Converter troubleshooting help: Scamp 13' 2002

[Shannon Thompson]

Wise Compadres and Road Warriors.....

Having some weird electrical issues between battery and shore power on my converter and wonder if anyone has some advice.... (Full disclosure: I know very little about the wiring system in the Scamp; have been reading and studying for a couple months now and learning, but...)

Centurion 3000 Converter 30A system

-When operating on battery only, 12V systems seem to work fine (lights, etc).

-When plugged into shore power, 120 systems work fine, but 12V systems (lights, plugs) begin to flicker and the Overload light on the converter comes on. Converter begins to hum and pulse (not fan). 12V lights flicker in time with the pulsing/humming. Even when all lights, appliances are off the converter still shows Overload and is humming and pulsing. I do not know if battery is charging.

-Checked ground wires both going into converter and attached to trailer frame. Seem solid. Have checked fuses in panel, up front, in the stows, etc.

I have read that the Centurion 3000 has a circuit board that goes out that can be replaced (almost as much as a new converter) and can display same symptoms. But also a loose wire in systems somewhere can display the same symptoms. I want to be sure I have checked every thing possible before taking it to the shop. Shop is not close, nor convenient, will require significant planning, etc. to get there and will probably cost $$$ to have them replace and fix.

So.... any wise words or things to check that I might have missed? Not afraid to take everything apart and rummage around; just don't know what to rummage around for....

Thanks very much.

Shannon

[Thomas G.]

It almost sounds like there is a short and a circuit breaker is kicking off and resetting. Can you use an ammeter to test the load on the converter?

I don't understand why there would be a short present on AC, but would not be there on battery power only, unless the circuit is different with AC present (like a relay actuated internal to the converter.)

[mary and bob]

You may try disconnecting any 12 volt lights one at a time to see if there is a problem with one of them, although I realize that may not be easy. Maybe do it by pulling one fuse at a time, if there is more than one. In general, disconnect anything electrical, one at a time or whatever is possible, to see if the problem changes.

[Jared J]

I don't know that converter, but if it's possible, I would pull all fuses or whatever it has to stop all 12v power going out of it, and then put an analog meter on it. If the needle is sweeping all over the place, you know it's the converter and not wiring then. If you don't have a analog meter, wire a single bulb straight into it. If you have steady power, you know it's a wiring problem. If the meter or bulb is pulsing with everything else unhooked, it's a converter issue.

If I have to troubleshoot a system, I prefer to split in half right off the bat, rather than check individual parts.

Considering it works with battery only, I'm betting it is going to show in the converter. How you tell what part of the converter is beyond me. At that point, I would just chuck a new one in. I just put a pd4045 in, and love it, although the instructions were lacking, their customer service is great.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Jared J

......... At that point, I would just chuck a new one in. I just put a pd4045 in, and love it, although the instructions were lacking, their customer service is great.

I'm not sure if the OP has the skill set to replace it, but I agree that I'd replace it before I'd pop for a new circuit board.