Scary wiring...

[Chainslap]

Some pics as promised.

Here's the new WFCO converter. I wired this the same as the old converter. I don't have a wiring diagram for the wires in the camper so I assume it's correct? The vertical left ground bar is the chassis ground, horizontal ground bar being the neutral.





Battery setup. You can see the black and white duplex wire from the camper. The thick red and black are from my truck battery. The small red is the ground for my ACR (only color I had).




Back side of the converter.






I also tested the camper wires that come from the aux battery into the converter, and they read full voltage (12.9). But nothing past there. No power to the other wires or fuses.

I can get more pics if needed. Much appreciate the help thus far!

 

[pods8]

Do you have this wiring diagram? http://www.wfcoelectronics.com/Images/Products/OtherDocs/3-3.pdf I'm not positive but I think you need a separate neutral bar for the 12V stuff, the 12V stuff shouldn't be sharing with the AC, that could be why you're tripping your GFCI. I'd start my removing the 12V stuff from that bar and see if the convertor can be plugged in and fire up the 120V outlets okay w/o tripping the breaker.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

I cant really tell much by look at the pictures.



PODS8: I think (think?) the front ball of wiring near the curcut breakers (black, white, copper, green wires) probably comes all hooked up (more or less) when the converter comes out of the box.

The customer would just need to hook up the romex wiring that would be inside of his camper kitchen cabinets.

But yes, keep the 110/120V wiring hooked up to that area in the front around the circut breakers, and keep the 12v wiring on the back in that area (don't mix).

By looking at the pictures I don't think you are mixing.

The 12v wiring looks right in the back.

I think (think?) they matched the wiring colors to the old Elixir.

See link here ...

http://www.fourwheelcampers.com/elixirpowerconverter.pdf


It seems that you have the black FWC - ground wire attached to the white - ground wiring for the converter.

And I think you have the white FWC + positive wire hooked to the red + positive power converter wire.

(although I can't tell because the white paper label is in the way ??)


STRANGE !

That thing should be putting 12v power to those 4 fuses on the front of your new converter ??????

I wish you were closer by and I could maybe better troubleshoot it for you.


Please let me know if there is anything else I can help with ?

Kinda at a stumbling point right now . . .





.

 

[pods8]

PODS8: I think (think?) the front ball of wiring near the curcut breakers (black, white, copper, green wires) probably comes all hooked up (more or less) when the converter comes out of the box.



I was just going off the manuals wiring diagram it seemed like some excess wires in there. What's the grey one?

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

Chainslap

Do you have the camper hooked up the the charging system in your truck's engine compartment ?

I only see one set of camper wires attached to the aux. camper battery under your couch ?

Just trying to mentally walk through how things might be set up from the pictures.

Thanks





.

 

[Chainslap]

It seems that you have the black FWC - ground wire attached to the white - ground wiring for the converter.

And I think you have the white FWC + positive wire hooked to the red + positive power converter wire.

(although I can't tell because the white paper label is in the way ??)


STRANGE !


This is correct.

Do you have the camper hooked up the the charging system in your truck's engine compartment ?

I only see one set of camper wires attached to the aux. camper battery under your couch ?

Yes. The thicker (8 gauge) black and red wires you see come from my ACR which is plugged into a marine plug in the bed, which then goes up to the truck batt. That is fused on both sides along with a thermal switch on the firewall. The orange and yellow come from the camper, and the red is the ground for the ACR.

Do you have this wiring diagram? http://www.wfcoelect...herDocs/3-3.pdf I'm not positive but I think you need a separate neutral bar for the 12V stuff, the 12V stuff shouldn't be sharing with the AC, that could be why you're tripping your GFCI. I'd start my removing the 12V stuff from that bar and see if the convertor can be plugged in and fire up the 120V outlets okay w/o tripping the breaker.

This is almost exactly how the wiring was on the old converter. The only difference is the grey wire (labeled D if you can see it, black duct tape) which was grounded on that solitary block you see up by the circuit breakers. I'm not sure where this one goes as it disappears behind the water tank, so not sure if it's a 110 or 12 volt, but assume it's a ground?

The lighter grey wire I believe comes from one of the wall outlets, but I'll have to double check. It was attached to the neutral bar on my old converter as well.

The far white right wire on the horizontal block is for the converter and was already plugged in, as well as the green wire on the very top of the vertical block.

I might have to make a road trip to CA, I need to visit my aunt in Shingle Springs sometime anyways. Hard to get much more than a day or two off right now though.

 

[Chainslap]

Well I caught dumb mistake #1. Didn't put the fuse in for the power from the battery in the converter (Doh!). So now the converter works and I have power coming out of it and to the fuses, but still must be a lingering ground issue somewhere as I have power to the switches, but only if I ground straight to the battery. Nothing if I ground to the chassis ground in the converter...hmmm.

 

[MakersTeleMark]

but still must be a lingering ground issue somewhere as I have power to the switches, but only if I ground straight to the battery. Nothing if I ground to the chassis ground in the converter...hmmm.


It seems normal to me that you would need to complete the circuit and ground to the battery.

 

[Chainslap]

It seems normal to me that you would need to complete the circuit and ground to the battery.


Well I was under the impression that that's what the black wire from the converter to the negative on the battery is for? To ground the 12 volt accessories?

 

[pods8]

Well I was under the impression that that's what the black wire from the converter to the negative on the battery is for? To ground the 12 volt accessories?


12V from the convertor is to complete the charging circuit for the convertor to the battery. I've never seen your charger in person but the one I'm going with progressive dynamics PD4045 requires a separate ground bar for the 12V circuits as far as I know.

 

[Chainslap]

More fun times...

Turns out I get power to the entire camper frame/ground wire if I have the red or brown 12 ga wire hooked up to the converter (but not the blue 10 ga wire?). Looking like there is a short somewhere or a power wire hooked up where it should be a ground. Time to start searching.

A wiring diagram would be helpful but FWC uses many of the same color wires and some are ground and some hot. Doesn't make it easy...

This is turning into a real PITA.

 

[Chainslap]

Still no real luck on wiring. Did narrow it down to the brown power wire. When that is hooked up and the light switch switched on, get power to everything metal. When the switch is off it's fine. This only happened after I snipped the wires going to the co2 and LP monitors.

Have the faces off the cabinets but everything still looks fine and definitely original, although the original wiring is still rather cheaply done imo. Lot's of splices...

About to the point where I'm just going to take it somewhere. I don't really even need any of the accessories but it drives me nuts not being able to find the problem.

Regardless, headed to Colorado with it on the 16 of August for 11 days of motorcycle riding and competition. Way excited about that!

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

If you're near Houston, look me up. I'll hook you up.

Still no real luck on wiring. Did narrow it down to the brown power wire. When that is hooked up and the light switch switched on, get power to everything metal. When the switch is off it's fine. This only happened after I snipped the wires going to the co2 and LP monitors.

Have the faces off the cabinets but everything still looks fine and definitely original, although the original wiring is still rather cheaply done imo. Lot's of splices...

About to the point where I'm just going to take it somewhere. I don't really even need any of the accessories but it drives me nuts not being able to find the problem.

Regardless, headed to Colorado with it on the 16 of August for 11 days of motorcycle riding and competition. Way excited about that!