Monday, April 27, 2015

Green LED Light on my Xantrex Echo-Charger Flashing?

This question was originally answered some years ago by James Jordan, former Service Technical Resources at defunct Country Coach, LLC

The Green LED indicator light on my Xantrex Echo-Charger sometimes flashes and sometimes is solid. I wonder why since I have never had any trouble with my batteries?

The green light’s purpose is to display the voltage conditions on the two battery banks. When the light is solid it means the domestic battery bank voltage is between 13.0 and 17.0 VDC; and that the difference between the domestic and chassis banks is not greater than 10 volts. If both conditions are not met, the light will flash. The echo-charger will only provide a charge current to the chassis battery bank when both conditions are met. The amount of the charge current available will depend on the difference in voltage between the two banks with the maximum amount produced when the difference is approximately 1.5 VDC.
 
To verify that the charger is working use a DC amp clamp on the red/yellow wire to measure the output current. The manual for the echo-charger has a graph indicating how much current one can expect for a given voltage difference between the two banks.
 
If a coach is plugged in to shore power, or the generator is running, and the inverter is charging the domestic bank, one would normally expect to see a solid green light. If the coach engine is running the light is normally on solid as well. If the light is flashing during either of these two scenarios, the fuse or output wiring (red/yellow wire) that connects to the chassis bank may be suspect.
 
No green light at all would indicate a problem with the fuse or input wiring (red wire) connected to the domestic bank. A red LED indicates that the unit has shutdown due to overheating.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

9 Motorhome Power Steering Issues and Possible Causes



9 Motorhome Power Steering System Issues and Possible Causes
(This info is found in an older model Country Coach motorcoach owners manual & may prove to be helpful for your motorhome powersteering troubleshooting as well)

Power Steering Issues and Possible Causes:

Road wander
Tire pressure may be incorrect or unequal left to right
Front-end could be out of alignment
Components in steering linkage may be loose or worn
Steering gear mounting bolts may be loose on mount

No Recovery
Tire pressure may be low
Front-end alignment may be incorrect
Tight front axle king pins
Steering column may be binding
Pump flow may be insufficient

Shimmy
Badly worn or unevenly worn tires
Improperly mounted tire or wheel
Wheel bearing improperly adjusted or worn
Components in the steering linkage loose or worn
Wheels or brake drums out of balance
Front-end alignment incorrect
Air in Hydraulic system
Road wheel assembly run-out excessive

Over Steering
Front-end components binding or loose
Steering column binding
U-joint wrong or non-lubricated

High Steering Effort in One Direction
Unequal tire pressure
King Pin thrust bearings damaged

High Steering Effort in Both Directions
Low tire pressure
Vehicle overloaded
Low hydraulic fluid level
Low pressure or flow from pump
Steering system components binding
Restriction in return line

Lost Motion at the Steering Wheel
Steering wheel loose in shaft
Steering gear loose on frame
Pitman arm loose on output shaft
Components in steering linkage loose or worn

Excessive Heat
Excessive pump flow (pump flow – 3.0 to 5.0 gpm)
Vehicle overload
Undersized replacement hose or line
Restricted hose or line

Steering Effort Varies
Low pump flow


*Caution: If the hydraulic system fluid becomes overheated, the seals in the steering gear and the pump shrink, harden or crack, and lose their sealing ability.