| Author | Message | ||
| shawn bennear (Lilneoplan)
Rating: N/A |
I recently re-did the turn signal lights on my little 26' neoplan. Now i have a problem with the circuit breaker poping. They work for a while, then the breaker pops. It never did this until I changed out the lights. i put 24 volt bulbs back in, at least i believe they all are. Is a new flasher in order? or should i change out the bulbs to all 12v? if thats even possible... thanks for any advice shawn | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
I'm having trouble understanding what you've done... Are you trying to exchange 24v dual filament bulbs with 12v dual filament bulbs? Or did you change defective 24v bulb sockets with new 12v ones (and grounded the socket)? The 24v bulb filaments are not grounded to the bulb casing, so the bulb socket doesn't (shouldn't) carry any voltage or ground. The 12v bulbs (filaments) are grounded to the casing, and will create a shorted condition. (There. Now you don't understand what -I've- said!) | ||
| Stan Rating: N/A |
Somehow you have increased the current in the circuit. Did you add more lights? Did you replace the bulbs with the exact same number? Did you replace the flasher? Is everything in the turn light circuit 24 volt and is it being fed with 24 volts? What did you do when you redid the circuit? | ||
| shawn bennear (Lilneoplan)
Rating: N/A |
well, i did make everything work again... there are a total of 10 turn signals and 4 ways. 5 flash with each turn signal, and all 10 flash with the 4 ways. I am sure that all bulbs involved are 24V bulbs. I just was not certain if the circuit breaker was big enough to handle all bulbs. The whole system worked fine until i hooked up the big round ones on the top of the back end. then now they will work for a bit, then they are done. shawn | ||
| Stan Rating: N/A |
You didn't answer any of my questions so I can't offer any more help. | ||
| Jim Ashworth (Jimnh)
Rating: N/A |
Adding the two extra lights *might* have exceeded the breaker's capacity, but it is not likely. You may have one of the little electrical contact buttons in the light socket out of place. Occasionally they will protude from the bakelite disk and when the bulb is inserted it will bend over and contact the wall of the socket creating a short. This is not enough to immediately trip the breaker since it is an intermittent short, but over time it will overload the breaker so it trips. Pull the bulbs and check each one carefully. Took me a while to find this on my MCI. Good luck. Jim | ||
| Shawn Bennear (Lilneoplan)
Rating: N/A |
i didnt add anymore lights to the bus, i did change they styles... i went from the standard style to a wedge base on the 4 side markers. I was thinking about adding more, but didnt. I didnt change anything else on the circuit, and the flasher is the origional from 86, that may be a issue. I looked at 24 volt flashers and they are rated at 6 bulbs shawn | ||
| Stan Rating: N/A |
It is unusual to have four side markers flashing plus the front and rear. I don't think side marker lights would have bulbs that draw a lot of current. When there is something wrong with the flasher, it just stops stops flashing and all the lights are on steady or all the lights are off. If it worked before you made changes, then you have increased the load on the breaker. Either the bulbs are different wattage or you have leakage to ground. | ||
| Shawn Bennear (Lilneoplan)
Rating: N/A |
stan, actually, what is flashing are... turn signals would be front, 2 sides, and 2 rears. 4 ways would be 2 fronts, 4 side, and 4 rears. when you say leakage to ground, what does that mean exactly? the side markers are the only bulbs that have changed, and I am prepared to remove them all and replace every bulb again just to be sure. am i incorrect to assume that 12 volt bulbs would immediately blow out if used on a 24 volt system? one other thing, are the headlights 12 or 24? thanks again! shawn | ||
| Stan Rating: N/A |
Shawn: Remove the bulbs from the side markers and see if the signal lights work OK. If that works then you have to investigate the bulbs in the markers. The bulbs should have a number printed on them and any parts store should have a bulb catalogue with the specs. If it doesn't work with the side markers out then look for leakage to ground. Most likely caused by something you did when you changed the light bases. Check for a pinched wire under the base or a mounting screw that has touched the wire on the inside of the skin. 12 volt bulbs will not blow instantly on 24 volts. They get voltage for a very brief period on the flasher and might survive. If you connect 24 volts to each lamp it will not last long and will get very bright. I have no idea what voltage your headlights are. On MCI buses the manufacturer seems to have changed to 12 or 24 every time someone came up with a new idea. Before you go to the parts store with the number of your marker bulbs, get the number of a headlight and check it out at the same time. There is a lot of bulb info on the internet. Try this site and find you bulb number or letters and click on details. http://www.topbulb.com/find/prod_list.asp_Q_intSubCategory_E_431 | ||
| Stan Rating: N/A |
Shaun: If you don't have a meter then get one. It is a necessity to troubleshoot the electric system. Harbor Freight sells a digital meter for less than $10.00 that will measure up to 10 Amps DC plus AC and DC voltage and resistance. Not the highest quality but much better than nothing. Frequently I assume too much, thinking that nobody would be working on electric systems without a meter. Even more important is learning how to use the meter after you get it. | ||
| Tom Caffrey (Pvcces)
Rating: N/A |
Shaun, old circuit breakers and their connections often generate more heat than when they were new. If they are run anywhere near their capacity, they are apt to cycle on and off. If you know that one trips on less than it's rated current, it's not likely to get any better. You're just as well off replacing it with a new one. Good luck. Tom Caffrey PD4106-2576 Suncatcher Ketchikan, Alaska | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Ok, I'll ask the question I'm sure everyone wishes would be asked: Is the bus you're working on, a 24 volt bus, or a 12 volt bus? This is the URL for bulb references: http://www.asltg.com/MiniatureLampsContents.htm Weakened circuit breakers can cause that same problem, and it costs little to replace them. It's a worthwhile venture that I oughta' take myself.... However.... since you say that you've only changed/replaced bulbs and holders (not added any to the circuit), I would suspect the replacement bulb(s) and/or especially the holders you've used, rather than a breaker that wasn't a problem previous to the change. You can't use 12 v bulbs and assemblies with a 24 v system (or vice-versa) without modification to the bulb socket and wiring. And... a 24v bulb won't fare well in a 12v socket, or vice-versa.... | ||
| Shawn Bennear (Lilneoplan)
Rating: N/A |
After looking a little further at the side markers i put on, i did find a pinched wire(+) between the housing bottom and the bottom. All seems fine now, although I did replace all the bulbs with 24 volt ones just to be sure... thanks for all the excellent advice! shawn | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Didn't I tell ya' it was easy?  |