blown led light fuse -- Update: Short Found!

[bum4heli]

Good afternoon all!
I have a 2018 295QSL8 fifth wheel. I did not know it had outside (under the awning) LED'S nor did I know it had inside LED'S (above the slides) when I bought it new at the Seattle show recently.
When I picked it up from the dealer I did notice a cute red light on in the breaker panel, figured it was maybe co2 sensor or something.
My switch panel has a switch for inside LED's and one for outside LED's. I figured these must be for an option I didn't have. Well, I found out I do have them and that cute little light is above a Blown fuse. I cannot make out the hand scribbled writing above the fuse. I am assuming is says LED's. It does say 15 amps but there is a blown 20 amp in there.
My question is......
Is there anyone knowledgeable enough at there can direct me to where I should start looking for the problem?
Thank you.
By the way, just one more thing on the list my dealer should have seen and should have shown me. Horrible dealer.

[5picker]

I agree... horrible dealer. To not check if it worked and to not show you... double bad!

Have you tried to replace the fuse?

If you did and it blew, there is going to have to be some circuitry testing done.
Do you own a multimeter and know how to use it?

If your rig is new...as much as I hate to suggest, maybe a return visit to the dealer is in order. Or perhaps a mobile R/V tech.

You shouldn't have to be repairing a 2018 model that is under warranty.

[bum4heli]

Thank you so much for the reply.
Yes, I am quite proficient with a multi-meter. I was hoping there may be a particular area to test first, from historical data maybe, that would speed up the process of identifying the possible short. I didn't really want to put a higher amp fuse in there in fear of creating more problems. As it stands, The dealer and factory own the issue. If I put a big fuse in it then I own the issue.
thanks again for your reply, though.

[5picker]

A short can be anywhere... from within the load itself, (LED lights) to the switch, to the wiring that feeds it all. Take your meter and start doing some testing.

Let us know what you find so others can learn.

Best of luck.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by bum4heli

Good afternoon all!
I have a 2018 295QSL8 fifth wheel. I did not know it had outside (under the awning) LED'S nor did I know it had inside LED'S (above the slides) when I bought it new at the Seattle show recently.
When I picked it up from the dealer I did notice a cute red light on in the breaker panel, figured it was maybe co2 sensor or something.
My switch panel has a switch for inside LED's and one for outside LED's. I figured these must be for an option I didn't have. Well, I found out I do have them and that cute little light is above a Blown fuse. I cannot make out the hand scribbled writing above the fuse. I am assuming is says LED's. It does say 15 amps but there is a blown 20 amp in there.
My question is......
Is there anyone knowledgeable enough at there can direct me to where I should start looking for the problem?

Always take a systematic approach to isolate the problem area. You don't want to blow a bunch of fuses if you don't have to, so set your multimeter on the DC amps setting first. You may have to move the red test probe wire to a special jack. Now, when you remove the dead fuse and plug the multimeter across the fuse jacks and you will measure the current. Do this quickly. Plug, measure, get out.

1. Turn switches for both LED strings off. Measure current. If it's near zero, go to step 4. If it's a high current, go to step 2.
2. The fault must be between the fuse panel and switch. Check wire connections at the fuse panel and at the switch.
3. It could also be a pinched wire between the panel and switch. This could be hard to find.
4. The fault must be downstream of the switches. Turn on the inside LED switch and measure the current. If it's high, go to step 5. If it's a couple of amps, go to step 7.
5. The fault must be between the switch and the inside LED string or in the LED string. Check connections at both ends for a fault.
6. Unplug the LED inside string from the wiring and measure current. If it's low, the LED string is defective (shorted) and must be replaced. If it's high, there must be a pinched wire between the switch and inside LED string.
7. Turn off the switch for the inside LED string. Turn on the switch for the outside LED string. Measure the current. If it's high go to step 8. If it's a couple of amps, go to step 10.
   The fault must be between the switch and the outside LED string or in the LED string. Check connections at both ends for a fault.
8. Unplug the LED outside string from the wiring and measure current. If it's low, the LED string is defective (shorted) and must be replaced. If it's high, there must be a pinched wire between the switch and outside LED string.

Larry

[bum4heli]

A glorious Thursday to you all!
A few days ago I posted that I had a short in my external and internal LED lights. None would work. Blown fuse, took delivery of it that way and didn't know it. The dealer (or factory)had stuck a bigger fuse in it and it was blown too.
I got out my ladder and multimeter and went to work.
There is a black plastic strip about 10 inches long in the metal frame-work of the fwd end of the awning that slides up and out quite easily. Under that strip is a bunch of wires. Sure enough, there is a small red and black wire inside a black rubber sheathing. During construction, I assume, when the sheathing was stripped back, the red and black wires were partially cut through and were creating a direct short. I fixed this problem and now both internal and external LED lights function correctly. I am attempting to attach the photos.

[tonyz1]

Great job finding your problem! Nothing like rolling up your sleeves and digging into a problem. Glad you found it and could fix it yourself. Wishing you some great days camping and enjoy those LEDs.

[5picker]

Excellent find!
Thanks for reporting back with what you found. It will help others who may have a similar issue.

[Littlehouse]

Wow. Good job trouble shooting. Probably saved you a lot of time that would've been lost leaving it with the dealer to fix. They would've run out of fuses.

[RobertDS]

Originally Posted by bum4heli

A glorious Thursday to you all!

A few days ago I posted that I had a short in my external and internal LED lights. None would work. Blown fuse, took delivery of it that way and didn't know it. The dealer (or factory)had stuck a bigger fuse in it and it was blown too.

I got out my ladder and multimeter and went to work.

There is a black plastic strip about 10 inches long in the metal frame-work of the fwd end of the awning that slides up and out quite easily. Under that strip is a bunch of wires. Sure enough, there is a small red and black wire inside a black rubber sheathing. During construction, I assume, when the sheathing was stripped back, the red and black wires were partially cut through and were creating a direct short. I fixed this problem and now both internal and external LED lights function correctly. I am attempting to attach the photos.

1. Great catch.
2. Great photo documentation.

BTW, send a copy of the thread to your dealer.

[Larry-NC]

Super!

Hope my "Divide and Conquer" strategy was helpful.

Larry