Trailmanor Wiring Fail

I went to work this weekend to fix some problems my Tm has had since I bought it new.

First on the list was to fix the 2nd tv outlet. My cable was bad from the factory and i never used the rear outlet so I didn't bother with it till now.
Bought a cable crimper attached a new end (behind the fridge) and hooked it up the the front amplifier / splitter plate.

Now I have nothing, no signal no green light on the amplifier ?? Hmm.. The rear tv also had the amplifier plate installed instead of just an outlet.
Well Tm had the front plate going from tv 2 to the rear outlet also to Tv 2, So as soon as i hit the amplifier button it shorted out and blew the fuse in the main panel.

So the front Tv2 outlet needed to go to the "Cable" input in the rear Now thats fixed. But why there's a second amplifier plate and not just a "slave" plate I do not know, as there's no "antenna in" hooked up, the front amplifier plate handles all that.

Then I was having some voltage problems, factory lcd monitor not working correctly, dim brake lights ect.

Traced that to bad ground wire, replace ground wire and lug all new now,

The 30 amp fuse by the battery was never installed by the factory / dealer, So gonna fix that while I'm tearing things apart, Wire was so corroded, that i just cut it back in the fridge compartment, and ran a whole new power wire.
Now every thing seems to work correctly, and nice and bright taillights, factory lcd works correctly.

But.. while I was running a new power wire and was under the Tm I notice my brake wires on the street side were on top the frame pinched between the frame and the Tm body, Now that's fixed too.

Those mistakes were a weekend worth of work, no a big deal to me, I love my Tm and will own it as far as i can see in the future...

But I think a little more attention, shrink tubing, and quality control would go a long way. [/rant]

I look at the outdoor wiring and just shake my head in disbelief. The one one that really kills me is the electric tongue jack power line/wire. This is a 30 amp circuit where the unprotected wire is routed through the steel frame and rubs where it enters and exits. My TM is brand new and that wire is already showing wear on the insulation. I can't believe no one has gotten hurt. I won't even comment on the electric brake wiring!

Koz

[Kwantau]

I ran into the same problems on my wiring to the brakes and the wiring in the tongue area on my 2720/2011. Ended up protecting the brake wiring in a split loom and upgrading the connecters. The jack wiring also made me shuder and I ended up fixing that too and adding a groundstrap between the swing tongue and mainframe. Being a mechanic by trade I cannot see how the wiring passes inspection. The funny thing is that it would only add a few dollars to the overall cost of a TM to do it right.

Originally Posted by Kwantau

I ran into the same problems on my wiring to the brakes and the wiring in the tongue area on my 2720/2011. Ended up protecting the brake wiring in a split loom and upgrading the connecters. The jack wiring also made me shuder and I ended up fixing that too and adding a groundstrap between the swing tongue and mainframe. Being a mechanic by trade I cannot see how the wiring passes inspection. The funny thing is that it would only add a few dollars to the overall cost of a TM to do it right.

This will be this weekend's project. I will be soldering all the connections and sealing them with crimp end caps and waterproof tape. For the jack I'm going replace the fuse holder with an ATC type fuse holder and add a spade type quick connector (to disconnect). Split loom all the exposed wires and wire tie (secure) them to clean up all the hanging wiring.

Koz

[scrubjaysnest]

Originally Posted by Pitbull

This will be this weekend's project. I will be soldering all the connections and sealing them with crimp end caps and waterproof tape. For the jack I'm going replace the fuse holder with an ATC type fuse holder and add a spade type quick connector (to disconnect). Split loom all the exposed wires and wire tie (secure) them to clean up all the hanging wiring.

Koz

Good idea Koz, I did all this before we left this spring on our 6 month trip. Everything has been working out great for us so far. did have to reglue a cabinet door this week that came apart, no TM's fault that was the sub contractor.

Interesting issue with all of the electrical problems that have been reported.

Since taking delivery in April 2005, the only electrical failure was the right turn signal.

It took me 15 minutes to find a loosely crimped connection behind the fridge.

Perhaps I am just lucky.

[scrubjaysnest]

Originally Posted by PopBeavers

Interesting issue with all of the electrical problems that have been reported.

Since taking delivery in April 2005, the only electrical failure was the right turn signal.

It took me 15 minutes to find a loosely crimped connection behind the fridge.

Perhaps I am just lucky.

Biggest problem I found was incorrect crimp lugs on the wrong wire size, crimped with the wrong crimpers. The lugs used on our '11 were 12-14 AWG on 22 AWG wire using non insulated crimpers on insulated lugs.