I have my 1996 320 at the storage unit. Both the house batteries and the engine batteries are dead. I need to get the beast back running. It has been in storage for about three months now.
House battery - I do flip the house battery main disconnect when we leave it. I think we accidentally left the cabinet lights on in the rear one time which drained the house batteries (and the disconnect left on). The house batteries were always questionable since we bought it in April 2017. Since we were fulltiming, the house batteries were not an issue.
Engine batteries - We replaced these with new red Optima Red Top batteries in April. We started up the coach in November to let it idle for a hour or so. The engine normally(?) does take a good 7-9 seconds of cranking to fire up.
Generator - My generator hasn't been working right since the shop replaced the steering box. It will start up (when the batteries are charged) and run fine for 5-10 minutes and then shut off. I need to check over to the coach and check the fuel line and radiator fluid. I replaced the fuel filter in the last year. My thinking is that the fuel line is kinked somewhere.
Questions:
1) Is there a code on the generator that tells you why it shut down?
2) My thought is to rent a portable generator, plug the coach in, and let it run for a while. Will this also charge the engine batteries? I know I can use the Boost button to get the house batteries to help the engine batteries.
3) Is there a main disconnect for the engine batteries when I drop it off in storage?
4) Has anyone use inexpensive solar battery chargers when they put the unit in storage (not the permanently installed systems). My thought is to toss two small panels on the roof and run wires down to the batteries while I have it stored.
Which generator do you have? The boost turned on will charge house and engine batteries off the portable generator if you can't get yours working.
The coach has Power Tech diesel generator but that one only runs for 5-10 minutes even if I have good batteries. :(
Which one, Kabota or Isuzu?
I believe it is the Kabota since the filters I bought (air, oil, fuel) were also listed for Kabota.
When you start it does the fan come on? You have to open the door under the drivers seat and look or listen. If it isn't running that will shut off the generator after running for awhile. There is a circuit breaker on the front panel for the fan.
Thanks! I will have to check. It ran 100% fine prior to the steering box replacement. Maybe the fan wire is either disconnected or the breaker got flipped. They had to remove the generator radiator to replace the steering box!
Fred,
On your coach they should have been able to remove the remote fan to be able to replace the steering box and leave the remote raidator alone. If they removed the radiator then you need to check to see if the fan is running. You should have an electrical junction box on the area above the fan hung on the rear wall above the raidator. Open this up and check your wiring here to check for proper wire hookup and good connections.
Also if the raidator was removed the cooling system may be air locked and will need to be bled to get the system full of antifreeze.
Pamela & Mike
Is your coach stored inside or outside? Electricity available? Generator may be overheating-check coolant level. You could have a bad generator supply line from the tank. If the batteries have been flat for very long (a week or so), they won't come back. Disconnecting both sets of batteries (at the batteries ) in long term storage is the best way if no AC available. A dedicated solar setup would be good if stored outside. Troubles after someone has worked on the coach is unfortunately, very common.
Pierce
The coach is stored outside at a storage center and no electricity is available. I'll probably have to rent a portable generator to get some juice in the batteries.
I will:
Check the radiator fluid level.
Check to see if the fan blade turn (see if is an electric or belt driven fan)
Check for the fan circuit breaker to make sure it is correct
Check the fuel lines
My hope is (1) to get the generator working so that can charge up the batteries, (2) use some sort of portable solar panels to trickle charge the batteries, and (3) make sure I visit the coach at least monthly to run both the engine and generator. (Hopefully also get out and USE IT.)
You will have to check the various petcocks (at least 2) for air in the system. You should have 1 near the top radiator hose where it enters the remote radiator. The other will be on the thermostat housing. Just pulling the radiator cap will only show you part of the system.
Pamela & Mike
Air bubble in gen at top will cause what you describe. The trapped air bubble will turn to hot steam, and kill the gen with the over temp sensor. Fix: Procedure for bleeding the coolant system on Powertech Generators (http://beamalarm.com/Documents/Generator/procedure-for-bleeding-the-coolant-system-on-powertech-generators.html)
Also see this thread: Generator overtemp shut down (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=32050.msg285186#msg285186)
Dan,
Fred's system is quite different than the '02 listed on your link. There is some good info there that does apply though.
Mike
The fan not running will also cause what you describe. Mine did that when it blew a winding and was running but producing no electricity. No electricity, no fan, overheating shut down.
Mine has a couple of idiot lights on the front panel, near the circuit breakers.
Lots of good info here.
Run dead batteries normally will not recover correctly. I left the headlights on by mistake and ran the red tops dead.
Never came back correctly. 3 years old.
Same for old non perfect house batteries.
Fix was to first install 270 Watts(14 Amps of 12 volt dc then remove the isolator and install a sea land auto combiner instead.
As the sun hits the panels and the voltage hits 13.5 at the batteries I can hear the combiner "click" to auto connect the two near new condition battery banks,
The combiner auto disconnects when a discharge occurs. Like at night. Wired in at the cable junction where the isolator was before.
Without bad engine batteries the small solar system can keep both batteries at 100% continuously.
With bad engine batteries their draw was too much for the connected batteries systems to keep up the engine batteries charge.
Replaced the bad red tops with 3 new ones from O' Reilly's and every time I go to the coach both battery's show fully charged.
Finally fixed. Not the cheapest way for sure. Basically back to the original oem install but with the auto combiner instead.
All the new coaches come with combiners as I understand this issue.
I can see why in my coach. Auto connect when either bank is charging and auto disconnect under discharge. Manual disconnect is available. Manual connect is available.
Good to start with battery banks, medium solar install to power the charge system and the auto connect and disconnect combiner works well and a lot of new coaches have similar systems new.
Combiner switch installed where the boost was, no power draw when on. Magnetic. No indicator light on combiner switch as running a front to rear wire was not worth it so far.
Tried all the other fixes. This works great.
One caveat is that hooking my small solar panels through the small wires at the refer dropped their output to 13.6 at the batteries which is the float voltage for our battery banks and matches the alternator output at the batteries.
More voltage without a temp compensating solar controller may over charge the battery bank in warm weather.
At 77 degrees and below the 13.6 is correct for out mk 8g8d house batteries and our red tops.
Careful installing temp solar panels with wires hanging down on the roof as they may get legs at a storage facility. Then the panels are gone and the batteries too. Possible bad surprise at your next visit.
My 96 U320 has build # 4943, so built just a couple months before yours.
Mine has a Powertech 10K generator with the four cylinder Kubota engine. The cooling fan is quite large and fills the storage bay behind the driver seat. The Kubota engine has a fan belt driven water pump and the fan belt is hidden behind a cover under the antifreeze tank. If fan belt is missing or badly worn, no cooling circulation will cause shutdown after a few minutes.
I had to top up the antifreeze and while it was not easy to pour after removing the tank cap (same as radiator cap), there was no chance of an air lock stopping the flow of antifreeze.
I also had the power steering rebuild and had to remove the fan for access but not the radiator.
Thanks for all of the input. I did swing by the coach to retrieve some items. I took a quick look at the radiator. It looks like my generator radiator fan is electric. There is an electric motor behind the round cover. I could not see any breakers but I'll have to come back when I can get my hands dirty. There is an electrical box up above the radiator.
The breaker for the fan is on the front of the generator.
The generator has a belt drive water pump on it. Nothing to do with the a/c powered radiator fan. One circulates the liquid the other cools it
Can you get your car close enough to the coach to use jumper cables to start either the generator or engine. Car might not have enough power to jump the main engine even with the car engine running fast. Let the batteries charge a bit before trying to start the coach engine.
If the batteries are truly dead (under 10 VDC) many inverter/chargers may NOT charge them.
You may have to start the charging process with an auxiliary "stupid" charger.
They removed his fan to do the steering box. The problem developed after the steering box repair.
Craneman he still has a shutdown problem with two major possible causes, I replaced both my breakers and still had intermediate issues, Then the belt. Then the glow plugs, then adjusted the valves and injectors.
Much better, fix everything for reliability and safety
You were A+ Spot on!
I went to the motorhome today (with a portable generator) and started work on the power situation. I was able to get the generator back started. I checked the electric fan and it was blowing fine. I checked for the two petcocks. The upper one by the thermostat housing was blowing steam. The air never really bled out so I shut the generator down and pulled it out. The radiator fluid was also low by 1/2 gallon. I filled the fluid up and started it back up. I bled out both the upper and lower petcocks until fluid came out. BINGO. The generator ran for over 30 minutes without an issue. Generator issue resolved.
NOW I need to get the engine batteries charged up! It is at the storage unit with no access to shore power for overnight charging.
1) Do the engine batteries only charge with the engine alternator?
2) Do the engine batteries not charge at all with the generator running?
Given that I have a portable generator (4,000 watt) and the coach diesel generator as power sources, my thought is to use something like a 100 Amp Charger with Engine Start to charge the engine batteries for a while using one of the generators until I can get the engine running. Thoughts?
1) Correct, unless you turn your boost switch on.
2) Correct, unless you turn your boost switch on.
Easiest method: Run the coach generator, turn boost switch on: BOTH battery banks will be charged by your inverter/charger.
Next easiest: Run the coach generator to charge the coach batteries with your inverter/charger. Plug the separate 100 amp battery charger into a 110V outlet on the coach (which is being powered by your generator) and connect it to the start batteries.
Which way would be quicker depends on the condition of your coach batteries when you start, and on what size inverter/charger you have.
This may be a stupid question but I'll ask anyway.
How long can you leave the Boost button on? Seconds? Minutes? Hours?
IF it is a "continuous duty" rated solenoid, and rated for sufficient amperage (about 200A is normal), then
theoretically I suppose there is no time limit. The solenoid does generate heat when left on for extended periods, so most members try to find other ways to accomplish the same task.
This is a good one for use as a BOOST solenoid, or as a AUX START solenoid:
Amazon.com: Cole Hersee 24213 12V 200A Continuous Solenoid: Automotive (https://www.amazon.com/Cole-Hersee-24213-Continuous-Solenoid/dp/B005K2429I/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_263_tr_t_2/141-1012997-4321124?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=Z7G8R7FMS8F3VHA6HSSP)
Since it's continuous duty, there should be no problem leaving it on for hours if necessary. It does use a fair amount of juice, enough to get hot to the touch after a while. That's why they fail and some replace with the solid state solenoids.
Improper use would be to leave it on while on shore power to charge both batteries over a period of time. If you lost shore power, the current used by the boost solenoid would flatten and ruin both sets of batteries someone was not there to monitor it.
Pierce
Unfortunately fully dead batteries normally are not long term reuseable.
We dry camp as an option without thought and low battery capacity does not help that.
Hard to monitor the electrical systems performance and any issues without known good batteries.
many use a Trik - l Start or Echo Charger to keep Chassis batteries up IF plugged into shore power while in storage and Charger/Inverter is keeping your House batteries charger
Sadly, if modern AGM batteries are deeply discharged and left in that condition for very long, they usually will need to be replaced to obtain satisfactory performance.
if outside and not under cover 200Watts of solar charging your chassis battery and a trik - l -start will keep things up if no loads (other than parasitic) are present in storage
A lot of prior posts on these topics are available via the "Search" function on the forum home page
Tim Fiedler
Sure Start Soft Start (http://www.gen-pro.biz)
TCER Direct (http://www.tcerdirect.com) generator-gas-prod (http://www.generatorgasproducts.com) 630 240-9139
Gen-Pro
Another issue not mentioned here is with leaving the boost switch on for long periods such as days. This can damage the start battery's. This happens when the engine battery's reach full charge,but the house battery's being deep cycles have not. The inverter/charger doesn't know this is happening, so it continues to charge, over charging the start battery's.
Tim's idea of a separate charger for the house battery's is a great idea. Using the boost switch for short periods would still be OK. How long? I would be careful.
Chris
One more question:
Should I be able to leave the unit in storage for 1-3 months without unreasonable battery drain or do these units really need to remain plugged in? What is a reasonable expectation?
I think I left the leveling on which may have drained the engine batteries. Once I shut off the ignition, is there anything that drains the engine battery? I know I drained the house batteries by accidentally leaving a light on and I failed to flip the main power disconnect switch. The other thing that hurt my situation was the generator issue that left me no able to recharge the house batteries.
If you do get a seperate charger for the engine batteries get one designed for AGM batteries.
My only cure for drain was to install battery cutoffs on both house and chassis battery negative ground cables, salesman switch was not enough to prevent drain. Since that installation, no drain, batteries stay full.
Both house and chassis are AGM, problem is not their drawing down, problem is parasitic drain. If plugged in, that is a different story, and I do not need to disconnect ground. I store mine not plugged in, thus the ground disconnects.
My lighter plug to lighter plug jumper keeps both batteries at a little over 13V by utilizing the stock charger. They are two different types of batteries but the voltage works for both. I also have a trickle charger I can also use with the voltage staying in the 13.1V to 13.2V range. I like to keep the stock charger on as it's easy to keep the rest of the coach "hot" when I want to escape the house and watch TV or turn on the AC. You do have to monitor the OEM chargers output with voltmeters in case it tries to overcharge the batteries. The OEM charger has been faultless in nine years of ownership.
No, you need to remove the ground cable on both sets of batteries. The AGMs may go a year without losing voltage but the conventional type may discharge in a month or so in summer weather. Conventional batteries will go all winter if fully charged but warm weather is another story. Diehard batteries had a commercial where the battery was frozen in a block of ice all winter and started the car fine. Remember, when some of these batteries go flat, there is no way to save them and that can be a really expensive mistake. And no, the salesman's switch won't do the trick.
Check online for the battery manufacturer's recommended float/maintenance voltage. It will be posted.
Pierce
If you disconnect the batteries they will be fine for 1-3 months if left in fully charged state - without a physical disconnect, the parasitic loads (engine and transmission computers, radio, clocks, leveling system, aux pump, etc.) will run down batteries within a few weeks.
most of us are either plugged into a 15 amp circuit or better, or have solar to protect batteries and not have to disconnect when storing
MANY threads available via search this topic - lots of anecdotes and good advice
Tim Fiedler
Sure Start Soft Start (http://www.gen-pro.biz)
TCER Direct (http://www.tcerdirect.com) generator-gas-prod (http://www.generatorgasproducts.com) 630 240-9139
Gen-Pro
Now that your generator works, you probably need to leave it running with the boost switch on overnight to charge your start batteries. It takes a LONG time to get a charge back into totally dead lead acids, they may never recover 100% but its worth trying since you have some pricey and fairly new batteries.
I would do a 5 hour charge every week with a portable generator when I had my rv stored without power, but I now have 50 amp service as well as a yandina smart boost solenoid which keeps everythig fully charged and ready to go.
The above comment about start batteries being overcharged because house are deep cycle makes no sense to me. All lead acids regardless of deep cycle or start are very close in voltages and it is highly unlikely the inverter charger in your rv is fine tuned to eithers exact preferences. At this point being totally dead is doing far more damage than possible overcharging which is unlikely, even over 12-24hrs.
Per Interstate at Foretravel tech school
More battery bank , requires more charging, less battery bank requires less. If a battery reaches full charge, and another battery (s) are hooked parallel to it, which are not fully charged, the source charging it, will continue to charge all of them. This will over charge the battery that is full.
Deep cycles take pretty much all you can throw at them, but start battery's charge up more quickly.
In general, paralleling batteries is a terrible idea, but it is what RV manufactures do. Why is it a terrible idea? One bad cell in one battery can cause the entire bank to completely discharge. Or fool the charger into thinking the batteries are discharged which pumps lots of current into the banks which causes gassing. I can't tell you how many times I have seen this.
Always replace a bad battery in a bank of multiple's, with all new battery's
And yes, a fully discharged battery is bad, especially when it sits for any period of time dead. It also makes it susceptible to freezing, which can split the battery open.
All good info here. Mostly acquired at considerable expense.
My understanding is that most if not all newer coaches have went to the auto combiner and some kind of solar system to fix these charging issues,
My question to my buddy about charging my red tops and mk gels with the same voltage input is that while not technically exactly perfect it should be not noticeable in normal use.
More issues using non temp controlled alternators.
The 270 watt solar we have does have enough output even with flat mounted panels on the roof and the lower sun angle during winter to have the auto combiner connect during charging from any source and auto disconnect with no charging input.
I know of no other way to set up a system to charge both battery banks outdoors to do this.
My comments to my customers 30 years ago was to plug the coach into a interval timer where the power would come on every third day or so and jump the battery's together manually while in interior storage.
I contacted the original solar company in 1986 and started equipping every coach I,sold with a small 32 watt panel.
Had a mounting bracket made where the panel could be rotated a bit.
Much lower parasitic loses back then.
The auto connect and a timer of some kind should work on indoor storage I would think.
I Bought an ME-ARC50 controller for a possible future use as its programming is adjustable as far as how much the batteries state of charge can drop before the charger comes on.
Std is 80% on the rc50 and default on the arc50.
The arc50 can be adjusted up to 99% cut in to avoid cycling the batteries unnecessarily.
The non power consuming auto connect and disconnect combiner seems to be the best way of solving these issues and the industry has changed to these systems as far as I am told.
Temp controller inverter/ Charger, temp controlled alternator output, auto combiner seem to be the best possible system to my research.
If using agms I would not hesitate to buy the equalizeable lifelines and the magnum SW 2812 or the SW 3012 if you wanted the hybrid design as they have the internal programming to equalize the lifelines.
I see in the Foretravel plant videos that the new coaches have 6 gel batteries. I would bet they use a battery temp controlled alternator and a auto combiner.
The extra cost of the mods can come back in better battery life and longer, higher capacity use...
Was tired of band aid fixes after 32 years or having inconsistent results.
If the batteries are kept better charged the engine delivers slightly better mpg during a drive I assume as the 7 to 10 hp the alternator draws is removed.
My thoughts are the solar input while driving kicks off the alternator?
My alternator and solar are both 13.6 volts as a compromise due to no temp compensation on either of those systems.
I wanted an automatic system that did not require any attention
Agree with most you have posted but paralleling is about all you can do to get the capacity. One 8D was not enough for either the engine (plus no where to put it) or the house so I went with Foretravel's 3 engine batteries arrangement. For the house, I got a deal on 6 AGMs so I enlarged the racks to fit them. I did get a bad cell almost 9 years out on one engine battery but the AGMs have been flawless. If you watch the respective voltages, you can catch the problem before it becomes worse. Deep cycle AGMs are usually very trouble free. And yes, one engine battery goes bad then you should change them all out. But at $300 for all three HD batteries nine years later, it's just a normal cost of owning a motorhome.
If you buy three engine batteries at a time, you should get a discount. I did and they gave me an additional 10%.
Pierce
Yup, One of the best parts of working for Foretravel back in the day. When we replaced one bad red top, we were allowed to keep the old ones, just pay the core charge. Normally the other 2 were great for the race cars (by the way, I run two red tops in my drag car 15.5:1 compression)
I had that same drama last year. For the start battery, PO installed one 8D, instead of the 3 red tops. It would start, but needed the boost switch 1/2 the time. Did all the checks (load test, voltage check while turning over the engine), cleaned everything. Everything said it was all happy.
I was ready to pull the starter out. Then I decided to do a hydrometer test. Sure enough my one 8D had a bad cell. Popped in two group 31's. I can now drive the coach on the starter!
My last coach had 600 watts solar with two banks of two 6 volt deep cycles , separated with a boat switch. I could turn the coach on and off, or separate or charge the banks together. It worked awesome, because I lost a cell in one bank during sub zero weather on our way to California. So I just switched the bad bank out of the system. At that point I could charge the other bank up for heat, replacing the batts when we got to warmer weather.
That was a great price on your AGM's
Sorry I got off track, but important info, great discussion.
Cheers Chris
Two banks of different capacity (huge deep cycles and small starts, for example) will not overcharge the small batteries. If the connections are equal, the current will favor the deeper discharged batteries and they will all come up together and balance out. Of course this isnt perfect, but if you understand electricity you know it always takes the path of least resistance and that means itll charge the dead batteries first and in extreme cases the charge from starts could flow into the house batteries.
I use a Yandina combiner which means my batteries are all paralleled together anytime they are over 13 volts. As soon as any bank drops, it seperates them. Been rolling this way for three years and have never had a dead battery or a bad battery. Have never used the boost switch either. It works really well. When camping the inverter keeps both banks charged. When driving the engine alternator keeps both banks charged. Beats echo chargers and all the other stuff out there!
I agree the combiner is the way to go. That is why many current manufactures use this type of system. Our older coaches don't share this luxury , unless one adds it.
All I can say is, I have switched out many over charged start batteries due to customers leaving the boost switch on, 24/7 In FT's, and several old Winnie's.
Here is a good read about mixing battery's: written by Optima. They also came to Foretravel tech school when I attend. It states exactly what I previously posted
Can I Connect Dissimilar Batteries in Parallel? (https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/experience/2014/04/can-i-connect-dissimilar-batteries-parallel)
Our coach is stored in my shop when not in use. I keep it plugged in 24/7. But weekly, I monitor the battery voltage, turning the charger on and off manually for a few days.I have done this with every coach I have owned. We have never had a over charged battery. Start or house
I do the same with the boost switch. 24 hours max......I guess I am old school.
Cheers Chris
Chris does your coach have the original heart inverter?
Yup Bob, old school. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.....PO had it updated once. Had the dreaded smack it, to get it charging bad board!
The non sine wave freedom 25 with a serial number before 100,000 does not have provision for a battery temp sensor,
Serious drawback on top of the Partial sine wave output. The chargers output voltage can be manually adjusted as temps change of course but I doubt most would do that step.
My freedom 25's output current along with several others here was limited to around 70 amps max as the internal contacters get pitted from use according to my inverter man.
That required much more gen run time to recharge costing me $1-$2 an hour in fuel to run the gen. Plus the noise and smells.
The newer unit (ms-2812) varies the voltage with a BTMS to not overcharge at hot weather and undercharge at cold weather the batteries.
Plus the full wave power makes any appliance hooked to it work better of course.
The freedoms internal wiring connections and boards loosen and corrode respectively which is evidenced by your use of manual persuasion to restore its function.
I hesitated to replace mine but after changing it out the reduced gen run time, better power and correct charging profile were the tipping point I should have noted and acted upon sooner.
The combiner was the other big part of the system. Finally fixed issues I have been working around since 1984
Prosine inverter's were/are awesome. Got a free take out, when someone hooked their coach to 220. All it did was blow a cap inside. 25 cent fixed. Put it in my camper for a few years. Then sold it on Ebay for a grand!
We don't have to wack our inverter, it charges fine. PO had that issue. But I have seen many that do that, taken out many also. As a tech, always got those free too.. They still made great inverters, put one in my race car trailer with one 8D. Just add an inexpensive converter/charger to solve the charge issue.Or put it in a camper that has a charger, but no inverter
Actually, I rarely turn our inverter on. I installed a 300 watt pure sine wave in the overhead, leave it on 24/7 for the sat and tivo.
We have 700 watts solar.
Run the gen for coffee, blow drier, and curling iron in the morning for the wife. Therefore the batts don't take such a big hit.
Chris
I still cannot get the engine to fire up. Initially, I charged up all three batteries together in the coach with a stand alone charger as well as the generator and boost mode. The batteries did charge but not enough to start the engine. After that, I took the three batteries out of the coach and had them tested at Autozone. All three checked out OK but were only at 85% charge. I spent two days charging the batteries individually with a Schumacher charger with an AGM mode. All three batteries charged up to 12.7 volts after some time on the charger.
I reinstalled the batteries tonight. Still no luck. They still test at 12.7 volts at the post that combines all three batteries. The dash lights don't come on unless I use the boost button. Is there a solenoid, relay, or or fuse that could be bad? I would think the starter but that would not explain why the dash lights are not coming active. The engine does not turn over and I don't hear a clicking noise from the starter.
I still have something draining the house battery. I had it charged up on Tuesday and flipped the main disconnect by the steps when I left. When on Thursday, there was not enough power the get the on-board generator to start. Either the house batteries are bad or something is seriously draining them. This is really secondary to the engine not running!
The ONLY good thing is that the diesel generator is running fine with a full tank of coolant!
Fred,
Have you checked the start solenoid that is hid behind the kick panel in front of the passengers seat? If dead this could be your start trouble along with no dash power. Here is a link to a thread with pics. to what you are looking for if you don't understand what I am talking about. Nothing happens when I turn the ignition switch (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=27958.msg238802#msg238802)
Mike
That may be it since I hear a clunk behind that panel when I go to start it. I am heading over there at 7:00am tomorrow.
It that part typically available at the normal local auto parts stores?
Hmm - check the connections at the starter and the ground to the coach for tightness and corrosion - clean and tighten​
Tim Fiedler
Sure Start Soft Start (http://www.gen-pro.biz)
TCER Direct (http://www.tcerdirect.com) generator-gas-prod (http://www.generatorgasproducts.com) 630 240-9139
Gen-Pro
Fred,
Take your volt meter and check to see if the solenoid is passing electricity through it before you just replace it. It can clunk and still not pass current through. Yes some parts stores will have a suitable replacement.
Pamela & Mike
I had a bad ignition solenoid, the dash lite up when I turned the key on, the coach would turn over, but the solenoid dropped out while the starter was still running, killing power to the computer.
Coach would start / stop at the back. Only did it after the coach warmed up.
Chris
I am still not any closer. :( I replaced the ignition solenoid but I don't think that is the issue since I am not getting the right voltage there. I only get the dash lights with the boost on. I don't think any engine battery power is getting up front.
I do have the engine batteries charged and sitting at 12.6 volts. They were 12.7 before I left for 9 days. I disconnected the engine batteries to preserve the charge. My next step is to clean all of the engine battery connections and check each battery when the cables are off to make sure each is at 12.6 volts.
I checked the chassis ground cable and it is screwed tight to the frame.
My house batteries were drained again. Something is draining them even with the main switch off. The house batteries are really secondary to getting the engine started!
Yes, clean posts and terminals and use a flat file on both sides of the cable lugs until they are nice and copper all the way across the surface. Boost solenoid will run down all batteries if left on. Check isolator connections and then use a digital voltmeter there.
Salesperson switch on?
I ran an extra ground cable from the batteries to a frame member a foot away.
Pierce
Could the front/rear safety engine start switch back by the engine be in the rear start position?
Here is a good starting point for your engine batteries. Only takes a few minutes and a few bucks to fit stainless hardware and clean the posts and cables. Batteries are always the first starting check point when you have a problem. Melted terminal is what happens starting at high altitude with no blockheater and in the teens. It did start but...
Use a label maker to identify cables BEFORE removing them. Goes double around the isolator. Ours was badly mis-wired.
Chuck, our breaker is located on the main 12V bus located under a cover in the wet bay. Good point to check breaker there plus make a voltage check. The house and engine battery cables are within a couple of inches of each other.
Photos #1 and #3 have the wrong description.
Pierce
You'd think his coach would start at 12.6, ours has at 12.8 after 3 days on the hook with no recharge. I'd be curious as to the make/type/age of his batteries. Here's ours at full charge:
Is that the switch by the entry steps or is there another switch?
They are Optima Red Tops that are less than a year old. I had them checked at the parts shop. I also took them out and charged them individually with an electronic charger for AGM batteries.
Here is the PDF for your coach's 12V electrical system. I suggest you download them, take them to a print shop and let them piece the left and right together and then blow them up to their largest size. Easy to then trace from the batteries forward to see where the problem is. After using the schematic, roll and store in a mailing tube in an overhead compartment.
Pierce
BINGO! I did get my flat file and a terminal cleaning brush and gave all of the battery cable connections a good cleaning. I turned the key and the dash lights lit up! I cautiously turned the key and the engine fired up. Yeah! Now the generator and the engine are running!
Thanks to everyone for the help. Going forward, I am going to disconnect the battery cables when parking it in storage until I get a switch installed at the coach and engine batteries just to give myself extra insurance!
Fred,
After cleaning the posts and teminals spray them with CorrosionX or use an electrically conductive grease like this NO-OX-ID "A Special" Conductive Terminal Grease (https://baymarinesupply.com/no-ox-id-a-special.html) and the reassemble. Everything will stay cleaner much longer. Be sure to check battery connections to make sure they stay tight, maybe once every three months. They do seem to loosen up over time.
Remember to start with the most simple solutions first.
UPDATE 9/2/2019
The engine batteries are fine as long as I keep the terminals clean.
I did end up replacing the old AGM house batteries with new batteries. The house batteries STILL drain even though I am flipping off the salesman's switch. The new batteries are good. I had them re-tested and they are fine. My current solution is to physically disconnect the house batteries when I drop it off at the storage facility (no shore power option is available at the storage center). Here is my plan:
Step 1: Install a disconnect switch directly at the house batteries to prevent the drain
Step 2: Figure out what is draining my house batteries in storage with the master (salesman's) switch in the 'off' position.
What items on the coach bypass the master switch? It is frustrating that something it draining the house batteries!
Fred,
The first thing that comes to mind is your inverter/converter. Check out your B-2126 print as there is several things that are on the live buss. Some are the fridge, some of the dash memory, LP detector that come to mind.
Mike
Refer and chest freezer are both wired direct. Heater for refer lines?
Follow coach wiring diagram. Under bay wall white cover with salesman switch off meter the breaker bus and see all things still powered.
I agree with what Roger said, but I use Dow Corning® 4 Electrical Insulating Compound after installation.
https://www.fmv.se/FTP/M7789-000193/datablad/M0729-3010XX_DowCorning_4.pdf