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Chillpoints · 02-26-2012, 02:15 PM

So on my '92 Excella 29' I have two wires that exit the floor of the trailer under the a-frame and just hang. I have tested them and can not find any current or continuity. They are yellow and red. They yellow wire is marked as resistant to oil and fuel? I decided to pull the front interior panel to see where they went. Thea attach to two other wires Yellow to Light blue with white stripe and the red to Dark blue with red stripe. See the photos.

Also have a larger gauge pink wire that is bundled with no terminal end just behind the univolt. In looking behind the inner panel it looks like this wire was not in the original bundle (as seen in the photo)

Any ideas or suggestions as to where these wires may run would be helpful. I guess as long as things are working I just leave them alone, I do wonder what should be working that I just have not discovered yet.

Thanks to all who have done complete restorations and may have the answers.

Jon

Chillpoints · 02-26-2012, 02:16 PM

Thought I would share a picture of the schematic that I have. It has been no help to me but to someone else perhaps.

Thanks again.

idroba · 02-26-2012, 02:47 PM

This is a wild guess, but do you have a break away switch on your trailer? If not, could those wires have gone to it (now missing).

Gene · 02-26-2012, 03:02 PM

Jon,

Check the wires inside that the mystery wires are attached to for power. Check against each other and against the frame in case one of the mystery wires is not a ground. Then trace the wires the mystery wires are attached to back to their source until you find them. There may be a dead fuse, or they may end somewhere and not be attached to anything.

It is possible the previous owner used them for some reason temporarily, fixed whatever it was, and left them there in case he needed them. Or maybe he had something extra attached to them and kept it when he sold the vehicle.

Gene

Chillpoints · 02-26-2012, 03:11 PM

Thanks for the suggestions.
I do have working breakaway switch and can trace the wires from that fine.

I have checked and do not find any power or continuity between the wires or with either and a common ground. The wire connectors as seen in the picture appear to be original, not aftermarket.

I was trying to see where they lead but do not want to pull all the interior skins to trace them. Not doing that kind of renovation. The heavy pink wire is the same type and style wire that is in the bundle and connects to the fuse box. Was wondering if this could be a sleeper wire for future solar. But where does it go is the question. Keep the suggestions coming. Surely someone knows the color scheme for this thing

Thanks
Jon

TG Twinkie · 02-26-2012, 03:11 PM

Do you have a battery in the trailer? If not you may not see a voltage reading on these wires. Is there a break away switch mounted on the tongue? Is there an electric tongue jack? Perhaps there was and it has been removed.

Chillpoints · 02-26-2012, 03:15 PM

Yep battery is installed and all things that I know of work. Power jack is connected by heavier wire that is gray.

GetOutDoors · 02-26-2012, 04:15 PM

Might be for your axle brakes... If while hooked up (electrical wise) to the TV, you have someone press the brakes, is one color of wire hot?

Gene · 02-26-2012, 06:43 PM

Forum blip made my post disappear. Bummer.

Those wires are too small to be solar wires.

Look under trailer and you'll see wires coming from each brake assembly in the back. Front and rear axles are connected to each other and wires that go to the umbilical. Have someone step on the brake pedal and listen for the hum of the magnets at each wheel.

I had some brake work done at JC and some miles later found brake wires hanging down and disconnected.

Gene

overlander64 · 02-26-2012, 06:48 PM

Just a thought, is it possible that the original owner might have had the dealer install the Tele-Tec flat detection system, and the refrigerator cut-off switch that was offered in the 1985-1988 Airstreams?

Kevin

Chillpoints · 02-27-2012, 04:59 AM

Breaks work fine. I can trace these wires from the plug to TV. Have not heard about the leak detection option nor the fridg shut off. Just had the refrigerator out and there were only two wires (much heavier) a maroon hot and a white common.

Were there other options that could be possible? Was wondering if I could call the mothership or better yet if Andy at inland has experienced this.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Chillpoints · 02-27-2012, 07:34 AM

Does anyone have a complete color scheme for the wiring in the '92 trailers? I have been trying to use the one in the manual and can not decipher all the color combinations. It looks from the print version (posted above) that the colors are simple one color for the most part. Many of these wires are two color. Any electricians who can help with a code key?

nm1oqrz · 02-27-2012, 07:48 AM

Hello All. On my 1988 Excella which had the original 9 pin connector, the 2 extra wires was for the refer cutoff and the flat detector and on my 88 neither were connected.
Good luck and happy camping nm1oqrz

Chillpoints · 02-27-2012, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nm1oqrz

Hello All. On my 1988 Excella which had the original 9 pin connector, the 2 extra wires was for the refer cutoff and the flat detector and on my 88 neither were connected.
Good luck and happy camping nm1oqrz

nm1oqrz
Thanks, I am curious if you know anymore about the flat detector. Where might the other ends of the wire be, and how did it work. I have not seen or heard of this feature before. Any help would be appreciated. Short of pulling down the interior skins and tracing the bundle of wires along the ridge of the trailer, I am at a loss as to where they may go.

Also do you know what the purpose of the refer cut of was? Mine has a switch on the top of the fridge for on/off but not a remote switch.

Thanks for sparking my curiosity and any potential answers.
Jon

Chillpoints · 02-28-2012, 10:13 AM

So very few ideas as to the mystery wires. I have sent an e-mail to the mother ship to see what they can tell me. I am still looking for information about the flat tire monitor or the refrigerator shut off. Or any other exterior option from the period that may be almost included.
Thanks
Jon

Gene · 02-28-2012, 10:20 AM

Maybe I missed something, but was the "flat detector" to detect whether the trailer was level (i.e., "flat") so the fridge operated better and was the fridge cutoff a switch to turn it off if the trailer wasn't level?

Gene

Chillpoints · 02-28-2012, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nm1oqrz

Hello All. On my 1988 Excella which had the original 9 pin connector, the 2 extra wires was for the refer cutoff and the flat detector and on my 88 neither were connected.
Good luck and happy camping nm1oqrz

Gene
The above post is where I first heard of this. I can find nothing on either option in the listings for any '91-'93 trailer.

Airstream, Inc :: Specifications

The only option listed that I do not have is the solar battery charger pre-wire. That is what I was assuming the pink wire was but have no idea where the other end may be located. It would be great to figure it out so I could install solar.

Jon

Gene · 02-28-2012, 11:25 AM

Jon, there is supposed to be a solar pre-wire located in the fridge compartment to feed to the roof where a solar panel would be. It should come down one side of the compartment from the fridge vent on the roof. There is usually an area next to the fridge where a solar panel controller can be mounted and connected to the pre-wire. Then the wire goes to the converter. They use 10 AWG wire for it, though a larger solar array should use bigger gauge wire. Wire that thick is much harder to bend than anything else except the battery wires.

Most Romex cable for the 120 v. circuits is 12 AWG. The gauge is marked somewhere on the side of the cable (cable has 2 or more conductors in it). 12 v. circuits have much thinner wire. The wires with stripes on them are 12 v. wires; so are the solid colors next to them I think but it is hard to tell from the photo. 12 gauge and bigger (lower numbers are bigger) are always solid colors (usually black, white, red, green, bare). Battery wires are 12 v., but very thick because of the high amps.

Gene

Chillpoints · 02-28-2012, 01:37 PM

I appreciate your additional guidance. I recently had the fridge pulled out and did not see any wires hanging down, but I may just have to slide it back out and look. I have not screwed it back in yet. I was not working and needed to be burped. As luck would have it the burping did not work so i beat it with a stick (as advised on the forum) and presto it started to work. I will go back and get gauge numbers for the wires and perhaps that will help.

I like mystery, just when they are happening to someone else.

As Always Gene, Thanks.
Jon

Chillpoints · 03-05-2012, 08:03 AM

"Jonathan,
The Engineer got back with me. He thinks that circuit 3 had the furnace, galley lights, and water pump switch. He is not sure of all the wires, however he feels that the blue/white and blue/orange were for the LP tank. I'm afraid that is all we would have."

Ok, so Circuit 3 in my trailer is a pink wire, and it happens to be the exact same type and gauge as the one for circuit 3, however they did not know why there may be two of the same wire pulled.

Also does anyone know of any device on an LP tank that would be connected to wires? is there such a thing as an automatic switch for tanks, or some sort of alert when a tank runs out? Any help is appreciated.

I am a little confused if my contact was speaking with an engineer from the floor when my trailer was built in '91 you would think they could recall what things were installed in them, or at least have some sort of documentation. Perhaps Andy has seen this before and will help solve the puzzle.

Perhaps it is just the case as was discussed in " My journey to Airstream "mothership"
"As far as product problems go, I always believed in the built on a Monday Theory. Sal."

I guess that goes for a trailer being built on Friday the 13th as well.

I would appreciate any help possible.
Jon