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Honwing · 06-11-2018, 11:38 PM

Purchased our 2004 Itasca Horizon 40AD last June with two new AGM chassis batteries. Currently in a RV Park south of Seattle for four months and the two chassis batteries are reading 11.2 volts on the panel. Will not start even with the boost. Had a charger on them yesterday and they topped out at 12.4 volts. 11.8 this morning. The coach batteries read 13.4 on the panel.
Have been through all of the supplied manuals and nowhere can I find anything about onboard chassis charging. Batteries are still under warranty but not sure they are the problem. Anyone have any ideas? Fireup—thoughts?

l1v3fr33ord1 · 06-12-2018, 03:24 AM

Honwing-

As your coach came from the factory, it did not have a system to charge the chassis batteries from shore or generator power. Here is a Winnebago Service Tip of 2006 that gives the general background and the "fix" Winnebago applied.

Alternatively, your coach may have been modified to include a house-to-chassis charge component (such as the Trik-L-Start) that has stopped working as it should.

Scott ("FIRE UP") installed a higher-output Amp-L-Start on his coach. Here's a thread on that, over on the Winnebago Owner's Web site.

Honwing · 06-12-2018, 10:58 AM

Thank You very much. I checked for any modification and find nothing. I went through 14 years of receipts from the original owner and can see history of all battery purchases. In 2007 he purchased new chassis batteries and had them fail 1 year later. Best thing for me to do is replace the two batteries and add the Amp-L-Start.

twinboat · 06-12-2018, 12:24 PM

Do your house batteries charge while the engine is running ?

You say the boost switch didn't help and that's the same relay ( solenoid ) that allows the engine battery to charge the house battery, while underway.

After 14 years of no battery problems, now you have two problems ? I would look into that before I started adding devices.

Honwing · 06-12-2018, 01:01 PM

Just started it with the boost switch. All is good with the batteries on a charger at this time. Previous batteries went from 2008 to 2017. I think the problem is parking for three weeks with no charge. Winnebago knew they had a problem in 2006 and added the Trik-L-Start in the same year. Don’t see a down side adding it except for the $50.

Honwing · 06-12-2018, 01:46 PM

To be clear the chassis batteries went from 2003 to 2007. Replaced and lasted 1 year. Then 2008 to 2017. Replaced with the current set. Just called Battery Systems who sold the batteries. They will keep them for three days and charge them , load test, and replace free of charge if needed. Yes the house batteries are charged by the engine alternator and the solar panel. Problem still is no charging of the chassis batteries while parked and on shore power or not. That is why the Trik-L-Start has been added in 2006

Honwing · 06-12-2018, 08:15 PM

Purchased the Amp-L-Start today

FIRE UP · 06-12-2018, 09:25 PM

Hey Honwing,
Sorry for getting here late. Mark gave you good info on what I did when I was in your situation. Winne and Itasca (basically the same unit) along with many other coach builders of the era of yours and ours, felt there was no need for chassis battery charging while on shore power. Well, after a few zillion complaints and phone calls from folks that store their coach for winters etc. and, all of them experienced a NO START condition when returning to them, AND many of them were plugged into shore power, Winne started installing the Trik-L-Start in '06.

The Trik-L-Start or it's big brother, the Amp-L-Start are not only a great answer to this issue of dead chassis batteries while on shore power but, it's also a very CHEAP answer to this issue. Besides, either one of them is ultra simple to install. I'm sure you saw Winnes PDF on this and it's instructions for wiring. If I recall, your coach is very close in construction to ours. That is, your two major solenoids, the chassis battery shut-down and, the Auxiliary Battery Boost, are both in the hidden compartment, inside the shore power compartment.

About 30 seconds work with an electric screw driver will reveal their hidden status. Below shows just where I mounted my Amp-L-Start. Short wiring and, easy.

Now, on a side note, I'd take into consideration what Twin-boat suggested. And that is to analyze that Auxiliary Battery boost solenoid. As you know, it's a dual duty thing. It's used to connect both sets of batteries for starting the engine and, it's also used to connect the engines alternator to the house batteries for charging while your driving.

Test one: Have your surroundings completely quiet. No one talking, no radios playing, kids asleep, dog asleep, and the DW sewing some place. Now, sit in the drivers seat and, without the engine running, push on the Auxiliary Battery boost toggle. With your head out the window, listen for it engaging and disengaging each time you push that toggle.

You SHOULD be able to hear it. That is, based on your hearing capability. Mine's not so good. But, if you hear it, that's passing the first test.

Second test: With engine off, and no shore power, get out your trusty volt-ohm meter and, check your voltage on your house batteries and, note the readings. Then, start your engine. That same auxiliary battery boost solenoid also energizes via the ignition. When that happens, you're now getting alternator charging to the house batteries.

So, with all that being said, and your engine running, re-check your house battery voltage and note the readings. Now, shut the engine off and compare readings. Depending on what your readings were when the engine was off, you should see a substantial increase in voltage at those terminals with the engine running, based on that solenoid engaging correctly AND, TRANSMITTING full alternator charging through its contacts. I and many others have had that solenoid make full contact but, not transfer any alternator charging due to BAD CONTACTS.

So, that's that.
Scott

Honwing · 06-13-2018, 12:17 AM

Thank You very much. Will run the tests but have had no issues with the coach batteries. Normally we don’t park for than a week but staying for four months in Seattle showed I had a problem in less than a month. If you happen to have pictures of your mount location that would be great. Need to stop by Lake Havasu and buy you dinner.

FIRE UP · 06-13-2018, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Honwing

Thank You very much. Will run the tests but have had no issues with the coach batteries. Normally we don’t park for than a week but staying for four months in Seattle showed I had a problem in less than a month. If you happen to have pictures of your mount location that would be great. Need to stop by Lake Havasu and buy you dinner.

Hah!
No need for the Dinner Pal, just glad to help. I would be happy to meet you IN PERSON! Anyway, here's my install of the Amp-L-Start. In pic one, you see the panel, inside the shore power compartment where the three, resettable breaker buttons are and, the toggle for turning on the port side porch light.

In pic two, it's the same panel only with the Amp-L-Start addition. Now, just for info here, the Amp-L-Start is NOT A BATTERY CHARGER. It's job is simply to monitor the difference between the house batteries and the chassis batteries. If it detects .5V less on the chassis battery side, it jumps into action. When that happens, that little black box, about the size of a half-a-pack of cigarettes, now siphons off, a maximum amount of 15 amps and sends it to the chassis batteries.

The Trik-L-Start is limited to a 5 amp operation. That's all either one of those do is, divert SOME charging voltage that's intended for the house batteries, and send it to the chassis batteries.
Scott

Switchflicke · 06-13-2018, 03:28 PM

I had an interesting demonstration of how the Amp-L-Start works this morning.
I have voltmeters on the chassis battery and the house battery. The unit had not been connected to any power since April.
I plugged it in after setting the jacks down and bringing the slide out rooms out. I did that without shore power to get the chassis battery down a bit.
Before I plugged the shore power in, the batteries were around 12.4 or so each.
When I plugged shore power in and turned the AUX BATT switch ON, the house battery went to a bit over 13.0 and the chassis stayed at the same volts that it was before the shore power.
With not much else to do I watched the house battery increase, and when it reached 13.6, the chassis battery started to increase. After an hour I checked it again and both were exactly at the same voltage - 13.6
So if the house battery is not ON ie AUX BATT sw=ON or if the house battery is ON but less than 13.6 the chassis battery will NEVER get a shore charge.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!
Stan

FIRE UP · 06-13-2018, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchflicke

I had an interesting demonstration of how the Amp-L-Start works this morning.
I have voltmeters on the chassis battery and the house battery. The unit had not been connected to any power since April.
I plugged it in after setting the jacks down and bringing the slide out rooms out. I did that without shore power to get the chassis battery down a bit.
Before I plugged the shore power in, the batteries were around 12.4 or so each.
When I plugged shore power in and turned the AUX BATT switch ON, the house battery went to a bit over 13.0 and the chassis stayed at the same volts that it was before the shore power.
With not much else to do I watched the house battery increase, and when it reached 13.6, the chassis battery started to increase. After an hour I checked it again and both were exactly at the same voltage - 13.6
So if the house battery is not ON ie AUX BATT sw=ON or if the house battery is ON but less than 13.6 the chassis battery will NEVER get a shore charge.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!
Stan

Stan,
Not sure how your coaches charging system(s) are setup and wired but, on ours, which should be the same as Honwings, even if the house battery switch is turned OFF, the charger side of our inverters still charges the house batteries. And, because it's wired that way, the chassis batteries will get their share of charging too. In our coaches, the only way the chassis batteries will not receive a charge is if the charging side of the inverter/charger is turned off. And we never do that.
Scott

Switchflicke · 06-13-2018, 07:34 PM

Why the manufacturer would change stuff like this beats me, but my house battery (AUX BATT) needs to be on for shore power to provide a charge.That's not to say that the shore power won't electrify the whole coach sans the house battery. Not so for the engine driven alternator. When the engine is running the Boost Solenoid (can't remember the right term) is closed and thus both banks of batteries are in parallel.
I guess we must be very careful of the year and model when comparing the electrical charging systems.
Regards
Stan