First time RV purchaser

[TJones]

Hi everyone, new to the RV world. First camper ever and I choose a rather large project to start with. 1988 Winnebago Super Chief that appears to be in decent shape but needs to be awakened from a long slumber. Need to know how the systems work and what to watch out for. Mechanicals aren't quite as scary as electricals, ( generator, lighting, making sure I don't short something out, etc.......)

[Oz]

Hello and welcome!  One thing you can do is a complete assessment using the Used RV buying checklist. It's in the "forms" tab on the main nav bar.  Great for checkin things, making notes, and prioritizing things that need addressed.

[Mlw]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I promise you, If you can think logically electrical is far easier than mechanical, certainly when everything is still connected originally. I'm not a real electrician also but did fix all issues i found myself so far, just by finding the problem at youtube and listen to tips, beartraps and advice given. I think the positive thing about this is that you will learn your RV inside out, so when you have issues on the way you can fix them yourself next to the fact that there are a lot of "experts" doing more damage then good and leaving you with their debris.

In most cases problems are starting when Po's added electricals and didn't follow the rules, which unfortunately is happening way too much and you'll get something like this:
Dodge MB400 360-3 wiring problems

Now, when you still want to address this yourself I have the following tips for you, but bear in mind you are doing this at your own risk.

Check your visible wiring. open up the cabin above your powerstation to see the wiring behind, how does it look. Follow your wiring where visible. Does it seem to be intact and not cut into and are they free of cut in wiring clips or plastic brass connectors as shown in the link. Does the isolation look to be in perfect order and do they not show burns and last, are all connections you see free of corrosion. If there is dirt anywhere, remove it.

If your answer to all mentioned is "negative" check your fuses. Are they all intact and free of corrosion.

If so, you can be pretty sure you can try and start up your electrical appliances. Make absolutely sure everything is off before you connect your battery.

When you connect your battery make sure it's absolutely silent so you can hear short circuits happening and use your nose for weird plastic smells. and prepare to disconnect immediately if you sense one of both. If you have a kill-switch between the battery USE IT. When the battery is outside together with the kill switch, make sure anybody is inside to warn you when anything is going on, because you will allready be far to late when you connect your batteries and enter your RV noticing anything going wrong.

I would also keep a hand to the positive terminal. As soon as you feel it warming up even the slightest, DISCONNECT INMEDIATELY, because this obviously should not be happening with all your appliances off.

When everything appears to be OK, turn on your appliances one by one. and turn them off again when they functioning correctly. before you go to the next. Keep your ears and nose on for weird noises or smells or blowing fuses.

Now the text really makes it look far more difficult then it looks. You need to be prepared that there will be appliances that are gone, but boy, the feeling when a fridge or a AC is working correctly, it's priceless.

[Oz]

Most problems come from PO modifications... man, ain't that the truth!