2005 Chev Roadtrek blows aux fuse

[UncleMeat48]

This is an odd problem and may be part of Roadtrek's electric design or circuit modification. I have a 2005 Roadtrek (2004)Chevrolet Express 3500 Van.

I have tried two different tire inflators using the cigarette lighter 12V plug. One was Craftsman, other was Dewalt. Both have an inline 10A fuse Both ran for a short time and then blew the 15A fuse in the under the hood fuse box. This happened more than once for each inflator.

According to the vehicle electric diagram, only the cigarette lighter is attached to the 15A fuse. It doesn't make sense to me that the 15A fuse should blow ahead of the inline 10A fuse (either unit) unless Roadtrek connected something to that specific 12V line that is drawing 5+ Amp. Any ideas? It's nice to have a 12V inflator onboard. I don't think it will be easy to investigate this problem.

There is another Aux 12V plug in the dash that I have not tried with either inflator.

[mkguitar]

the 15A fuse takes into account the total load including the extension wiring for your compressor and the wire from teh fuse box to your socket, and the quality of the connection there

the wire may be thin and/or long which increases the resistance and load on the 15a fuse.
if you feel the wire getting warm that is a sign of resistance and as it gets hotter the resistance rises.

your solution may be to hack off the plug* and put on battery clips and connect right to your battery

I have not found a 12 volt compressor worth it's weight or time... and giving up , use a foot pump for my cars and motorcycles- it's just faster because it works every time.

for the van and it's 80psi I have a craftsman ( estate sale cheap) which runs on 120 volt. that works just fine and I use a 10/3 25ft ext cord from the house.


* for most wiring, of the 2 conductors, the one which has any marking whether embossed printing or a coloured stripe is likely to be the +

[hbn7hj]

It won’t work so quit trying it. You don’t need to know why.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/VIAIR-40...400P/202945082

Viair uses battery clips for obvious reasons and it will get to 80 psi.

[booster]

In our 07 Chevy, the lighter fuse also powered the OBD test port of all things, but that is all I think.


The automotive fuses are quite fast blow and I would guess the one in the compressor are slow blow because of starting amp surge. The sockets often have poor connection to the plugs and voltage loss, plus the wiring losses drop voltage to compressor, which if it is able run will increase the amps. My guess it is pulling more than 15 amps which is enough the heat up and blow the quicker van fuse but not enough to blow the slow blow compressor fuse.

[JohnnyFry]

That is the case on the 2008 Chev also. I took my 2008C210P in for annual state inspection and the mechanic found the OBD port was dead. I had noticed that one of the cig lighter sockets was dead but had not gotten around to investigating...big mistake, the mechanic changed the fuse and charged my $40. Procrastination costs!

[TX-Trek]

Yes, according to factory wiring diagrams that circuit is powering the OBD port and the 12v dash lighter socket.

I'm with Mike on this - I found a 150 psi 120v compressor for $12 at a resale shop. If I need to air up a tire, I'll either use campground power or fire up the genset after I get offsite. Doesn't take but a couple minutes on each tire. The 12v may be ok for car tires but getting to 65/80 psi on the van tires takes some power. I initially tried a moderately priced 12v 100psi inflator (connected to battery) once and it promptly fried the inflator.

[mangomike]

two Q
Uncle ,,,, I have a 08 chevy RT ,it only has one Cir' lighter 12v port , can you tell me where the rwo on yours is"
TX ,,, in your post you mentioned 65 amd 85 LBS tire prewsure ,,, I think my RT is 55 on front. where you just using an example?
Thanks
Michael

[TX-Trek]

Michael, the 65/80 psi are the front/rear tire pressures I prefer. Booster had a good mention on this topic somewhere.

As far as a big tubby goes, these pressures seem to give optimal handling and good tread wear. Ride will be slightly harsher but I'll take that for the improved handling. I also monitor the pressure as I drive - the 2010 allows me to look at TPMS while driving. Pressure will increase as the tires heat up on the road so I'll let air out at about 5 psi over on hot tires.

Overall I found that the onboard TPMS system is about 5 psi under actual measured gauge pressures so I take that into account.

Also, when I added an additional usb/12v dash outlet, I piggy backed onto an ignition-on circuit from the body fusebox. I can look to see which circuit it was. Important to mention that I didn't overload the amp rating (wiring) of the original circuit even with all loads "on". Piggy back means I used a specific made tap that has fuse holders built into it so both original and added circuits are fuse protected. To carry it a step further I also measured amperage draw with everything on to verify total draw was below the wiring gauge capacity.

[mangomike]

OK, we'll try the 65 LBS ,,,,, anything to improve the handling!
We had an apointment to get our Froht shocks replaced in early Dec.. But that was in Punta Gorda Fl. ... Thanks to IAN the shop may not even be there any more. We'll see ,we're about 10 miles north of PG and did not have as much damage. OUR RV JUST avoided a boat ,tow RV and our Class b pile up. The Tow and boat did not do as well. And all were "parked"!
I'll be interested to hear where Uncle's second 12V is, We pluged a multi usb,C, fire wire adaptor nothing we plug draws much,seem s to work OK.
Thank dor the tire info
<ichael

[mkguitar]

Mike,


the front shocks can be changed in 30 minutes in a chevy. that includes the time to make coffee. the van doesn't really need to be jacked up although using ramps will make it easier to get your arm where it needs to be.


The rear are more difficult because of the RV stuff- on mine the rear took about 2 hours and 3/4 of that was going to the tool box for an adapter, another type of wrench a...etc etc.
I had the van raised up on stands a foot


If you have a pressing issue, the fronts are so easy.


For my van i chose the bilstein 4600 series, you may want something different


2.) my front end became more "sure" when I replaced the bumpstops with the black "sumo" bumpstops from supersprings they have a 20% off sale right now "FALL22".
I have posted my experience swapping the bumpstops - about 45 minutes ( also posted about shocks)
I also have the sumos on the rear & experience a marked reduction in body roll on twisties and crosswinds.
The $400 or so I spent well worth it.
Install takes 20 minutes once the van is up ( shoulda been smart enough to do it when I did the shocks)

[UncleMeat48]

Second 12V plug is in the dash on the passenger side similar to the other.