Inverter quit working...related to EMS?

[TahoeJoe]

I'm on an extended coastal trip in my 5.0 and have been using my inverter and everything else electrical just fine for over a week now. Today I drove 3 hours down the coast to my next campsite, and all of a sudden my inverter will not turn on at all. I stopped during the drive today and used it, to nuke some pizza for me and my dog, and again it worked fine...and pretty sure I turned it off after, as I always do (although it's possible I didn't). Now I tried turning on with the remote button, that didn't work so I went to the inverter itself and tried turning on via the main switch and got nothing. All breakers appear fine, and I reset all GFCI outlets including the one on the inverter itself. To be clear, it appears that the inverter itself is not turning on at all as no light or fan turns on, so it's a failure before I even get near the output. Thoughts or ideas? This the GoPower 1500 unit installed by ETI, and the manual is not that helpful. I am no electrical expert, but I know enough to believe in Gremlins that can haunt entire systems at will. So I should also bring this up...while at my last campsite, I had to run my generator every day for a brief period to charge the batteries, and on the 3rd day all of a sudden the EMS gave an error code of E9 which means "Data Link Down (call technical support)". I took the advice I found on this forum and just put it in bypass mode, but I thought it strange that it worked for a while with the generator just fine but then didn't. Could these 2 issues be related?

[Brian B-P]

The AC power from the inverter doesn't go through the EMS, so the EMS doesn't matter to the inverter, but if the inverter isn't even turning on the problem isn't on the AC output side anyway.

The fuse for 12 V DC power to the inverter should be at the battery - was that one checked?
I would use a voltmeter and check for voltage at the input to the inverter: if there's no power there, that's the problem; if there is power there yet the inverter doesn't turn on, the problem is in the inverter.

[TahoeJoe]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

The fuse for 12 V DC power to the inverter should be at the battery - was that one checked?
I would use a voltmeter and check for voltage at the input to the inverter: if there's no power there, that's the problem; if there is power there yet the inverter doesn't turn on, the problem is in the inverter.

Is this the fuse to check? It's the only one I can see between the inverter and the battery...but, there is a little housing box underneath the inverter that I can't really get at, unless I start taking things apart...in any case I do have a multimeter, time to start poking around!

[Vermilye]

Yes, that is the 200 amp fuse between the battery & the inverter wiring. At that time Escape was not using a fuse mount & bolted the fuse to the battery & cable. In my case vibration cracked the internal fuse connection twice. I solved the problem by adding a fuse holder.

To check it, measure the voltage on each side of the fuse (positive to fuse & negative to battery minus. It should show 12V (nominal) on each side of the fuse. Wiggle the fuse while measuring - it could be mechanically intermittent, and make the measurement with the inverter switch in the on position.

[TahoeJoe]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

Yes, that is the 200 amp fuse between the battery & the inverter wiring. At that time Escape was not using a fuse mount & bolted the fuse to the battery & cable. In my case vibration cracked the internal fuse connection twice. I solved the problem by adding a fuse holder.

To check it, measure the voltage on each side of the fuse (positive to fuse & negative to battery minus. It should show 12V (nominal) on each side of the fuse. Wiggle the fuse while measuring - it could be mechanically intermittent, and make the measurement with the inverter switch in the on position.

Thanks for that guidance, I get good voltage on the side of the battery terminal, but nothing on the other side of the fuse. I like the fuse as the culprit, easy enough to replace and see for sure...now I wonder if this is the kind of fuse I can find at a small local hardware or auto parts store? If not, I think I'm about 45 minutes away from the big box stores in Santa Rosa, which would be worth it for me to get this baby working again...

[RangerMan]

Originally Posted by TahoeJoe

Thanks for that guidance, I get good voltage on the side of the battery terminal, but nothing on the other side of the fuse. I like the fuse as the culprit, easy enough to replace and see for sure...now I wonder if this is the kind of fuse I can find at a small local hardware or auto parts store? If not, I think I'm about 45 minutes away from the big box stores in Santa Rosa, which would be worth it for me to get this baby working again...

If you are going to replace the fuse it is a worthwhile project to put the new in a fuse holder. There is a thread here started by tdf tx that goes over why/how he did it.
Search for 'Fuse holder' in a thread. That should get you there.

Fuses should not be attached to a battery post.

[Vermilye]

While GoPower recommends an ANN Class T series fuse, the fuse you have is an AMG, much less expensive (and not as fast acting). It is available through NAPA for around $8.00. Usually not in stock, although I have managed to get them the next day.

[TahoeJoe]

I was able to find one at a nearby O'Reilly that looks like the same fuse:
https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c...amp+fuse&pos=0
I can pick up that one today for the short term project of verifying that's the issue and (hopefully) having the inverter run for now. Then I can think about the long-term project of improving the setup, I agree that it seems like some cables going to a fuse holder is a much better setup. I'm actually preparing for a big solar system install, I'll add this little item to that project! Thanks guys...

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by TahoeJoe

Is this the fuse to check?

Yes, that's the one, and with the responses from Jon (Vermilye) and Bo (RangerMan) you're on the right track.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by RangerMan

If you are going to replace the fuse it is a worthwhile project to put the new in a fuse holder. There is a thread here started by tdf tx that goes over why/how he did it.
Search for 'Fuse holder' in a thread. That should get you there.

Fuses should not be attached to a battery post.

Here is the thread:
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...les-19164.html

...and here is the fuse holder he used
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[TahoeJoe]

Success! It was the fuse indeed...and I was able to pick up 2 so I've got a spare for the road. When I get home I'll work on that improvement project as part of my solar install.

Once again this forum has saved me a bunch of time and money and turned a big worry/headache into a small satisfying DIY project, and I learned a bit along the way...many thanks and much respect!

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by TahoeJoe

Success! It was the fuse indeed...and I was able to pick up 2 so I've got a spare for the road. When I get home I'll work on that improvement project as part of my solar install.

Once again this forum has saved me a bunch of time and money and turned a big worry/headache into a small satisfying DIY project, and I learned a bit along the way...many thanks and much respect!

When the seasoned members jump in I know anything can be solved! Leveraging the collective experience and knowledge base of so many people is what I think makes this forum so valuable.

[RangerMan]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

When the seasoned members jump in I know anything can be solved! Leveraging the collective experience and knowledge base of so many people is what I think makes this forum so valuable.

I don't know many of the answers to a post question but it it feels good when I do.