Electrical Short

I've had electrical problems with my Winnie Sightseer 33C 2011 before, but this latest episode really had me stumped...for awhile.

The last problem had to do with the engine not charging the house batteries and the rear Motoraid heater fan not working. The fix was replacing a solenoid and diagnosing problems with a panel mounted switch.

The latest problem is more of the same. I retrieved the MH from its storage location and lo and behold the rear heater fan not working nor the engine not charging the coach batteries....again.

To make matters more confounding a different fuse was blowing the very second the starter switch was engaged. It didn't hinder our short trip, so I resolved to troubleshoot another day.

Yesterday, I decided to winterize and further troubleshoot. I found that the front electrically operated MCD shade would not go up and was popping the push-in 6 amp breaker. The solar screened shade worked without popping the breaker, but the night shade popped it each time. I removed the passenger side channel that concealed the MCD wiring. Remarkably, the shade started working fine. I found a pinched wire (insulation worn through) and removing the channel had freed the open wire from what ever it was touching and stopped the short. Replaced the Motoraid fuse and it started working as well as engine charging coach batteries. I'm going back down today to fix the frayed wire.

I wrote this, as always, to maybe help someone else that encounters a similar problem. The transition from Ford to Winnebago is never smooth. My coach is six years old and I understand the constant movement will fray electrical wiring.
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Dave and Holly
2011 Winnebago Sightseer 33c with a 2011 Honda CRV behind.

Thanks for the writeup. I'm sure it will be helpful to someone coming here with a similar issue.


We've had something similar on our coach since it was new; The dome light over the dining table blows a fuse. One of the factory service center techs determined, during a rally, that it's caused by a wire trapped against the frame by the upper cabinets. He couldn't fix it in the available time at the rally, and we haven't bothered to remove the upper cabinets to fix/replace the wire.

I drove my coach for a year and a half with the dash radio not working. It just quit one day while I was headed home from a rally. I'd play with it once in a while to see if it would "accidently" start working. One thing that confused me was, when I'd push the momentary switch on the dash for the radio, the rear camera monitor would come on.

One day, I decided to look at the owners manual for the radio. I found out how to remove it from the dash. So, I pulled it out, was looking over the wiring and noticed the power for the monitor was coming off the power wire for the radio. This explained why when I pushed the radio switch on the dash and heard the relay in the "doghouse" make, the monitor would power up.

While going through the manual, I found........ Lo & behold, there's a "reset" button on/in the front of it. You push a paper clip, or small wire, in a little hole on the face of the radio. It's been working ever since.