2003 Journey DL 34HD inverter question

TDServices

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Colorado
I just purchased a 2003 journey dl 34hd and it has the breaker switch for a inverter charger , and also a seperate panel for the inverter to outlets , but the only thing I can find is a xantrex tc6012 which is a 60 amp charger I cannot for the life of me an inverter or a converter for that matter , HELP lol ( last pic is 2 green wires just together with a wire post tie under the fridge
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I'm, not clear if this is a question on a problem you are trying to sort? Sorry? Looking for help or can you restate the question.
 
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Basically trying to figure out what was in the coach I have all the power panels for the inverter charger ,but no inverter just newer charger and I have no idea if there is a converter because I can’t find it the green wires were what was under the fridge but if there’s even a
Converter I cannot for the life of me find it how would I be able to check for one or test ?
 
TDServices-

Wiring diagrams for the 2003 Journey 34HD are here. To answer your questions, see:

Body, 110 Volt Wiring Diagram
Body, 110 Volt Wiring Installation
110 Volt Load Center/Auto Transfer Switch

The diagrams show multiple options, so choose the ones that match what you show in your pictures.

They show a 1,500-watt inverter inside the last or next-to-last exterior bay on the driver's side. They also show a receptacle for a "charger" or "converter" under the refrigerator.

The "operator manuals" for 2003 coaches are here.
 
Yes I checked those wiring diagrams and the places they should be but they aren’t all I found under the fridge was 2 big green wires pigtailed together other then that it’s just a bunch of yellow and white hot wires and stuff that run everywhere else and in the storage bay by the transfer switch is where they have the xantrex tc6012 charger and it’s plugged into the receptacle for the engine heater so I have to unplug it to use the engine heater so trying to figure out how to fix it all so it has a upgraded converter for lithium and an inverter charger or a inverter alone cause I have solar also
 
Yes, figuring out what the other owenrs may have doem can be a trick.
Some pointers on the Way Winnebago does their wiring may be a start as they do have some things that are different and special.
One big help is reading the notes on the bottom left of the wiring diagrms as they tell you how to read some of the info stamped on the wires.

On the first list of RV and down at bottom left are links to good info to get started on the way they do some things. The ID list can be a biog help as there are ID labels stamped on smaller wires and then we can go to this list to find where that wire comes from and goes to!
The other link is wiring diagram help and can lead to other small points to help.
But that may not help as much as in other cases if the RV has been changed!
Something like we find at our houses? We may have info on what the builder installed but once the furnace has been changed, we need to go to the company that built that speciifc item to know what it does!
If you now have a xantrex, you will need to go to that builder, etc. for info on what you now have and sometimes you will find that the previous owner may not have done the install in any logical way!
Whether the RV ever had an inverter is always a matter of what the first buyer/seller got from the factory as options! Much like cars, the dealer often chooses different as he finds what sells best in his market.

A quick search on Copilot tells me that unit is only a battery charger, so that may mean that there is NO inverter onboard. If you are wanting to convert the RV for letting batteries provide AC power, you sound like you will need to install an inverter.
My guess might be that a former owner wanted to upgrade the charging profile by getting a newer model converter and did not see need of an inverter for his use.

One of the tricks of the used market in cars,trucks and RV is to go to a lower cost region top buy things cheaper and sell in areas where the more fully equipted items sell better. Folks can easily fall into thinking a specific year and model of RV will have the same options. But the truth is that RV are much more likely to be different than what we find in cars.

Like moving into a different house, first step is figuring out what we have!
Best of luck on the trek! (y)
 
Yes I do have all the equipment inverters etc just trying to figure out how they wired the stuff they have now , from what I can see it had the xantrex love something or other ( inverter charger ) originally so he just replaced it with the charger the converter on the other hand I can’t figure out , will all the 12 volt stuff work without a converter ? How can you tell if there is a converter someplace ? It said originally that it had a 55amp converter I want to change it to a lithium compatible one if possible ( if I can find where it was or goes ) lol
 
Maybe some confusion on names? Converter and charger are two names for much the same thing!
A charger or converter both take in 110AC and put out 12VDC. That 12V can be used immediately to power the 12VDC on RV OR to go to batteries to store for times when we are not plugged in or running the generator! Batteries are like a "pantry " where we might store extra until we need it?
So, yes, the 12VDC items can run with only batteries or with only a converter or charger, depending on which name is used. The converter and charger are the same but different names are used in many cases as the converter often has fuses and breakers, where I normally don't think of a charger in that way.
It seems one of the big questions on what you may need is what specs the new Xantrex has. It is likely that it was replaced due to the older converter having less complex levels of charging. The newer converter are more "friendly" to batteries and less likely to overheat or boil them dry.
But I do not know much about the new one and only guessing at what it is likely to be able to do.
If wanting to move to lithium battteries and get the full value out of them, it will reguire a converter designed to charge the lithium to a higher level than lead acid batteries!
Newer charging systems that have different settings can be used to charge lithium to a higher voltages than lead acid. But we can still use the older charge system but it may not give us the full value out of lithium. Like having a bucket that can hold 15 gallons but we can only fill it to 12 gallons? The 15 gallon bucket still works but just not as long since we did not fill it!
But that move also often involves changing things to avoid overhaeting the RV alternator or other changes to the whole system.
One of the problems to consider is how the RV normally has a solenoid which connects chassis and coach batteries together as we drive. That is a good thing to get some charge back to coach batteries if we have run them down while camping. But the downside is that the new lithium batteries are able to take so much current that it is possible to overhaet the alternator if we drive too long!

But that is often a very deep discussion with lots of different methods and different ideas of what each person may want for what they plan!
 
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TDS-

It appears as if someone removed the inverter and put a Xantrex TC6012 battery charger in its place. He connected the charger input to 110/120V by plugging it into the engine heater outlet.

I assume he then connected the 30A load center breaker inverter output directly to the input of the inverter subpanel. If that assumption is correct, the 110/12V loads connected to the inverter subpanel will no longer work when the coach is disconnected from a 120V supply- either shore or generator. One of these loads is the engine heater outlet; another is the microwave. Please confirm this assumption and we can go from there.
 
Maybe we are missing something, so let me check if I am reading it right?
This communications stuff can get harder than expected~!
Where do you find the model number of the xantrex? Reason for asking is that I go to info for the model and it states it is only a charger or converter, depending on which name we use. But looking at your picture it appears to be an inverter charger which would imply that it does both funtions. It certainly converts AC to DC but then the inverter portion would seem to say it also can INVERT battery DC to AC when we are not plugged into power or running generator!
Any chance you found the wrong model number for the item and it should be a different model that tells us it does both convert and invert in the same box, perhaps? That would explain not being able to find a stand alone inverter! Or do you find an inverter at some other location?
Wrong model number possible?
 
Morich-

OP has another thread with a picture at this post. You posted on that thread.

Copy of picture is below. Label clearly reads "TC6012." Just a battery charger.

img_2832-jpeg.2435072
 
Okay, see the date and model, so defintie refit as that has a date of 2012. That pretty well throws out all the drawings we have and into most anything goes!
So likely no invert on board? Just a lot of labels for when there was an inverter charger!
UGH!
Going to be hard to figure what they may have done!
When shopping and I see things like this, I just keep shopping!
 
Okay, this sounds like time to rethink the total plan?
So what is it that you really want and what might be acceptable?
Wanting to go to set up for camping without hookups? This converter doesn't seem right to do that in the way many would want to camp. Without an inverter, there is no way to get AC power without running generator a lot. This converter doesn't look like it has settings for the best, full charging of lithium.
There would need to be several changes made to go lithium for full benefit.

But maybe that is not what you were aiming at and just trying to figure out what you DO have?
Sounds like what you have is kind of low grade funky, so tell us more about what YOU are wanting becasue it is certainly true we all have different ideas of what we want to get done!

What I'm getting at is that I sometimes start one way and then decide that is not worth the effort and go for something else! I sometimes find I messed up the planning but I've gotten used to that!
 
I’m thinking that originally it had a converter under the fridge hence the 2 big green cables connected together since they both go to ground anyway , and then I assume it had the 1500 watt inverter charger which I assume went bad and he replaced with the xantrex tc6102 ( charger ) , I did read that you can run your 12 volt system off battery alone but it won’t last long without the converter /charger ,so if I get an upgraded version of the converter that was under the fridge that will charge lithium , then all I would need to install is the inverter ( I have 3 all over 4000 watts ) bought but kept getting rid of campers before I got them installed , I’m wanting to be able to run the whole motorhome off battery power and solar is my end goal , and also freeing up the receptacle for the engine heater again
 
Understand what the plan involves better! With the inverter on hand, that does change some of it.
Lots of details to think through as you get more info on what you have!
Soundslike you have got the thinking first in line and that is good! (y)
 
Checking first is always good! I worked for about a year with a new young guy who was just too excited to get things done quick. He was prone to "let's try it and see if it works" type thinking!
He also killed the next guy who worked with him after I left!
 
Yes I checked those wiring diagrams and the places they should be but they aren’t all I found under the fridge was 2 big green wires pigtailed together other then that it’s just a bunch of yellow and white hot wires and stuff that run everywhere else and in the storage bay by the transfer switch is where they have the xantrex tc6012 charger and it’s plugged into the receptacle for the engine heater so I have to unplug it to use the engine heater so trying to figure out how to fix it all so it has a upgraded converter for lithium and an inverter charger or a inverter alone cause I have solar also
Winnebago uses yellow wire coating for 12V positive and white for 12V negative at the factory. IMO, other colors are aftermarket added wiring.
Sorry for your problems; I suspect you need a mobile RV tech to sort it all out, someone who's well-versed in RV electricals.
 
Checking first is always good! I worked for about a year with a new young guy who was just too excited to get things done quick. He was prone to "let's try it and see if it works" type thinking!
He also killed the next guy who worked with him after I left!
Yea I don’t do fast unless its eating otherwise I check stuff I’m not in the mood to die at the moment
 
Winnebago uses yellow wire coating for 12V positive and white for 12V negative at the factory. IMO, other colors are aftermarket added wiring.
Sorry for your problems; I suspect you need a mobile RV tech to sort it all out, someone who's well-versed in RV electricals.
And yes I know the wiring factory and aftermarket and very good at reading schematics I’m just trying to find the right wires without tearing everything apart ,a little more research and a little more digging ……
 

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