Bussmann product under hood and not connected to anything

Adrian Gordon · 03-26-2019, 12:47 PM

Not sure if this is the forum to post this, but I assume the staff will move it if it should be someplace else.

Can anyone identify the device shown in the picture? It is mounted under the hood of my Leprechaun 210RS on a 2017 Chevy Express 4500 chasis on the passenger side right under the fender panel. It is labeled BUSSMANN. The red wire coming from it has a battery terminal type connection on it, but it was taped up (or more correctly had a piece of tape stuck to it) and is not attached to anything. Have no idea whether it is something Chevy put there or was added by Coachman when they built the RV.

Any help with what it is and what it does or is supposed to do will be greatly appreciated.

llr · 03-26-2019, 01:14 PM

Probably a circuit breaker. Any idea where the other wire goes?

Would the red wire reach the battery or fuse block? I suspect this wire should connect to +12v for whatever the other wire connects to.

Does anything you know of not work?

Witch Doctor · 03-26-2019, 01:18 PM

Mine is connected to the positive post of the battery and the black to ground. Best I can figure out it's a battery jump point. But please I'm no mechanic by any means. I have a per say 4500 chassis, at least that is what Coachmen calls it, I'm trying to figure it out now with GM and Coachmen. The GM dealer ran my vin# they said it comes up as 3500 chassis. I'm waiting now for Coachmen to get back to me and explane it. GM said that it was a 3500 not a 4500. Very confusing

llr · 03-26-2019, 01:33 PM

WD, Are you sure the back is connected to ground? Is it possibly it goes close or through the frame?

Looks like a fuse instead of circuit breaker, other end should not go to ground

https://www.amazon.com/Bussmann-HMEG.../dp/B001PYSUP2

Witch Doctor · 03-26-2019, 01:41 PM

Yes anything is possible, but what I see it go's with the battery ground. Use a continuity meter, put one probe on the negative battery post, the second on the black bussman, if it rings they are connected. I'm positive the red is hooked to my battery, it doesn't make since if the black wire is not red, my dumb thought is it has to be a ground and easy jump point only. But I'm not a mechanic. Don't know why they put two positives there like a junction box?

Witch Doctor · 03-26-2019, 01:44 PM

I'm looking at my manual now, I'll see if it says anything, if it does I'll get back you.

Witch Doctor · 03-26-2019, 01:51 PM

All it says is to use the remote battery terminals if your is equipped with one, I say that is the remote battery terminals.

nomad297 · 03-26-2019, 01:57 PM

Is this it?

https://www.autoelec.com.au/mega-fus...ry-batteries-s

Bruce

llr · 03-26-2019, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nomad297

Is this it?

https://www.autoelec.com.au/mega-fus...ry-batteries-s

Bruce

It could be, or aux start or for any other high draw item. The bussman site lists 80-500A fuses can be used in this holder.

Witch Doctor · 03-26-2019, 02:43 PM

Well that is a good fine it looks the same, so I went out and checked one side go's to the battery, can't see the other side where it go's, but under the black conduit is another red wire. That must go to either the inverter or maybe that is how they are tiring in the emergency start. I don't know really like I said, that would have not have shown on a continuity check to ground as I said. Well maybe the mystery is solved thanks, I didn't even know that was there. So really in my laymen terms it is like a junction box but fused. I guess it still would work for jumping for the positive and frame for negative. It's easy to get a cable on. So you are saying that the other end is hooked to nothing? Is your emergency start working? Also do you have a inverter? I was told by Coachmen that the inverter has it's own battery in the frame , but they have to hook that some how to the charging system. So maybe that's it to but fused. In reality I have 4 batteries. Two chassis and two house, I have never even looked for the inverter one, I don't crawl under there anymore.

Adrian Gordon · 03-26-2019, 08:28 PM

Witch Doctor, is your unit equipped with a switch that will allow you to start your generator off the chassis battery if the house batteries get too low? A little hunting around is leading me to think that the device is part of that system. It would explain the reason it is not connected to the battery on my Leprechaun which doesn't have that capability. I'm guessing Coachman installs in on all the chassis when they come in and just doesn't hook them up on models without the auxiliary start capability.

Witch Doctor · 03-27-2019, 05:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrian Gordon

Witch Doctor, is your unit equipped with a switch that will allow you to start your generator off the chassis battery if the house batteries get too low? A little hunting around is leading me to think that the device is part of that system. It would explain the reason it is not connected to the battery on my Leprechaun which doesn't have that capability. I'm guessing Coachman installs in on all the chassis when they come in and just doesn't hook them up on models without the auxiliary start capability.

No, not that I know of, I have aux start but that is on my panel only, I guess if a person used the emergency start. At the same time trying to fire the generator it would supply power from the Chassis battery, I really don't now, but I do not have away to really start the generator off the chassis batteries, like I said except maybe with the emergency start. But I very well could be wrong. I only say that being the emergency start combines house and chassis. So it might work. If my house batteries were to low, I guess you can use the alternator to charge them up until you can start your generator. If I could I would crawl under the chassis and see where the other red wire is hooked to, but I just can't, it hell getting older. Do you have emergency start? I really think it go's there or to the inverter battery for my 110 v plug on the dash. I guess I'm not much help, just guessing.

Witch Doctor · 03-27-2019, 06:01 AM

In fact I'm waiting on a call from Coachmen now, if I remember I'll ask them, and get back to you with there answer.

Witch Doctor · 03-27-2019, 06:12 AM

Also you said you have a 4500 chassis, as Coachmen says I do, well my vin# per GM tells me that it is a 3500 chassis. That is what my call is to Coachmen. The big difference is warranty work, any dealer could work on a 3500 , but you have to take it to a GM dealer that is licenced for medium duty warranty if it is a 4500 , just learned this 2 days ago. Still trying to find a dealer close to me for warranty. Closet is 1 miles he can't do it if it's a 4500 but could if it's a 3500 , very confusing At least to me. I'll wait and see what Coachmen says.

Witch Doctor · 03-27-2019, 07:34 AM

Well Coachmen called, they told me that I diffenetly have 4500 chassis, they looked at the original docs. He also said that the bussman wire go's to the house battery silinode for trickle charge, and it also go's to the emergency start silinode. Hope that helps.

bubbles · 03-27-2019, 08:26 AM

Typically, the charging solenoid and the emergency start solenoid are one and the same solenoid. It ties the chassis and coach batteries together for both functions.

Witch Doctor · 03-27-2019, 09:09 AM

Could be I wouldn't know, I'm just quoting the exact words Coachmen told me. I don't even think I want to know, as long as it works.

Witch Doctor · 03-27-2019, 09:14 AM

I'll try and find there 12 v electrical wire diagram, they did supply it, if I do I will post it. But it is for my model a Concord his could be different.

Tom48 · 03-28-2019, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrian Gordon

Not sure if this is the forum to post this, but I assume the staff will move it if it should be someplace else.

Can anyone identify the device shown in the picture? It is mounted under the hood of my Leprechaun 210RS on a 2017 Chevy Express 4500 chasis on the passenger side right under the fender panel. It is labeled BUSSMANN. The red wire coming from it has a battery terminal type connection on it, but it was taped up (or more correctly had a piece of tape stuck to it) and is not attached to anything. Have no idea whether it is something Chevy put there or was added by Coachman when they built the RV.

Any help with what it is and what it does or is supposed to do will be greatly appreciated.

Looks like a Bussman fuse block. Maybe it was for install of an additional battery. Did you buy this new? Obviously if the black end goes actually to ground, then it was a bad choice to use red on the other side of the fuse.

Frankly, I am interested in the story when you figure it out, but it am much more interested in Coachman selling a 3500 fraudulently labeled as a 4500. I'd get a second opinion on that vin number issue from GM.

Witch Doctor · 03-28-2019, 05:53 AM

First, I never said Coachmen was fraudulent, what it came out to be is that Coachmen was right, the GM parts manager was wrong. I even typed the vin# in the A.C. Delco parts web site, looking for the gas cap. There site came up that it is a Chevy 4500 express 6.0, which it is
Nothing but problems with my local small Town GM dealer, maybe because he can't work on medium duty trucks, he not licensed by them for warranty work as they told me, the CLOSET dealer that can work on it is 140 miles from me.

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