98 Starcool blowing fuse

bshillam · 09-22-2014, 10:06 PM

Today I hooked up my new SMB to 110 to check the Starcool out, make sure all the outlets worked, etc. Well - nothing on the A/C. So a few minutes of hunting and I found right off the breaker was a 20 amp fuse blown. Replaced and the Starcool kicks in, I hear the compressor working and then about 10 seconds later fuse blown. Replaced with 25 amp and it worked about five minutes this time and then blew. Either one of the motors is struggling and drawing to much amps or I have the wrong fuse. I looked at the manual and it was no good. Does anyone know what the proper fuse rating is? the breaker is a 20 amp breaker on the 110 panel.
Thanks.

**daveb** · 09-22-2014, 11:41 PM

I'm guessing the fuse is on the 12vDC side and maybe feeds one of the fans perhaps??? Have you looked over all the fans and made sure they are all free turning. Like I said I'm just guessing.

BrianW · 09-23-2014, 06:23 AM

I had this same problem on my 98 SMB with Starcool. One of my aux fans (the one in front of the radiator) had seized and was drawing too much power. Took me a while to figure it out. Starcool would run for between 30 seconds and three minutes and then either trip the 12v breaker in the Starcool circuit panel or blow a 12v fuse once the fan tried to kick in.

I commented on a few threads on the forum, along with part numbers to replace the fan if needed: http://sportsmobileforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9555 and viewtopic.php?f=40&t=7394&start=30

If you feel really motivated, here's a great mod I did to my 98 Starcool: adding a remote switch to the dash. One of the best mods I did to my van - it's really convenient. viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9157&hilit=+starcool+fuse

bshillam · 09-23-2014, 08:50 AM

I'll get the wife to put a new fuse in and check both are operational. If I understand it correctly there should be two fans? One behind the radiator and one under the drivers seat (which I can see from the road side). ?

BrianW · 09-23-2014, 09:05 AM

Most vans have the fan in front of the radiator. You should be able to see it looking in your front grille. You should be able to hear it come on.

I can't recall if the one under the van (behind the driver's front wheel) only comes on in 110v mode, or if it comes on when running on 12v too. But the one in the front should definitely come on in 12v (driving) mode.

BrianW · 09-23-2014, 09:13 AM

Oops, just re-read your initial question. Is the problem happening only when hooked up to shore power (110v), or also when running on van power (12v)?

If you are plugged in, you need to have a 30amp circuit for the Starcool to run. It won't run correctly off a standard home outlet as it needs more juice, especially to start the compressor.

The Starcool system has a variety of breakers, including the 110v-20a on the main AC breaker panel, a 12v-40a breaker on the Starcool fuse panel (the little black box has a push button breaker reset that's hard to see), and 12v fuses on the fuse panel. See the schematic that Scalf77 posted on this thread: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9157

bshillam · 09-23-2014, 04:40 PM

It's on 110 that I am having problems. Behind the 110 breaker panel is a set of fuses. The one for the starcool was originally 20 amps. I have 20 amp service in the garage. Is that not enough to use just the Starcool? Maybe that's the problem and I need to pull into rv park to test the system. I figured it shouldn't draw more than 20 amps since it was on a 20 amp breaker...

BrianW · 09-23-2014, 04:57 PM

The fuses are for the 12v side of the system. Even when running on shore power some parts of the system run on 12v (fans, blower, etc.). This is the exact thing mine was doing. Might be the same problem as mine, or maybe not. Check your outside fans as a first step. With the system off try to spin by hand. Also look to see if they come on when the 12v side of things is running (while van is running). They are fairly loud outside when they run so you'll know.

Yes, you need 30 amp service to really make it work. It will try to work on 15-20 amps, but really won't. And you may damage it. That wouldn't blow the fuse you are taking about though.

Where are you located? Maybe a local forum member could help you.

bshillam · 09-23-2014, 05:31 PM

Bellingham, WA

bshillam · 09-23-2014, 05:53 PM

So I went out w/o any power to the van, checked the fan under the drivers side it had a few rocks in it. cleaned it out, flushed it with water and the fan blades spin freely now. I think those few rocks would have kept it from spinning possibly. The fan in the front of the radiator does not spin freely. I started up the van 12 volt and turned on the a/c full blast. Neither of the fans turned on the outside. However the Starcool fans on the inside do blow air. Should the fan in front of the radiator spin freely? If so, this might be contributing to the problem.