House Batteries-Size&Type 05 Journey

roadkingray · 10-26-2012, 05:05 PM

Hi All,
I seem to be unable to find what the original size and type house batteries were in my 05 Journey. I have been winterizing and after leaving it in storage (inside) with the aux. bat switch turned off for 5 days I went and started it up and got the low bat buzzer.I thought the dealer had said it had new batteries but could not remember which ones.The batteries that are in the tray are not marked except with a sticker that has J12.There are 3 12v and the tray is 13"x 23".I did go back again after 2 days and measured voltage at the posts before starting and got 12.2v.Is there any reason why they would drain with the switch off? Also the batteries that are there look like a group 24 size and I did check to see if the water level was good.
So can anyone tell me what size I should have? Thanks, Ray

SVTotem · 10-27-2012, 07:01 AM

I am the second owner, so can't speak to what was OEM. At purchase there were three group 27 house batteries. There appears to be room to go up a size, but I have not measured.

roadkingray · 10-27-2012, 11:24 AM

Thanks for the reply Bill, I am also 2nd owner and although I have all the manuals etc. there seems to be no reference to OEM batteries.I would think they would have been deep cycle type but the tray is only 13"x22&1/2" too small for 4 6v deep cycle.

malk415 · 10-27-2012, 11:30 AM

Sir..
We have a 05 36ft Journey which came with three 12 volt batteries.
I was able to replace them with four 6 volt golf cart batteries which fit in the tray on my mh. Just had to be selective on how the cables were routed.

Mark

FIRE UP · 10-27-2012, 11:55 AM

roadkingray,
Your '04 Journey may or may not be using the same house battery tray as our '04 Itasca Horizon. At present, I cannot remember what the dimensions are of that particular tray. But, Our rig came from the factory with (3) SRM429 Interstate, 12V Deep Cycle Marine/RV batteries. I've got the brochure for this coach someplace and I'd have to check it to see just what they say about the house batteries.

But, long story short, shortly after purchase of our rig, just over 18 months ago, one of the ONE year old, set of three, house batteries developed a shorted cell. I replaced it at almost full cost, so much for pro rated warranty junk. Then, a month after that one was replace, yep, you guessed it, another one developed a shorted cell. So, that was the straw that broke the camels back.

I took a bunch of measurements, and, below is what you see as the results. Now, this may or may not be what you want to do, as you may be happy with using 12V house batteries. We do a lot of "boon docking" and, the amp/hrs duration and, recharge cycle rate of 6V golf cart batteries way out performs the 12V units, in my opinion. So, that's why I went with what I did. But, again, if you are lucky and or happy with your 12V units, then simply take your measurements and purchase the largest house batteries that will fit, and that includes the head room for all the cables and tie downs.
Scott

roadkingray · 10-27-2012, 12:11 PM

Fire Up,
Nice job on the batteries and thanks for pic. I was trying to research this to see if my tray is big enough to do exactly what you've done-do you have info on those batteries-brand-size and type?

FIRE UP · 10-27-2012, 02:52 PM

roadkingray,
Thanks for the nice comments. I got lucky in terms of fittment for them. In the length of the tray, I got all kinds of room. As for the sides, it's like a glove. They're not so tight as to cause damage to the batteries, it's just that, there's no need for any spacers etc. from side to side like I have in the ends and, in between each set of batteries to keep things stable.
They are Costco version, 6V Golf cart units. And, back when I did this, about a year ago, I posted the same pics and got many replies. Well, what resulted in those replies was, Costcos, in different counties and states, purchase items for their stores, from different vendors. So, the 6V units I have, quite possibly are not the same exact units that you would find at the Costco near you.

And, what's kind of amazing, the warranty for my 6V units for complete replacement was 6 months different than the ones at Costcos in other parts of the country because, the brand is different at those Costcos

.I'll get those measurements for you in just a bit.
Scott

roadkingray · 10-27-2012, 05:17 PM

Scott,
Thanks for the information. Off to Costco I go.

SCVJeff · 10-27-2012, 06:05 PM

The original coach came with 2ea. GP31 12v batteries, 3 if you had the big inverter from the factory. O replaces those with 4ea. Interstate GC2 6V batteries. Some of those designs are changing, so verify with a tape the battery vs. the tray. Also note that you may have a clearance issue with the OEM cables, so there might be a re-wire/ cleanup on the list as well. I did the same as Scott, but mine turned out to be more complex with shunts and solar