OLD motor home needs help..gen won't work...need help please...

here's the deal.... my son has a 1993 Fleetwood tioga.... it's a pretty rare coach...18.6 with the rear dinette... on the ford chassis...460 ford power ...so power to spare....runs like a mouse in slipper.. up and down grades with ease....
now for the problem...

nothing happens when you push the gen start button on the inside or at the gen.....I removed the panel on the rage hood and checked the power situation..  there's power to the hour meter... on both sides.... the power jumps across to the rocker switch and works proper to the side of the switch you push....all battery and connections are good everywhere that I checked so far,... unless I'm missing some thing......

nothing at the gen....the main white wire to the gen is hot....I pulled the gen out (what a job.... I think they hung the gen with sky hooks and built the coach around it)......anyway,... got the cover off.... jumped across the solenoid... she cranked over.... so starter is good... could be a bad solenoid??? but no way of knowing if I can't isolate the start circit  .... one thing I did notice (after I removed the gen... the little tangs on the slip in fuse holders are broke off......some one has been messing with it and didn't put the fuses in right... there is two 5 amp fuses...

at this point.,... I have went way too far down a wrong road....with out knowing where i'm going.... need help with directions.....lol...

could be all that was wrong was the fuse holder.... but doubt it.... I ordered a couple new ones... there on their way...

one thing is there is no batter shut off that I can find to the coach...every thing works on 12v and shore power....

is there any way that the gen won't start with out the shore power plugged into the coach???? I know nothing will work with out it plugged in..... but never have heard of it disabling the gen start and run...

thanks for any and all replies...even if you want to just be funny.... I need a lighter side right about now

is there any way that the gen won't start with out the shore power plugged into the coach?(http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/Smileys/default/huh.gif)

Click to expand...

The gen set should start regardless of the unit being plugged in. It uses 12V which is usually obtained from the house batteries, though some do use the chassis (engine) batteries for this purpose.

I know nothing will work with out it plugged in..... but never have heard of it disabling the gen start and run...

Click to expand...

This sure sounds like you have dead house batteries (or they are not installed). Plugging in would activate the converter and supply 12V but.... this should not be necessary. The converter alone (ie with no house batteries or dead batteries) may not be able to supply sufficient 12V current to start the generator.

You could try using the momentary switch that bridges the two systems  (house and chassis) together and try starting the genny that way. (Yes that switch works both ways!!)

The battery cutoff or storage switch is often located on the dash in a class C, as is the spring loaded momentary switch mentioned above. Not sure where yours might be, nor how it may be labeled.

done all that... there good voltage at both the house and chassis... good grounds and cables...starter will crank when solenoid jumped....

one thing I did find after going so far down the wrong road.... the fuse holders are defective ,and I have some on order... the way the gen is you can't get to anything with out removing it from the coach.. i'm assuming that the 6 pin on the back sends power to the remote,.. and has no power on the coach side when in plugged...
also.... with fuses removed... there is no power to the bottom conection.... but I don't know which way the power goes

Every generator that I have worked on. Those fuses have to be good for the control board to work. Those fuses should be on the hot 12v side.

Charlie 5320 said:

Every generator that I have worked on. Those fuses have to be good for the control board to work. Those fuses should be on the hot 12v side.

Click to expand...

sorry for the late reply....so after going through the long process of the gen removal... it turned out to be the fuse holders... she works like a champ now...thanks for the replies..