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Update on Entry Grab Bar Light

Yahoo Message Number: 57382
Thanks to a member of this forum i was able to find the supplier of handle assembly (www.itc-rv.com/handles.html 574-389-8986). I initially got discouraged because their web site did not list the LED light assembly, but when I got them on the phone, they were very quick to say they could send me a replacement. As i recall, the cost was about 15 bucks.
What may interest some members of this forum is what followed.
The light assembly comes in two parts, one is just a short segment, about 16 inches long, of two skinny wires (I would guess 18 ga.) which connect to the coach 12v. electric system; the other is the light assembly itself. They connect together with male/female connectors. I decided to test the new light before completely re-assembling the handle. As soon as i turned the light switch on, the original short skinny wire segment began smoking. What I found was the insulation on the positive wire had melted for the entire length of the wire.
Not a good thing.

The only explanation I have been able to come up with is that some insulation was rubbed off due to chaffing where it passes through the exterior wall of the coach, which then caused a short. It's all fiberglas and wood there, so i don't think it shorted to ground, But that explanation is incomplete and I hope someone who has a better understanding than I do of the magic of electricity can explain it.
1. Why didn't the electrical short trip the circuit fuse? (It is a 20 amp type II fuse that resets itself).
2. Why would CC have a 20 amp circuit that ends in such a skinny wire?
3. Would the short have caused the light to fail? Or, could it be the other way around? That is, could a failed light somehow draw enough current to overload that wire? Somehow I doubt it.
4. Is there anything else I need to check before I button everything up?

I'm glad the replacement included that short wire segment. Everything does appear to be working normally now.

Jim Biestek

'04 Intrigue 11783

Re: Update on Entry Grab Bar Light

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 57384
Enjoyed your post. My '04 is #11753. The LED on my grab handle is burned out also there is no current in the leads coming out of the wall to the handle. Where is the switch and the fuse for the handle? Does the LED require 12 V or does that little compontent soldered next to the LED reduce the volts to something less than 12 V? It is likely that I can replace just the LED bulb. Otherwise where can I purchase the LED assembly? THANKS

Re: Update on Entry Grab Bar Light

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 57386
Ralph,

If it were me (and it was!) I would not fool around with trying to make it work with just replacing the LED bulb. Not when the whole assembly can be delivered into your hot little hands for about $15. Call these folks and they will mail it to you :
www.itc-rv. com/handles. html 574-389-8986. They normally ship by FEDEX, but since it is so small I asked them to just mail it. They agreed and it saved me some shipping costs.
I'm pretty sure that little component you referred to is a resistor that changes the current to whatever the LED needs. That's another reason to just replace the whole thing- less chance of a mistake.
The handle light is on the same switch as the porch light. I believe everything on that panel is powered through the same fuse. I guess you already know that, to remove and replace the bulb, you have to separate the plastic rod from the chrome piece and take the bulb out that way. Others on this forum may not have discovered that yet.
The type II fuse is located in a fuse box in the rear-most compartment on the passenger side. I forget how it is labeled. I think the label says something about the porch light. On my coach, it is the bottom, left fuse. The type II fuse looks like a tiny aluminum pill box. If it trips and resets a few times, it gets weak and should be replaced.

Hope this helps.

Jim Biestek

'04 Intrigue 11783

Re: Update on Entry Grab Bar Light

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 57388
We just replaced ours too because the chrome was peeling off and it would cut your hand when you grabbed it. Check to see how many holes attach it and order the correct one. Their new ones only have 2 or three, ours had 4. I found ours on their site under the closeout section. They had 6 left. Got ours in 5 days. Shipping was as much as the handle! ouch. $28 total. Other RV places wanted $60! I called they answered promptly and shipped right away. No directions and no glue (what for?) in the pkg. but we're happy.

Lonny & Diane Livingston
'04 Allure 31065