Cruisers Forum
Main Forum => General Discussion => Topic started by: mciai2000 on April 02, 2011, 08:05:04 pm
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Hi:
Finally got out to the MH today. Spring sort of sprung. Anyway, I had to charge my engine battery today. It got me to thinking. How long is that running board light( the one under the passenger and drive side doors) supposed to stay on. Mine stays on for ten minutes. Is that normal? Any ideas how I could change that to a lower time?
David
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While adjusting the headlights on my pc last night, I noticed my running board lights stayed on a long time after I finished. Thinking the timer might be faulty, I stood around until they finally went off. I'm not sure how long, but 10 minutes sounds about right. I couldn't find anything about adjusting the time, so I'll be interested to hear other comments
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My 2007 2350 has the same. I hate timed lights on my vehicles but marketeers says it's what the people want.
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Just went outside and when I closed the door the light turned off?
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My motorhome is in storage still, but I seem to recall using the remote to lock the doors also turns off those lights.
Glenn
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Don't have remote locks, so maybe that makes a difference. Billy, maybe they changed this for 2011 (by the way, we used to own land outside Raymond--you live in beautiful country).
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Well, yesterday when I had to charge my battery I noticed those lights were on. It seemed counterproductive that while I was charging the battery that thos light stayed on. I am thinking of actually disconecting those lights for I see no need for them. I think though I may have a faulty switch on them. I started my mh all winter and had no problem with the battery. After I ran it last month I noticed those lights stayed on after I turned it off. They stayed on a long time and I thought " they will go off" and went in the house. I think they stayed on and ran my battery down. I went to start the mh yesterday and she was dead as a doornail. It is the only explanation I can come up with. I charged my battery and those lights came on imediately and stayed on a long long time. so, that leads me to my next question, now that the engine battery was dead, do I replace it or do I keep it and hope it stays charged all summer?
David
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...while I was charging the battery that those (running board) lights stayed on.
......do I replace it or do I keep it (the battery) and hope it stays charged all summer?
David,
Your rig might be fine. I say this because I seem to recall the same thing happening to me. On my 2007 Ford E350, I can turn the headlight/parking switch to the right to a "Click", then turn off the interior lighting (the spot lights above the windshield) individually with their independant switches. But doing that leaves those running board lights on all the time.
If you have the older style dash board of the Ford 2008 chassis on back, you have that same headlight switch as me. If you have the newer style dash board starting in the Ford 2009 chassis year, then you have a different design, but possibly the same interior light switch setting, set to the "On" position.
Your 2009 Phoenix Cruiser might have been built on a 2008 chassis. It is very common for all RV manufactures to do that. So don't get confused about model year of your chassis compared to model year of your motor home.
Since your battery was "Slow Drained" and assuming the battery did not freeze, a slow charge should bring it back to a good state. If I am wrong, that is what the "Jump Start" switch is for.....that spring loaded switch by the driver's left knee.
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David, what Ron is saying about the split-year motorhomes where the chassis is one year and the motorhome was the next year is correct. Where he went astray was that your profile says you have a 2010 year and Ford did the new van starting in 2010. You can tell by looking on the drivers door frame at the Ford sticker, the dash or the front grill which year chassis you have. Ron just got is years off by one year.
I went out to my motorhome and the dome light over the dash and the running board lights are controlled by the dash dimmer switch. I turned on the dome lights and rotated the dash dimmer switch all the way up past the click. I then got out and closed the door. All the running lights, the running board lights and the dome light were on. After about two minutes or less the running lights when out as normal but the running board light and the dome light stayed on. I would assume they would go out after an extended time but I did not wait around to see. It is still cold out there this morning. So what Ron was saying about the dimmer switch is what you want to check and make sure it is not turned pass the click.
Like Ron said about your battery being OK as long as you did not lose all the water and put a slow charge on it, you should be fine.
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Yep, I got his year mixed up. He has a 2010 so he surely has the newer style dash board. I understand the interior dash board was redesigned in 2009. To you with the newer design, how do you turn on your headlights? Do you have that old style round knob like earlier years or is it controlled on the steering column, or a 3rd method?
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The new style dash has a round knob for turning on the lights with a wheel next to it that rotates up to brighten/turn on dome and down to dim the dash.
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So you turn the dial up to a stop, then press further to feel a "Click" to turn on the cab interior lighting?
Does your cab interior lighting have the directional fixtures with individual light switch controls?
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Mine has the round switch to turn on the headlights, but the dimmer knob next to it only adjusts the instrument lighting. It does not have a click postion to turn on the dome light. My dome spot lights under the rear view mirror has a toggle switch on each that turns them on/off. They do not come on when the door is opened. My previous 2007 model could be switched to come on when the doors opened, but not my current 2010.
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Michael,
Yes your instrument panel dimmer control has a "Click". Maybe it just takes a lot of force to get it to click.
I found the Ford Owners manual ON-Line website. Click HERE. (https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenance/owners_manuals/default.asp) In the 2010 manual on page 51, it states as follows.
PANEL DIMMER CONTROL
Use to adjust the brightness of the
instrument panel and all applicable
illuminated switches in the vehicle
during headlamp and parklamp
operation.
Move the control to the full upright
position, past detent, to turn on the
INTERIOR LAMPS.
Note: If the battery is disconnected,
discharged, or a new battery is
installed, the dimmer switch requires re-calibration. Rotate the dimmer
switch from the full dim position to the full dome/on position to reset.
This will ensure that your displays are visible under all lighting
conditions
The dome lamp will not illuminate if the control switch is not rotated
past the detent.
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You're right. I was expecting a noticable click, but on mine it's more of a slight bump. Had to turn it several times before I felt it. It doesn't seem to have any purpose on my pc unless it turns the running board lights off. As I mentioned before, my dome spot lights have to be turned on/off with the rocker switch on them. They don't have a setting that allows them to be operated with the door or the dimmer knob. Guess I don't really need that,anyway.
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You're right. I was expecting a noticeable click, but on mine it's more of a slight bump. Had to turn it several times before I felt it. It doesn't seem to have any purpose on my pc unless it turns the running board lights off. As I mentioned before, my dome spot lights have to be turned on/off with the rocker switch on them. They don't have a setting that allows them to be operated with the door or the dimmer knob. Guess I don't really need that,anyway.
On my PC the dash dimmer switch works just like every car I have owned. You turn up the dimmer to brighten the dash lights and when you go pass the "bump" you are turning on the dome light unless you have turned the dome lights off via the dome light switch. If you get in your PC with the dimmer switch in the normal position, close the door and wait two minutes the running board, running lights and dome light will go off. If you have the dimmer switch pass the bump position, it will take the dome light and running board light about 7 minutes to turn off. The switch by the dome light keeps the dome from coming on when you open the door. We used to use this when we were teenagers at the drive-in movie theater. Yes I know I am dating myself. You can also turn on the dome light by turning on the dome light switch and rotating the dimmer switch pass the bump. You are right about the bump being very light and you do not need to push hard on it. I hope this helps clear up the use of the dimmer switch.
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Tom, what you describe is what I expected the lights to do, so after your post I turned the lights on and waited longer this time--and they went off just as you said. I wasn't patient enough before thinking they should go off when the door was closed. What I get for thinking... And, yes, I too remember drive-in movies with fondness. Thanks for your comments.
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Tom:
Thanks for all of that. When I get some free time this weekend, I will do what you said. I must have the switch past the bump.... We too had a drive in. It only closed about 10 years ago. Now it is a Ford dealership......Progress? I am not sure.
Thanks.
David.
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Nice talking to you the other night David. Did you guys have submarine race at your drive-ins also? (yahoo)
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For what its worth, the term "Submarine Races", was originated by Murray Kaufman and Cousin Brucie in reference to the 'necking spots' (the Alpine Lookout mostly) on the Palisades Interstate Parkway overlooking the New Jersey section of the Hudson River. There were two such "observation" places, Alpine and Englewood.
After a while the PIP Police became pretty diligent and cruised the lookouts fairly regularly, wrecking them for all of us who were growing up in the area at the time.
But, as with all things, time has taken the toll of the PIP Police and the lookouts are no longer as safe as they once were.
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Just went outside and when I closed the door the light turned off?
I am sorry, I completely misread the post. My RUNNING BOARD lights do have a delay. :-[ :-[ :-[
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rmmpe - we were on the Jersey side of the river @ Eagle Rock & the area faced similar patrols & degredation. I understand there is a high end French restaurant on the site now. BTW: in case my wife asks, I was there on a boy scout hike/campout! :lol
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pyrthkr,
Of course you were. I, too, was at those very same Boy Scout Campouts.
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I quote my 12 year old son, " OMG you guys!" I read your posts about submarine races to my son and he said, " I want to go to that boy scout camp!" by the way he is in boy scouts!!
David
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Now we have nice motor homes that we can park in beautiful places and watch those races anytime we want...
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So, I was able to get to the mh today and try your suggestions. My dimmer switch was up past the bump. I rolled it back to its stop on the bottom to check it out. Now this leads me to two questions. My running board lights stay on the entire time the engine is running. Is this standard?
Question 2. My running board lights stay on for four minutes after turning the engine off and closing the door with the dimmer switch all the way on the bottom. Is this normal. Oh yes, I did time it.!
Based on your previous posts, I am beginning to think I have a faulty timer or switch.
David
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David,
Did you close both doors when the engine was running? My running board lights stays on when either door is open (engine running or not) and goes out after about 4 minutes when both doors are closed (engine running or not). They may also go out after a longer time with the doors open as part of the battery protect cicuit.
Bob
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Bob:
They stay on with both doors closed and longer than 4 minutes//Argh!!!
David
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I've been watching this topic for a while and feel compelled to offer my thoughts, they being:
If I had this problem, I'd wire the lights in series with the door switch, like on older cars.
They would then be isolated from the timer and go out immediately upon shutting the door.
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I think I like that idea better than the one I was thinking of. I was just going to disconnect them, but I will crawl under the doors an see if I can wire them in a series with the door lights.
Thanks
DJM