Access to 12v wiring through ceiling light

Kyronecks · 08-06-2019, 06:17 PM

Sorry if this is well documented in another thread - I couldn't find it. I want to install a cigarette lighter socket above the bed in my 2007 Pop 190 to plug in a dash board fan for steamy nights (AC outta gas - waiting for an affordable, drop-in, quiet replacement - not holding breath.)

How do I remove that black swivel light (in the four corners of the ceiling) to wire in a socket somewhere near it. Does the light pop out with a screwdriver? Unscrew? Scared to experiment. Suggestions welcome. TIA

peteco · 08-11-2019, 01:12 PM

If you have a Cool cat heat pump it could be the reversing valve solenoid that has failed. Much cheap than replacing entire unit.

peteco · 08-11-2019, 01:15 PM

Cool cat will always blow hot air if reversing valve solenoid fails. Might be worth a check before replacing entire unit.

Kyronecks · 08-11-2019, 02:57 PM

Wow! That would be Christmas in August if it were a simple, cheap fix! Is this something I could check (with the illustrious guidance of classbforum!), or is it strictly for a pro? Does it require an RV service center, or just any local AC jock? How big a job would be replacing it - would the whole feline shebang have to come out? It definitely blows hot, whether on AC or heat pump. Be nice to have it operational for emergencies (forest fire, sun explodes etc) though I'll still have to wear earplugs to sleep under it.

I'd also like to wire in the fan for modest heat waves, if someone can tell me how to get the black plastic swivel light out of the ceiling. But, regardless, thinks for lighting a candle in my darkness (curse it!).
Bob

peteco · 08-12-2019, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyronecks

Wow! That would be Christmas in August if it were a simple, cheap fix! Is this something I could check (with the illustrious guidance of classbforum!), or is it strictly for a pro?

I have never been into the AC unit so I don't know how hard of a job it is. Here is a good description of changing out the solenoid.

AC Repair - Reversing Valve Solenoid Failure - Roadtreker

Others have recommended also putting in another starting capacitor. I don't have any information on that.

Also, you should move this AC discussion over to the Electrical | Charging, Systems, Solar and Generators section as I think you will get more responses there.

Kyronecks · 08-12-2019, 07:12 PM

Stand back. People! I feel the urge to repair my own van! If a mini black hole results and devours Connecticut and Rhode Island, you were warned!

Seriously, this guy should write a Roadtrek Repair for Dummies. AC Repair - Reversing Valve Solenoid Failure - Roadtreker
Even I understand his instructions. The sole remaining issue is whether I can follow them! For starters, a couple of the stainless screws holding down the AC roof cover are frozen half unscrewed ( I swear I'm NOT the culprit!) When I asked an RV tech to check the AC fail, he said he'd probably have to drill them out, and could see the checkup taking 10 hours, with no guarantee of recovery. We quickly agreed that this might not be in my best financial interest. Ditto for my having a pro do this solenoid swap, without certainty of recovery. The hard truth is that I use the AC very little, because it is too noisy to let me sleep and requires 120v, when I often don't have (or want) shore power. Running the Onan below my skull and the Cat above it all night would probably induce a brain tumor, and certainly violate regulations governing sonic booms. So if I ever managed to "slide the unit out" to get at the solenoid, I'd be sorely tempted to slide back in a much more modern, efficient, environmentally-cordial, and quiet replacement. Please tell me there is one at the end of the rainbow! I'm not ruling out a block of ice. My travel habits rarely entail multi-day stays on one site, unless I'm overwintering along the lower Colorado River (not needing AC), so the cab AC helps out while driving through the heat of the day. At night I find the gentle breeze from a 12v fan sufficiently cooling to induce sleep, if only I could get at the DC wiring below that little black ceiling light to install one.

On that note, I definitely want to move this thread to the Electrical,,, Section (now that I know it exists). Is there a thread that explains how to move a thread? ...for Dummies, remember.
You are a Friend of Man, Pete!

peteco · 08-12-2019, 07:31 PM

I don't know of a way to move a thread. I would simply copy your initial posting and paste it into a new thread on the "General Discussion Forum" (not the Electrical one I said earlier). Also paste a link to this discussion so people can see what we have already discussed.

Regarding the screws, I assume they turn but do not come out. That is because the rubber well nuts have come loose from the housing underneath the cover. It might work to first remove all the screws that will come out. Then pry under the cover to put some tension on the well nuts. The screws might then loosen. If the screws still won't loosen, then they need to be drilled out. Again, may need to pry on the panel to hold the screw/well nut combination in place to drill. The screws are stainless so they will be hard to drill. Best to use a cobalt drill bit, but be careful as cobalt is brittle and can chip easily.

avanti · 08-12-2019, 07:57 PM

Moderator's Note:
I moved the thread as specified.

michaelingp · 08-13-2019, 09:29 PM

I know this doesn't exactly answer your question, but doesn't the Roadtrek have a cigarette lighter socket in a closet near the rear (mine did)? Why not just get a slightly longer cord on the fan and plug it in there?

Kyronecks · 08-14-2019, 01:45 AM

Thanks, Y'all, for all input! Pete, Those screws don't budge, despite my feeble efforts. They also are canted at a rather sickening angle. I don't want to point any fingers here, but when I purchased the van from the original owner, I found a bird's nest, including eggshells, under the cover way inside the AC area. I only got it out - a fragment at a time - with the world's longest tweezers. Somebody else may have tried a more logical approach, and failed. One fine day I will decide what to do about AC in my van, and I will then confront those stubborn screws with all the means at my disposal.

I now know how to move a thread. Simply say "Avanti!" and a moderator arrives to work the miracle! (If I'd known he was Italian, I'd have done it sooner!) Mille Grazie!
Michael, if there is a cigarette lighter socket in a closet in my van, I'm the last to know, but I don't tolerate smoking in my premises! I will take another look when I get the van back from having some vital (i.e. expensive!) components (macerator etc.) serviced/replaced. If it's there, AWESOME, if not, I'm attacking that little black light fixture in the ceiling with an ice pick!

hbn7hj · 08-14-2019, 02:37 PM

Just whack off the recalcitrant screw, remove the cover, and push what remains through the hole. I don't know how it gets there but you will eventually find the remains behind the inside grill. Yep, I know this from experience.

Thevon · 08-16-2019, 03:11 PM

Can anyone recommend replacement screws?

peteco · 08-16-2019, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thevon

Can anyone recommend replacement screws?

Some places I have found stainless screws:
West Marine
Ace Hardware
Home Depot: HD also has a much broader range of screws sizes that you can order for delivery to store. This has worked well for me.
Lowes
Other hardware stores: True Value, Taylor...old mom & pop store
Amazon

hbn7hj · 08-16-2019, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thevon

Can anyone recommend replacement screws?

What you need are replacement well nuts, 3/8 x 1". The screw can be 10-24 or 10-32. I think it will take 12.

Kyronecks · 08-24-2019, 03:38 PM

Having gotten on to the pleasant topic of screws, this might be a good time to provide the answer to my original question that started the thread. I eventually discovered by chance that the black plastic swivel light fixtures in the ceiling over my Pop 190 bed had an annular cover which would pop right off when encouraged by a fingernail. Underneath were 2 small screws holding the fixture to the ceiling. The screws were those curious square-head types that RT used to bamboozle American buyers until they found the appropriate screwdriver. But these 2 were of a smaller hole size than most of the others throughout the van. They were smaller than any locally available square-head drivers (type 1 - are they metric?) so we had to grind down a larger size to fit (Hey! Don't say I'm completely workshop-challenged!). So we gained access to the 12v wiring, spliced in a cig-lighter socket in the cabinet above, and can now run my little fan, when needed!

Sometimes I amaze myself!

peteco · 08-24-2019, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyronecks

The screws were those curious square-head types that RT used to bamboozle American buyers until they found the appropriate screwdriver. But these 2 were of a smaller hole size than most of the others throughout the van. They were smaller than any locally available square-head drivers (type 1 - are they metric?) so we had to grind down a larger size to fit

You will (or should) grow to love those square-head screws. They are much easier to remove and install than Philips head screws. Buy this screwdriver set (made in Canada of course) and you will be covered for all the sizes in your van, plus other screw types you will come across.

https://www.amazon.com/Picquic-44602...web_3038547011

hbn7hj · 08-24-2019, 03:49 PM

ACE has the smaller bits but they are part of a smaller screw driver set where the bits are kept in the handle. You will have to look for them but they are there.

michaelingp · 08-24-2019, 03:50 PM

I find it really hard to believe that any decent hardware store wouldn't have a #1 Robertson screwdriver. If they didn't have a separate tool, they would certainly have a kit of screw tool tips and a magnetic holder. Personally, I prefer Phillips screws but the Robertsons are the norm for Canadian-built RVs.

SteveJ · 08-24-2019, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peteco

You will (or should) grow to love those square-head screws. They are much easier to remove and install than Philips head screws. Buy this screwdriver set (made in Canada of course) and you will be covered for all the sizes in your van, plus other screw types you will come across.

https://www.amazon.com/Picquic-44602...web_3038547011

I'm using this set. They are holding up quite well.

https://www.amazon.com/Picquic-95005...s%2C173&sr=1-3

booster · 08-24-2019, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelingp

I find it really hard to believe that any decent hardware store wouldn't have a #1 Robertson screwdriver. If they didn't have a separate tool, they would certainly have a kit of screw tool tips and a magnetic holder. Personally, I prefer Phillips screws but the Robertsons are the norm for Canadian-built RVs.

Personally, I will take Torx screws first, then Robertson, then philips.

Just go to the home center and get a ratcheting screwdriver handle that stores bits in the handle, and then get a 1/4" hex drive bit set that includes about every drive style ever invented. Easy to carry in the van, ratchet is really nice sometimes, and you will have everything covered.

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