Dear Dave,
I have 2016 Winnebago Journey 38P, Freightliner chassis, Cummins ISL9 engine. After 7 years of ownership, while washing my coach a few weeks ago, there was an electrical line hanging down under the left rear section of the motorhome. It is encased in black tubing, white in color, with a clip-type connector on the end. White color made me think it’s a ground wire. My tech and I cannot figure out where it connects. We searched everywhere within the span of the wire and there seems to be nothing to connect to. The coach runs fine, no warning lights, everything functions. What could it possibly be? Need your help. Thank you! —Paul, 2016 Winnebago Journey 38P
Dear Paul,
Winnebago has a great owner resource portal on their website, which I went to. Since you indicated it was the left rear, I would start by looking at the chassis wiring.
According to the wiring diagram, the ground wires for the chassis are black. Most of these are provided by Freightliner. So a white wire most likely is a positive wire.
Here is a link to the Wiring Diagram Book for the Journey 38P. (The list at the top are links to each of those pages.) There are 11 pages, and I notice there are several callouts for different options such as a standard water heater or wiring for an on-demand model. This would mean there are extra wire harnesses and connectors for different configurations.
We installed a new set of driver and passenger seats in a 2003 Winnebago Brave with an electric feature. There was a wiring harness under the front bulkhead for that upgrade, complete with a 6-pin automotive connector.
Winnebago has a wire prep department that customizes wire looms for specific models which has the exact length, automotive connections, grommets, and torque specifications for each model. These wires are all stamped with a code, so you should be able to find a part number indicating the gauge, component, and other information.
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I don’t know if I can actually say what “Gremlin” frustrates me the most. However, 12-volt DC wiring has to be up there with the worst of them! To start with, there is typically very poor, if any, documentation available from the manufacturer or dealer. However, I do have to commend Winnebago, as they have some very good documentation now available on their website in the owner section. Continue reading.
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On the “Wire with connector hanging under my Winnebago”, I had a similar issue on my 2002 Journey. Turned out the wire was for a radiator control clutch that my motorhome doesn’t have. Cost me $88 to find out the wire doesn’t connect to anything! Mine was in a very similar location to Paul’s. There are many wires on the Freightliner chassis that don’t connect to anything. Good chance his is one of those, might be the same as mine.
Thank you, Dave, for the discussion! I hope that there is a follow-up comment from Dave! Based on your discussion, I expect that the wiring in question has no present use and came loose from a spot where it had been secured until recently. Have a great day and safe travels!