No power to accessory control panel, 87 Chieftain

[maryjanehick]

Sent: 8/17/2003

Anyone have a clue about why we've lost power to our control panel ? We bought an '87 Chieftain this past Spring and love it dearly. No problems till this past weekend

When we camped and began to fix dinner, no power ! I started the engine and got interior lights and the control panel worked. Turned on the hood exhaust and lost the control panel !! Back home I discovered battery cable connections were badly corroded and the two 'cabin' batteries were nearly dry! BAD OWNER  !! I made all the repairs , got everything working but the control panel ? So, no water pump, H2O heater, systems check, etc... WE sure would appreciate any insights from those more seasoned than ourselves !!

ps: Any Tech manuals available for our on-board systems? We have great tech manuals for the appliances but zip for the Winnie systems.  Thanks and see you down the road in Montana

[denisondc]

Sent: 8/17/2003

Your Winny is 15 years newer than mine, and mine hasn't all those extra features. I would try looking for a set of fuses that are for those coach related 12volt items, and I don't mean the fuses that are related to the chassis and situated near the dashboard. My coach fuse panel is inside the rear wall, not far from the 12v converter. denison

[maryjanehick]

Sent: 8/18/2003

denison,
Thanks for the tip. Already checked those and all are good. That's why I'm confused by this problem.  George

[melyash]

Sent: 8/18/2003

Look and see if there is a fusible Link in the system, or one near the back of your control panel. Although your battery and connection problems are fixed, it sounded like you blew something when you turned on the fan, so Start with looking at the back of the control panel and see if you can find any larger wires than the rest of them. That would be your clue it might be your main DC power to the panel.

Test and see if you have power at that connection. If not, start searching for the other end of that cable. Could be in the battery compartment, could be at your coach fuses or could even be up under the dash. Good Luck. Matt