2003 Journey DL 34HD inverter question

[RayIN]

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 ……

Then you know Winnebago stamps a numerical code on each wire that ID's where it originates and terminates. That's assuming no mods.

 

[TDServices]

I did notice the numbers but I’m still trying to figure it out on the schematics side of things

 

[Morich]

Have you found the notes on the lower left side of drawings that explains the code stamped on the wires?

Basic idea is a that they stamped a long line of info and much of it means little as it involves things like th length of a wire. That is not too helpful to us as we don't know it is curved or a straight line, so little value to find the part at the other end. But the last few letters are an alpha letter code for wire ID. Looking at the decoder list then will give the " from" and "to" locations of the wire ends!
I've forgotten what date thwey started that but i feel pretty suire it will be on the 2003 year RV.
I work with techs in lots of different industries and companies and there is no one standard way of doing the info we use. That makes it hard to keep a firm grip on how to read info from different groups.
In RV, one of the harder spots which I now tend to ignore is the furnace as
it involves at least three different ways to do drawings!
The thermostat is the control made to the builders standard colors, etc. but then it hits Winnebago wiring to get to the AC or furnace where the colors and labels or terms change yet again! It finally occured to me finding 12volt negative did not mean the same as I think of 12 volt below ground!
To the furnace folks, 12 volt negative meant ground for the 12Volts. I chased for a bit looking for how they got 12volt negative on a system using 12Volt positive!
Had they called it ground for the 12volt system I might have woke up a bit quicker but this language stuff is tough!

But Winn does try to give us some help with the ID on the small wires.
Info on drawings as example and possibly what you are seeing with the green wires??

Wire U is a 6 gauge green wire and since it goes to the converter and listed as ground, we can figure where the other end goes at least assume itis ground! But other wires are harder to guess, so we have the "decoder"list! Wire Identifiction list?

https://www.winnebago.com/Files/Files/Winnebago/Resources/Diagram/electrical_guide.pdf

Thisis not handy as they give it to us as it is not searchable, so I did get it run through some computer action to make is easier than scrolling but I'm not the computer guy to tell you how!! Adobe magic is as close as I get!
But this is the list infoto match the wires above:

So we can figure J and K are output from the converter and L is the ground for the converter!
Not too hard if we can read the ID on drawings or wires and relate them to each other!

But down to details if I understand what you are seeing with the two green wires tied together?
Maybe you are seeing a chassis ground tied to a converter ground and that sounds okay IF those are U and K? Two ground wires tied together may not be doing that much but at least they are not causing trouble?

See if that loooks like it makes sense in real life looking at the RV????

 

[l1v3fr33ord1]

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.

Back up in post #9 (quoted above) I asked that the OP confirm an assumption. I have yet to see an answer.

The simplest explanation for everything is that a prior owner(s) was lazy. When the inverter failed he made a quick-and-dirty (and far less expensive) substitution of a battery charger for the inverter and left it at that. No changes in the wiring were needed (except for tying the inverter in-out leads together). It doesn't work as designed, but who cared? Until now, that is.

The prior owner's laziness should work in the current owner's favor. Remove the battery charger, install an inverter-charger and see how that works. As a bonus, the low-voltage wiring between the inverter location and the OnePlace monitor panel may be intact and useful for a new inverter-charger.

The converter wiring may or may not be a red herring. Usually, if an inverter-charger is installed a converter is not installed. The fact that green ground wires are there is not evidence there was a converter there at one time.

 

[TDServices]

I don’t know if the paperwork shows the inverter charger installed but I do have all the original paperwork I can look , just trying to direct wether it’s cheaper to go with a converter , and a inverter as I have 3 of these but I want to be able to power the whole coach if possible le

 

[klook]

The green wires with a blue wire nut look to be the ground wires to frame. Same color and size in mine. If there was a converter under there, it has to be in proximity to the panel or batteries, usually panel. 55 amp convertor will have 6g wires and they will be short. The inverter is in the same boat. It will be close to the batteries because it is expensive to run heavy wire long distances. In my Minnie, they only used a 300watt inverter so they powered it with #10 wire. I don't think Winnebago used those wire nuts so probably there was a convertor in there. This is not difficult, if you are going with batteries and solar, just pick a good location and mount the high quality inverter/charger of your choice, I went with Victron, and don't worry what the other guy did. You are going to have to design your system to work around your battery space anyways, other than curiosity, it does not matter where the old stuff was. Plus, if you are looking at 4000w the wires are going to be 4/0 and the shorter the better.

 

[TDServices]

Yes I have the 4/0 wire already and the inverters so I’m just wondering how they removed stuff because of if I shut off the switch to the engine heater the charger quits ( obviously because it’s plugged into the heater receptacle, but when I flip the main breaker switch to the inverter/charger on my main panel , this also shuts it off so I’m thinking I need to follow the schematic from the main to the inverter charger and see what it powers and where , and on another note my front slide comes open on the front side about 2” if it sits for a few days anybody ever had that problem before ?

 

[klook]

He probably rewired the breaker to have control over it. You may find more outlets in the line shut down also. What kind of mechanism for the slide. Sounds like hydraulic?

 

[l1v3fr33ord1]

"... but when I flip the main breaker switch to the inverter/charger on my main panel , this also shuts it off..."

Thank you for confirming the assumption I made in post #9.

When he took out the inverter, the prior owner wire-nutted the inverter input and inverter output 120V leads together. He did this at the inverter subpanel or in the inverter compartment (either would do). Once connected this way, all of the 120V loads fed by the inverter subpanel will go off when:

a) the main load center breaker to the inverter is turned off, or
b) the main breaker on the inverter subpanel is turned off

If you want any replacment inverter to work as designed, you must find and disconnect the wire nuts that tie the inverter input and output 120V leads.

Note: There may not be wire nuts. It would be possible to connect the two 120V leads at the inverter subpanel, on the circuit breaker terminations. Either way- wire nuts or no- the inverter input and output 120V leads are connected (at the moment), and need to be disconnected to install a new inverter and to have that inverter supply its 120V loads correctly.

Note: As you have confirmed, if you want to increase the inverter power (beyond the original 1,500W) you should increase the 12V battery lead size and its fuse size to match the higher current the new inverter will require.

 

[TDServices]

He probably rewired the breaker to have control over it. You may find more outlets in the line shut down also. What kind of mechanism for the slide. Sounds like hydraulic?

It’s hydraulic slides

 

[klook]

If there is a fluid puddle under it, or not maybe, it probably is the seals in the piston or pistons. Do a search in this forum and I was just reading about a guy that took his out and had them rebuilt. I don't believe they are available or were to expensive. He even recommended a shop. The quick and dirty way is to cut a couple of 2x4 and wedge them in against the metal behind the trim when its all the way in.

 

[RayIN]

It’s hydraulic slides

OK, is the brand HWH? The usual cause of this is either air in the cylinders or temperature changes slightly pressurize the cylinders and extend the slide slightly.
Try continuing to press the retract button for a count of 10 after the slide is retracted, then observe slide action. This pressurizes the cylinders retract function, and should prevent "slide-creep".
BTW, this will also help the hyd system purge itself of any air.

 

[TDServices]

OK, is the brand HWH? The usual cause of this is either air in the cylinders or temperature changes slightly pressurize the cylinders and extend the slide slightly.
Try continuing to press the retract button for a count of 10 after the slide is retracted, then observe slide action. This pressurizes the cylinders retract function, and should prevent "slide-creep".
BTW, this will also help the hyd system purge itself of any air.

I don’t know the exact brand they are original but it won’t hurt the hydraulics if they are retraced on the switch that long ? I always feel something’s is gonna explode lol

 

[RayIN]

I don’t know the exact brand they are original but it won’t hurt the hydraulics if they are retraced on the switch that long ? I always feel something’s is gonna explode lol

Shorten the count to 3-5 if it makes you feel better, just as long as the cylinders are pressurized in the retracted position.
If the brand is HWH, this will help ID the model #;

 

[TDServices]

The link didn’t work if that’s what you sent but I’ll try to see if it helps

 

[Morich]

Link seems good to here at 7:30PM?/

 

[RayIN]

The link didn’t work if that’s what you sent but I’ll try to see if it helps

Same link: http://wanderlodgegurus.com/database/House/HWH/HWH Leveling System Identificaiton.pdf

 

[TDServices]

So I got it parked where I could pull the slides back out and I pulled the panel off from the hydraulic unit didn’t see any leaks or anything obvious anywhere or anyplace else the lines go the slide does go out and come in no problem but after a couple days it just creeps out on the front there a fill but at the top of the resinous that looks like I had a pressure release holes in the screw in part with threads and it looks like it releases through the nut in between the top where it’s put together could this be plugged ?

 

[Morich]

When I think of hydraulics, I think of a pump to build pressure and then a set of electronic solenoids which we might think of as valves which open and close when they get a signal.
Open one and it goes out and open another and it goes in for simple thinking? In your case, it sounds like the fluid controlled by these solenoids is correct but given time the fluid that is under pressure is slipping past some point. Just as the slide moves when pressure builds up, it also moves when the pressure goes downor moves the other direction.
A leak to outside is possible to find but a leak past a solenoid/ valve that lets fluid and pressure move past, may not leak to outside to be spotted. An internal leak may let pressure that should stay on one side of the solenoid (or other part!) slip past to the other side?
Thinking of it in things we know more about, it is like a faucet that drips? There is some form of seal that keeps water in a faucet from dripping out. Very much the same may be true of your hydraulic pressure. Your system builds pressure to move the slide in or out but if that pressure changes, it moves again!
For DIY repair, I would have to start with reading the manual to find which solenoid controls the movement that is not right. Which hydraulic cylinder moves when it should not? Then trace that line back to the pump and solenoid that controls that line.
Much like the drippy water faucet, we have to find which faucet and repair or replace the bad part.
Personally, I would not attempt that as hydraulics can be dangerous and I do not know enough to risk throwing parts at it. I know I only know enough to be dangerous around things that can tear my skin or cut a finger off!
This would be a time for me to go for folks who know the job!