310 MH Electrical Ques. w/pics

[WaltL]

Still tackling electrical gremlins, like why my left blinker causes EVERY outside light on the coach to blink. Looks like someone turned a mongoose loose behind my dash... too many years of (incompetent) wiring attempts. Anyway, I've found some things I have questions about. Each has an assoc. pic.

1) First is of my toggle switch panel. Can this dash section be removed separately, or do I have to dig into the dash? Also, can someone tell me where the lights are located that these switches control (other than map).

2) Next photo is of a button I found under the drivers-side dash. It's not the battery switch (for house battery starting) and it's not related to cruise control. Haven't tracked it down yet, but thought maybe someone might know what it is.

3) Finally, a relay mounted under the "hood." The left most wire has a connector but was not hooked up to anything. Any ideas about either?

Thanks!
Walt

[Chaplain Kent]

Boy does this bring back memories. This winter when I replaced my dash I had to pull each wire on my coach and identify it. First, no the toggle switch panel is not separate from the dash it is integrated into your wiring harness. The panel on the front is a facade which only holds the switches, you can look up my thread on the dash replacement and see how it is assembled. I would look it up for you but am using a strange dial up device while camping in the woods this month. Second that switch sure looks like a battery shut off switch to me, are you certain it is not? Third, I have no idea what that relay is but I also had several such items which were not connected and I took them off and threw them away, Chummy still runs fine.
Good luck to you.

[uncleneal]

"Still tackling electrical gremlins, like why my left blinker causes EVERY outside light on the coach to blink."

I once had a '63 Pontiac that would flash the park and dash lights when the blinker was on. Turned out to be corrosion in the tail light bulbs and sockets. The corrosion would feed current from the brake/blinker light side of the socket to the running light side of the socket. Cleaned them up and cured it.

Neal

[jim8860]

Photo # 3 the relay w/ the 3 wire going to it.Looks like a horn relay. The MH could of had and air horn ?? With out telling me where thing go I it a shot in the dark. Just follow each wire and try explain what it connect to . I am sure some one here knows. Good luck Jim

[GlenCoombe]

Walt, looks like fun ...not. I also have similar mysteries with my coach. Let us know what you find.
BTW which of the three Jefferson GA's do you live in?

[WaltL]

Kent, it could be a battery shut off. There is a switch on my dash that says battery start switch or something like that which is for cranking off house battery when the crank battery is dead. I haven't read anything in the manual about a shutoff... but that's not surprising either!

Relay is still a mystery. Jim I think this coach did have an air horn in the early days. Now there are two bases w/o trumpets that are electrically actuated. They don't work and have been replaced with an UUgggga button... and also a music box of some sort... all that's coming out!

Well, I'm not ready to take out the entire dash...yet, so I spent a lot of time drapped over the doghouse upside down with a test light.

I removed the headlamp switch and found a red hot wire spliced into a brown hl switch wire (looks factory) that then runs up to the auxilary toggle switch. This is the only switch that, when toggled on, has a functioning indicator light. But I can't see that it does anything. I thought, since it is tied into the headlamp switch, that it might act like the ICC switch that I read a thread about on the later MH's... but it doesn't have any effect on my running lamps.

I did solve the blinker issue...sort of. Neal you had it about right. Turns out that someone had put a single filament 1156 bulb in the front left lamp instead of an 1157 bulb. The result was blinker feedback into the running lamp circuit. I had checked the bulb, just not for 2 filaments! Always look for the easy solution first!

So now the blinkers work fine... but I have no running lights anymore! Headlamps still work fine, but top, rear, front and sidemarkers are all kaput! I checked all the fuses in the dash panel, even though none appear to be for the running lights, and all look good. I even tried to put the 1156 bulb back in the left blinker, but that didn't work either. So I gave up and I'll try again today.

So can anyone tell me where the running lights are fused???? Do they even have a fuse? Obviously my manual is not very forthcoming on this topic.

Oh yea, Glen I'm in NE GA. The Jefferson that's closest to I-85, the SC line... and, most importantly, the University of Georgia... Go Dogs!

Walt

[carnegie1935]

I looked at our 83 Mh today and we have a relay under hood in same place as yours. It is to the windshield washers. 1 wire goes to power, 1 wire goes to washer switch and 1 wire goes to washer motor. Hope this helps. If you need to know placement I will trace for you.

Kay and Roy

[carnegie1935]

Our dash has a different layout than yours so I can't be of any help to you on that. we had to pull the dash to work on our lights. our clearance lights would'nt work. had dash lights, parking lights, headlamps and turn signals but no clearance, We replaced the light switch with one from NAPA $11.00. fixed the lights. I can identify with a mongoose party behind dash, I wanted to do as Chaplain Kent and completly redo. no time for that now. our cruise control switch had been broken off and was hanging loose. could find no replacement to match . We repaired and so far it is working again. our horn wire was loose from the relay soldered it back on and we have a beep horn now. I intend to replace with something that sounds better soon. Our horns on top of Mh are electric not air (look like air) I want to replace with new if I can get power to them. Haven't found the wire that went to them yet. We hads to replace some air conditioner vent tubes while we had the dash loose. every time we fix a problem we find something else that needs attention. After all these units are 20+ years old and probably most of the items are original. That says it was pretty good stuff.

Good luck and I hope your light problems get resolved.

Kay and Roy

[WaltL]

Originally Posted by carnegie1935

I looked at our 83 Mh today and we have a relay under hood in same place as yours. It is to the windshield washers. 1 wire goes to power, 1 wire goes to washer switch and 1 wire goes to washer motor. Hope this helps. If you need to know placement I will trace for you.

Kay and Roy

Thanks... Roy(?)! That explains why my washer doesn't work! As you're looking at it from the picture I posted, the left most wire was disconnected, and I'm guessing that goes to the washer motor; however, it's very long. The other two disappear up towards the firewall. Is this how yours is wired?

Where is the horn relay located anyway? Mine are definitely elec. but there's a lot of vulcum up there, so either they leaked badly or they're replacements. I found no compressor for air horns in the driver side overhead locker, but I'm not clear if it's located "in" the locker or behind a panel above the locker. Either way, I'm going back with electric trumpets.
You also mentioned your cruise control. That's next for me. It all appears to be there and hooked up but it doesn't work. I haven't checked the control unit yet, only the under dash wiring.

I also fixed my cab AC from freezing up (I hope) since I found the thermostat wire had been pulled from the evap. coil housing so the compressor was always on.

Thanks for again your reply. Very helpful! I'll probably be a qualified AS service tech before I'm finished going through this thing.


Walt

[Chaplain Kent]

I think the battery shut off switch you are looking at was an after thought put in by some PO. If we share the same fuse box my running lights are fused with the horn. The fuse is labeled "horn." Try replacing the fuse even if it shows that it is not blown.
Good Luck to you.

[carnegie1935]

I must apologize for giving you wrong information about the relay under hood before. I asked Roy what it was and he said windshield washer so I posted that info for you.

This afternoon when I traced the wires they are for the driving lights (fog lights) left terminal is power has inline fuse and connected to hot terminal under hood, center terminal to lights and right terminal to switch.

the windshield washers don't use a relay on our unit. Roy had already replaced the motor pump last summer. I didn't help with that job.

The horn relay on our unit was hanging loose under the dash low center near the glove compartment. It was still connected to power and horn button. the wire that came from the horn had came loose. we ran a new wire from the horn thru the firewall and I soldered it to the terminal.

Roy drove semi's and did all the repair on them so he has good knowledge on what maskes these things work. He is disabled and can't stand or bend anymore so he instructs while I do the work. The job of rewiring the lights was a blast. He lost patience with me several times, but we made things work.

Kay

[WaltL]

Kent, I read your thread yesterday on Chummy's dash re-wire/rebuild... what a job! I'd never make it trough something like that.

Anyway, my running/guage lights are powered through the "tailight" fuse. I've replaced all fuses.
Power runs from fuse to a tan wire into headlamp switch and then out a green wire into the central harness and then, I guess. through the firewall. I can't see that there is any other fused link after the switch. So far, I can't find any power on any green wires coming through on the hood side Oh well today is another day. So much for having it ready for the fourth

Kay, thanks for the update. This also explains why my fog lights don't work! From your description the disconnected wire suppliees power to the relay, so that should be an easy fix.

[WaltL]

Finally got several elec. problems sloved!

1) The problem with no running lights was a bad connection @ the headlight switch... always look for the easy solution!

2) Figured out why no power at the dash toggle switches. Some PO had disconnected that wire from the 12V interior fuse panel and wired in power from the monitor panel (power to BOTH sides of the fuse!). It was spliced to another wire that was powering the shower light. In the process they had clipped the original wire that fed power to the systems monitor... it was still hot! I put everything back as factory, and now it all works. What are people thinking???

3) The unknown button switch in the photo is the vacuum activated shut off for the cruise control. Not positive how to remount since it's damaged, but the button is depressed for cruise and releases when you brake, causing cruise to disengage. Haven't road tested it yet but hoping to have cruise back soon.

OK, questions for early MH owners:

1) The auxillary toggle switch is powered separately; it gets it from the headlamp switch. I can't find what it activates. It does not act like the ICC switch on later models, as far as I can tell. Can someone clue me in on this switch's function... what does (did) it do on your coach?

2) I have powered up the other 3 toggles. Map and Trunk (compartment) lights are all working fine. What does the "Walkway" toggle control? I thought it might toggle the two exterior door lights, but it doesn't.

3) Looked in the posted places (under couch, under dash) but can't find the doorbell chime. Anyone know where it is on an early 310?

I know some of this seems like minor stuff but I will have everything functioning properly before our first trip... maybe next week.

TIA,
Walt

[Chaplain Kent]

I use my Auxiliary toggle for my 12V outlets this keeps them safely off when I have little fingers (grandchildren) aboard. The PO used it for the stereo amplifier. The walkway toggle controls your aisle and stairway lights. I recently changed mine to halogen and what a difference that made. Last if the 310 is the same as my 280 the door bell chime is in front of your water tank, or mounted along the wall behind the driver's seat.
I am happy you have found the rest of the problems. Electrical problems can be so taxing.