2004 Classic Furnace HELP asap

[drealady]

Hello Forum People!

We have a 2004 Classic 28 and there seems not to be much info out there on our model! All info seems to be for much older or much newer models on the wonderful world of web....

2 questions:

Main Question:
Our furnace in Doris (the Airstream) was kicking on and now it is not... happened last year too but jiggled some wires and got it to work... so where is the "Sail Switch" in our unit (since the manual tells you nothing)?

We have opened the panel near the door where the exhaust is and it is not as easy to find like the YouTube videos for 2015 and new models like all the other videos out there and not for our older 2004 model

It is an Atwood Mobile Product number 8531-IV-DCLP Propane model

Secondary Question:
Is there a platform/forum/site for Airstreams that are between 1999--2011?

or that general decade? Parts and trouble shooting have not been found on my part for that general decade... many times people think I am "mistaken" because Classic Airstreams only come in 30 or 33', and to their surprise, mine is a 28 foot glorious lady that doesn't fit most definitions...

Please help, because we have been to 2 "Rivet star" Airstream service places and a regular (but amazing) RV service place and no one has really fixed our furnace or the leak in the front of Doris that works its way up the carpet to the couch, but that is a WHOLE 'other story

Cheers, and thanks for your assistance in advance....

[DaveP]

Well, we have a 28-foot 2004 Classic, so you are not alone. We have had the trailer for eight years. I do all of my own work, so I have become quite familiar with this model.

I have put in new waste valves in the gray and black tanks, I have installed a new electrical system including solar, inverter, and lithium batteries. I have converted it from an East/West queen to a twin bed. I have installed new axels and lifted the trailer. And, I have "fixed" my front-end separation issues including water leaks.

I have not had furnace problems, but your water issues could be front-end separation issues. So, feel free to ask away and send me some pictures of the issues. BTW, I do have the manual that originally came with the trailer and there is quite a bit of information in that.

Let me know if I can help.

[aftermath]

I have a 2006 25FB and this happened to me. While out fishing in some very cold weather, no furnace. I opened the outside panel and found a reset button. Hit that and it worked but only for a minute or so. I was out in the wild with minimal tools at hand so stopped there. I took it into the shop and they found a loose wire. Reattached it and secured all the others. Works fine now.


If it had been warmer I would have taken it apart and had a look see. I assumed it was some kind of technical glitch that would need someone with technical expertise. From what you have posted, it sounds like you might just have a loose connection somewhere.

[crispyboy]

Leaks on the front of trailer are typically from:
- caulking around the front panoramic window
- caulking around the battery boxes
- the vertical seam where the lower awning rail is fastened


Furnace -

I have found trouble shooting guides for furnaces on the net for those who service their own. It sounds like your furnace may need a basic service. The atwood furnace has been used for many years with a few changes over time in many RV brands. I have a similar furnace in my trailer which is 10 years older than yours.

Does the fan come on at all? Over the past season the furnace in our trailer would not always light. The answer for me was to put in a new dinosaur circuit board. The furnace would fire only for a short time - short cycle. I had replaced the burner and electrode which were pretty old and rusty. These are preventative maintenance parts and not too expensive. I also found that the furnace needed full 12v to operate. If less than a full battery then the fan would run but it would not want to fire.
Can you describe more of the symptoms?

[crazylev]

Is the furnace making the ignitor “clicking” sound like its trying to get flame going? Three times and the unit will need an hour to reset, or press reset button. Since you AS is a 2004, I would strongly recomend looking and possibly replace the burner head. They get nasty after a while. We had this done on our 04 ccd bambii last May as well as cleaning ignitor and all the dead bugs. I didn’t replace sail switch but something to consider if you are doing a refresh.

[Rhinno]

My furnace worked intermittently and also came back to life when the wires were jiggled. Ended up being a bad “quick splice” connector (google it) in the furnace wiring.Quick splice connectors are evil and should be replaced.

[azflycaster]

Understanding how/when the furnace fails will help determin the issue. The basic sequence for the furnace is:

Turn the thermostat on
Fan starts to turn
Igniter starts to click (spark)
Gas ignites

If the furnace fails there will also be a blinking code on a led on the circut card.

[Jake]

Have a 2004 Safari. Same Furnace.
Disconnect your Thermostat and Join the wires manually. If the furnace starts then you have a bad Thermo. If nothing, then follow Rhinno's suggestion. Traced the main wire harness to where it connects to a "Gang" plug. Garbage. Obvious carbon deposit from a poor connection. Removed it and spliced the wires using "Butt" connectors. That was 10 years ago. No issues since then.

[rich e]

According to www.rv.net the sail switch for your model is located in the back of the furnace on top of the fan housing. Says you may have to remove the plastic cover.

[crispyboy]

Here is a bit of reading on the general information of these furnaces.

hydro flame.docx

[drealady]

Thank you everyone for your replies! There is a lot of info out there, and working on the confidence to start ripping it apart! The blower/fan does not come on, which is a bigger problem than last year when the blower did work but the ignitor did not.... the circuit board is blinking, the reset but has been pressed on and off, and the wires have been jiggled... so I will keep reading on

Also thank you for ideas on the leaks, I did not think of the battery casing in the 2004

[drealady]

Thank you for your reply... the blower does not come on for the furnace, but does come on for the heat pump overhead, but no warm air either way.... I hope to find some replacement parts and some confidence to open the unit up and disconnect wires... don't want to make more of a mess of it!

[rich e]

The furnace fan requires 12vDC The heat pump requires 120vAC.

[Al and Missy]

Originally Posted by drealady

Thank you for your reply... the blower does not come on for the furnace, but does come on for the heat pump overhead, but no warm air either way.... I hope to find some replacement parts and some confidence to open the unit up and disconnect wires... don't want to make more of a mess of it!

Furnace and heat pump are two separate systems. To get the furnace you have to have the thermostat set for FURNACE. It may say FUR or FURN. Press the MODE button until you see the furnace designation. It takes quite a while for the heat pump to produce warm air, several minutes.


Remove any covers accessible from the outside. Look for wires connected to "ground" i.e. the case of the furnace or body of the trailer. Make sure all of the connections are clean and tight. Fan not starting is a pretty basic fail and is not caused by the sail switch. Sail switch failure will cause the fan to stop just after starting.

[drealady]

Hey gang,

Thanks for all of the replies! it ended up being a spent circuit board... and instead of replacing it with the factory Atwood one, used a Dinosaur board which was recommended on a Youtube video I watched. I appreciate having this forum to figure things out!

Now on to the leak.... believe the mid and lower belt line would benefit from some caulking or sealing!

Cheers! Andrea with Doris Taylor the Amazing Airstream Trailer

2004 Classic 28'

[woodytwo]

Thank you for your posts. I have a 2006 31 which is really a 30 but no dinnete set up. I think once your trailer hits the age of high teens they are classified as "too old to look after" and advice is to buy a newer model. But seems strange to see all the problems with the newer models.???

I have the furnace "shutting off when it shouldn't" problem. Shake the wires and it runs for a while and then is back to the original problem. So I want to pull out the furnace and do some testing and mayby replacement. Furnance is located next to the door and right under the sink. There appear to be one vent to the living area facing the door and one or two vents going toward the rear of the trailer.

How does one disconnect the heat vents to remove the furnace and then reconnect the vents later. There does not seem to be any interior door to the rear of the furnace.

Thanks in advance for any info.

[Rhinno]

woodytwo:
- as the owner (caretaker??) of a 2007, I view your comment about "too old to look after" as a bit pessimistic.
- I had a similar issue (see post 6 in this thread), and it ended up being the quick splice connectors. They kind of look like a flag (google for a picture), and they make very little contact with the wire they are splicing into. After some years, a bit of corrosion and some jiggling, they become intermittent. I would check that first.
- there really isn't much to the furnace, and I can't think of a reason why you would pull it out. Your symptoms (jiggle the wires and it works) points to a poor connection.
I notice your profile says you are in ontario. I am too. Its a big place, but PM me and I might be able to help.

[aftermath]

Woodytwo, I also have a 2006 but mine is a 25FB. I can access my furnace by looking under the seat adjacent to the exterior access door. Just had to remove the cushions and then remove the plywood panel below them and bingo, there it is.

[woodytwo]

Hi. I wa refering to the lack of info that is supplied by some ventors of A/S products. They are looking for a sale of a new iunit rather than fixing the problem. My unit was examined by a a/s tecky and his fixes just lasted until the next trip out. So I will examine the unit on my own with the help of all who posted. But worst case i just might have to remove the unit and I was wonderimg how it was done.
woody