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  1. #1
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    baffled by 12v issue

    Picked up my 2022 3250bh from the dealership service center yesterday. Second trip to repair shop in two months.
    First time they replaced a the 30 amp 36vdc relay/fuse found under the left front of the storage area. We checked it at dealership and all 12v stuff seemed OK. They used a resettable version.
    I hook up trailer and bring home/to storage and as I am preparing to leave for next trip discover 12v is not working. I discover the resettable relay (wrong term) reset it and we are able to continue trip.
    Take camper in after that trip and they identify a shorted wire that runs to the control center and replace it.
    I go to pick up trailer yesterday. with shore power we test everything and functional. they disconnect shore power using just the battery on the rv (they put in a new one after realizing existing battery had been exhausted) and everything appears to function properly.
    We button up the trailer and connect to truck. I am nearly positive that after hooking up to truck's trailer connection I hear what sounds like a relay tripping. But didn't dawn on me anything unusual.
    Get trailer to storage and can hear the same sound happening in short intervals. No 12v functions. Trace the clicking to that relay/fuse previously replaced. Also, realize they used a non resettable relay/fuse. Noise occurs connected or not to truck.
    I disconnect positive lead on battery and stick battery charger on battery. That's where I left it last night.
    We have a trip planned for weekend.
    Short of some other option I can't think of, will continue trip. my plan is to replace the relay/fuse (I bought a couple of spares of both the original and resettable versions) when we get to destination and hopefully camp. Alternatively, I am going to jumper the two posts on the relay/fuse.
    What about connecting to the tow vehicle could have triggered such?
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  2. #2
    Paid my dues 😁 FT4NOW's Avatar
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    I think what you are calling a relay is one of the auto-resetting 12v breakers. I don't recall any relays in the front storage bay. Either way, you have either a faulty breaker or something causing it to trip. I would not recommend jumping the breaker. If the breaker is doing its job and you jump it, you run the risk of damaging something or having a wire catch on fire. If it were me, I'd further troubleshoot the problem.
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  3. #3
    Long Hauler huntindog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by f100owner View Post
    Picked up my 2022 3250bh from the dealership service center yesterday. Second trip to repair shop in two months.
    First time they replaced a the 30 amp 36vdc relay/fuse found under the left front of the storage area. We checked it at dealership and all 12v stuff seemed OK. They used a resettable version.
    I hook up trailer and bring home/to storage and as I am preparing to leave for next trip discover 12v is not working. I discover the resettable relay (wrong term) reset it and we are able to continue trip.
    Take camper in after that trip and they identify a shorted wire that runs to the control center and replace it.
    I go to pick up trailer yesterday. with shore power we test everything and functional. they disconnect shore power using just the battery on the rv (they put in a new one after realizing existing battery had been exhausted) and everything appears to function properly.
    We button up the trailer and connect to truck. I am nearly positive that after hooking up to truck's trailer connection I hear what sounds like a relay tripping. But didn't dawn on me anything unusual.
    Get trailer to storage and can hear the same sound happening in short intervals. No 12v functions. Trace the clicking to that relay/fuse previously replaced. Also, realize they used a non resettable relay/fuse. Noise occurs connected or not to truck.
    I disconnect positive lead on battery and stick battery charger on battery. That's where I left it last night.
    We have a trip planned for weekend.
    Short of some other option I can't think of, will continue trip. my plan is to replace the relay/fuse (I bought a couple of spares of both the original and resettable versions) when we get to destination and hopefully camp. Alternatively, I am going to jumper the two posts on the relay/fuse.
    What about connecting to the tow vehicle could have triggered such?
    I cannot say what your exact issue is.
    But You are playing with FIRE if you jumper or bypass the fuse/relay.
    It is tripping for a reason... To protect the wiring from burning up from a short some where. Do NOT do this
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  4. #4
    Site Sponsor SolarPoweredRV's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FT4NOW View Post
    I think what you are calling a relay is one of the auto-resetting 12v breakers. I don't recall any relays in the front storage bay. Either way, you have either a faulty breaker or something causing it to trip. I would not recommend jumping the breaker. If the breaker is doing its job and you jump it, you run the risk of damaging something or having a wire catch on fire. If it were me, I'd further troubleshoot the problem.
    Quote Originally Posted by huntindog View Post
    I cannot say what your exact issue is.
    But You are playing with FIRE if you jumper or bypass the fuse/relay.
    It is tripping for a reason... To protect the wiring from burning up from a short some where. Do NOT do this
    Yea, what they said.

    You have a short in your camper and you need to find it. The short could be as simple as something pinched a wire and rubbed the insulation off to ground it, or it could be a nail or staple has been shot through a wire somewhere in the coach (this is actually very common).

    My guess is that you still have a shorted wire in your coach and the reason you had to get your battery replaced is because the breaker kept resetting itself while it was in storage and it drained your battery down to zero.

    Since the dealer has already been dealing with this, I would recommend you just take it back to them to find the real problem.

    Your problem is intermittent because every time you move the camper it experiences a mini earthquake that can jostle your wires about.

    To narrow down the circuit that is causing the issue you could try removing one fuse from your load center at a time until the breaker stops tripping itself. If you find the circuit, go around your camper to find out exactly that circuit powers, then you can at least give the dealer a starting point.

    PS: I would ensure the dealer replaces the breaker once they find the shorted wire because, these breakers get weaker every time they trip (they aren't supposed to trip very often) and the contacts get scorched.
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  5. #5
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    Keep in mind this is just tossing out possibilities without hands on.

    Hooking the trailer to the truck could cause this if the 12vdc wire which comes from the truck is grounded somewhere so that it is giving ground instead of 12VDC..

    The more likely culprit would be the cord on the trailer with the plug that goes to the truck. If there were a pinched or bare spot in that cable it could be getting grounded inside that cable and that ground could be coming and going based on the cable position.

    I would not suspect a problem on one of the 12volt circuits inside the trailer such as the lights or exhaust fans as my first choice because those circuits are protected by fuses that are much lower rated than the breaker. Those fuses SHOULD blow before there is enough current draw to trip the breaker, if the breaker is working properly, so the problem most likely lies before the 12vdc fuse panel.
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  6. #6
    Site Team WhittleBurner's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DougW9876 View Post
    Keep in mind this is just tossing out possibilities without hands on.

    Hooking the trailer to the truck could cause this if the 12vdc wire which comes from the truck is grounded somewhere so that it is giving ground instead of 12VDC..

    The more likely culprit would be the cord on the trailer with the plug that goes to the truck. If there were a pinched or bare spot in that cable it could be getting grounded inside that cable and that ground could be coming and going based on the cable position.

    I would not suspect a problem on one of the 12volt circuits inside the trailer such as the lights or exhaust fans as my first choice because those circuits are protected by fuses that are much lower rated than the breaker. Those fuses SHOULD blow before there is enough current draw to trip the breaker, if the breaker is working properly, so the problem most likely lies before the 12vdc fuse panel.
    I also was suspecting something with the truck may not be wired properly. As a test try plugging the trailer into a different truck and see if this still happens.
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  7. #7
    Long Hauler huntindog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by WhittleBurner View Post
    [COLOR=#b22222]I also was suspecting something with the truck may not be wired properly. As a test try plugging the trailer into a different truck and see if this still happens.
    Noise occurs connected or not to truck.
    This pretty much rules out the truck
    Last edited by huntindog; 02-16-2023 at 07:22 AM.
    2021 398M Full Body Paint 8k axles. LRH tires. Disc brakes.
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  8. #8
    Seasoned Camper
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    Perhaps they did miss another damaged wire, but the fact the issue arose as soon as I plugged into my truck makes me think otherwise. going to replace the breaker this afternoon and recconect the battery and see if all is good. then I am going to connect to my wife’s Explorer and see if that trips it. Never intended to jumper as a solution but as a troubleshooting tool and an emergency option...you know if I am at a campsite and can't close the slides.

  9. #9
    Long Hauler geotex1's Avatar
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    From your description, which the second replacement suggests an auto-resetting circuit breaker was installed and you're hear it trip and reset regardless of being hooked to the truck. Because of that description, the gremlin is not in the truck. Clearly, however, a short in your camper persists and is intermittent, and the only advice I can give is that it will need to be a methodical, process of elimination to find it. However, don't just ignore it because it's low voltage. Frequently the 12VDC wiring parallels the AC wiring...
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  10. #10
    Long Hauler huntindog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by f100owner View Post
    Perhaps they did miss another damaged wire, but the fact the issue arose as soon as I plugged into my truck makes me think otherwise. going to replace the breaker this afternoon and recconect the battery and see if all is good. then I am going to connect to my wife’s Explorer and see if that trips it. Never intended to jumper as a solution but as a troubleshooting tool and an emergency option...you know if I am at a campsite and can't close the slides.
    Be sure to have some marshmellows on hand. Be a shame to waste a good fire.
    2021 398M Full Body Paint 8k axles. LRH tires. Disc brakes.
    Two bathrooms, no waiting 155 fresh, 104 black, 104 grey 1860 watts solar.
    800AH BattleBorn Batteries No campgrounds 100% boondocking
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