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Old 08-28-2015, 01:02 PM   #1
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1995 31' Land Yacht LE
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Power converter help!!

I have a 1995 LY 31' and I'm having issues with the electrical/batteries. I have been through the manual and being a new first time motorhome owner the diagrams and schematics are sort of hard to understand. Here's my problem and I hope someone can offer some assistance soon since I'm living full time in the coach and this is a huge problem.

First off the manual tells me that the power converter is located "behind the kick panel in front of the passenger seat" which I can't find. So that's a problem in and of itself. What's happening is this: When the coach is plugged into shore power the house batteries are being used to run the lights and control panel and fridge and eventually the lights begin to dim and the fridge shuts off. That's while plugged in! When I start the engine the lights immediately brighten back up fully and the control panel comes back to life and the fridge turns back on. Now at the same time all the 120 outlets are working fine. Even after the above things start to not function the outlets are all still powered with no problem. Now after driving the coach for a distance and I park again and plug in, the lights, fridge and control panel work fine for a few hours and then the problem occurs again. Obviously, while plugged in the house batteries are not being charged but are charging while I drive. Is my converter bad? Is there a way to test it (if I locate it?)
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

Kevin
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Old 08-28-2015, 01:56 PM   #2
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Sorry can't help locate the converter but the kick panel is usually the outboard panel down by the feet. You probably have to remove the panel to see the converter.
Symptoms definitely indicate converter problem. Converter itself could be fine though. May have blown 12v fuse so it can't get power out. May have a bad 120v supply, either bad wire connection or tripped breaker, or bad breaker.
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Old 08-28-2015, 01:58 PM   #3
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Yes, it sounds like your original converter/charger is not working. It could be something as simple as a 120 volt circuit breaker which supplies it being off, or it could be a problem with the unit itself.

First you need to locate the converter/charger. Once it is found, some tests can be run on it to see if it is working.

In the mean time, if you have a regular old battery charger you might hook it up to the house batteries to keep them charged so you have refrigerator etc.
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Old 08-28-2015, 06:26 PM   #4
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Hot Springs , Arkansas
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Hi Kevin,
My guess would be with a bad convertor or old batteries that cant store the Amp hours you need. You could use a standard battery charger at a low rate (5-10) amps to keep them "topped off" while in use. It is something simple.
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Old 08-28-2015, 09:01 PM   #5
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There is a panel that is carpeted right in front of the passengers feet. Look closely you will see 2 screws one on ea side. panel comes off, converter is right there. It plugs into an outlet that is under the dash on the right wall.
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Old 08-31-2015, 12:34 PM   #6
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First off, thanks for the replies! You were all helpful too. I got the kick panel off and although I didn't immediately see a power converter I did find something interesting. I found A regular household power strip That was plugged into an outlet and had two plugs plugged into it. One was the in dash TV, which I've never used and the other was unclear at the time. The power strip had tripped off for some reason and it had a "reset" switch which I pushed and when I plugged back into shore power I checked my house batteries after a few hours and they were well on their way back to full charge. Problem solved. Thanks again everyone!

Kevin.
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Old 08-31-2015, 04:22 PM   #7
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1 plug is tv follow the 2nd & you have the converter
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