1994 Palomino Pop-Up Help (crazy external truck to camper plug)

[Jigidy]

Hi Guys, Local auto parts store was at a loss and so am I. I picked up a 94 Palomino b-1000 last weekend. I've been saving $ and searching for over a year. This forum was a ton of help when looking for a truck pre-camper and I've been lurking on all the cool build threads over here. Overall it's in pretty good shape, a little dry rot needs to be fixed, the clamps that hold the pop top down will need some work but for now just want to get it up and running so we can use it!

So far I just need help with two things. First I want to wire the truck to the camper so I can run the running lights, fridge and charge the battery while driving around. I thought this would be pretty easy as I'd just need to make a pig tail from my trailer 7 pin plug on the truck to the 4 pin plug on the camper but....the 4 pin plug on the camper is larger than the 'traditional' one I've seen before and the local auto parts store doesn't sell them or know how to get them. I attached a few photos. Any help would be great!

Secondly I'll tackle outside this post unless someone who reads this knows a quick fix. The hydro flame furnace by Atwood works great on shore power but won't light on battery power. I just put in a brand new battery so I "should" be getting enough voltage but the fan is barely moving and it won't light. Thanks again for any help.

Chris "jigidy"

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

My guess is that it is something like this ...


http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002...ailer+plug&dpPl=1&dpID=41ieXrYvqhL&ref=plSrch

Probably available in different configurations.

 

[Jigidy]

I wish they listed the diameter on these things. I bought the "standard" 4 pin to wire this up but it didn't fit it's too small.

This little thing would be perfect but I bet it wouldn't fit, the 4 pin would be too small.

http://www.amazon.com/Hopkins-47043..._UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=0QVG3KVK8DWT3EE1S5D3

I may end up simply rewiring the exterior plug but Palomino left no slack in the line to work with, I can't even pull the plug out so I'd have to cut the wire on the inside and start over....may end up having to that.

 

[1stDeuce]

You may find you have to start over anyway if you want all the connections you're thinking of. Particularly if you want to charge off the truck. I tried charging through the truck's 7-way plug and wiring, and can tell you that unless you're driving all day, it doesn't really work. It can be made to work, but you need to run heavy gauge (~8ga) wire to the plug, through the harness, and through the camper to the battery. The tiny gauge wire they use for the truck and camper typically allows far too much voltage drop to charge well.

With the 7-way plug, I have stop/tail/turn lights mounted high, the ability to wire in the back flood light to come on with the backups, and power and ground wires heavy enough to run the fridge, or charge/tie in the house battery if I install a fuse in the camper to connect it. That fuse is out 99% of the time, as my 85 watt solar panel handles the battery charging. In fact, the only time I've had it connected in the last few years was when the truck alternator died, and I used the camper house battery to add capacity to the truck's batteries so we could continue driving (another 8 hours) across Nebraska to an auto parts store with an alternator in stock.

I would HIGHLY recommend a solar setup for charging, particularly if you're in a somewhat sunny area.

Good luck! And enjoy your new camper!!!

 

[Jigidy]

Thanks guys, Yeah I probably will just re-wire it. I have an appt. to have the heater looked at and will ask the "pros". I'll let you know how it turns out. Cheers, Chris