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Old 07-07-2015, 05:14 AM   #11
JWA
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Location: Reynoldsburg, Ohio
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Re: Basic RV electrical; how to learn to troubleshoot

ArcticTraveller hits this topic pretty much squarely on the head---great job!

I could add what seems to be a million other parts to this but troubleshooting is at the same time very, very simple and basic as well as being vastly complex in the knowledge and experience needed to perform the process effectively, accurately and without wasting time swapping parts "just because......"

I don't mean to dissuade anyone from jumping in and learning----most of us here are probably self-taught to a degree, relying on SMB and similar forums to fine-tune specific aspects of working with particular devices.

I'll also add the analogy following most troubleshooting documents is akin to following a road map. Not sure that's as helpful as I hope so apologies if I'm obscuring any of this.

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Old 07-07-2015, 08:22 AM   #12
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Re: Basic RV electrical; how to learn to troubleshoot

I would recommend spending some time reading the wiring diagrams in your ford service manual and try to make some sense of them.

Automotive electrical diagrams are usually drawn a little differently than what you will see anywhere else and each manufacturer does theirs a bit uniquely.

My Jeep XJ diagrams are drawn a bit different than my Toyota FZJ diagrams and they're different than the ford diagrams.

Try to familiarize yourself with the diagrams for your vehicle.

They include very important information such as wire colors and sizes (this is especially helpful in large bundles of wires if you know what size to look for before you start trying to identify each color and tracer). They also include all the connectors in the vehicle and shown their location. This is extremely helpful when trying to trouble shoot because you can isolate and test separate sections of the circuits if you know where to look to unplug them.

For wiring that is added by others, you often need to be really keen and try to solve HOW they want the circuit to work before you can even try to troubleshoot it.

Simple multimeter functionality is key. If you know how to check voltage (and its polarity) and also check for continuity, you're on a good start.

You could always pick a simple circuit on your van and try to identify all the wires and connectors in that circuit as an exercise if you're bored
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