So far , so good

[JDCrow]

Super sorry, so frustrating. I haven’t followed along as much, I’ll go back and re read. 

[Dr4Film]

Charles,

I would start with the Troubleshooting Guide in your Xantrex Freedom SW-3012 Manual which begins on page 88.

Go through the troubleshooting steps to see if something strange is going on with the Inverter.

[Flyinhy]

2 hours ago, Dr4Film said:

Charles,

I would start with the Troubleshooting Guide in your Xantrex Freedom SW-3012 Manual which begins on page 88.

Go through the troubleshooting steps to see if something strange is going on with the Inverter.

Morning doc.....

I don't have a/c power going to the invertor. The breaker in the main distribution box in the bedroom is doing the same as before and the contacts are "arching". The 50 amp breaker I bought a month ago looks 20 years old

I'm headed to home depot now to get a new one. Im not really crazy about how this box secures the breaker. The system is acting as if i have a dead short but no breakers have tripped. I downloaded the xantrex manual and once i have power to the invertor i will go through the remote and recheck everything.

9 hours ago, JDCrow said:

Super sorry, so frustrating. I haven’t followed along as much, I’ll go back and re read. 

Morning JD, 

Yea....a little frustrated at this point. This is the part if the repairs that I dreaded. When it comes to electrical I get so confused as to how everything works. 

When I was wiring up the GMC all I could see was a blue raptor.....lol

[Dr4Film]

I thought you just installed a brand new box with all new circuit breakers? Did I miss something?

[jacwjames]

Earlier this year I had a similar problem but the symptoms started with the generator kicking out. 

I found I could shut off one of the two breakers feeding the inverter and I could run the generator.  I thought it was the inverter, even called Xantrex customer support who said inverter was bad so I removed.  Did some more testing but decided to call one of the service centers close to me, told that person my symptoms and he said inverter was probably bad and suspected I had one bad circuit and told me how to troubleshoot.

So I shut off all breakers on the inverter panel, started the generators, and then one by one turned ON each breaker until the generator cut out.  It ended up being the bedroom/bathroom circuit.  The strange thing was that it would not kick the breaker but I couldn't run the generator.

After checking the circuit I determined I had a dead short but it was in the ceiling portion, but I was able to rework the electrical and get power back to all circuits. 

[Flyinhy]

9 minutes ago, Dr4Film said:

I thought you just installed a brand new box with all new circuit breakers? Did I miss something?

I did.....that's what the new breaker looks like. The way the breaker attaches to the buss bar is a really bad design

[Twomed]

Looking back at your page one pics it appears that the 50 amp breaker is a different size/brand that someone jammed in the box.  By going to Ace did you get an exact (another wrong brand replacement) thus replicating the initial problem?

Breakers are not universal in most cases... if you a have Square D box you need square D breakers .  Other brands use similar but not the same connecting points...bad connection equals what you have there.  Like trying to stick a Ford part in a Chevy...might "kinda" fit but not really.

Could not see the brand/size on your page 3 pic...so "If" Square D please ignore this info.

Chuck U.

[Dr4Film]

My Main Power Circuit Breaker Panel is made by Cutler-Hammer with all CH circuit breakers. Then the adjacent Inverter Circuit Breaker Panel is Square D with all Square D circuit breakers. I have not had ANY problems with loose circuit breakers causing what you are observing. I have been on the most terrible roads all over this country including three different trips to Alaska and back with not ONE problem.

So I would suggest taking a REAL close look at your setup to see what would be causing the breakers to not seat tightly and stay locked in like they are supposed to.

Or maybe they are just plain Chinese knockoff's that will never work correctly.

[Twomed]

Also note that Square D makes several series of boxes with different style breakers that are NOT interchangeable.  From pics it "looks like" you have the QO series of breakers.  If indeed that 50 is the wrong one I suggest you take one of the properly fitting breakers with you when you shop so you do get the right one.

A quick Google of Square D images show you the differences.  Hope HD has another box. 🙂

[Flyinhy]

19 minutes ago, Dr4Film said:

My Main Power Circuit Breaker Panel is made by Cutler-Hammer with all CH circuit breakers. Then the adjacent Inverter Circuit Breaker Panel is Square D with all Square D circuit breakers. I have not had ANY problems with loose circuit breakers causing what you are observing. I have been on the most terrible roads all over this country including three different trips to Alaska and back with not ONE problem.

So I would suggest taking a REAL close look at your setup to see what would be causing the breakers to not seat tightly and stay locked in like they are supposed to.

Or maybe they are just plain Chinese knockoff's that will never work correctly.

I'm learning plenty and I'm sure I'm not doing some things right. I replaced everything with Square d breakers and components from home depot except for the one breaker from ace hardware that went to the invertor. It had the square d label on it but that seems to be the problem and now that you say that , its only on that one connection that im seeingbthis arching problem. I took the others off and they dont look like this one.........(do I need to put some dielectric grease on the connections?)

I just replaced the one Breaker to the invertor and reset everything. Turned off batteries, cut shore power and turned off all breakers for 20 min. I just cut everything back on and I have power. That one Breaker from ace was the culprit.... I also think the microwave has a lot to do with this. It's been making some really strange noises. 

 

34 minutes ago, Twomed said:

Looking back at your page one pics it appears that the 50 amp breaker is a different size/brand that someone jammed in the box.  By going to Ace did you get an exact (another wrong brand replacement) thus replicating the initial problem?

Breakers are not universal in most cases... if you a have Square D box you need square D breakers .  Other brands use similar but not the same connecting points...bad connection equals what you have there.  Like trying to stick a Ford part in a Chevy...might "kinda" fit but not really.

Could not see the brand/size on your page 3 pic...so "If" Square D please ignore this info.

Chuck U.

It had a Square d logo on it but who's to say it's not a Chinese imposter? That seems to be what the problem was. Everything is up and running as of now.

[jacwjames]

The big box stores advertise and sell "interchangeable" breakers but electrical codes require that you use the same brand of breaker as the box.  This was something that the building inspector was keen on when I built my house and did my own wiring.   I assume there is a good reason for that!!!

So I had a new (old stock) service panel that my FIL had and I used it but made sure the other service or sub panels I used were the same brand so I could limit the number of spare breakers I had to carry. 

[Flyinhy]

Hello all. 

I recently tried to crank my generator just to check it and clean it a little more. I got the dreaded code 45 again. After 2 months of reliable cranking and running everytime I tried it , the 45 code came back. I've stripped down the shrouds and replaced both external relays, I took the control board out and there is no obvious signs of burn marks. I cleaned the slip rings and checked the brushes.....all seem fine. I contacted flight systems and I have an appointment to speak with a tech on Monday. Does anyone on here have the correct specs for the ohm readings on my connections at the generator to single out my exact problem? I know Ivan has had similar problems and it's gonna either be the stator, control board or the brushes and with my luck it's all three......lol.

[Ivan K]

Charles, since you mentioned my past situation, you can measure continuity of the rotor, slip rings through the brushes but really the only thing I could say for sure was that there was continuity and not an open. The expected ohm values were so low that I could not reliably tell whether there is a short in the winding or not. At the end I found the short in stator by seeing the burned section of winding. The manual I used describes the tests but you would need specialized meters that I did not have access to. When I had the problem, the gen would start for a second or two and shut down. It would run when I removed the fuel actuator but no electricity was produced. If you like, I would look for the manual with ohm and megatron isolation readings that I used, just don't have it on my phone right now. Mine is a 12.5kw spec A.

[Ivan K]

Here is a snapshot of the windings reading values, best I could here in the park...

981-0526D Onan HDCAA-HDCAD Service manual (02-2004) (1) (1).pdf.PDF

[Flyinhy]

1 hour ago, Ivan K said:

When I had the problem, the gen would start for a second or two and shut down

Exact thing is happening to mine. I guess it finally gave up on me. I used the only manual I have to check for continuity and I have it on pins jp3 - jp6 .....so it's a dead short in the windings according to what im reading. Now to do a little research and figure out my best course of action......new or re-wind. This sucker only has 932 hours on it too......I wonder what caused it?  Maybe a backfeed of power? Or just a deterioration of components over time ? I'm still going to wait to talk to the tech on Monday before I take the stator off.

Good thing is , I have it completely torn down and it won't take much to get the stator off.....look on the bright side right?

Mine is the HDCAA 10kw

Thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for. My manual doesn't have those values......excellent! 

Edited January 14, 2022 by Flyinhy
Added content

[Ivan K]

In my case, I am pretty sure the cause was overheating of the windings due to a completely plugged air duct. Almost 4k hours on it. I have seen a new old stock 10k stator on ebay pretty cheap last year, good luck with Cummins but Eurton rewind is a good and cheaper option.

[Flyinhy]

28 minutes ago, Ivan K said:

In my case, I am pretty sure the cause was overheating of the windings due to a completely plugged air duct. Almost 4k hours on it. I have seen a new old stock 10k stator on ebay pretty cheap last year, good luck with Cummins but Eurton rewind is a good and cheaper option.

Yep. You nailed it again. I just went back outside and checked my intake tube for blockage. Remember me saying I had chipmunks inside the coach making several nests? The lower tube was completely blocked with cotton, leaves and nest material. 

[Flyinhy]

So, the latest in the saga. I traced down the problem with my gen set to either the windings in the stator being bad or the control board. The control board is a little pricey at 1100 from cummins or wait 4 months for flight systems to make a prototype and it "might work" because they dont have a board for the HDCAA generators just yet, but it is in the works. The stator is no longer available. I would have to send it out to have it rewound.  A code 45 on the onan generator is such a vague problem, it could literally be anything under the sun. After testing my windings and finding no problem there I sent the control board to flight systems for them to test. I get a call back a week ago and they told me I was pretty much out of luck. I called cummins and ordered the part reluctantly (I hate dealing with cummins). Not more than 4 hours later, flight systems calls back and said they found a board for my unit for 250.....just my luck. I couldn't turn down a 250 dollar control board so I bought it too.  I tried to cancel my order from cummins but it had already been shipped and there are no returns on electrical whatsoever. I can't say enough about flight systems. Very professional, very knowledgeable.....just an all around pleasant experience with them. I received my board from cummins today and she fired right up. I wish I would have waited a little longer before calling cummins but I guess now I have a backup control board if another chipmunk decides to make another summer home in my intake.

Ivan you saved me on this one. My winding values were spot on. I almost took the stator off to have it repaired instead of the control board.....you're the man!!!

Edited January 28, 2022 by Flyinhy
Added content

[Ivan K]

Glad you got her going without too much of a delay. I bet you still saved thousands by fixing it yourself. 

[Flyinhy]

I've been diligently working on several things that were the most important to getting this coach back up and "usable" again. The A/C heat pumps , work  but the bedroom unit needs to be replaced. The generator is working like it should, the aqua-hot is working like top now and I couldn't be happier about that but I should have replaced the mixing valve while I was in there. I have so many thing on my "to do list" but work and day to day life gets in the way sometimes. I was inspecting the windshield yesterday and apparently the windshield has popped out on the corners and it's been that way for sometime but I didn't notice because of some sort of an added drip rail. At some point someone added a rubber piece and siliconed it in place ......maybe to cover up the gap? The drip rail had come loose on the drivers side and I pulled it away to see this gap......good news is, it's not leaking even with that rubber removed. Maybe the frame twisted and the windshield popped out? The gasket being 20 years old I'd like to replace it and reseal the windshield but this windshield is massive and there is no chance I'm doing this alone.  Has anyone replaced just the gasket on their windshield?

[jacwjames]

I believe the gutter was original to the coach, mine has the same thing. 

Back in 2012 mine started to come off so I removed and reattached.  I was able to clean up the gutter removing the adhesive tape they used to attach it the side of the coach and the remaining rubber caulk they used to blend the gutter into the window gasket. 

It lasted until last year and started to come off so I had to do it again.  I used this to attach/seal the gutter after I fastened to the side of he coach with 3M tape.   https://www.amazon.com/3M-08693-Urethane-Windshield-Cartridge/dp/B000RW1XCK/ref=sr_1_1_mod_primary_new?keywords=3M-8693&qid=1664408563&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sr=8-1

[Guest Ray Davis]

15 hours ago, Flyinhy said:

 the aqua-hot is working like top now and I couldn't be happier about that but I should have replaced the mixing valve while I was in there

Charles, on my aqua=hot the mixing / tempering valve is soldered to the associated pipes making replacement a big job, so I just replaced the inside  parts which I could do just by removing the burner.

[Guest Ray Davis]

15 hours ago, Flyinhy said:

The gasket being 20 years old I'd like to replace it and reseal the windshield but this windshield is massive and there is no chance I'm doing this alone.  Has anyone replaced just the gasket on their windshield?

I thought I needed a new gasket too, but the windshield installer definitely didn't want to replace it, and mine was still good.  Those strips hanging out  are strips of sealer.  It may be possible to clean the area between the glass and gasket then reapply sealer.  My insurance would not buy a gasket unless I could show it was damaged, not just old.  My installer said they don't seem to go bad with age.  Many installers are really car guys and figure it's just a big windshield, but there are differences in the process.        I don't claim to know what they are, but I ran across this guy in Phoenix  that I believe knows his craft above most others, whether he will tell you any secrets or tips I don't know but maybe he will.  Anyway, you could give him a call or email explaining your situation.

http://www.desertsunrvglass.com/

[Dr4Film]

When I had a new windshield replaced in my previous Windsor, the folks at RV Glass Solutions in Lakeland FL stated that the gasket did not need to be replaced. However, they did install a new rain drip cap that had cracked and deteriorated over the years. That was installed over the top of the gasket.