Not sure why I've ignored this for so long; nonetheless now feel I need to know why a motor, mounted in the main bay is heard running so often? I'm hooked to shore power at this time tho not sure if it's relevant. What is this motor and why does it run so often? There is nothing running in the coach; coach and chassis batteries are fully charged; slide is retracted and the weather is mild and dry.
If it is the air pump you have a leak or leaks in either the bladder or the leveling or under the step or the o rings etc. If it is the Exhaust fan that is for the heat.
Agree with John - sounds like you're talking about the aux compressor. How often is it running? Once a day or so could be perfectly normal given temperature swings.
It might be the cooling fan on the inverter.
There is no on/off switch for the aux compressor in the 2001 U320. There is an in-line fuse up near the pump but it is not the easiest thing to get at and get open. I tapped into the power to the pump, added a secondary fuse and wires up to a dash side panel switch so that I could cut power to the pump.
I have a very small leak somewhere. One or twice an hour the compressor will run for about 10 seconds. If I turn the compressor off the coach will stay level for a week to ten days.
The cooling fan on the Freedom 25 (converter/inverter) runs frequently in the main bay of our coach. I don't hear it from inside the coach, but can hear if the bay door is open. I consider it to be a normal sound of a functional unit.
The air compressor for the level system and slide bladder is much louder. Frequent operation of that fan would not be normal.
It's 2:30 am; woke up for a nature call and decided to go outside and check the coach sitting in the driveway. Looks like it's the motor that's wall-mounted in the main bay DS; is that the aux pump? It's been running for awhile; checked it a few minutes ago and it's still running. Getting the coach ready for a 600+ mile trip to the outer banks and concerned what the downside risk is if I don't solve the problem at least with a short term fix if possible.
Put a switch on it and turn it off. If you burn it out you will not be able to deflate or inflate your slide bladder. If you do not have any slides then you should be fine and will need to start the coach to keep air in the bags if you leak down. I would get it looked at soon though or hit everything with a spray bottle of kids bubbles works well.
I think as others it may be the inverter. Without a picture it is impossible to know. My inverter is noisy but in the coach quiet.
Only hear when bay door is open. If you are hearing the aux compressor, agree pull the fuse. You will be ok without it but you may have to start the main engine to fill the tanks once in a while if the coach liens.
Can you post a photo?
If it
is the aux compressor and it continues to run for more than a few minutes at a time, that could be symptom of a leak that you may need to address sooner rather than later.
X2. Photos make long distance diagnosis SO much easier...
Fiddler, is this what's running in your bay?
Here's the pic..hope it helps
Fiddler
You have a leak in the HWH system or air bag or bladder. That is your 12V pump - about $450 and it is not designed for long duty cycle.
Find the fuse or breaker - probably under a white cover in basement (fiberglas) may have some wing nuts holding it on - trip the breaker or take out the fuse so you don't burn up that unit and have to spend $$ to repair.
Find leak via methods found in forum search (USE SAFETY STANDS) or seek qualified repair shop. Your air from engine will operate everything in coach when it is running, but when it leaks down after you shut off the engine, that 12V air compressor is primary for coach leveling and bladder inflation/deflation.
Where are you at?
I would cut into your line with the fuse and put in a switch. You have an HWH leak that you need. To address. It is common for O rings to fail over time. . I just had my phone coach gone over this summer and we found 13 leaks. I do that whenever that compressor comes on more then a time or two a day.
OCCASIONALLY... the HWH system gets lost and just needs to be turned off, then back on again. Usually, but not always, the indicator lights will go crazy. Try this FIRST, then go on.
I'm still in Atlanta ready to depart for the outer banks tomorrow. I need to cut into the line with the fuse and put in a switch until the leak is found. thx to all for taking the time to assist me.
You can splice in an inline automotive (blade type) into the red (as I recall) power to the aux compressor. Then all you need to do is pull the fuse. When you get around to wiring up a dash switch leave the fuse in the wires leading to the dash. I used a 20 amp fuse holder. Probably has 12 or 14 ga wire.
Thx Roger; I already bought a switch and made a mount for it; although the fuse holder was a much better solution. BTW is the aux pump used to deflate the slide bladder?
Yes, the aux pump blows air by a venturi that causes the pressure in the bladder to go down and it deflates. The aux pump also maintains pressure in the airbags keeping the coach level. Air pressure from the coach's air tanks supplement this action.
The way these systems are interconnected changes from one year to the next. The 2002 setup is much different from the 2001.
We JUST left HWH in Moscow, IA and had all of our system checked and leaks fixed ... there were 13. We would leak down pretty fast when parked. I just posted about our visit. I would have to get Jeff to go outside and pull the fuse for the compressor (He couldn't hear it!) when it would run and run and run. Finally, I got tired of getting him up at 4am and I learned where the fuse is so I could do it myself. We now have a system that is working properly!!! HWH is the BEST!! They took VERY good care of us.
Carol, it is easy to have a switch wired in too.
I am hoping that a switch will not be necessary, now that our leaks have been discovered. We still have one tiny one that moves the step cover .... I will need to sucker Dave Katsuki into helping.
To eliminate step slide cover leaks and to prevent its air cylinder wear, we put a 12v air solenoid on the air line going to the step slide valve. We turn on the solenoid only to move step slide.
While installing the switch to power not yet connected and the pump idle over night; I felt the round brass fixture (blue label) connecte d to the bowl shaped part in the pic was hot. ??? With no dc power connected overnight, what is causing this thing to get hot? Could this be conributing to the problem of the excessive pump running all the time?
Moisture collects in the plastic bowl above. As I recall when the pump shuts off the 12v solonoid valve opens and any water collected spits out. Another 12 v thing that is on all the time. It gets hot.
It is a pain to take that apart but I did and cleaned it all out. If there is a leak where the bowl seats at the top or where the spitter valve is at the bottom it will make the pump run. If you clean it use plumbers silicone grease on the o rings when you reassemble it.
It's a N/O (normally open) solenoid, so I think 12V should only be applied it needs to CLOSE, i.e. when the compressor is running. Perhaps, depending on how the fuse or switch is wired in, it may be on whenever the HWH brain commands the compressor to run. In other words, pulling a fuse or turning the switch off may only cut the power to the compressor, but not the signal/power to that purge solenoid.
Fiddler,
Please remember to have power to that compressor when moving slide to deflate slide seal before retracting/extending. I ruined a 18month old slide seal, after growing tired of the noise of compressor. $3600 mistake. AUX compressor must have power before moving that slide!!
I now disconnect the wire from compressor, "lower red one" . I stay level for weeks at a time, and just haven't taken time to track down leak. My compressor would always it seemed to come on for several minutes between 2-4 am Grrr
David
Michelle is most likely correct. The 12v closes the solenoid spitter valve when the pump is on. It still gets hot. The 2003 aux pump setup and plumbing is different from the 2001. I will have to crawl into the basement when it is not full to verify.
In the 2001 version (not all years work the same way) if the engine air is pressurized (engine on) it will help with the airflow needed to deflate the bladder. When we stop I usually leave the engine run while we pull out the power cord (if needed), turn the key to deflate the bladder and level the coach. When the light comes on I visually check to ensure that the bladder has retracted and then extend the room. It only takes a few minutes. Then turn off the engine. This works whether the aux pump is on or not. I try to remember to engage my user installed on/off switch, most of the time I do. Retracting is sort of the opposite but I do a better job of turning on the pump. Start engine, turn key to deflate, light on, visually check, retract, key off, disconnect power if connected and stow the cord. Double check the tow lights. Ready to go. With no engine air then you must have the aux air pump functioning.
We had a valve problem that made it very slow to deflate and then not all the way. HWH said that if there were areas that were not clear that a soapy water spray would lubricate it and reduce the drag on the seal. It worked until we got to HWH to get it fixed.
Just a short note to add that when I disconnected 12v to the aux pump and then turned the key to test if the bladder would deflate...it did not; but I forgot to say that despite the bladder not deflated, the yellow light nevertheless illuminated. Drew the conclusion that the yellow light just signals that the locks have disengaged. Yes it's important to always check that the bladder is deflated B4 extending. Sorry to hear of your $3,600 painful learning experience, David
My next task is to see if there's any leaks around the pump; bowl? lines; solenoid ? BTW where's the power feed to that element that's heating up?
On the road to the outer banks bluegrass festival; I'll check that purge solenoid and try to resume this project when I get back.
On your version the yellow light is on a timer but on the next version it is based on vacuum. Yes if you have the 12 volt off you can not deflate the bladders.
Fiddler, our coach was built about same time as you and Roger. Send me pm if want to talk, i have too much experience with the aux compressor. Couple comments...
I think the venturi to deflate the slide bladder may come from the third air tank, not directly from the aux compressor running. You can find a thread i began about how to work around the aux compressor if it does fail to be putting air into that third air tank. Good to know in an emergency if the aux totally failed. Maybe others can correct me on how that air flows to create the venturi.
You and i have an older, smaller aux compressor that coachs built nit ling after our models, It is not intended to run a long time. Mine usually will build third tank pressure back to normal in no more than five minutes. In recent trip that time became very extended, to about three run times of five minutes. I suspect a leak. I avoided overheating by turning off via my added switch, much better for me than pulling the fuse.
I had a failure of a check valve that caused my aux compressor to try to air up the two main brake air tanks. That caused it to run so long as would probably cause it to fail. I could tell it was misbehaving when i noticed the two dash air gauges very slowly adding psi as the aux ran (coach parked).
i think you have gotten what you need by all the responses in this thread but if still need to talk to me or others , send pm.
Mike
Mike