Dead Starting Battery on new Access Coach

[ctcamper]

Took Delevery on coach two weeks ago. After a few days would turn over very slowly after I got it. Now I had it parked and plugged into shore power and let it sit for another week and the chassis battery would not turn over the engine.
I noticed a clicking noise from the kwikee step this morning that went away after I fired up the engine with the aux boost start and let the engine run for 10 minutes. The steps have not been retracted and extended so I am ruling that out for battery drain, and the light on them has been on a total of about an hour. I am wondering if the light may have drained the chassis battery enough over the past week from going in and out of the coach to make the battery go dead. I may take that light out of the kwikee steps as I don't need any extra drain on the chassis battery from that.

I guess the chassis battery is isolated from the house charger/inverter based on the fact that I was plugged in to shore power the past week and the chassis battery still went dead. I know my old adventurer would charge the starting battery along with the house batteries when plugged into shore power but this one must not.


I don't want to go boondocking and end up with drained house batteries from using them and then not being able to start the engine.
The dealer is an hour away so it's not an easy thing to have him check.

[ctcamper]

Took Delevery on coach two weeks ago. After a few days would turn over very slowly after I got it. Now I had it parked and plugged into shore power and let it sit for another week and the chassis battery would not turn over the engine.
I noticed a clicking noise from the kwikee step this morning that went away after I fired up the engine with the aux boost start and let the engine run for 10 minutes. The steps have not been retracted and extended so I am ruling that out for battery drain, and the light on them has been on a total of about an hour. I am wondering if the light may have drained the chassis battery enough over the past week from going in and out of the coach to make the battery go dead. I may take that light out of the kwikee steps as I don't need any extra drain on the chassis battery from that.

I guess the chassis battery is isolated from the house charger/inverter based on the fact that I was plugged in to shore power the past week and the chassis battery still went dead. I know my old adventurer would charge the starting battery along with the house batteries when plugged into shore power but this one must not.


I don't want to go boondocking and end up with drained house batteries from using them and then not being able to start the engine.
The dealer is an hour away so it's not an easy thing to have him check.

[JC2]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by ctcamper:
Took Delevery on coach two weeks ago. After a few days would turn over very slowly after I got it. Now I had it parked and plugged into shore power and let it sit for another week and the chassis battery would not turn over the engine.
I noticed a clicking noise from the kwikee step this morning that went away after I fired up the engine with the aux boost start and let the engine run for 10 minutes. The steps have not been retracted and extended so I am ruling that out for battery drain, and the light on them has been on a total of about an hour. I am wondering if the light may have drained the chassis battery enough over the past week from going in and out of the coach to make the battery go dead. I may take that light out of the kwikee steps as I don't need any extra drain on the chassis battery from that.

I guess the chassis battery is isolated from the house charger/inverter based on the fact that I was plugged in to shore power the past week and the chassis battery still went dead. I know my old adventurer would charge the starting battery along with the house batteries when plugged into shore power but this one must not.


I don't want to go boondocking and end up with drained house batteries from using them and then not being able to start the engine.
The dealer is an hour away so it's not an easy thing to have him check. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

It is my understanding that there are different items on/within the coach that will draw from the house/coach batteries continuously. I think you are correct in stating that when plugged into AC, the house batteries will be charged but not the starting battery. If you haven't done so, check all batteries and make sure they have water. It's also not uncommon for the starting battery to lose charge after several weeks of not being used. When we got our rig in 01/2007, the dealerer was supposed to have checked everything but our house batteries cracked 2 weeks later due to low/no fluid and had to be replaced. I'm sure others will chime in here with other things for you to try. We purchased the following from RVUgrades and when connected as instructed will keep the starting battery charged.
http://www.rvupgradestore.com/index....ROD&ProdID=441

[John_Canfield]

Your new coach should have the Trik-L-Start which charges the chassis batteries assuming the house batteries are being charged when plugged in to shore power.

There are parasitic loads on the chassis batteries but with no battery charging your chassis batteries should stay in a reasonable state of charge for at least a couple of weeks.

You might want to spend the time and have your dealer look at the problem even though it is a hassle. You could have a bad chassis battery, something wrong with the charging process, a load that shouldn't exist like a step problem, etc. I am not familiar with step lighting except for the after-market step lights which I think use batteries.

[ctcamper]

I checked the manual and I do have the Trik - L charger for the house batteries. The kwikee step manual says the light stays on for five minutes and shuts down. I took the bulb out anyway as I don't really need it to find the step, I usually have a flashlight with me when it's that dark out.
I think the co detector etc is on the house battery and the only thing on the chassis is the step and the dash electronics. I can't figure out why something like a step light would be connected to a starting battery and not the coach, but stranger things have been done before.
I will make sure I have jumper cables in the toad with me

[John_Canfield]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by ctcamper:
--snip--I can't figure out why something like a step light would be connected to a starting battery and not the coach --snip-- </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Pretty sure Winnie has the steps wired to the chassis batteries across all models. Wonky steps are one cause for chassis batteries being prematurely drained.

[ctcamper]

We will see what happens, I put my battery disconnect switch inline with the positive terminal so I can isolate it at the campground and I had the battery minder on since last night. Brought it from 12.23 volts to 12.50 so far.

Checked the lone 12v napa deep cycle battery and there was no water visible. took around a quart of distilled water and then I ran out. Have to go get more, but at least the water is over all the lead plates now.
Off to sams club for my 6v golf cart batteries now as I don't want to sit in the woods for a week with that battery esp as there is no telling how long it has been that dry.
You would think the dealer would have done some of this stuff.

[JC2]

I hear you on the dealer should have check certain things. We went through a similiar situation the first of this year when we got our coach. It cost us (2) new coach batteries, a staring battery, and a WH that wouldn't work rightn from the get go. I left messages for the service mgr and salesman to call me which they didn't do. My response to this is, "I won't be back for anything".

[Tom N]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JC2:
I hear you on the dealer should have check certain things. We went through a similiar situation the first of this year when we got our coach. It cost us (2) new coach batteries, a staring battery, and a WH that wouldn't work rightn from the get go. I left messages for the service mgr and salesman to call me which they didn't do. My response to this is, "I won't be back for anything". </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Do you have the house and engine batteries monitoring panel in your coach?? This should be in your "one place" panel. You should monitor your battery voltages there.

Did your dealer go over this panel with you?? Did you sign off on Winnebago's pre-delivery inspection form?? Did you read about the "one place" panel in your owners manual??

-Tom

[JC2]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tom N:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JC2:
I hear you on the dealer should have check certain things. We went through a similiar situation the first of this year when we got our coach. It cost us (2) new coach batteries, a staring battery, and a WH that wouldn't work rightn from the get go. I left messages for the service mgr and salesman to call me which they didn't do. My response to this is, "I won't be back for anything". </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Do you have the house and engine batteries monitoring panel in your coach?? This should be in your "one place" panel. You should monitor your battery voltages there.

Did your dealer go over this panel with you?? Did you sign off on Winnebago's pre-delivery inspection form?? Did you read about the "one place" panel in your owners manual??

-Tom </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I do have the monitoring panel in our couch but as many of us know, they are notorius for be less than accurate. The day before our house batteries went, they read ok on the panel. The same on the starting battery. We were the 2nd owners of our couch and the initial test drive was generally uneventful. The issues that I noticed at the time were addressed. What I don't like is when you expect a certain amount of reliabilit from a dealer and it doesn't happen. I believe that the few items that I mentioned could have/would have been noticed if a thorough inspection had been doon by the dealer. Don't get me wrong, we like the coach very well but am disappointed in not being able to have confidence in the dealers predelivery inspection.

[ctcamper]

Those battery monitors are just a general guide. My fluke multimeter will tell me the battery is 12.3x which equates to around 75 percent charge and the panel will indicate a full charge.
Who would think to check the battery level of the deep cycle during the pre-delivery walk through. Some things you just assume a responsible dealership should take care of. The check list only mentions that the purchaser was told to keep the levels on a battery up, not many of us go to predelivery equipped with tools, so as, to be able to pry the recessed caps off the deep cycle to verify fluid levels.
You shouldn't have to worry, new or used.

[JC2]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by ctcamper:
Those battery monitors are just a general guide. My fluke multimeter will tell me the battery is 12.3x which equates to around 75 percent charge and the panel will indicate a full charge.
Who would think to check the battery level of the deep cycle during the pre-delivery walk through. Some things you just assume a responsible dealership should take care of. The check list only mentions that the purchaser was told to keep the levels on a battery up, not many of us go to predelivery equipped with tools, so as, to be able to pry the recessed caps off the deep cycle to verify fluid levels.
You shouldn't have to worry, new or used. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I could not have said it better myself.