I recently noticed the vacuum pump on my motorhome was running continuously. Since I was on the road and didn't want to troubleshoot the problem immediately, I merely disconnected the power wire to the pump until I had more time to track down the problem.
A couple of RV techs checked the system and told me I needed a new controller. I was losing vacuum and they thought it was in the control unit. So, I picked up another control unit at an RV salvage store and installed it. The new unit did not solve the problem, so it was back to the drawing board.
I turned on the system and using a pair of needle nosed pliers began pinching off individual vacuum hoses until I isolated the offending hose. Thinking I had a leak in the hose I was prepared to follow it all the way to the source checking the hose every 12 inches until I found the leak.
I was surprised and relieved to find the problem was a simple fix. I traced the vacuum hose to the servo motor where it had become disconnected. I plugged it back in - problem solved.I was working under my dash on another issue and must have disconnected the hose without noticing. A little detective work and thinking through the problem helped me find the solution.
Don't let RV problems get the best of you - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing
2 comments:
I learned many years ago when something goes wrong go back and check the last thing you did
Bert Smith
Usually the best troubleshooting technique is "both ends to middle". It can quickly cut your search area in half and in the case of your problem isolated it in two steps 1) clamp off at controller and 2)clamp off at servo.
If the problem had been somewhere in the hose the next step would have been to clamp off at the six foot mark to determine in which half of the hose the problem was.
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