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Old 09-14-2010, 07:04 AM   #1
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1972 23' Safari
NSB , Florida
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voltage drop

I'm not sure this is where to post this but...

I'm seeing an intermittant voltage drop from the power converter/fuse block to the panel of my '76 Argosy MH. When plugged in to shore power it's reading 13.5 at the converter/fuse panel and as low as 5 at the panel over the galley. When it happens I don't have enough power to run half of the lights, water pump etc. The rest of the lights seem to be wired separately as they're not effected. Also when getting full voltage the lights dim when I turn on the water pump.

Any thoughts on the voltage drop?
Does any one know where I can get a wiring scematic?
Any tricks to pull wires through the walls without major surgery?

thanks.
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Old 09-14-2010, 07:41 AM   #2
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Voltage drop can come from the addition of an additional load, which I doubt in this case, or from a BAD CONNECTION is the line. The fact that it is intermittent suggests a loose connection.

Check the ground connection at where ever you are seeing this drop. The easy way to do this is bring a good ground wire directly from the battery to the area in question and test the voltage to that ground. If the voltage is good during this test the problem is on the ground side. If the voltage is still low the problem is on the source side.
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Old 09-14-2010, 08:06 AM   #3
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Loose connections can cause strange problems.
Oil and grime under a ground connection too.
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Old 09-14-2010, 09:01 AM   #4
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You might be able to find it using a laser thermometer. Loose connections often generate excessive heat.
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Old 09-14-2010, 09:02 AM   #5
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Thanks guys. Another funny thing, ground-wise, is above the solenoid that ties the 2 batteries together when the ignition is on is a 50A glass fuse. It's in the negative cable run between the house battery and converter/fuse block. It looks original but I've never heard of a fused ground wire.
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Old 09-14-2010, 09:35 AM   #6
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My '74 has a fuse in the ground as well as the + side of the battery. Try removing the small fuses from your converter fuse panel and clean the spring loaded clips and fuse barrels. If there is oxidation on the contact surfaces it will cause voltage drop.
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Old 09-16-2010, 02:24 PM   #7
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With the help of a friend I found the problem. With the key on everything was working fine, turns out because it's finally getting a good ground. The converter/fuse panel end has a white ground wire going somewhere, I suspect it's the problem. Otherwise there is no chassis ground in the house system. I jumped a ground from one battery to the other and all's cool. Tonight I'm replacing all battery cables properly and installing new batteries. The negative inline fuse is going away and everything will be grounded properly. The next faze will be adding a high amperage fuse at the house battery, where it should be, to power the house fuse block in the back as well as another that I plan to add to the front. Thanks for everyones help.
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