Unlabeled switch in '86 Chieftain, and a few other issues

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BeachRVer

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Looking for some help on a few topics.  I'm new to the forum, and new to RVing in general.  I've got a lot of things figured out, but just as many are a mystery even with lots of troubleshooting.  I would appreciate any help or even leads on what to look for next.  Here goes..
1)  There is a rotary 2 position switch at the base of the dinette.  It is about 3 inches off the floor next to the power center.  At one point, there was a label on it, but it has since been worn off.  Any ideas? 
2)  The front roof air conditioner does not turn on with either shore power or generator power.  All fuses are in tact.  The rear air works fine, though I've only tried it with the generator on.
3)  The kitchen outlets and appliances and outlets (except for my control panel) do not seem to be getting power, yet all fuses are in tact.  In the kitchen, the convection/microwave appear to not be getting power.  The refrigerator only operates in propane mode (not AC or DC).  The hot water heater does not appear to work either.  Since all are in the same general vicinity, I can't help but think there is a switch/fuse that I am missing.

So, I know what you're thinking, try the rotary switch in both positions and check for power on 2) and 3).  You guessed it, didn't work. 

Any help or direction to try is greatly appreciated!!
 
You should have circuit breakers for the A/C circuits, not fuses.  Look for a GFCI device that has tripped, that might explain some of your problems.  GFCIs are usually found in the bathroom area.
 
the rotary switch may be a selector for which ac you want to run. typically on older 30 amp rv's, only one ac will work at a time.
you probably have some 110v circuit breakers and 12v breakers that are not on. you gotta find the panels!
reset all the breakers if you can. unlike 110v breakers, some 12v breakers can only be reset if they are popped. :-\
 
Welcome to rvforum!

Couple of suggestions for you.  In the Winnebago resources sticky near the top of this board, there are links to Classic Winnebago (a forum specializing in vintage Winnie products), and a link to prior year's brochures (which might be of interest.)  Also, call Winnie owner relations and ask them for copies of your wiring diagrams.

 
BeachRVr,

  To complement a previous post, perhaps you are looking for a switch for your A/C like this.

see pix below.  Mine is located in a cabinet above the microwave.

carson

 

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  • Ac Selector.jpg
    Ac Selector.jpg
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Thank you all for your great suggestions.  Got the wiring schematics from Winnebago -- thank you John for directing me to the resources link.  Once I had those I figured out many things.
1 & 2)  Rotary switch is the A/C selector for the 2 A/C units -- Dan and carson were right on!  I'll test this weekend.
3)  I did say fuses, but also meant to say breakers were on.  I did reset them all anyways, and noticed that the last one may have been tripped, but the switch was in a "half" position state where the "on" was still visible -- so, I believe it was tripped.  The wiring diagram indicated that this was indeed the breaker that powers the receptacles in the kitchen and bathroom -- rsalhus is half right in that the bathroom does have a receptacle in line with the kitchen, but my old RV does not have GFIs installed.  Something I might do to update it!  End result was that this worked swimmingly!  All receptacles now have power (I checked them all thanks to the wiring diagram).  The bad news is that my refrigerator is getting AC, but still does not work -- any thoughts on what may be wrong there?

Again, thank you all for responding to my post.  Very helpful indeed.  I'm sure I'll have a few more as I gradually uncover things that do not seem to be working right.  I'll be working on getting my water heater going this weekend.  If there are any resources on how these things work, I'd appreciate a link or a pointer.

Thanks again!

 
Whoo-hoo .. rvforum to the rescue  ;D  There is a gold mine of expertise here and I'm delighted this had a happy ending.  If you have water heater questions, you might try a forum search and if you strike out, post a question in the Tech Talk board.

Please let us know how it goes with your new (to you) rig.
 
BeachRVer said:
Snipped...

The bad news is that my refrigerator is getting AC, but still does not work -- any thoughts on what may be wrong there?

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

I don't think you mentioned the make and model but... being a Winni it is likely a Norcold.

Look in the back of the fridge (through the lower  access panel located outside and behind the fridge). You should find a plastic box which contains a circuit board and a few fuses. A diagram might be found on the inside of the box cover. Several of these (glass tube type) fuses are for 120V AC and you may have a blown one. They are easily checked with a multimeter.

About the only other thing on the AC side to go wrong would be the electric heater which could be defective. Should be located in the same area as the propane burner and heats the same boiler. May or may not be easy to replace, depending on the space in the back of your particular motorhome's fridge installation. I have seen the situation where it was necessary to loosen the fridge mountings and shift the fridge a bit to gain good working room.
 
Does the refrig have 12 volt, mine needs the 12 volt to run on AC. The control panel is 12 volt.

Tom
1990 Itasca Sunflyer
 
Usually there is an AC receptacle for the refrigerator accessable from the panel on the outside.  A lot of times this gets unplugged by service technicians and not plugged back in. 
 
Results of the weekend work.
A/C units work nicely.  Selector switch is now labelled to avoid future confusion!
Refrigerator -- the reefer is plugged in to a powered receptacle (checked for power).  The problem was, I relied on the AC bulb for working status of the refrigerator.  When the bulb did not come on when switched to AC, I "assumed" the refrigerator was not working.  Once I thought that possibly the bulb was out, I just left it on AC overnight.  In the morning, the reefer was cold as can be!  These darn things need a lamp/bulb check button.  So, end result is that my reefer works nicely, but I've got to replace the AC status bulb -- probably just replace them all since the panel will be off.
Water Heater -- just needed to bleed the propane line.  After about 6-7 starts, the heater stayed on without issue.

Thanks to all who contributed to this post.  I really appreciate all the ideas.  I ran down most of them to rule them out, and then bathed in the glow of success when the cause was found!!  Thank you again.
 
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