Hi
First time using MH since Branson Grandvention. Plugged in all thru winter, started it about once a month and it fired up instantly each time.
Had been having start issues and discovered during Grandvention that the Trik-L-Charge to keep the engine battery charged from the coach batteries was the issue and not working. There was a beefier one in the Granvention parts trailer and we had it fitted: life was good.
Problem:
Left home on Friday, motorhome started up instantly, stayed in park for two nights, plugged into 50 amp and when we went to leave the engine would not crank, turned over slowly, clicking and no go.
Boost: did nothing
Started the generator and a few minutes and the engine started immediately,
Now at a new campground, parked waited 30 minutes and coach fired up.
Question:
What drained or could have drained or might still be draining our engine batteries so quickly?
Any ideas appreciated
David
How old is the start battery? Which type?
Two batteries
Lead acid
One year old installed by MOT
Need to check all connections at the batteries. Especially the ground wire.
I'm not seeing an obvious indication that your start batteries
were drained, because you report seemingly inconsistent symptoms.
The "beefier" charger you had fitted seemed to be working well, because the "motorhome started up instantly".
But then, after 2 nights plugged in to 50A, engine would not crank - exhibiting signs of low cranking voltage.
Your coach batteries
should have been fully charged after 2 nights plugged in (unless your inverter/battery charger was turned off).
So, if your coach batteries were fully charged, why didn't activating your BOOST switch supply more than enough power to crank the engine?
But then, you started the generator and a few minutes later the big engine cranked immediately.
All starting the generator does is power the inverter/charger to charge the batteries, but a "few minutes" of charging wouldn't cure deeply discharged starting batteries.
I would look at both ends of the positive cable going to the starter for possible loose connections. Might explain the somewhat random start/no start events.
I would also recommend the installation of two small digital volt meters somewhere on the dash. One connects to start battery bank, and the other to coach battery bank.
It is extremely helpful to be able to glance at the meters and instantly see the relative SOC in each battery bank.
I know Pierce is a big fan of these small volt meters, and so am I.
Amazon.com : mini voltmeter (https://www.amazon.com/mini-voltmeter/s?k=mini+voltmeter&rh=n%3A15729701%2Cn%3A15729811&dc&qid=1624902344&rnid=2941120011&ref=sr_nr_n_5)
Batteries @ Q? (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=29944.msg256411#msg256411)
What did you do to your coach today VI (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=30072.msg282406#msg282406)
Ok thanks, good points, will look at that tomorrow, , in a tiny village tonight will see if they have a Napa and get two gauges.
pouring rain right now and grilled chicken and a cold beer are calling.
When other post suggest checking the battery terminals, they mean pulling and cleaning as this is frequently the cause of high resistance and hard starting. Separating the batteries and testing with a load meter can quickly tell if one has an internal fault. A car parts store may do this for free.
As I have posted several times, this is a good reason to have two digital voltmeters for house and engine batteries on the dash of the coach. You can instantly tell if there is a problem and resolve it before you get stranded.
Pierce
We had a lot of inconsistency in starting our coach (320 version so big M-11 engine). Cleaning the cables and or a fresh charge helped, but not always. I was using 3 of the latest greatest AGM start batteries that load tested good. In the end. It ended up being the starter motor. Instead of just quitting, It was slowly dying and eating up BIG amperage. And the engine was not turning properly to start easily.
After the new starter went in. The engine spins over like it's over dosed on caffeine. I also got into the habit of pulling a cable (on the house side as well) when storing (no elec) and using a trickle charger (my coach didn't have an automatic one for the chassis batteries) Takes just a few minutes to do.
Thanks for the info on the starter, I will check all the connections and then it would only leave the starter.
When my started was starting to go I was using the boost switch so I thought my start batteries
were shot. Replaced the starter and same problem and the next time I tried the starter quit.
Peter, your comments re starter befuddled me!!!
Johnh
John my engine wouldn't turn over sometimes without the boost. I thought it was the batteries but
the starter was using so many amps that that it needed the house batteries. After I put the new batteries
in the engine turned over too slow to start and the next time I tried to start it the starter had died. The new
starter turns the engine faster than the old one ever had.
You say" I thought my starter batteries were shot so I changed the starter"?? "Replaced the starter and next time it quit"?
Just does not make sense to me, but!! Maybe too much sun here in Keremeos as has been mid 30c for a few days while you guys had lots of rain.
Johnh
As my coach needed the boost to start I bought new batteries, that's when the starter failed. I should have
done more trouble shooting and then I wouldn't have bought new batteries.
Keep in mind that it might have been a dying start battery that killed your starter.
There was nothing wrong with the start batteries, one is in my wife's car and another is going
into my car.
For the M11. The starter was about $425 plus install. But that was 18(ish) months ago.
In 2019 stopped by FOT for maintenance prior to a long trip to the Canadian Maritimes. Had them replace the engine batteries (3). FOT uses Interstate. Two years later we were at Cummins in El Paso for service and the their code tester reported we had an electrical issue. One of the 2-year old batteries was toast. Two coach buck$ later we had three new AGM engine batteries. Prior to installing the new batteries the Cummins tech load tested the new batteries. He had experience with new batteries being bad. I purchased this car charger. Our rig has two 12-volt receptacles in the dash. One is a cigarette lighter and one is an extra, but not a cigarette lighter. The cigarette lighter receptacle is on the chassis battery circuit so I plug in the car charger into this outlet to get a voltage reading of my engine batteries. It also has USB and USBc ports which come in handy.
Speaking of 12v cigarette chargers, does anyone know off the top of their head what batteries the 12v cigarette type plug by the passenger seat is connected too. (2001 U320)
I could do some troubleshooting but sitting on the couch feeling lazy on this rainy day.
I'm assuming chassis batteries but you know what that's worth 😁