[Michael]

They are on two separate circuits so it has to be a ground issue at that location.

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Mike Harper

2004 Marathon XLII

[Archived]

Two separate power circuits but I’d bet they are routed together. Has anybody done any work in the area recently?

[Jim/Chris]

Thanks for the quick feedback.

So I am not being stupid, is the ground just the bus itself or does the screw go into a ground behind the stainless of the bus? The way they both work is that they screw into a hole in the skin and the ground from the light fixture just goes to one of those screws. I have assumed that the bus shell itself then is acting as the ground, since I can’t see behind the skin. Both “hot” wires come out of holes separately but who knows what happens behind the stainless.

I suspect grounding issue, which I have solved before by cleaning the contact points or changed screws that got rusty, but neither is solving it here.

Thanks!!!

[Archived]

Mike, I am not sure, but on an entertainer shell the skin the lights attach to is unlikely to be stainless so it may not be the ground. I think entertainer shells used a plastic skin down to the top of the bay doors,

I would start by ohming out the ground for the lights to the terminal end of the ground wires. If you have continuity there then check for continuity at that point to something metal on the chassis.

Or measure voltage between the hot wire for the lights and the ground. If no voltage poke around until you get a voltage reading at a place you can create a ground.

[Archived]

Jon,

Yes it is stainless all the way down. I pulled the front marker off and confirmed it gives my 13 volts from the light to the stainless shell. I see no ground wires, just the screw attaching it to the stainless shell.

For both of the lights not working I have tested from the light (hot wire) to the shell and get nothing. I will keep poking around, but sure feels like somehow both hot leads are “dead” which doesn’t make much sense since they are different circuits and all associated lights work. Anyway, I’ll head back out with the VOM and see what I can find out.

Thanks!

[Michael]

I am not much of a believer of coincidence, especially two different circuits failing at the same time at the same place.

Perhaps a call to Prevost or a service center to see if someone there can describe how the wires are routed. If they are loop fed then the next lights should have failed also. I doubt if they are home runs.

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Mike Harper

2004 Marathon XLII

[Bob]

Agreed! I will continue to pursue and probably have a “duh” moment when I figure it out. I will try Prevost next.

[Archived]

which side?

[Thomas]

Mike prevostcar.com has wiring diagram use last letter in your serial number plus last 4 digits.. or try mine W-6553….. should be same. I had mine all way down to side insulation inside. will try to remember to ck tomorrow for feed to that area. try turn signal on the side you have problem with.

[Dick]

It is on the driver’s side. I looked at the wiring diagrams and see where they connect into the circuit breakers – both side markers go to the same circuit and the passenger side works fine. Took a picture of the marker light circuit and attached.

Also verified in the wiring diagram that the turn signal goes to a different circuit / circuit breaker.

Nothing has been done to the bus that would have cut anything, so strange to say the least.

Tomorrow I will try to tone out the wires and see if I can figure out where they go (physically that is – not the wiring diagram).

Thanks for the comments!!

[Archived]

We’ve exchanged posts on one of the Prevost Facebook posts.

A couple of years ago I changed out ALL the 20 side marker and turning signal lights on the sides of our 99 XLV Liberty. Being a Liberty there are five (5) sets on each side of the coach rather than I believe are the standard three (3) sets. Two lights in each set. I also changed out the five identical market lights on the stainless steel valance under the front bumper that was installed by Liberty (Doesn’t Liberty think of everything?)

I too wondered about grounding. To the best I could figure out, the side lights are grounded to the stainless steel by way of (at least in my case) one of the two self-thread cutting screws used to fasten the light and fixture to the stainless steel side. After a while it gets to be easy to identify the grounding screw: Its the most corroded, deteriorated, and roached out of the two. Often the heads broke off when I touched them with a screw driver.

As you acknowledged on Facebook, replace them with stainless steel self-thread cutting screws (which have a different thread profile than self-tapping or regular 10-32 (IIRC) screws. Use the wrong profile, the screw will bind up in the threads, lock up, and you’ll break off the screw and create a big job for yourself. Asked me how I know that!

Excellent replacement LED side marker/turning signal lights and lenses are available from fellow XL Prevost owner Bill Puleo who owns the Chrome Depot and advertises on this website:

Chrome Depot
Bill Puleo 800-496-6303
9769 State Rought 44 Mantua, OH 44255
billpuleo@roadrunner.com

[Tad]

Dick, Thanks for all the information! Yes, I posted on both places, not knowing the crossover.

Anyway, Had my “ah-ha” moment this morning and found the issue. It indeed was cut wires. One thing I had not considered is I did an oil and air filter change on the generator after we got back. In this configuration, unknown to me, they ran those two wires through that bay (1 1/2 away from the lights) across the top of the generator. Well, when sliding it back in, apparently the wire had dropped from the ceiling, gotten stuck and pulled apart at two connectors. To find it, I toned the hot wires and they were not getting to the breaker. Then I opened all of the bays and started toning any visible wires.

This morning I pulled the genset way out to get to them and have them back together. All is working.

Now on to improving the markers themselves and getting the safety inspection.

Thanks for everyone responding.

Mike

[Gern]

Mike,

What is the brand and model of the toner you use?

Joe

[George]

I use the Fluke 3000 pro – https://www.amazon.com/Fluke-Networks-26000900-Pro3000-Generator/dp/B000FTADX0/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=fluke+pro+3000&qid=1594858590&sr=8-2

Have had it for 7 years and still works like new. Saved me many times with a custom conversion bus finding wires and runs.

[Archived]

Mike,

Thanks for the info! Just ordered 1 from your link. Anything to make bus life easier.

Joe