New Lock/Unlock Switch Installation

Our entry door and bay doors can be locked or unlocked using the key fob or the driver’s side panel switch. However, I often found myself standing in front of a locked bay door with the key fob inside the coach, forcing me to head back in and use the switch on the driver’s panel just to unlock it.

I seem to recall that our 2003 model had a lock/unlock switch on the passenger side panel, unless I’m imagining it, but it’s a memory that sticks with me.

Currently, the passenger-side panel features three switches: Porch, Step, and Interior:

• Porch: Turns on the exterior yellow entry light, similar to tapping the entry handle (Touchlite), but persistent.
• Step: Turns on the entry step light, plus the toe kick lights in the kitchen and bathroom.
• Interior: Controls one of the front ceiling lights.

The Step switch struck me as an odd place for controlling the toe kick lights, which made it a candidate for a redo.

The Plan

We decided to replace the Step switch with a more useful function: controlling the door and bay locks. Having this function on the passenger panel makes it far more convenient to lock or unlock the bays without needing to retrieve the key fob or head to the driver’s side.

To support the change:

• The entry step light was rewired to come on with the Porch switch (or Touchlite), so a single action now lights up the entryway.
• The toe kick lights were relocated to a switch in the kitchen, grouped with the other ambient lighting (under-cabinet, valance, etc.).

We had a Generator Auto/Manual switch near the Aqua-Hot (is this standard?? – it wasn’t labeled), water pump, and lighting controls, so I repurposed it for the toe kick lights. This felt like a more logical placement among the “mood” lighting controls and I did not need a second auto/manual switch for the genset.

We still have a (also unlabeled) generator “on/off” switch and “generator running” indicator light at that location in the kitchen.

Lock/Unlock Switch Wiring

Schematic A-6209 outlines the power lock system. It shows a momentary SPDT switch (the one on the driver’s console) that briefly grounds either the lock or unlock wire to trigger the action.

The wires in question are 194 and 195. They were easy to find, since they run to the keyless entry module located behind the panel in front of the passenger seat.

Adding a second switch was straightforward: I tapped into the above two wires and connected them to a new momentary rocker switch with the center tap connected to ground.

Our coach uses Carling R-Series Curvette switches, but I couldn’t find one in the configuration needed (momentary on - Off - momentary on).

Instead, I went with an S341 from RV Designer. It’s a close match, just slightly more angular, and required opening up the panel cutout about 0.050 inches, which can be accomplished with a few passes of a file.

Yes, it says “step” but it’s really the lock switch. Anyone know where to get stenciled panels made?