water pump

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IRONHEAD

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Joined
Mar 31, 2013
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41
2014 Thor ACE 30.1 Water pump not working. Fresh water tank is full,When I turn on the pump switch the red light comes on but the pump does not work.
I checked all the fuses under the bed, all good. Water is getting to the pump.
Checked voltage at the pump with a test light . No voltage.
A little help please. Thanks
 
IRONHEAD said:
2014 Thor ACE 30.1 Water pump not working. Fresh water tank is full,When I turn on the pump switch the red light comes on but the pump does not work.
I checked all the fuses under the bed, all good. Water is getting to the pump.
Checked voltage at the pump with a test light . No voltage.
A little help please. Thanks
Click to expand...

Check for voltage leaving the switch.  You can also try running the pump off a battery with jumper cables. That will eliminate the pump being bad or good.
 
Took switch panel off, all wires plugged into water pump switch.
Switch has three wires two blue ones on each end and a red in red middle. This is a three pole switch,why I don't know. It is a off/on switch.
When I turn on the switch the red indicator light works but pump does not work.
I connected a battery to the pump (HOT WIRED). Pump works as long as the switch is on. Cut off the switch and the pump stops ???? . Disconnect the battery and the pump stops. AS long as the switch is on and is connected to a battery the pump works. This tells me there is an interruption in the supply of voltage to the pump at some point but where?
 
I incorrectly stated that you cut the switch off and the pump goes off when a battery is connected to the pump. The pump does not work at any time with the switch but does work when directly connected to a battery and a faucet is open.
 
I would say so . Checked the switch with an OHM meter, it is working.
Yes , but where between the switch and pump? The diagrams/ schematics you get from THOR or a joke and useless.I guess i'll have to route a hot wire to the pump or buy one of those jump start battery packs from Harbor freight and hook it up when I need to use it.
It will turn out to be something really simple like my coach battery charging problem I had. THOR really needs to put a schematic in the owners manual and a trouble shooting guide but they can't because EVERYONE of their RV's is built different. I had this same problem when I worked for a local Fire/ Rescue ,every fire truck and every ambulance was different even if built by the same company at the same time
 
There should be a fuse to the pump but where is it ? I have checked all the fuses and breakers in the converter compartment. I have a battery controller compartment in the left front of the engine compartment but WHY would they put the pump fuse there. I know the only way to find out the answers to these questions is to talk to the engineer that designed them , fat chance. I guess i'll have to keep looking. By the way the two wires that go to the pump are black and white, but no black and white wires at the switch just two blue and a red. Red is in the middle of the switch,which is hot, the two blue are on the ends B U T one blue goes to a plug and terminates no wire to connect to on the other side of the plug, HUMMMM?????
 
In cases where there are two switches for the water pump, it is actuated by a control circuit and it is the GROUND that is switched off and on. The battery (12V) is always present at the pump itself. HTH
 
You are correct. I believe they are called cold wired . Current goes thru a relay and  is turned of by disconnecting the ground and not the current this allows the current to pass thru the relay and not the switch. This keeps the switch from burning up .
 
Don't think so. The switch connects or disconnects the ground when you connect the ground the relay closes the contacts in the relay on the end of a coil and allows the current/ voltage to go to whatever the relay/switch operates thereby keeping the current from passing thru the switch and overheating it. These relays are small, square and have wire spades on them most are what is called 5 pole or spades but some with less spades are used. These are similar to the old ford starter relays but smaller. Ford used a similar setup on there equipment for years. Turn the key and it closes the ground completing the circuit allowing the battery to be connected to the starter. If they did not do it that way it would burn up the switch the first time you used it . GM used the same thing but it looked different and was mounted on the starter instead of the inner fender and so did Chrysler. I used ford as an example because most people are familar with it . WOW just reread this and it sounds like I know what i'm talking about and I know thats wrong. Ok shoot me full of holes. I'm waiting. :)
 
Is your water inlet on Normal and not on Fill?  We have a different rig but if the water inlet valve is set to Fill the Water Pump will not pump water.  Just something simple to check if applicable to your Thor.
 
Well it actually is a simple system. Remove cap and fill the tank, gravity feed to the pump with a manual cut off valve and a manual drain. Valve is open , water to the pump, only one switch. I have owned an RV with two switches and multiple valves which I though was  unnecessary  .
 
IRONHEAD said:
Don't think so. The switch connects or disconnects the ground when you connect the ground the relay closes the contacts in the relay on the end of a coil and allows the current/ voltage to go to whatever the relay/switch operates thereby keeping the current from passing thru the switch and overheating it. These relays are small, square and have wire spades on them most are what is called 5 pole or spades but some with less spades are used. These are similar to the old ford starter relays but smaller. Ford used a similar setup on there equipment for years. Turn the key and it closes the ground completing the circuit allowing the battery to be connected to the starter. If they did not do it that way it would burn up the switch the first time you used it . GM used the same thing but it looked different and was mounted on the starter instead of the inner fender and so did Chrysler. I used ford as an example because most people are familar with it . WOW just reread this and it sounds like I know what i'm talking about and I know thats wrong. Ok shoot me full of holes. I'm waiting. :)
Click to expand...


Having worked on both Ford and GM engines and now on an RV I have two faults with what you typed.

ONE: Ford and GM did not break the ground on the starter solenoids.. THey do that on the HORN relay, but not on the starter relays.. On those they apply Battery power. the solenoid chassis is normally the ground.. THOUGH on some they do have a safety switch on the ground side (park/neutral switch).

Two: Those starter solenoids are designed to be engaged for less than one minute max, any longer and they may burn out on you
 
That's correct you have four types of relays . there are 3 pole and four pole, of these there are momentary duty which are normally on cars and trucks and continuous duty. You do not want to confuse the two when replacing the relays.
Now The difference between the three pole and four pole relays.
Three pole relays ground thru the mount but that does not work on today's cars because they are all plastic and need a separate ground wire from the mount to a good ground to make them work( NO GROUND, NO WORK) however the four pole relay incorporates the ground into the relay thus the fourth wire or stud remove this ground wire and the relay does not work, do not put voltage on the ground stud if you do it is toast. Getting way off the subject of why my water pump does not work. You or I would think a rep from the motor home companies would monitor this web site and offer help in most cases BUT who am I to talk about customer service.
 
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