12 VDC Salesman Solenoid issuesn 2006 H/R Endeavor

[tommcd]

I  HAVE LOST THE 12V SWITCHED HOSED POWER, I have power on the unswitched side . nothing inside will work but have found that if I jump from one side of a solenoid looking  item in the left front fuse panel , everything is powered up. any help?

[Dr4Film]

Bypass that solenoid permanently and you won't have any more headaches losing 12 VDC power to the house.

[MyronTruex]

Common failure item. "Salesman switch/solenoid".. Easy to bypass as you have found. Mine has been removed completely for many years. 2008 Endeavor

[tommcd]

thanks,,found a jumper cable someone had made up in the compartment. wondered what it was for..it wasnt connected to anything. should i just build a permanent cable to connect both sides of this solenoid?

[redstickbill]

Yes connect around the solenoid, then cut one of the two small wires and fold it back onto itself and tape up, this will take the "Salesman" switch out of service.

Bill B 07 Dynasty

[tommcd]

thanks

 

[Tom Cherry]

NAPA 781144 os the choice for jumper.  Anything longer can result in a voltage drop.  Simple thing is to move one cable to the opposite stud and use the stud as a “binding post terminal”.

[MyronTruex]

The solenoid can be removed for an even cleaner modification. And you can keep the old solenoid around to give it a kick once in awhile. Consarn, no good, dirty rascal, interfere with my weekends, I'll teach you. 

On occassion I would outfit my Electronic Techs with safety goggles and a sledge hammer. Taking turns on some old radio that had long outlived its useful life. That two way radio made a one way trip to the landfill. It is amazing how well those old radios were built. Most were hand built too. 

[tommcd]

Thanks for the info,, Have removed the salesman switch and connected the cables with a bolt and nut, then taped it up real good.  Have gotten some good info on here and appreciate it all. Now ,, trying to figure out a trailer brake controller. I've seen a lot ways to wire in relays and that way seems awfully complicated. Why cant a pressure activated switch be tee'd into the air brakes and use that to make the controller work?

[Tom Cherry]

11 hours ago, tommcd said:

Thanks for the info,, Have removed the salesman switch and connected the cables with a bolt and nut, then taped it up real good.  Have gotten some good info on here and appreciate it all. Now ,, trying to figure out a trailer brake controller. I've seen a lot ways to wire in relays and that way seems awfully complicated. Why cant a pressure activated switch be tee'd into the air brakes and use that to make the controller work?

You don’t have to do anything exotic.  Your rig has a 5 wire, 6 pin plug installed.  That was a mid or early 2005 addition.  Monaco GOOFED in 2005.  US Gear, who made a Universal Tow Brake kit for towed vehicles figured out what Monaco did wrong and straightened them out.

Use the search box and lut in trailer brake.  Click on the word Everywhere.   That is a drop down.  Choose Topics.  There have been at least 4 discussions on this in the past year.  The biggest hurdle is “lack of curiosity” in finding the harness.  We have had way to many….”I had read that it was there….and hard to find….but, then, found it”.  One of the topics has the schematic on the plug.  Most just splice in using 3M SchotchLok connectors.  The wires are #12.  Buy the right size. If you are using an electric brake controller and it sends out a “signal” as in a pulse or variable, usually max of 15 amps….then I would CUT the wire to the rear, called the infamous “Blue” wire and butt splice a crimped inline connector and NOT use the Scotchlok for that one.  I installed mine and it was faily easy….but I was using a controller for a toad vehicle….so the loads were small.  

Here is a screen shot from one topic…since a picture is worth a 5,000 key strokes….it is from page 3 of a 4 page discussion….

The harness is in your MH.  Look near the left foot area of the driver.  It has been found by pulling the dash cover and using a flashlight shined down fron the top to the left.  It has been found by “feeling up” under the dash in the left corner. I has been found byndoing the same behind the vertical wall in that corner with your hand.  Mine was found by removing the access cover from the side of the driver’s console and find a “bundle” of wires…”headed to the front” and gently tugging….and then finding the connector.

The white wires on some were screen printed for ID.  

Once found….go to the rear.  Find the “brake connector” in the harness…usually it IS blue.  Ground that wire out.  Use your VOM and then verify which one it is.  Then install.

 

[MyronTruex]

These days a signal tracer can be a time saver. They are cheap enough and will usually get you into the ball park.

Putting the signal on the "famous blue wire" at the rear, (electrons are color blind), and then useing the sniffer behind the dash should lead you to the plug or tied back wire.

 

Fortunately my wire actually has the writing on the side of it. Dang, that must have been expensive for Monaco to have the wires done this way but what a great idea. Quality for sure. 

Another vote for NOT using the Scotchlok connectors. I threatened my technicians that if I found them using them they would get canned. They are fine for the weekend U-haul situation but not for a permanent situation. You don't want an intermittent brake connection. 

 

Just a side note. When I first went through this post the pictures posted by Tom did not pop up. Strange. After posting this and coming back just a couple of minutes later, the pictures showed up. 

As mentioned by Tom, an ohmeter is a perfect tool for nailing down the wire precisely. Finding that wire can be a bit of hide and seek and the signal tracer should help get close, if not right on 

Edited October 11, 2023 by myrontruex
Adding note and information