Need help with 12 volt converter....I think

[tcamper]

Last night as I was packing the Cruiser for our Matagorda trip, I noticed all the 12 volt lights were real dim. I have the trailer plugged in to house power, and all appliances were working fine (ac, frig, clock..etc).<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><O:P></O:P>

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I checked the converter box and found one breaker tripped. It was the slide out switch. So I tripped it back. That did not have any effect on the dim lights at all, so I headed in to dig out my paper work bag and look for the converter manual.<O:P></O:P>

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By the time I got back out to the trailer, the 12 volt lights were bright again. So I did several tests by turning things off then back on...even un-plugged the trailer from the house power. The lights remained bright.<O:P></O:P>

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I did notice however; the converter seemed to be rev ving when the main cabin lights were on.....sorta like rev ving the engine on a car.<O:P></O:P>

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Any body have any ideas...or at least point me in the right direction?<O:P></O:P>

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Thanks<O:P></O:P>Edited by: tcamper

[csham]

The "reving" that you hear is the cooling fan on the convertor. No ideas on where to look for your problem though.

[Stan]

Did you have the rig unplugged before you started to get it ready? Maybe the battery was drained from sitting (when unplugged the battery has some drain on it). That would cause the lights to be dimmed until the converter charges the battery back up. The cooling fan noise is normal and runs more/faster with each light that is turned on.

[greyeagle]

Take an amp meter and check the output on the converter. It's a real simple check.

Not knowing whether or not the CB was popped before you plugged in the shore power, it's a hard call.

I had almost the same indications when my converter failed last year. Check the status of your battery, as in electrolyte, then watch what the converter is doing. Take the battery out and take it to Wally's or some good shop. Have them put a load on the battery to see if you have a dead cell or cells. This could also be part of the problem.



It could very well be a battery problem and then again, it can be an impending failure of both. This was my case.

It was just my luck that the replacement converter failed within a week and it caused a problem that trashed a new battery.

Both were exchanged under warranty and haven't had any issues since.



To solve my problem since I was full timing in my rig, I bought a mid price range digital 6/12 v. battery charger from Wally's and kept it plugged in and connected to the battery until I got the converter up and running. I keep the battery charger hooked up for about 48 hrsevery otherweek on 2amp trickle charge. Best $35 dollars I've spent on my Cruiser.

[Pull Dog]

I'm not certain the converter in our Cruisers is the same as the one in my previous Fleetwood Wilderness but I bet they operate the same. I had this exact same problem with my Wilderness, the lights would dim from time to time for no apparent reason. After much troubleshooting and digging into the problem I got on the Internet and found a web site for the converter. After reading some of the technical operating write ups I realized my problem was probably due to drawing too much current from the 12v side of the converter. The darned thing will go into a slow down mode when too much current is drawn which keeps it from getting too hot. The little fan comes on to cool it down and if it gets to a certain temperature it shuts down its output to a lower current. This prevents further overheating. I then experimented with turning most of the lights and 12 v fans off. With this I noticed the remaining lights never dimmed. Then I turned on everything and soon they would cycle from bright to dim every few minutes. So I learned to live with the problem.