Radio only works with engine. Not house

Brandon0511

New Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2024
Posts
3
So I was messing with the backup camera on my 2002 adventurer 37u.. I hit something or did something, but there is no power to the radio when it's set to house now.. The cigarette lighter also doesn't work.. when I switch the radio from engine to house it cuts off and resets the time and radio stations.. I checked all the fuses and all of the breakers that I know about.. under dash, under step, over microwave, under hood, and to the left as you enter the coach.. any help out there?
 
Did you check each side of fuses using a multimeter or test lamp?
Visual inspection often isn't adequate.
 
I used a voltmeter to check resistance.. Is there a relay somewhere that switches it from couch to house?
 
Suggest checking for a label next to the drivers left side for info on model and floorplan.

We can't actually look at drawings without knowing which RV you have! So do you know if it is on a Workhorse or Ford chassis?

Are you familiar with the fuses located under the dash pod where it looks like a section of dash over the instruments is hinged to flip up?

But it may be handy to just check what is missing on the lighter outlet. Ground should show on the metal sides of the outlet and power at the point down in the center of the outlet.
Is it the ground or the battery side which is missing?
 
My 2006 29R has a switch where I can select between coach or chassis batteries.
 
My 2006 29R has a switch where I can select between coach or chassis batteries.

I was going with the idea of that being the switch he is changing and when switched, the coach battery is not there to power the radio.
But in looking at some of the RV near what he has, there is also a cigarette lighter working on the same power source.
That is where we need to have the really correct drawing to look with more confidence that what we see is supposed to be what he has!

But since he had mentioned the outlet also not working, it is a much easier item to check, compared to the multiple wires and getting under the dash to check!
With the outlet sticking out of the dash and only battery and ground, that is where I got down to asking which is missing! All things need a full circuit, so if we knew which of those two, battery or ground, was missing at the outlet, it might save a lot of grief and the struggle to get to things under the dash!

I like to look for the quicker/easier way to test, so the outlet is almost like a test point sticking out of the dash while the radio switch can be tricky even to get out of the dash without knowing the tricks of how they popped it in. :laugh:
 
If your battery disconnect (salesman switch) is turned to off, then switching the dash radio to "house" will do what you are describing since the house battery is not connected.
 

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