electronic climate control (mfg'd by intellitec) problem - Fleetwood Pace Arrow

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MariahAZ

Active member
Joined
Aug 14, 2005
Posts
25
Location
Dewey, AZ
Have a 2003 Fleetwood Pace Arrow which has 30 amp service - two roof A/Cs.  Electronic climate control system is made by Intellitec.  This system has two control modules (a) central control panel which has the heat & A/C settings located in main coach and (b) master controller located in bedroom below the sink area.  The system has a SHED mode which shuts down portions of the system if current load exceeds 30 amps. 

My problem started in Aug and has been ongoing ever since.  In Aug when in Colorado we could not get the back A/C compressor to turn on.  When operating normally the indicator lights on the central panel alternate between ON and SHED when the A/C units are turned on.  They continue to alternate until the compressor kicks on & then the ON light remains lit when in normal operation.  When we had our problem the lights never alternated, instead ON light came on but compressor never kicked in.  Took to RV dealer in CO and they "fixed" the problem by "denenergizing" the master controller in bedroom.  They simply said the unplugged overnight & when re-plugged next day controller worked fine.  MY warranty obviously would not pay for a replacement since system was now working, however, I bought a spare module just in case this issue resurfaced.  Everything went well until early Oct when same issue arose.  Since we were almost home I waited until home & contacted local RV service.  They installed new module & found it made a loud "clicking" sound when in HEAT mode.  They put the old module back in and this sound does not occur in HEAT mode.  My concern - will A/C issues arise on old board.  Local RV dealer contacted Intellitec and got the impression this has been an issue with this system and master controller board may be affected by RF waves (WiFi, flourescent lighting, etc). 

Anyone had similar issues?  Does the RF issue seem plausible - if so, has anyone used shielding?  Anyone had any discussions with Intellitec or Fleetwood?
 
Does the RF issue seem plausible
Click to expand...
Plausible? Maybe, but not likely. While fluorescent lights can put a lot of noise on the 120 volt power lines inside the coach, the control boards work on 12 volts d.c. and would probably not be affected. They would be affected by low voltage, however. Measure the dc volts coming into the control boards. If down around 10.5 volts, they won't work reliably. Is it just the rear a/c that doesn't work properly? What other power consuming devices are you using when this happens? Each a/c unit has a relay inside that switches the compressor on and off according to cooling needs. If that relay is defective, the green light would come on but the compressor would not run. Each a/c unit also has a motor start capacitor. If that is defective, again the green light would come on but the compressor won't start. Do you hear a fairly loud hum near the a/c when it should be running?
 
Karl - I to am a die-hard Packer fan (born & raiised north of GB) and really bummed out when they played so poorly this weekend - guess this will not be our year.

Now to the A/C issue.
  -  I do not believe any of the service centers have checked voltage coming to the boards, I will have that verified (I would be the first to admit my electrical expertise is slim to none)
  - we have experienced this problem when few devices are being used, e.g. even when trying to start while running down the road using 5.5 generator (refrig on propane and no other major devices in use).
  -  when initially diagnosed the service tech suspected problem was in the central control panel and swappped the AC1 and AC2 connectors on the board, problem then reverted from back AC unit to front AC unit.  This would lead me to believe issue is with Intellitec system not the AC units.  Also, altho problem now is in rear AC initial problem in Aug was random - either unit.
  -  have not noticed loud hum near the AC unit when it should be running.
  -  finally re the "clicking" sound in "new" board that local service tech reported last week when in HEAT mode.  I saw another forum post & writer said he had similar issue & contacted Fleetwood - their response was "this is not unusual & nothing to be alarmed about".  I cannot believe this to could be true.  I am trying to contact Intellitec re this board & seeking replacement.  Meanwhile "old" board is in the coach and my AC concerns still exist.
 
  -  when initially diagnosed the service tech suspected problem was in the central control panel and swappped the AC1 and AC2 connectors on the board, problem then reverted from back AC unit to front AC unit.  This would lead me to believe issue is with Intellitec system not the AC units.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. The load shedding feature normally gives priority to the front a/c unit, allowing it to run first, then allowing the rear unit to run if the load would not exceed 30 amperes. By switching the two connectors, all he did was give priority to the rear unit, leaving the front waiting in the wings, so to speak.

Also, altho problem now is in rear AC initial problem in Aug was random - either unit.
Click to expand...
That leads me to believe that you have a low voltage problem at the control board, and could be a dirty power connector, loose 12 volt fuse, or loose power or ground wire going to the control unit connector J1. I suggest you go to this INTELLITEC page for a PDF file containing a description of how load shedding works and which pins to measure. Don't worry if your wall unit doesn't look like the one in the document. The pin-outs are the same.

Some clicking IS normal when the temperature is very near what you have set on the thermostat. Ideally, there would be a bit of hysteresis built in to prevent this, but we're not talking rocket science here; just a basic electronic control. The clicking however, WILL be more frequent and more noticeable if the voltage going to the control board is not up to snuff (above about 11 volts). Also, some boards may be more unforgiving of low voltages than others, and might explain why your old one doesn't click and the new one does.
 
[sup][sup]That leads me to believe that you have a low voltage problem at the control board, and could be a dirty power connector, loose 12 volt fuse, or loose power or ground wire going to the control unit connector J1.
 
Had service center check the voltage - >12 volts.  My old board seems to be working now and everything checks out OK but did not run the A/C system for an extended period of time.  The service center sent my new board back to Intellitec for their assessment  - when it was installed in the coach for assessment it continued to "click" excessively in heat mode and voltage was >12. 
  I still do not feel good about this situation - feel A/C problems will still arise during hot weather.  Maybe my only solution is to have two boards and swap them out when one acts up.  Not a desirable solution. 
 
I have the MH at home & checked out system again today.  The old board is in the coach (new board at Intellitec) and system is doing exactly what it was doing prior to service.  Furnace works fine, front A/C works fine, the rear A/C does not.  Rear goes immediately into the ON mode -  never cycles between SHED / ON - compressor never kicks in.  I am at a loss. 

  Intellitec should have rec'd my new board today and they told manager at my service shop  that they would check it out and replace if found defective.  If they find nothing then I have no idea what is next step. 
 
Forgot to ask: Does the blower come on, just not the compressor?

Front A/C compressor comes on, back A/C  blower comes on but not the compressor.

Tried "test" switch - both units come on with this switch. 

  FYI - this is my "old" ECC - new ECC @ Intellitec & will see what they report on it
 
Here's what the Intellitec service section says if the 'Test' switch works for both the front and rear a/c's:

C. Check to make sure that the connector, PC1B, from the Current Sensor is plugged into J1 pins
1 and 2 and that the 120 VAC supply lead to the 30 Amp breaker in the distribution panel
passes through the hole in the Current Sensor. If OK then:
1. Unplug the Current Sensor from the Control Module and measure the resistance across the
leads to the Current Sensor. The resistance should be approximately 40 Ohms. If not:
a. Replace the Current Sensor.

There is no b. or c. - my note
 
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