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Found another solenoid....

May 11, 2014, 07:12:32 pm

In the engine compartment, mounted on a steel plate at the foot of the bed and below a black box which is also on the same metal plate.  Can anyone tell me what this stuff is for?  The in-side of the solenoid is from the engine batteries, the out-side goes through what I would guess was a fuse link.  (It was encased it a melted chunk of plastic and broke apart when I moved it.)  The wire is fairly heavy, maybe #6.  My first guess was it was part of the remote start, but that still worked.  This is the 8.3 mechanical Cummings.

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Re: Found another solenoid....

Reply #1 – May 11, 2014, 07:48:37 pm

Sounds like it is the battery isolator which  1. Keeps one set of batteries from discharging the other set.  2. When running the engine it allows both sets of batteries to be charged. 

A picture would make it a sure identification. 
 
Jason

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Re: Found another solenoid....

Reply #2 – May 11, 2014, 07:50:00 pm

On my U295 the one with the he smaller gauge wire is for the intake grid heaters on the top of the intake. The relay has 2 large and 2 small terminals.The wire goes to the terminals on the right rear of the intake.

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Re: Found another solenoid....

Reply #3 – May 11, 2014, 09:43:54 pm

 Gayland,
The (5) components on the board are as follows:

Top - Aux Start Solenoid
Left Center - Remote Start Circuit Breaker
Right Center - Condensor Fan Circuit Breaker
Left Lower - A/C Compressor Clutch relay
Right Lower - Condensor Fan relay


Refer to U270/295/320 Automotive wiring diagram (B-2126)


Here's a link to the drawing (which is already on Foreforums -  Solution for Alternator Voltage Fluctuation Problems): http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?action=media;sa=item;in=916

Neal

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Re: Found another solenoid....

Reply #4 – May 11, 2014, 11:11:58 pm

Thanks everybody.  I should have made it clearer that I know where the boost solenoid is.  The thing I'm asking about is not that, it is INSIDE the engine compartment, you have to lift the bed to see it.  Anyway, it appears that Neal nailed it.  I had actually looked at that drawing before, but missed the key note "relay board under bed."  I'm not very sharp on schematics so will have to study it awhile to see if I can figure out how it works and what the missing item is that I was guessing was a fuse of some sort.  I'll put up a picture tomorrow for further enlightenment.

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Re: Found another solenoid....

Reply #5 – May 12, 2014, 12:31:41 pm

Subject solenoid, mounted inside the engine compartment below the foot of the bed.  The wire into the solenoid from the right is battery voltage.  The one on the left side is a short cable that was connected via a (fuse link?) to the cable that then apparently runs to the starter.  Hard to see here but I just bolted the connections together for now until I can solve exactly what's suppose to be there.  As I said in the first post, the remote starter still worked with this wire disconnected so I'm not understanding it. The black box apparently contains all the other components that Neal listed.

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Re: Found another solenoid....

Reply #6 – May 12, 2014, 12:39:04 pm

Gayland,

Off subject but, WoW nice engine compartment covering!

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Re: Found another solenoid....

Reply #7 – May 12, 2014, 07:11:25 pm

Thanks, it's what I was working on when I ran into the problem with the solenoid.  I'll expand on it in the "what did you do to your coach today" post.

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