Radio and cigarette lighter not getting power

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December 15, 2021, 02:20:34 pm

Last week we bought a 1989 Chevy 22' Front Lounge/Rear Bath, but within the first hour, the battery and alternator died. We called a mobile RV mechanic who discovered the seller (grandson of the original owner who was selling it for grandfather's estate) had recently replaced the fuses for the alternator and the horn but he used the wrong type of fuse. The mechanic said the 1989 type fuses are physically larger than standard new fuses today. Apparently, the seller had forced the too-small fuses into the slot and it worked for an hour before blowing. (Arg!)

The mechanic replaced the battery, the alternator, and the wrong fuses. After that, we drove home from Arizona to Okla. On the drive home, everything related to driving (lights, turn signals, horn, etc) worked fine, and inside the coach, the lights, fans, and water pump worked as well. (We've not yet turned on the AC or heater). However, the radio and cigarette lighter do not work. According to our Lazy Daze manual, the radio and CB (which is no longer present) are powered by the coach batteries and the cigarette lighter is powered by the Chevy engine battery. But neither are getting any power.

First, the radio: The Lazy Daze manual and several posts on this forum mention a 10 amp fuse (maybe two fuses) inside the engine chassis, near the isolator, that is clearly labeled Radio and CB. The engine area is not large and we've searched it over and over to no avail. We did find two inline fuses that look new and appear to come off the isolator. They are not labeled Radio or CB, but removing those fuses has no discernable effect on the lights, turn signals, etc. So we are tempted to believe they are the Radio CB fuses, except that they are only 3 and 5 amp fuses, which is too low for the radio. We're left wondering if the same person who put the wrong physical size fuse in the fuse box for the alternator and cab also put the wrong amperage fuse in the inline fuse for the radio. If this is the case, how do I confirm that?

If it's not that radio/CB fuse, then I've read on here about a hidden 12v breaker somewhere within the coach. Could that be preventing the radio from working even while all the rest of the 12v items within the coach are working? If so, does anyone know where that hidden breaker is located in a 1989 22' front lounge/rear bath model? I've looked in the handful of locations mentioned for other floorplans and can't find it. Behind my driver's seat there are two swivel chairs flanking a dinette table that covers the box for the coach batteries. It seems the hidden breaker would be near there, but again I've searched to no avail. Any ideas?

Second problem, the cigarette lighter: Is there a dedicated cigarette lighter fuse that I've overlooked? (I would think it would be in the Chevy cab fuse box with the alternator and horn fuses.) Is it possible that someone switched the power for the cigarette lighter from the chassis battery to the coach battery, perhaps when they added solar? If so, how would I confirm this?

I'm eager to get this tracked down before our next outing. It was a long drive from Phoenix to Tulsa with no radio and no way to charge my cell phone while driving! :-0 Any help will be appreciated!