Ceiling lights failed, and other strangeness…

[Hrkdrivr]

2024 395DS. After pulling in today we discovered the 8 Main ceiling lights over the kitchen and living room are completely inoperative.

The lights marked HALL at the top of the steps to the front bedroom are completely inoperative.

The under-cabinet lights marked KITCHEN only come on at about half brightness.

The lights over the loveseat in the Slideout #2 only come on at about half brightness, and here’s the really weird part…when the Main ceiling light switch is turned to the ON position, the half bright Slideout #2 lights turn off, or won’t come on at all if the Main ceiling light switch is ON (main ceiling lights still don’t work).

All symptoms are the same whether on 50 amp shore power (through a Powerwatch), the generator with shore power removed, or battery power with the inverter on.

I can’t find any blown fuses or loose connections. I’m completely stumped. All other inter and exterior lights work normally. All other systems are fine.

 

[Midnight Rider]

Are the dimmer switches turned down?

 

[Hrkdrivr]

Are the dimmer switches turned down?

Valid question, but no.

I can’t figure out how the Main switch is affecting the Slidout #2 lights.

And why some are dim and others don’t work at all.

 

[M and E]

2024 395DS. After pulling in today we discovered the 8 Main ceiling lights over the kitchen and living room are completely inoperative.

The lights marked HALL at the top of the steps to the front bedroom are completely inoperative.

The under-cabinet lights marked KITCHEN only come on at about half brightness.

The lights over the loveseat in the Slideout #2 only come on at about half brightness, and here’s the really weird part…when the Main ceiling light switch is turned to the ON position, the half bright Slideout #2 lights turn off, or won’t come on at all if the Main ceiling light switch is ON (main ceiling lights still don’t work).

All symptoms are the same whether on 50 amp shore power (through a Powerwatch), the generator with shore power removed, or battery power with the inverter on.

I can’t find any blown fuses or loose connections. I’m completely stumped. All other inter and exterior lights work normally. All other systems are fine.

That is almost for sure a ground issue. If you have some power, it is not a fuse issue as they only govern the supply (hot) not the ground (neutral/return). The good news is it sounds like a shared ground issue. The bad news is they can be very challenging (time consuming) to find.

Check your neutrals on the 12V fuse panel and battery. Could be as simple as that (unlikely), but it sounds like it is downstream of that to me, at first blush. More likely is that a shared ground where is spliced or its terminal connection has become loose; but it could also be one wire in that shared ground wiring scheme is broken.

A few owners here have been posting that the 12V loom under the slide is becoming abraded for one reason or another. Just because of that fact, that is where I would go next. After that, without a diagram, I think you would need to check each fixture for continuity. You can check in a random pattern, but the "best" way to do it is start at the fixture farthest away from the panel. Or maybe just start at the exterior lights. When you lose continuity, you've found the leg with the break in the ground. Then you'll have to find the break which could be really obvious, hidden deep, or somewhere inbetween.

It's not hard work, just a process and can be time consuming. Hope this helps. If you can access the splice/connection/break that is at issue, and you can splice a wire, tighten a connection, or use a crimping tool or soldering iron, you can fix this on your own without spending a fortune on a tech.

 

[BryanValRox]

I agree with Mike, this presents as a loose splice connection or ground issue.
A very easy check would be to access one of the lamps that isn’t working and locate the ground connection at the fixture. As a test, add a length of at least the same size wire and touch the other end of it to the metal chassis somewhere. Ensure the switch is on, if it lights up, you have a bad ground to track down.

 

[Hrkdrivr]

Thanks

That is almost for sure a ground issue. If you have some power, it is not a fuse issue as they only govern the supply (hot) not the ground (neutral/return). The good news is it sounds like a shared ground issue. The bad news is they can be very challenging (time consuming) to find.

Check your neutrals on the 12V fuse panel and battery. Could be as simple as that (unlikely), but it sounds like it is downstream of that to me, at first blush. More likely is that a shared ground where is spliced or its terminal connection has become loose; but it could also be one wire in that shared ground wiring scheme is broken.

A few owners here have been posting that the 12V loom under the slide is becoming abraded for one reason or another. Just because of that fact, that is where I would go next. After that, without a diagram, I think you would need to check each fixture for continuity. You can check in a random pattern, but the "best" way to do it is start at the fixture farthest away from the panel. Or maybe just start at the exterior lights. When you lose continuity, you've found the leg with the break in the ground. Then you'll have to find the break which could be really obvious, hidden deep, or somewhere inbetween.

It's not hard work, just a process and can be time consuming. Hope this helps. If you can access the splice/connection/break that is at issue, and you can splice a wire, tighten a connection, or use a crimping tool or soldering iron, you can fix this on your own without spending a fortune on a tech.

I agree with Mike, this presents as a loose splice connection or ground issue.
A very easy check would be to access one of the lamps that isn’t working and locate the ground connection at the fixture. As a test, add a length of at least the same size wire and touch the other end of it to the metal chassis somewhere. Ensure the switch is on, if it lights up, you have a bad ground to track down.

Thanks M and E & BryanValRox.

The roads over the last two days have been quite bumpy and every time we stop we discover something new and fun has relocated or dismounted (window shade assy down, TV in back bedroom fell onto the bed, thankfully). We did get the independent suspension which has been amazing, but these roads (freeways!) have been awful. Two more travel days and I’ll have some time to chase wires. Ugh.

For now it’s soft mood lighting In the living area from the Accent lights. I’ll report back if/when I find it (them?).