Mysterious camper wiring issue

Here is the issue.

The brake lights, running lights and turn signals work great... 

EXCEPT when the running lights or headlights are turned on in the truck. 

If the truck lights are on, then the camper running lights work, but the brake lights and turn signals do not.

This happens not just when connected to our truck, but when we connect to other trucks too. (Thanks for bringing your truck over today, Rob).

We've scoured the interwebs, and the advice is to:

1) check all the grounds (done)

2) check for a weak ground by adding a jumper wire from a good ground (on the frame)

 to each light assembly 

(that doesn't change anything, so a weak ground isn't the issue)

(but it did help us identify a weak ground in one of the camper running lights, which we fixed)

3) make sure there isn't an exposed or pinched wire anywhere in the camper.

Say what?

This is overwhelming.  David checked many places but how can you check them all? 

Has anyone experienced this? Or have a suggestion?

It's also worth mentioning that David hard wired a separate ground wire from the tail light assembly 

to the trailer frame. Those suckers are grounded.

This was all ok in summer when the days start at 5 am and it's light until after 10 pm.  But the days are getting shorter every day people! There will be a time soon when we need to pull the camper somewhere in the dark, with the truck headlights on.

Suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

Here's a relaxing photo of the last place we took the toaster camping. A cedar forest on the Kootenai National Forest near the Montana/Idaho border.  

UPDATE SEPT 11, 2013

Thank goodness for the Tin Can Tourist group on Facebook! People had several suggestions, which David tried, and now the problem is fixed! Huzzah!

He wired the lights backwards, I believe. He reversed the wires and now it works.  The internet is just amazing. Thank you friends! Now we can travel at night.  We are unstoppable.

Oven repairs (second attempt)

Things are going well. We've take the camper on many weekend trips. There are tons of beautiful places near Missoula to explore. Here's the toaster in the Bull River Valley recently.

We're down to three remaining issues, and they are proving a bit tough to solve.

They are: a wiring issue with the signal/brake lights (they won't work if the headlights are on), the oven, and the trailer brakes.  I'll leave the brake discussion for another time (it's been a long day), and put the wiring issue in a separate post.

Let's start with the oven.

The burners on the stove top work great. However we can't get the oven going.  Propane never seems to enter the oven. Today we took apart all the gas lines, blew them out, turned the propane on and off, while checking different points in the system, etc.  After a thorough investigation, it appears that the problem is either in the safety valve or the pilot mechanism.  Above you can see David warming up the sensor on the safety valve- if you do that, you can hear a CLICK and after that point you can blow through the supply line.  If there is no flame (ie the pilot light isn't lit) then no gas should be allowed through the valve.

The problem before that, then, is how to get the pilot light lit. Even after cleaning out everything possible, we can't get propane to come out of the pilot light assembly.  It may be easier to just replace this. Where can one get a 1966 Holiday Oven pilot light assembly? If you know, please tell us. I checked at vintagetrailersupply.com without success.

It could be the safety valve too. If it were possible to replace both, it would be very satisfying. We will continue looking for repair information and/or replacement parts.

It is also possible that we are missing a step in the basic process of trying to turn on the pilot light. The control knob does NOT have a setting for "pilot", and it is not possible to push the knob in (some ovens have that).  There is just an on/off switch for the main supply. 

If you have some ideas about this, please leave a comment, or even email me if you don't like commenting on blogs. marilynjmarler@gmail.com

We are perplexed.

UPDATE 9/10/13

David got the pilot light to work- it turns out that there is a little screw at the end of the assembly that opens or closes so you can adjust the flame size. It was completely shut, and hence no propane was coming out.  

The heater pilot also works. However the burners still don't come on.  So the remaining possibilities are 

*broken thermostat

*broken sensor on the safety valve

*broken safety valve in general

We did find some replacement safety valves on eBay but they are $80.  We may end up getting one just to rule it out... and who knows, maybe to just start hoarding replacement parts! I called a local RV service shop and they said it would be extremely hard to get any parts for a '66 Holiday Oven for a camper.

UPDATED UPDATE 9/10/13

David fixed it. The problem was that the heater pilot was coming on, but not burning high enough to touch the thermocouple (sensor) on the security valve.

So... the solution was simply to adjust the heater pilot. And the control for that is hidden behind this knob...

Voila. That's the adjuster, between 12 and 1 o'clock. Clearly labelled "HTR".

If we'd had an owner's manual the whole repair would have taken mere moments! 

Step 1, open pilot valve at the tip, and 

Step 2, adjust the heater pilot flame with the super secret lever.

I hope this helps someone else with their classic camper oven!

Let's bake some muffins!

Solo trip

I took the camper out by myself this weekend.  Meaning, without David or Miles. 

I wasn't by myself once I got there. 

I went to Montana Summer BOW, held near Missoula this year.  BOW (which stands for "Becoming and Outdoor Woman," which sounds dated but is Super Cool) is a program run by Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks.  It's pretty much summer camp for adult women. You have a chance to learn various outdoor skills like shooting, archery, boating, fishing, natural history, in a supportive mostly women environment. 

 Here's the Toaster next to a 1959 Hiawatha.

And here is a cute little pop-up style camper.  It had large skylights for star watching. 

I enjoyed seeing others' campers. A mini-taste of how a vintage camper rally would go down? 

Most women were in tents or little cabins, but the campers got some love and we all gave some tours. 

I've done several of the Montana BOW workshops and they are always fun and educational.  I learned how to shoot a gun at BOW several years ago, and learned how to talk about the various calibers and what not.  This time I took  butterfly id, fly tying and birding. Lots of states and Canadian provinces offer BOW workshops and I suggest you visit the International BOW webpage and register for one near you.  If you are woman and you enjoy the outdoors, at least.

I had a good time at BOW, and relevant to this blog, I am really glad that I learned how to hitch up, drive, back up, and set up the camper on my own.  I feel lame when I have to rely on David for all those things, and fortunately for me, he is very willing to teach me how to operate and tow the Toaster. 

I didn't think I'd ever be able to hitch up the trailer, let alone without someone there to give me hand signals.  But allow me to show you my first ever attempt at solo backing up:

I KNOW.  Not too shabby. 

But a little off so I did it again. 

And then again until it was perfect.

It is taking practice and it's a bit frustrating.. But after a few lessons I feel pretty confident.  I didn't hurt the camper, and no one got hurt or killed. I'm glad I could this, and I think it's appropriate my first solo outing was to BOW, a program of women's empowerment. 

Thanks David for teaching me to do this! 

Oh and here's some flies I tied at "summer camp."

Maiden Voyage

Mission Mountains, Montana

The maiden voyage was a great success.

Here we are, all set up at Lake Alva Campground. We kept a list of things to make/get/improve for next time. It is a pretty short list because things went great!

FYI here is a close up of the "stepper" David made:

Made with some materials left over from the renovation, plus a door mat on top. AND the lid lifts up to reveal storage for the levelers and a level for the set up process.

Here is some built in organization David did. Those are the awning poles and a pulley (for when a person has to set up the awning alone). I sewed the bag out of leftover awning fabric to hold the tent stakes and guy line.

Magazine rack for maps and books etc. And notice the little tv (nights are long here in late autumn and early spring!)

The kitchen worked great.

The bed was cozy.

We hiked up to Cold Lakes (Upper and Lower) on Saturday.  We probably never would have done this hike unless we were camped nearby; it is a 2 hour drive from Missoula and usually if we are going to drive that far we would go on a longer hike (this was about 6 miles round trip). It was a perfect day hike, uncrowded, good for swimming, beautiful. Huckleberries.  

No real problems! We can't wait to take it out again.

Awning is complete

This is a follow up to my previous post, which has a lot of instructions about making an awning. Instructions I gleaned from other sources.  Glad to report that it is finished.

 Here is how it went down.

I had a lot of help with this, as you can see. Natalie and Miles were there constantly to make sure everything went well. Also helpful: someone on the Tin Can Tourist FB page who mentioned the half off awning fabric sale at JoAnn- it was quite a score. Thanks. 

David made the template for the scallops, which was really helpful.  He traced the edge of a plate in such a way that he got exactly 3 scallops per pattern repeat.  It turned out really well- the only challenging thing about the scallops was that it is hard to get the bias tape all the way up into the "corner" between the scallops.  If I were to do another awning, I would use this kind of profile:

It would be easier to sew on the binding tape.  I heard on FB that Sailrite.com has a special bias tape that is easier to work with than regular bias tape. That is the company that makes (or at least sells) the Keder line.

The completed awning is 75" by 60".  We put it on the camper and it looks great. However I forgot to take a picture, so it's almost like it didn't happen.  We have tent poles that we got on eBay for a few dollars.  David made a rack inside the camper closet to hold the poles and the stakes and pulley.  I'll sew a bag to keep the awning in for storage.  What else?  For the most part I followed the ThisMontanaLife.com instructions.  A few changes (I will also note this on the previous post):

* I didn't encase the side seams in bias tape.

* Instead I used the French seam plus a welt stich to make it more rigid and strong.

*I added a grommet on the last scallop on the left hand side (closest to the camper when mounted) that can be used for the pull rope when putting the awning in place.

Can I just say that the hardest part of this whole project was putting in the grommets?  I spent so much time bonding with the awning and taking care of it, nurturing it to reach its destiny. And the final step is to cut holes in it and then hit it with a hammer. Ouch.  Of course it turned out fine.

More progress- bed and fridge

Here's a nice shot of the Master Bedroom, in progress! David built new framing for the new bed 

(he used 1x3s because it is planned for 1/2" plywood... always thinking of keeping the trailer light).

As in other parts of the camper, this project resulted in a more structurally sound and happier camper.  

Plus, look at the beautiful colors and the lovely scroll work below the bed.  Look at the pretty white ceiling panel! Notice the storage cabinet for seldom-accessed things, 

behind a cubby for stowing frequently-accessed things. 

As a reminder, here is a BEFORE photo. Kind of dark.

And here was the demo phase, wherein we discovered extra water damage and had to do more framing than originally anticipated.  We replaced that batt insulation with rigid insulation.

Speaking of batt insulation, David also spiffed up the ice box.  It was formerly insulated with about 1/4" of fiberglass insulation and some cardboard.  I think that was just to hold the fiberglass in place.  After cleaning the ice box, David caulked or possible "Great Stuff-ed" the gaps around various parts of the ice box, and now it fits so well in its little wall space.

Here's a picture FROM the bedroom:

Time to make the awning

Things are coming together for the awning. I'm going to sew it. Big thanks to This Montana Life for posting a detailed step by tuturorial. Here it is.  The author also makes custom awnings, and you can find out more about that at www.theawninglady.com.

In the tutorial she describes making her own keder rope (which gets sewn to the awning, and then run through the awning rail to connect the camper. But on the other webpage she says she uses keder rope bead.  So I emailed her since she seems very friendly and interesting, and is a fellow Montanan.

We got the fabric at Joann's, on sale thanks to a tip off from someone at Tin Can Tourists. 

It's Monteserra Sangria, I believe (photos forthcoming). 

Here are some keder rope sites, I'm putting them here so I don't lose them.

http://www.sailrite.com/Keder-Awning-Rope-Tape

Well that's the main one I found that I like, I enjoy the YouTube videos. If anyone knows other sources or products let me know.  Thanks.  Here we go. (Just as soon as my fabric comes in the mail).

Update:
This is a helpful video about how to do a rope and pulley system to make the installation easier.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00AFXao-k4I

Another update:

I varied slightly from the instructions at ThisMontanalife.com

* I didn't encase the side seams in bias tape.

* Instead I used the French seam plus a welt stich to make it more rigid and strong.

* I purchased keder rope from Sailrite.com, and it turns out that is what the author of the aforementioned blog uses also. She told me she doesn't make her own anymore.

*I added a grommet on the last scallop on the left hand side (closest to the camper when mounted) that can be used for the pull rope when putting the awning in place.

Happening fast- water and propane

Things are happening so quickly that I have fallen behind on the blogging.  Why so fast? Probably because Miles the Wonder Dog is so incredibly helpful.  Here he is helping David:

 This was around the time David finished setting up the new water tank with an on-demand pump. 

Here it is:

It's a 16 gallon tank, all new lines (made out of pex so they won't rust or corrode). It is set up with a 12v on-demand pump (you can see it in the upper right hand corner), to which David connected on/off switch near the sink, just so the pump doesn't run all the time (if there is a leak or something, which hopefully there won't be).  This whole thing sits under one of the dinette benches, and now has a spiffy hinged lid for easy access.  We also have a new water inlet, so it can be filled easily from outside.  Huzzah.

In this picture, the water tank is on the side that is further away.  Check out the good-looking venting under the dinette bench- one by the water tank so it can get heat (and not freeze) and one near the central wiring area so the battery and everything can ventilate a bit. Plus it just looks cool.

David also did a lot of work for the propane system.  This is serious business, you can bet that Miles was there paying attention to every single detail.

 Nothing escapes his attention, as you can see.

David re-plumbed the camper's propane delivery pipes using 3/8" black iron pipe to replace the kinked copper pipes.  Honestly, Miles was not helpful at all for this phase.

After getting that set up, we tested the stove top (works great), the propane heater (works great) and the oven (doesn't work...yet)

Some photos from appliance day.

Such a cute oven. Do other people use their ovens? We have read that most people just use the stove top.

Here is the inside:

Kind of taken apart to figure out what is wrong.  Here's the problem:

After talking with the nice folks at Rangitsch Brothers RV in Missoula, we think this is the pilot light supply line.  (David actually talked to them, so sorry if I got that wrong, sweetie).

And here is the trusty Hydro Flame furnace. And some long reach matches. Why matches? Because there are no lighters that are not made in China, and we are on a year project of buying nothing from China.

The instructions look they were just printed yesterday.

I think that is it for this post.

People are taking notice!

The exterior transformation is almost complete, and we are getting lots of "Looks good!" and so on from passersby and neighbors. They were probably nervous that the banged up camper we bought in April was going to just sit on the street and decline indefinitely. But it's really looking good!

Before:

 There will be a striped awning on this side- you can see the awning rail.

Notice the eyebrows over the windows, too.  It came with an eyebrow over the door. 

David also added a handlebar to make it easier for me to get in.

And here is the Before of the front and driver side.

After- again notice the eyebrows. I especially like the little eyebrow on the little window.

Notice the diamond plate on the front and the upgrade to 2 propane tanks instead of one.

I am mainly in charge of sewing, painting, and clean up on this project, and now I have moved on to some interior painting. Remember the color scheme.

The light brown (paint chip on the left) isn't working out, but the little galley looks great in "green" and "cream." We aren't using the fabric in the upper right hand corner for the camper, but I did make it into an awesome skirt.  The other two patterns are curtains. 

I will post some interior pics in a later post. We need wall board (paneling) for most of the inside, and ceiling.   And flooring which we bought yesterday at Home ReSource for a great price. We love supporting them and always find the Perfect Thing.

I was painting the other night and a neighbor biked by and said we were doing a great job. Apparently he is a professional vintage camper restorationist, and that made me feel AWESOME to get a shout out. So here is a shout out to their company 

(I am pretty sure this is where he works, in East Missoula), 

Blue Moon Caravans, Missoula Montana

He also told me (paraphrasing) that he enjoys seeing other people experiencing his own personal kind of hell, but I could tell he loves his work.  So I made him look at the inside of the camper, too! 

Outside the camper

We started painting the exterior.  David needed to take out and re-insert the rear window, so it seemed like the perfect time. Here is a Before shot:

And During: 

(can't say "AFTER" since this is just after the French Market aka "cream" color was painted on.  

The bottom color is going to be Beautiful Brown Eyes.)

We added this spiffy eyebrow to the back window, to help keep water from getting in. 

It looks pretty sharp.

And check out the two propane tanks, also painted French Market. 

But with silver to match the diamond plating on the front of the camper. 

And new security chains.

And the tongue is has been reconfigured to hold both tanks (it originally just had room for 1), 

plus a new coat of paint.

Raining yesterday and today, so no progress on painting. But good painting weather is in the forecast!

Wiring and insulation

Long time, no post, but things are happening.  

After re-framing pretty much the whole trailer and 

attaching the outer skin to that framing, 

David ran wires throughout. 

He's also been insulating using perfectly cut-to-size panels of rigid insulation. This is really light weight and unlike the batting form of insulation, can contribute at least a little bit of structure to the camper.

Here's a view looking to the back of the camper.

 

So tidy and nice!

Here is some info on the wiring and electricity set up, in case you are interested in that kind of thing.

We bought a Deka 8A4D battery, which seriously cost almost as much as the trailer. (Keep in mind that we got the trailer at an auction for a great price, but STILL). It's a 200 amp hour battery, made in the USA. (You can one made in China for half price but we prefer to support US made products).

The battery isn't pictured here, but this is what you are looking at:

Top left: the fuse box.

Top right: the converter that converts 110v "shore power" to  12v "battery power" 

Bottom:  this is the outlet where the shore power enters, after it goes through a service panel with two 15 amp circuits. (That is probably more than we will need, but it is better to be safe.)

Notice the converter just plugs into it, and then the converter connects to the Deka battery (those wires aren't shown in the photo above).

One circuit from the fuse box runs into a 12v outlet so we have a place to charge phones and other little devices. The other circuits run to over head lights, under cabinet lights and a small fan. There is a circuit reserved for a little laptop for watching dvds or such (nighttime comes early half the year in Montana!).

The oven/stove/heater are all propane, so that isn't involved, and the fridge is literally just an icebox, so that isn't involved either.

I thought people might be interested in this because the old campers weren't set up to run off a 12v battery. Ours was set to connect to "shore power" and also had some propane appliances (lamps, etc, in addition to the stove and furnace).  When thinking about our future use of the camper, it's likely that we won't typically be camping somewhere with shore power.  

All the electrical "stuff" is mounted under the seats in the dinette. There is plenty of room down there, so lots of room to work, room for ventilation, and room for the potential addition of a solar powered system. 

****

Meanwhile I've been sewing. I finished the seat covers. It was a learning experience, and they look pretty good.  We ordered a 3/4 size bed (on the advice of people on the Tin Can Tourist site on Facebook, we went with this one  It's made in the US! And less expensive than ordering foam and fabric etc and making one yourself.)

A structural issue corrected

Here is the FRONT wall of the camper, the wall that gets all brunt of wind etc as the trailer rolls down the highway. This wall didn't appear to have any framing or insulation; just a sheet of painted plywood attached to the window via caulk. Not structurally sound.  So David took it off....

and confirmed the suspicions.  Nothing but external skin there. 

 So he added some fresh framing and voila, now there is room for insulation and a good means to secure the SIDES to the FRONT (you know, details).

And a good way to attach diamond plating to the front, which looks SUPER COOL and helps protect against rocks, etc. And David re-attached the window with better quality caulk and that special butyl tape.

 It is coming along.  Stay tuned.