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Topic: Top marker lights  (Read 624 times) previous topic - next topic - Topic derived from Re: Hydraulic pump

Top marker lights

Hya all, testing out my lights and have found that the top lights all of them are not coming on, normally they come on with rear side lights, I'm pretty good at solving problems like this I've obviously got a power problem from the main rear side lights to the top ones or possibly a faulty earth, does anyone know where the wire routing goes, is it just a wire connected to the main lights and an earth wire, I've looked in my rear cupboards, and top lockers, the wiring must come up that way somewhere I'm sure, also not sure if these would have been a standard fit from new or if someone may have fitted them at a later time, if anyone can help please, and incase anyone is wondering why I have a tarpaulin rolled up on top of roof ladder, the birds for some reason liked the top of ladder as a perch, I had a constant problem with bird shit, it looked horrible, since I put that there it's stopped ha ha
1990 foretravel grandvilla, Oshkosh chassis
8.2ltr Detroit turbo

Re: Top marker lights

Reply #1 –
These are the rear "clearance" lights. Where the wires are routed I cannot help with. But what I do know is that the rear cabinets, on each side of the bed, are up tight against the rear fiberglass cap.
How do I know? Because when I was mounting my 17" long, 11 LED lights  The holes I had to drill for the mounting screws and the wires went right thru the back walls of the cabinets. I ended up running the wiring down thru the cabinet shelves back in the corners down in to the engine compartment.
As you can see from the attached picture of our coach, those clearance lights are standard on our coaches. I just read lately that the outer two lights are to inform, at night, other drivers that your vehicle is 80" wide or wider.
I take it that you checked that the bulbs are good?
Nitehawk,  Demolition Lady, & our NEW master, Zippy the speeding BB cat.
1989 Grand Villa 36' ORED
Oshkosh chassis, 8.2 DD V8
2006 Saturn Vue AWD

Re: Top marker lights

Reply #2 –
In regards to the bird issue.....we had the same problem, regularly, too. We found that if we attached our flagpole and flew our flag, the problem was solved.
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Lynn & Marilyn Sickel
Tollville, AR
1997  U320  40'
2021 Chevrolet Silverado pickup
Motorcader  17257

Re: Top marker lights

Reply #3 –
Strange, we have never had a problem with birds on our ladder that I know of.
I do wax the top of the ladder once in a great while.
Is it that our birds up here are so small and their feet can't straddle the tubing?
What birds sit on your coach ladder? Buzzards? Bald eagles? Condors? Cormorants? Hawks?
Nitehawk,  Demolition Lady, & our NEW master, Zippy the speeding BB cat.
1989 Grand Villa 36' ORED
Oshkosh chassis, 8.2 DD V8
2006 Saturn Vue AWD

Re: Top marker lights

Reply #4 –
On ours, both the hot and ground wires are daisy-chained, so it is possible that there is only one bad connection. The bad news is that you just have to start checking lights until you find it. There should be a panel that can be removed where your camera is. Take everything out of the center section of the roof locker, then shine a bright light in there, and you should be able to see a section that can be removed. That may let you see the wires (blue and white, as I recall).

This might be a good time to start switching to LED lights. The red ones are an easy do-it-yourself project, as are the amber ones on the sides. The front amber ones, though, are a royal pain to reach because of the slope of the nose. FOT did ours a couple of years ago, and they have a stand that lets them reach that area more easily and safely. If you are headed that way sometime it might be worth if to have them do it for you.

Re: Top marker lights

Reply #5 –
Uh, David--He lives in England. Don't think Kevin will want to drive over here.
Nitehawk,  Demolition Lady, & our NEW master, Zippy the speeding BB cat.
1989 Grand Villa 36' ORED
Oshkosh chassis, 8.2 DD V8
2006 Saturn Vue AWD

Re: Top marker lights

Reply #6 –
Quote from: nitehawk –
These are the rear "clearance" lights. Where the wires are routed I cannot help with. But what I do know is that the rear cabinets, on each side of the bed, are up tight against the rear fiberglass cap.
How do I know? Because when I was mounting my 17" long, 11 LED lights  The holes I had to drill for the mounting screws and the wires went right thru the back walls of the cabinets. I ended up running the wiring down thru the cabinet shelves back in the corners down in to the engine compartment.
As you can see from the attached picture of our coach, those clearance lights are standard on our coaches. I just read lately that the outer two lights are to inform, at night, other drivers that your vehicle is 80" wide or wider.
I take it that you checked that the bulbs are good?
Il be honest, I haven't checked the bulbs yet, I've worked on the principal that 1 bulb may go possibly 2, but to have all five bulbs go at once, what are the odds, I believe the main feed from rear lights, up to top that there is a power break, or possibly the ground, I found earlier one of my indicator lights attached to wing mirror wasn't working and when I opened it up, it was so rusty at the terminals, so it's possible I could have same prob with these top marker lights, going to check it out tomorrow, whatever the problem is, il probably end up running a new wire direct up through rear lockers, and as said replace with l e d s
1990 foretravel grandvilla, Oshkosh chassis
8.2ltr Detroit turbo

Re: Top marker lights

Reply #7 –
Quote from: kevo0000 –
Hya all, testing out my lights and have found that the top lights all of them are not coming on, normally they come on with rear side lights, I'm pretty good at solving problems like this I've obviously got a power problem from the main rear side lights to the top ones or possibly a faulty earth, does anyone know where the wire routing goes, is it just a wire connected to the main lights and an earth wire, I've looked in my rear cupboards, and top lockers, the wiring must come up that way somewhere I'm sure, also not sure if these would have been a standard fit from new or if someone may have fitted them at a later time, if anyone can help please, and incase anyone is wondering why I have a tarpaulin rolled up on top of roof ladder, the birds for some reason liked the top of ladder as a perch, I had a constant problem with bird shit, it looked horrible, since I put that there it's stopped ha ha
Oh and also can anyone over there tell me who they think this cartoon character on the back is, I don't know if it was done in USA before being imported to the UK or whether it was done over here, I've showed loads of people this photo and no. One seems to know what character it is
1990 foretravel grandvilla, Oshkosh chassis
8.2ltr Detroit turbo

Re: Top marker lights

Reply #8 –
On my 87, (same end cap as yours), had to rewire the rear clearance lights do to mice eating the installation off the wires! Clearance light wire runs up the left side of the end cap behind the last body mount to the frame, angle iron from the vent door, reach in like your changing a taillight behind the brace and feel around for the clearance light wire in the corner . That wire runs off the taillight up and over to the top clearance lights and stop at the top right clearance light, they are daisy chain together,  I use the old wire to pull new wire the the lights, or could be a broken wire off the taillight, hope this helps!
Good luck
1987 Grand Villa OREG 460 SBID

Re: Top marker lights

Reply #9 –
Ps, you can't get at the wires through the rear cupboards or the top lockers, outside work only
1987 Grand Villa OREG 460 SBID