All,
Newbie here. Picked up our new-to-us 1997 SMB EB E350 2wd this past weekend and took it on a shakeout trip. Generally, things went well but we're still chasing a few electrical/switch/av mysteries.
I've searched a bunch on the forum and have read about battery switches (van v house), etc. However, I'm not quite sure about the following.
1) The switch below appears to not be original but is located on the same panel as the rear vent/fan knob and the thermostat. It is a toggle switch with 3 positions (depressed on left, neutral at center, and depressed at right). Written in pencil above the switch is "F" on the left and "R" on the right. Assuming that these stand for "Front" and "Rear," I'm trying to determine what exactly this switch does. After a little investigation, I've noticed that with the key out of the ignition and with no shore power connected, if the switch is on "R" the stereo in the dash turns on. If I turn the switch to neutral or "F," the radio shuts off. All other lights, rear fan, etc seem t work with the switch in any position. Ok, so that maybe means it's an ignition bypass? So, does "R" mean that the "rear" or house battery is being used for the stereo? Hmmmm. See below for a picture.
2) Second is a set of coax cables that run through a junction switch which terminates in a single coax that goes to the tv in the back of the tv cabinet (a fantastic 9 inch tv/vcr!). So, I know that there's an external coax hook up on the rear driver side of the van, but anyone have any idea why there would be two other coax cables necessitating a switch? Maybe from the front dash stereo (an older aftermarket Alpine unit with a slide out touch screen/gps thing), but even still that would be two coax cables. Any ideas?
Many thanks!
Josh