New member, first RV

[EldoradoBill]

Hi, my name is Bill and this 91 Winnebago Warrior 23EC followed me home the other day. I'm looking forward to explore this unit and actually see what I got myself into-in the meantime, I have a four inch thick binder of information to go through! Looking forward to share my exploits and offer what help I can to others.


Bill

[Bnova]

Looks nice, congrats and welcome to the forum.

[EldoradoBill]

Thanks. She starts drives shifts and stops fine on six five year old tires. Last registration was in 2012. The inside is beautiful, no leaks apparent, and we opened the awning yesterday and there's no holes or rips. Wiring in the battery box is a mess-this may be why there's no power in the house side. Todays task is to sort that part out. I grabbed wiring diagrams off the Winnebago website. I'm sure more work will be needed (including replacing the U Joint the tow operator lost half the needle bearings out of) but for the $500 purchase price I figure I have plenty of room to work with.


Bill

[M & J]

What a steal!

[JessEm]

Yeah.. I really like the look of that thing.

Keep notes!

And congrats!

[Rickf1985]

Welcome to the site. Before you get too far into the wiring make sure there is not a switch on the dash (or hidden in a cabinet) that turns off the power to the coach. Most motor homes from the early eioghties on had it but some manufacturers were sadistic as to where they hid the switch. I have a Pace Arrow that has it above the side entrance door. On my 88 Winnebago Chieftain it is on the dash by the radio. IF it is shut off then the batteries are COMPLETLY disconnected from the coach, that means they will not charge when it is plugged in either. The problem is that the latching relay that turns the power on is powered by those coach batteries so if they are dead it will not turn on. There is an interesting procedure you can do with another switch that will transfer power from the chassis start battery to the coach batteries so you can switch them on. It should be in the paperwork you have.

[EldoradoBill]

Well today I got power to the coach-sort of. I found there was no power to the converter input lug so I started ohming out wires. Noticed a loose mounting screw at the circuit breaker panel to the left of the steering column. A check against the wiring diagram showed the power inputs to those breakers were in all the wrong places. Back to my meter (a quick stop to the hardware store for extension leads-its a long way from the converter to the front!) I think I now have it wired correctly, but I have an extra 8 ga black power lead in the circuit panel from the chassis battery that I can't find a home for. The interior lights now work, the range works, the refrigerator works on LP at least (yes there was LP in the tank!) I haven't checked the water pump or furnace yet and the monitor panel and range hood aren't working. The rear automotive heater fan under the bed runs continuously though-and I have the chassis side of the battery disconnected! More digging tomorrow.


Bill


PS I'm contemplating ordering a new Parallax 8345 converter to replace the old Magnatek  6300 one that's there now-the fan is obviously smoked and won't turn, even with a nudge from my finger, and a bit of research seems to point towards an upgrade rather than trying to fix the old one.

[Rickf1985]

Bill, on that monitor and range hood. Looking at it feel behind and to the left of the fan area, there is a flat panel back there that is parallel to the wall. Between the fan and the wall on the back there may be a recessed fuse. I found that on mine after taking it all apart. New fuse and all is well unless I turn on the hood fan then the fuse blows. I can live without that fan. Check for that fuse before you go to far, I worked on mine for hours before finding it. It is not in any wiring diagram but it is definitely factory.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Nice looking rig!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Posted twice, so edited to say again...nice looking rig!   

Kev

[4winds]

Beautiful rig. Good luck and never give up.

[EldoradoBill]

It's been a rainy few days so there wasn't much I was able to do to the rig...though I discovered when I plug in the shore line I get a horrible 60 hz hum through all the speakers but the range hood and monitor panel work on ac but not on dc (?). Confirmed the roof ac works. Looks like the new converter will be on the expedited shopping list.


The 1990 wiring diagrams for my rig make much more sense than the 1991 diagrams from the Winnebago site-and I discovered the extra 8 ga. feed wire from the chassis battery just piggybacks on the wire already attached to the circuit breaker. I also installed new wiper blades...Rock Auto has Trico heavy duty truck blades in 24" (mine) p/n 68-241 and 68-281 (28" blade) for $1.27 each! I bought four blades for $15.xx total including shipping, thats almost half one blade price the dealer wants. They came in a NAPA Professional box but fit perfectly.


All the holding tanks are empty as well as the water lines so I may wait until spring before exploring the water heater and water pump. I did discover, tee'd off the water line out the bottom of the fresh water tank, a soft clear tube what I assume to be a vent line but the end of the hose has a brass cap jammed onto the end where the vent baffle should be...is there a source for this vent currently? Thanks-hopefully if it's dry tomorrow I'll be poking around some more.


Bill

[Oz]

I know you're eager to join in with the community but take a moment to read the forum rules.  The general board is for introductions, humor, stories, etc. 


All technical questions need to be asked on the appropriate message board.  That's why we have boards to cover the different aspects of RV and not just one board.