AC works, DC doesn't

[kleiper]

I recently bought a used '98 Coleman Mesa.  The first trip (just to give it a whirl) we took it to a park with hookups.  The AC worked fine.  The next trip, we went to a place without hookups and I tried hooking up a battery but no power.  I checked the battery to make sure it was fully charged and functional.  I also looked but couldn't find any switches or fuses.  Does anyone have any ideas on what to do or the electrical schematics?  

Thanks for any help!

[wavery]

I recently bought a used '98 Coleman Mesa.  The first trip (just to give it a whirl) we took it to a park with hookups.  The AC worked fine.  The next trip, we went to a place without hookups and I tried hooking up a battery but no power.  I checked the battery to make sure it was fully charged and functional.  I also looked but couldn't find any switches or fuses.  Does anyone have any ideas on what to do or the electrical schematics?  

Thanks for any help!

There are a lot of different converters out there so this may not be real easy to answer.

First off, when you say, "I tried hooking up a battery"......what did you hook it up to? Did you already have a white and black wire outside for the battery to hook to or did you have to wire it all the way back to the converter?

Did you hook the white wire to pos...or neg?

Was there a small circuit breaker box on one of the wires?

You should find a converter panel on the inside of the camper. On most converters, the front of the panel just pops off and exposes some circuit breakers and/or fuses and possibly a switch or two. Did you open this up?

[flyfisherman]

I recently bought a used '98 Coleman Mesa.  The first trip (just to give it a whirl) we took it to a park with hookups.  The AC worked fine.  The next trip, we went to a place without hookups and I tried hooking up a battery but no power.  I checked the battery to make sure it was fully charged and functional.  I also looked but couldn't find any switches or fuses.  Does anyone have any ideas on what to do or the electrical schematics?  

Thanks for any help!

There should be an onboard converter that houses all the fuses and breakers. Also might have a switch on or in the converter that can be set to ... (1) off,  (2) 110/120 V, or (3) 12 Volt (battery).  More recent converters  just automatically do the switching for you.

Also, to echo Wayne's post, how are you connecting the battery to the camper, right where the battery sits on the trailer tounge?



Fly

[kleiper]

There are a lot of different converters out there so this may not be real easy to answer.

First off, when you say, "I tried hooking up a battery"......what did you hook it up to? Did you already have a white and black wire outside for the battery to hook to or did you have to wire it all the way back to the converter?

Did you hook the white wire to pos...or neg?

Was there a small circuit breaker box on one of the wires?

You should find a converter panel on the inside of the camper. On most converters, the front of the panel just pops off and exposes some circuit breakers and/or fuses and possibly a switch or two. Did you open this up?

Hooked up the wires exactly as you said, white to pos.  I wasn't sure what the little box was on the negative wire, but maybe it was the circuit breaker box as you describe.  I tested both sides of it and power was flowing through it.

What I think was the converter panel was under one of the dinette seats.  There was no access panel and it was fully boxed in.  Maybe I just need to pull harder, but I didn't want to break anything.

[wavery]

Hooked up the wires exactly as you said, white to pos.  I wasn't sure what the little box was on the negative wire, but maybe it was the circuit breaker box as you describe.  I tested both sides of it and power was flowing through it.

What I think was the converter panel was under one of the dinette seats.  There was no access panel and it was fully boxed in.  Maybe I just need to pull harder, but I didn't want to break anything.

I never said, "White to pos......". That may be why you aren't having any luck. It is white to NEG, black to POS. That's a very common error BTW .

Now, after you correct that, you may still not have success. Often times when someone reverses polarity, it blows a fuse in the back of the converter. Some models have a built in diode on the pos cable. If yours has that, you won't have a problem. However, if that model does not have a diode, the fuse will be blown.

If you have no 12v after you reverse those wires,  pull the entire converter out of the cabinet and look for a fuse, you may have to remove a panel on the back of the converter on some models.

If you look on the bottom of the front converter panel (usually plastic) you may find a notch under the lower (or upper) edge. Put a screw driver in the notch and twist the screwdriver. That should pop the cover off.

[James]

It sounds like you may be expecting the battery to power more than it acutally does.  The only thing that your battery will power is the lights, not the outlets or the A/C.  In order to run anything 110V you will need to hook up an inverter.  I purchased mine from AutoZone for $40.  If the lights dont work, there may be an inline fuse in the somewhere wiring.  The previous owner may have added this.

[kleiper]

I never said, "White to pos......". That may be why you aren't having any luck. It is white to NEG, black to POS. That's a very common error BTW .

Now, after you correct that, you may still not have success. Often times when someone reverses polarity, it blows a fuse in the back of the converter. Some models have a built in diode on the pos cable. If yours has that, you won't have a problem. However, if that model does not have a diode, the fuse will be blown.

If you have no 12v after you reverse those wires,  pull the entire converter out of the cabinet and look for a fuse, you may have to remove a panel on the back of the converter on some models.

If you look on the bottom of the front converter panel (usually plastic) you may find a notch under the lower (or upper) edge. Put a screw driver in the notch and twist the screwdriver. That should pop the cover off.

Hi Wavery.  Thanks for your help.  

I got in there and I have a MagneTek 6720.  Sure enough, I blew the 30 amp fuse from the battery.  I replaced the fuse and for whatever reason, it still didn't work.  Just tinkering around with things, I set the thermostat really high and left for about a half an hour.  When I came back, the lights were working and the heater fan was blowing.  I turned the thermostat back down and the lights off.  I came back probably an hour later and the lights would not turn on and the fuse wasn't blown.  What am I missing?

[jmckinle1]

I believe the Coleman's have a switch you'll find when you fold
down the cabinet/sink.

[kleiper]

I figured it out, it was a bad lead on the battery.  All is well now.  Thanks everyone for your help.

[geoffgerhard]

Was there a small circuit breaker box on one of the wires?

My 2003 Coleman Mesa has a white wire that I've attached to the negative post, a black wire with a small (circuit breaker??) box that I've attached to the postitive post, and a second (much thinner) black wire that I think should also attach to the positive post. Can anyone confirm my recollection about the thin black wire attaching to the the positive post? Thanks!

[kleiper]

My 2003 Coleman Mesa has a white wire that I've attached to the negative post, a black wire with a small (circuit breaker??) box that I've attached to the postitive post, and a second (much thinner) black wire that I think should also attach to the positive post. Can anyone confirm my recollection about the thin black wire attaching to the the positive post? Thanks!

It sounds like you're missing that little circuit breaker box like I have.  I'm sure Wavery can confirm.