Lighting problem

[rcloyd]

Hello:

The 12V interior lights in my 72' OverLander are very dim. I have replaced the battery with a new DieHard deep cycle RV battery. I have checked all fuses within and connected to the Uni-Volt V. Still dim lights.

When connected to the tow vehicle with iginition on, the lights are bright.
It seems that my battery is not being charged (through the Uni-Volt) when connected to shore power or when being towed.

Any help would be appreciated. I would like to salvage/repair the uni-volt if possible.

Thanks,
rcloyd

[till]

Have you checked the voltage on the battery while your pluged in to shore power?? The voltage you get while pluged in will tell you how your Uni-volt is doing. Any cheep meter form Radio Shack or Harbor Frieght will work. I think you chould be getting some where around 13 to 14 volts when pluged in and some where around 12.5 to 12.8 volts when not pluged into anything.

[balrgn]

Originally Posted by rcloyd

Hello:

The 12V interior lights in my 72' OverLander are very dim. I have replaced the battery with a new DieHard deep cycle RV battery. I have checked all fuses within and connected to the Uni-Volt V. Still dim lights.

When connected to the tow vehicle with iginition on, the lights are bright.
It seems that my battery is not being charged (through the Uni-Volt) when connected to shore power or when being towed.

Any help would be appreciated. I would like to salvage/repair the uni-volt if possible.

Thanks,
rcloyd

I have the same issue with mine. Battery runs down rather quickly. I put a battery tender for the short term fix.

[rcloyd]

Thanks for the responses. I checked the battery voltage when plugged/unplugged to shore power. Voltage was 12.77V in both cases.
Does this mean something is wrong with the uni-volt?

Thanks,
rcloyd

[Anon]

Sounds like a flaky Uni-Volt.
I replaced mine with an InteliPower 60 amp unit. Works great now.
You can find the best price for an InteliPower at www.bestconverter.com
The site is run by a fellow forum member and he offers a discount for other forum members.
I had the same exact problems that you have. The Uni-Voly was old and tired.
Do you hear any "humming" coming from it? Loud humming, (or a buzzing sound) is a strong indication that it is dying.

[TomW]

Originally Posted by rcloyd

When connected to the tow vehicle with iginition on, the lights are bright.
It seems that my battery is not being charged (through the Uni-Volt) when connected to shore power or when being towed.

With the ignition on, the lights will be brighter because they are being supplied around 13.5 vdc since the alternator is running.

If your battery is not taking a charge when connected to shore power or when being towed, there is a problem with the wiring or battery connections. Either should charge the battery.

The Univolt can not be ruled bad until you stick a meter on it's output. Exact numbers escape me, but the Univolt should be registering around 13 vdc output when it is on.

There is a distinct possibility that you have a wiring problem (most likely dirty connections) that a modern day charger will not solve. More detail about the Univolt can be found on my webpage (link in my signature). But feel free to contact me offline if you want numbing detail.

Tom

[TomW]

Originally Posted by pattersontoo

Loud humming, (or a buzzing sound) is a strong indication that it is dying.

Loud humming means the Univolt is under load whether it be from lights & fans running, or a bad internal component. Make sure all lights & fans are off before deciding if the hum is too loud.

Tom

[Anon]

Originally Posted by TomW

Loud humming means the Univolt is under load whether it be from lights & fans running, or a bad internal component. Make sure all lights & fans are off before deciding if the hum is too loud.

Tom

Thanks, Tom.
Yeah, that too.
I left out that important detail. Don't be running a lot of stuff on 12VDC when you want to test my theory.
My transformer hum was LOUD and CONSTANT. No matter what load was on it.
I know from working with industrial 480VAC transformers that they will "hum" when under a load.
I am a firm believer that if it is electrical and it is over a certain age then it is better to replace it than it is to play with it.
An electrical problem is no fun. I do not like the old Uni-Volt systems as there are much more reliable systems out there. They weigh less, take up a lot less space and do more.
I cannot tell you the amount of care that my Dad put into pampering his 1973 from the day it was new. He even ran a 30 amp line out to where we parked it, mounted it an official post even. We would remove the battery if we were going to park the trailer for more than a two month period. The Uni-Volt would gas the battery in no time.
All I can honestly say, is that there are two systems on the trailer that I will not rebuild anything for: electrical and LPG.

[87MH]

Originally Posted by rcloyd

The 12V interior lights in my 72' OverLander are very dim. I have replaced the battery with a new DieHard deep cycle RV battery. I have checked all fuses within and connected to the Uni-Volt V. When connected to the tow vehicle with iginition on, the lights are bright. It seems that my battery is not being charged (through the Uni-Volt) when connected to shore power or when being towed. Any help would be appreciated.....

rcloyd:

One of the things I found when "doing" the '78 Sovereign was corossion at the electrical terminals on the fuse block....it may be that battery connection to the main fuse block is compromised, while the charge line from the TV is making a good connection....

It does not take much surface corossion to impede amperage.

I would suggest accessing your terminal block, and remove, clean, and retighten each compression terminal, one at a time, and also check the connections at the battery and battery connector areas.

Luck...please let the Forum know what you find.