Steve P

Trying to chase the whole circuit led the technician (and me with not a clear understanding) to a bad TRLR BRK RLY in the front distribution panel. We didn't have a spare (it's the notorious G8VL-1A4T-R-L, which I just found and ordered on eBay). Meanwhile, oddly enough, pulling that relay restored my brake lights (on the coach and on the toad), and restored the operation of the cruise control cancellation by the brake pedal. So now everything works, except maybe the brake controller circuit (I'm unclear whether this circuit controls the Brake Buddy or whether that's controlled by the trailer "lights" circuit directly, so I'll be figuring that out next). Note: the Omron G8VL-1A4T-R-L is unmarked in any way so I can't tell without some tinkering what the pins are (30, 85, 86, 87). I might suspect that the copper ones diagonally across from one another are 30 and 87 (for carrying higher current) and the other two that look zinc would be 85 and 86. Describing the relay as "bad" doesn't tell me what it's behavior is (open, closed, under what condition). I'm completely mystified as to why this particular relay knocked out the brake signal(s) that controlled my pedal cruise cancel and my pedal brake lights. But it did/does. I'm no expert in chasing the prints for clues, but I'm trying... by the way, as far as I can recall, the TRLR BRK RLY has never been replaced, nor swapped. I guess an intermittent connection to this relay could have eventually killed it, or high resistance on the trailer plug/receiver (the connector on the toad had two bad pins (by that, I mean that each pin is a circular post, but the post was split into 4 separate prongs. Think of the top view where the circular post is divided by a + cutting it into 4 sections/prongs. It's a crude way of making the 4 prongs exert pressure on the sleeve when it's pushed over them. Gosh what an awful explanation. I'll try to find a pic. Anyway, on two of the 6 posts, one of the four prongs was broken off from wear and tear. With only three prongs per post on those two, perhaps the resistance increased, and with it, heat... not a good thing obviously. It's a bit troubling that the fuse protecting the relay didn't blow. Until I can get a replacement, the TRLR BRK RLY is removed, and the brake pedal produces brake lights and cancels cruise. I still feel like "this ain't over", but at least I can get home soon. I'll let you know when the replacement relays come in if I'm still 100%. Thanks to everyone who has offered advice and assistance. Best regards, Steve P

The BRK SIG RLY is only showing 4.4v on pin 30... does this indicate a high resistance in the circuit prior to that... say from the service brake or wiring from it? With that voltage low, how would it affect the downstream relays?

@Tom Cherry @Frank McElroy I'm back to square 1 with no Brake Lights, and no Cruise Cancel (via the brake pedal -- cancel works via the console switch). I had a mobile technician out today. He got as far as discovering that R2 is not sending ground signal to R9 when the brakes are applied. Instead, the leg is pulling about 4 volts (honestly, he may have said 0.4 volts). I am sorry I have not further details until I speak with him again. He is looking at the 2007 Ambassador wiring diagram I found in the Files section (supposedly for Knights as well). And I discovered that even though my coach is 2008, it was built on a 2007 chassis. I would appreciate any thoughts you might have as to how to isolate and cure the problem. A NOTE of INTEREST: When I scrutinized the 2007 Ambassador wiring diagram(s), I found on page 22 that the layout of the front distribution fuse and relay box matches mine but the relay names of BRK or BRAKE relays shown inside the cover are different than those in the diagram. Furthermore, the relay names on page 22 don't match those on page 1. I added my suggested correlations to the names on my box cover in RED on the original diagrams (see page 1 and 22). The revised set of diagrams is attached. Let me know if you are able to confirm. The technician should be back Wednesday to continue diagnostics. He was pretty perplexed. All the relays in the front distribution box tested good, as did the diodes and all the fuses. He's taking a hard look at the wiring diagrams before continuing. Thanks in advance - Steve P 2007 Ambassador (chngs in red p1 and p22).pdf

Well, one of the diodes was bad again (D1). So now the brake lights work. But brake pedal cruise cancel still doesn't. Also, now the ignition switch won't shut off the engine. Pulling the BRK SIG RLY shuts off the engine. Any thoughts? Replaced the BRK SIG RLY and engine will shut off. But brake lights don't work. HELP!

That's the great thing -- Simplisafe doesn't require wifi for any monitoring other than connecting a camera or cameras. All the other monitoring devices connect to the base station which uses self-adapting over-the-air connectivity. The details are on their website. I can't say if it works on BLM land in the middle of a remote desert or national forest, but it works everywhere I have been. You can even set the 911 response address to that of your campground address and campsite. Don't leave home without it. 😀

Simplisafe is a great way to monitor for a power outage. The app will notify you by text and/or email. Even if your surge protector cuts the power for only the time it takes to reset (after an instantaneous power fluctuation that resolves in the blink of an eye), you will still get the notice. Simplisafe also has water alarms, smoke and CO detectors, door/window and glass break alarms, among many more... and cameras. Very useful equipment and monitoring with a great app!

@Steven P Thanks for this reminder... I have been a bit risk averse, worried more about my surge protector being stolen than low or high voltage. Your description was the 2x4 I needed to realize a theft would be easier to resolve than having untold numbers of circuits and devices fried. Next time the beast goes to storage, the surge protector will be inserted in between the shore power cord and the 50A to 30A conversion cord that also has a 30A to 110v 3-prong plug on the far end (to plug into the 110v/20A outlet). Does that make sense? I can chain the surge protector to the support beam!

UPDATE: We are camped just a couple of miles from Talin RV, so Chris did me a huge favor and came by this morning to assess my slideout issue first hand. His expertise is obvious and I'm incredibly appreciative that he took the time to consult with me. It turns out the hydraulic ram does need an adjustment on the left end (the forward end) of the slide. The left side is not extending all the way (probably a half inch less than it needs to based on Chris's measurements. He explained in detail what to do and how to progressively adjust and measure, and then repeat as required. He also recommended the penetrating lube T-9 for a couple days of soaking the nuts and bolts before doing the adjustment. I will get that adjustment done next week when the weather is warmer and drier. The nuts are on a long horizontal threaded rod that has probably never had a wrench on it and has a very "nice" crust of rust. Chris emphasized repeated applications of the T-9 before trying to break the nuts loose. I will provide further updates and pics as the adjustment progresses. Chris noted two other issues while looking things over, including the beginning of the beltline over the drivers window starting to pop (most probably rusting screws letting go slowly). After Chris described in detail how to do that repair, I went to Talin's shop and bought the very necessary narrow-flanged stainless steel rivets needed for the beltline channel, along with the T-9 for the lubricating the nuts and bolt on the hydraulic ram. The third issue he spotted was a slight separation where the 4-inch trim piece on the bottom of the slide is mounted. The clear sealant has a barely noticeable section where it is drying out... well, barely noticeable to me, but glaringly obvious to Chris! This is an easy fix with Proflex RV Clear sealant. As Chris explained, if disregarded, water intrusion will enter the wall just above the floor, soak into the plywood and rot the edge of the floor from the edge inward. NOT good, and very expensive to repair. So check your bottom trim piece on every slide. The top edge of the trim piece has to have an uncompromised sealant bead, or you will get water intrusion. And rot. I think 3 tubes of Proflex RV cost about $45. That's about 1/100th minimum of the probable cost of the floor replacement, even for a small section of floor. I'm writing a Google review as well as this one. They did my guardian plates (6 total). They repaired/replaced my 20 plus foot topper roller and spring and end cap. Suffice it to say that Chris and Talin RV are my primary go-to team for slideouts, beltlines, trim, and other water intrusion prevention and correction work. Schedule at least 6 months in advance... They are that good, and that busy. Highest regards - Steve P

Were you connected to shore power while running the generator? Did you connect to shore power while the generator was running? My transfer switch does sometimes get confused if both are connected... and trips the breaker. By "all is fine", do you mean you ran the AC & WH for a while on shore power and the 120A breaker didn't trip?

Same issue, same question here

We're camped an hour north and headed there tomorrow. I wish we had Monacoers t-shirts... By the way, I can't find the Rev Group in the exhibitors list. What's up with that?

I completely agree. They are great people, and stand by their work. If they can't see me in person, I may have to limp along following Chris's instructions. Hope not, I'm all thumbs!

Chris - that would be very helpful. Let's see how you are feeling by the weekend. Hope you heal by then regardless of my needs. If we need to wait, I'm here thru the end of the month. I talked to Bethany last week about maybe squeezing me in sometime between now and then. I'm supposed to check next week to see if that's going to be possible. I don't have any jacks with me here in Brooksville, but I will ask around the park and see if I can borrow some. Thanks - Steve P

@Tom Cherry Thanks... I do have Guardian plates on all my slides, installed by Talin, to prevent the floors/corners from rotting. And Chris @throgmartin's team at Talin is trying to work me in this month to assess and address the alignment issue. In case they cannot, I'm trying to size up the alternatives... I don't know if the trip home will make the problem worse, and that's a concern too.

The most noticeable issue is when the slide is out. The top is tilted inward about 3/16", maybe 1/4" only on the front end of the slide. The back end is fine. I'm trying to figure out how to make the front end rock downward without messing up the back. It is sitting up above the adjustors. Almost like there is something under that end of the slide...

This slide has no rollers. It rests on two or three support arms, and is driven in and out hydraulically. It essentially floats in and out on plastic blocks. The coach floor is cut at an angle to raise the slide as it retracts, and then level it out (this is the apparent operation, although the slideout may have another technical name. Does anyone know how the adjustors pictured work? And do mine look normal or are they set incorrectly, or perhaps they have loosened up over time.

My 20ft raised slideout sits at an angle. The left end doesn't go out quite all the way. And it is canted slightly inward at the top. Each is only 3/16" or so out of whack, but it's just wrong. The adjustors appear to be set the same, but the slideout seems like it's not sitting down the same on the front ones. See the pics -- the front is first, then the back. They rotated to the right, don't know why... nor how to correct. Any idea how to adjust the front to sit correctly?

Well, it's been months... the braking cruise cancel and brake lights worked fine from NY to VT. THEN I had a bicycle wreck and forgot to report success. All was well with both the brake lights and braking cruise cancel from Vermont back to home in Georgia and then from Georgia to Florida in October. However, the Problems have recurred. We packed up to leave the East Coast of Florida and go to the West Coast and we had no brake lights and no cruise cancel when braking. We made the trip entirely with emergency flashers. My first step will be to swap diodes again in the left front run bay to see if the BRK circuit has been compromised again. And if so, why would the diode fail again? I'll be calling a mobile diesel truck technician if all else fails. Possibly even heading for Josam's in Orlando.

Please share what Gen of Starlink "dish" you have and what service/price plan you subscribe to. That wil help prevent responses that don't apply to you and your situation. I have the Gen 2 router and dish ($599 plus shipping), and my service plan is Mobile-Regional (Roam) at $150/month. At the very least, it looks like the Flat High Performance Starlink panel and the addition of Mobile Priority service (billed per Gbyte of data usage would be needed to have data connectivity while on the roll. And the service plan mentions speeds less than 10mph. If that's true, Mobile Priority service hardly seems worth the bother. Does anyone use Starlink in Motion that can advise? What dish/panel? What plan(s)?

Like charging the batteries on an electric golf cart? Or maybe even an EV (car)?

In my 08 Knight, the block heater is wired with a standard 3-prong plug. The plug dangles in the left rear bay next to the shore power cable and the cable connecter for TV. Right above the cable connector, there is a 120v outlet to plug the block heater into. No switches that I know of other than the breaker in the breaker box in the rear bath.

If your front and rear run bays still have stickers identifying the fuses and relays positions, you might start by locating a relay for a non-working circuit, then finding a working circuit with a matching relay. Swap them. That should tell you if it's the relay, or not. Then fuses (or maybe test/replace those first... I found at one point that the trailer plug on the MH was cracked and shorting out in weird ways affecting brake and tail lights. So a quick inspection for physical and electrical integrity of the plug my be worthwhile. I'm not half the technician of others here, so I'll leave the wiring trace and VOM measuring suggestions to the experts.

@Tom Cherry Your summation says it well. All done with what appears to have been separate challenges. I still have to replace the styrofoam shroud on the water heater, and correct some mounting problems (screw locations). My mental picture is of a carousel. Ups and downs, and dizzying with its challenges, occasionally getting dragged by the horses. On to mounting the front mask (until I can remove my moldy cracked Diamondshield). Thanks again to everyone for the able assists!! There is no way I could afford a MH without you.

A couple pics just to wrap up the report on the repair of the hot water line fitting and the cold water added cutoff.

I did the replacement of the cracked PEX fitting yesterday (on the hot water output line side of the WH bypass, using the steps above. It was a job... I also added a cutoff on the input cold water line side to allow me to turn the main supply to the rest of the coach on while working on the water heater. The main difficulty was getting the WH assembly to fit well to the mounting holes. The bottom of the styrofoam insulation is almost completely compressed or worn off from vibration over the years (sorry, I forgot to take a pic). And the small right-angled brackets with mounting holes seem to have been twisted/misaligned by previous owner repairs, so I had to rework those. It took 3 tries to get the assembly in and mounted to my satisfaction. I'll have to do it again after I purchase a replacement for the styrofoam insulation shell. I'll be equipped at that time to replace the brackets. I will post a pic of the cutoff valve and the final assembled interior from my phone as soon as possible. Thanks to everyone who helped!!