21 AM   #9
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As a way to give you the full picture, I may have not given the direct answer on how to avoid letting the batteries go down?
The big picture in that the AC plugged in will power the converter which then charges the coach batteries. Folks can get confused as they may know the start and coach batteries are connected as we drive. That can leave them thinking both coach and start batteries will be maintained if the RV is plugged! Wrong!

All Winnebago that I know have some form of electronics (mode solenoid, BIM, etc. ) which does connect and let the two battery strings charge as we drive, using the engine alternator. But that connection is dropped when we shut the engine down and THAT can leave us in a situation where we leave the RV stored and parasitic drains will run the start battery down and very likely damage it!

When dealing with a "new to us" RV we need to pay close attention to what it may be doing while stored. Some came with an item which maintained the second battery but many did not, some RV owners may have added it to their unit---or not!

The trick to getting the best use of our batteries is to watch the voltage on both sets until we find what is happening.

That's the short story but exactly how and why it works takes knowing which RV we all have as there are big differences.
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Old 01-25-2023, 11:14 AM   #10
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If your batteries are traditional lead acid batteries that require periodic refills of distilled water, you might want to explore getting a Flow Rite battery watering system. They are especially helpful if accessibility is tough. Once installed, you simply hook up the hose with the bulb pump to the system, put the input end into a jug of distilled water and pump the bulb until it gets firm. The system stays mounted to your batteries so you need one for each battery bank. Only the pump/hose is moved from bank to bank.

They're not inexpensive but will help make sure your batteries are properly taken care of. In addition to the system that attaches to your batteries, you'll need the pump/fill hose:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=flow+rite...s_ts-doa-p_2_9

These systems are configured based on the number of batteries in the bank and the number and spacing of the battery fill holes. Don't be concerned about the voltage specs. Even though their 4 battery system may characterized as a 48V system, it's identical to what would be used for four 12V batteries in parallel, etc.
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