Replacing the Monitor Panel Switch

Replacing the Monitor Panel Switch
The switch pops out easily.

The monitor panel on the Eurovan Camper’s galley cabinet lets you check the levels of the water and L.P. gas tanks and the coach battery’s charge by pressing the Levels Test switch.

If the switch on your monitor panel breaks, replacing it is an an easy, quick job.

Replacing the switch

See Photos below.

  1. Disconnect the coach battery.
  2. Remove the six screws that attach the monitor panel to the galley cabinet.
  3. Once you have access to the back of the monitor panel, it is easy to squeeze the plastic tabs that hold the switch in place so that you can pop out the switch.
  4. You may need to use a small screwdriver to gently pry the metal blades on the back of the switch loose from the quick-disconnect contacts on the lead wires.
  5. Snap in the new switch and insert the blades on the back of the switch into the contacts on the lead wires.
  6. You can re-connect the coach battery and test that the new switch works before you replace the six screws that hold the monitor panel to the galley cabinet.

Photos

Questions

My monitor panel doesn’t light up when I press the switch. How can I tell if it is the switch that is broken?

If someone knows how to do this, please leave a comment.

In my case, the switch clearly broke while I was pressing it. I could feel it suddenly go stiff, as if a spring inside the switch had broken.

If you’re not sure, replacing the switch is fairly inexpensive — it’s likely your twenty-year-old switch is wearing out anyway.

Where can I buy a replacement switch?

It is a simple single-pole, single-throw (SPST) momentary switch, and the original Winnebago part number is 113566-01-707.

Eurocampers.com is one source for a replacement switch: Rocker Switch for Monitor Panel

Where can I buy a replacement circuit board for the monitor panel?

If anyone knows of a source, please leave a comment.

How can I read the levels if my monitor panel is broken?

There is a gauge on the side of the exterior L.P. gas tank.

It is not as convenient to read as the monitor panel. If your L.P. gas tank still has a plastic cover (a lot of Eurovan Camper’s have lost this cover over the years), you may have to remove it. You will have to get down on the ground and, possibly, wipe dirt or mud off of the gauge.

You can read the charge level of the coach battery with a voltage meter that plugs into the 12V socket on the monitor panel. For example, this battery monitor or this USB charger with digital display.

There is no convenient alternative to the monitor panel for knowing the level of the water in the fresh or waste water tanks. If you upgrade your water level monitoring to use the popular SeeLevel gauges, you can use a SeeLevel-compatible electronic display. Some of these displays have inputs for monitoring battery and L.P. gas levels in addition to water levels.

9 Comments on “Replacing the Monitor Panel Switch

  1. Mike, great help here, thank you. Is there any trick to getting the monitor panel off? I removed the 6 screws and still couldn’t get the panel off. I could pull harder but I don’t want to break anything. I found your article because I actually want to replace the cigarette receptacle with a USB/battery level unit I just got. Got a digital unit which I hope is more accurate the factory 4-light indicator.

  2. For me, the panel came off easily after removing the six screws. There were, of course, several wires still attached to the circuit boards and other fixtures in the panel, but the panel itself came loose with just the six screws.

    Maybe somebody spilled sticky juice on it?

  3. Hey guys, my panel isn’t working but I’m wondering if I have my battery hooked up wrong. I notice in the picture that the black wire is going to the positive terminal. Is this correct??

    • Yes, for the coach (camper) part of the van’s wiring (as opposed to the engine’s wiring), Winnebago seems to follow a general color scheme of black for positive and green for ground.

      Someone said this is similar to how house’s are wired, but I can’t confirm that because I don’t have that much experience with house wiring.

  4. Mike, great helpful stuff here! My panel is out and I seem to recall that you said replacing the pump switch may fix the problem with the panel as a whole. 2 Q’s: 1. Should I replace both the pump switch AND the monitor switch? 2. EuroCampers is out of stock on the switches, any ideas for an alternative, online source? Thanks!

    Mark Conner

    • Sorry, Mark, it must have been someone else that made the remarks about replacing the pump switch. I only have experience with replacing the monitor panel switch, so I don’t know anything about fixing the water pump switch.

  5. Does anyone know if replacement circuit board for the Monitor Panel for a 95 Eurovan Camper is still available?
    When I tried to take out my fridge, I broke a wire on mine.

    • I’m pretty sure it is not, but I have heard of services who will repair broken circuit boards by re-soldering broken connections, etc. A good resource is to join the Facebook group, “VW Eurovan Campers”.

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