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Old 01-05-2006, 06:17 PM   #1
The New Guy
 
1989 34.5' Airstream 345
San Diego , California
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 13
Question OK..now it's the furnace

Well, just when my couch bed started working again. Something else goes wrong. The front furnace will not turn on now. It has worked just fine for about a week or two now and all of a sudden nothing. The rear one is just fine. I checked the fuse/ circuit breaker box first. (Learned my lesson there) Everything is good. I took a look under the sink to see what might be the problem and I noticed a yellow wire coming off the furnace not connected to anything. I thought that was odd but am not sure where its home might be? So I am calling upon the mighty Airstream Guru's for help. It is an 89' 345LE.

Thanks Again,
~~Adam

P.S. Lubed up the couch and it is working smoother than ever! Thanks for the advice. Oh and Pic's are soon to come.
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Old 01-05-2006, 06:47 PM   #2
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Chesapeake , Virginia
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If you're getting nothing, I'm assuming you mean no fan, clicking, or any sign of life at all. That certainly sounds like electrical stuff. Check at the furnace to see if you have power coming to it where the 12 volt power supply lines are joined with the furnace wiring. Usually a wire nut connection in a little junction box at the furnace. You should at least be getting a fan, even if no heat, even if the circuit board is gone. Have the wall thermostat up high enough to activate the heat when you run this check. You can also swap the rear thermostat to see if that's the problem. That's not always true, but usually the fan will operate if power is available. That wire just coming off the furnace may be worth investigating, but it's not that likely it suddenly fell off - although I've had more weird things than that happen. Does your coach still have the original twin 25K B.T.U. furnaces? If it does, and you have power to the bad one, you can start swapping off parts to attempt to narrow down the trouble. Sort of worse case is the circuit board. If your furnace is original, it's probably a Duo Therm - which isn't made any more. After all the testing, if it's the board, I'd consider a new furnace if you can swing the bucks. I replaced just the board on an older Duo Therm several years ago, and still ended up having to replace the whole thing in just several more years. Since everything in the furnace is probably as old as the coach (assuming it's the original one), my experience was that it was better to replace the whole thing.

Before you go replacing a furnace, of course, you should check power at the furnace, and eliminate all the basics first.

Best of luck, and keep us posted.

Tim
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Old 01-06-2006, 04:02 PM   #3
The New Guy
 
1989 34.5' Airstream 345
San Diego , California
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 13
Well, I think I fixed it. Boy am I getting lucky. After some more snooping I found a white wire all alone with a wire nut on it. Through simple deduction I figured that it had that wire nut on there for a reason and that since the white and yellow wires were alone, they might have been put toghther before. So I twisted them toghther and put the wire nut back on and PRESTO! The heater worked the next time I tried it. Thanks for the help Tim. Now heres another question. The heater does not turn off when it reaches the temp I set it at on the thermostat...never has since I bought it. The one in the back is just fine though. Do you think it is the thermostat?

~~Adam
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Old 01-06-2006, 05:11 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ahmarquis8
Well, I think I fixed it. Boy am I getting lucky. After some more snooping I found a white wire all alone with a wire nut on it. Through simple deduction I figured that it had that wire nut on there for a reason and that since the white and yellow wires were alone, they might have been put toghther before. So I twisted them toghther and put the wire nut back on and PRESTO! The heater worked the next time I tried it. Thanks for the help Tim. Now heres another question. The heater does not turn off when it reaches the temp I set it at on the thermostat...never has since I bought it. The one in the back is just fine though. Do you think it is the thermostat?

~~Adam
Adam,

Congratulations! So far, you've had the type of experiences I usually have. It's typically the simple things. Can't quite figure how that wire nut came off, but could have been something as simple as jostling around while you were driving. Now, let's look at your furnace's failure to turn off. I'm not sure if you mean it doesn't turn off as soon as the temperature you set is reached (according to the air thermometer on the thermostat housing), or if the furnace NEVER cuts off. Two thoughts: first, there is an "anticipator" adjustment behind the cover of the thermostat that allows you to dial a "longer" or "shorter" cycle time. Take a look and see if you can dial a shorter time. If so, that may be the problem. If not, slowly dial the thermostat setting lower by hand after the furnace has reached the desired temp. If it cuts off, you don't have a problem, just slightly inaccurate thermometers on your thermostat - not an unusual problem. Second thought - if the furnace NEVER cuts off after you've tried both the above tactics, switch with the other one in your coach. It's only two wires. If it then works correctly, you can replace the thermostat relatively inexpensively. If it still doesn't cut off when the thermostat is satisfied, the problem could be in the furnace itself. Let me know if these easy steps work before we look at the more difficult things .

Best,

Tim
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Old 01-06-2006, 07:52 PM   #5
The New Guy
 
1989 34.5' Airstream 345
San Diego , California
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 13
Thanks again Tim. I will try that tomorrow and see if it does the trick. I just got done shampooing all the carpet, so she needs to sit overnight. Things are coming together.
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Old 01-06-2006, 08:06 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ahmarquis8
Thanks again Tim. I will try that tomorrow and see if it does the trick. I just got done shampooing all the carpet, so she needs to sit overnight. Things are coming together.


Adam,

How did a 23 year old get to be the owner of a classic Airstream motor home ? I just got mine last year, only because my brother is so generous, and I'm 58 ! Maybe I should have gone in the service instead of teaching school . Take care of that 345, and you should still have it when you get to be my age .

Best, Tim
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Old 01-06-2006, 08:41 PM   #7
The New Guy
 
1989 34.5' Airstream 345
San Diego , California
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 13
Well Tim that is a good question. My wife is 27 and has always been good about saving money. We sold a house a couple of years ago and made some money from that . Now we own a house in the Boise ID area and need the Airstream so I have a place in San Diego where I am stationed. Just happened to stumble across this 345 online. My wife has always loved Airstreams and I am slowly falling for this one I think. I will definately keep her for a long long time.
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Old 01-07-2006, 02:58 PM   #8
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quote:

My wife has always loved Airstreams and I am slowly falling for this one I think. I will definately keep her for a long long time.(posted by ahmarquis8)

Sounds like you've made some wise decisions. Marry an older woman - I did that. Sell a house at a profit while you're very young - I didn't do that . Be glad your wife has always loved Airstreams - I didn't do that (had to talk her into the 370, but she's glad now) .

Finally, are you talking about keeping your wife for a "long long time" or the Airstream ? Maybe both?

Best,

Tim
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