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Old subject, not turning over!

May 24, 2018, 12:02:48 am

Hello everyone,
Went out to the coach to get it ready for the holiday, put the key in the ignition, turned to the on position, all the dash lights came on and the gauges came alive. Went to start it turned over maybe twice (slowly) and that was it! Then no lights on the dash Nothing! Turned the boost switch on, lights come on, tried to start turned over but not enough juice. Turn the boost switch off and dash lights go off. First thing I thought was bad connections took them all apart cleaned and put them back together. Also charged the batteries, nothing changed. I thought maybe one of the batteries was bad so I swapped them out with an almost new pair with the same results, Nothing!  Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks in advance
P.S. Those batteries are heavy it's best to carry one in each hand to balance out!

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Re: Old subject, not turning over!

Reply #1 – May 24, 2018, 12:20:17 am

Also, I have no head lights until the boost switch is on, is there a breaker or fuse in the system that would cause this?

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Re: Old subject, not turning over!

Reply #2 – May 24, 2018, 01:35:15 am

It sounds and acts like your start batteries are not charged our are kaput. The boost switch ties the start and coach batteries together that's why the lights work. When you turn the boost off the coach battery and the engine battery are disconnected. So the problem is with the start batteries and the possibilities are:

Start batteries are discharged.
Connections to the start batteries are loose our corroded.
Start batteries are weak/no good

Measuring the voltage at the start batteries would give you an indication of their condition. It's possible for the start batteries to show some charge but they may be flat and can't provide the power/current too start the coach.

Roland

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Re: Old subject, not turning over!

Reply #3 – May 24, 2018, 06:12:55 am

Are the batteries strong enough to start the generator?  If so you can use the generator to start the main engine.

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Re: Old subject, not turning over!

Reply #4 – May 24, 2018, 09:09:19 am

I cleaned connections at the batteries, I charged the batteries then replaced with almost new, with no difference. Generator starts fine. No dash warning lights with the key on, no headlights or side backup lights either. When I turn the boost on everything works but there's not enough amps to start the engine. It's like I blew a fuse/breaker at the ignition switch. I'll do some more trouble shooting this morning.

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Re: Old subject, not turning over!

Reply #5 – May 24, 2018, 09:13:13 am

If the start batteries are fully charged and they can pass a load test then you might want to start looking at cables from the batteries to ground and to the starter.  Either side can do as you describe. 

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Re: Old subject, not turning over!

Reply #6 – May 24, 2018, 10:00:51 am

Would not try and start with the generator,would not fix the problem and it would be like trying to start your car with a battery
charger,would not be good for the gen.Troubleshoot the problem.

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Re: Old subject, not turning over!

Reply #7 – May 24, 2018, 01:25:06 pm

Good news, replaced the jumpers between the batteries and it fired up. They looked okay on the outside but apparently not good on the inside. Thanks again everyone for the input. We're good to go!

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Re: Old subject, not turning over!

Reply #8 – May 24, 2018, 01:34:45 pm

I'm glad it is working, time to double check the rest of the cables as well.  Start with the most basic stuff first.

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