new member needs advice

[pub1898]

I just purchased a 2003 Travel Supreme m-40. My problem is this on the drive home I had issues with the gen-set not wanting to start without using the boost. Sure enough when I got home I had to buy all new house batteries (4x6 volts). My problem is the gen-set still won't start without the boost feature, any help would be appreciated, is this common.

[RV Wizard]

pub1898, welcome to iRV2.com and to the Travel Supreme Owners forum. Congratulations on your M 40. It sounds like there could be a loose connection; maybe a ground on the chassis frame rail. Who installed the batteries? Have you checked fuses and do you have power (lights) inside the coach without being connected to shore power or have the generator running?

[slabman]

Pub, when you say it won't start, what exactly do you mean? Is there any juice at all, trying to turn the starter? Or is it completely dead unless you hit the boost button?

There's a DC post up front on the LH frame rail, on the port side of the generator. That post should have the same voltage as at your batteries in the rear. Check that and verify you have good power up there. Then there will be a cable leading from there to the rear of the generator, feeding power to the generator starter. I found my cable was inadequately-sized to cause my autogenset start to function. I believe it was a #2 cable and I had it replaced with a 2x0 cable.

Get back to us with more info. Something is killing the juice between the batts and that generator.

[pub1898]

Thanks to the both of you, very helpful. The coach has power without the shore power being hooked up, and the power management panel indicates full batteries. The gen-set doesn't turn over even once until I engage the boost from the cranking batteries and then I have to leave the boost on for a bit to get it to turn over and start. It has actually started off the shore power with the charger working but only once or twice, most of the time it won't turn over; it absolutely won't do anything without help from either the boost or the shore power. I will definetely check the size of the cable between the port post and the rear of the gen-set, that could be the long and the short of it , hope so, cheap fix.
pub1898
Leo

[slabman]

How 'bout getting the "boss" to engage the generator starter while you check voltages with a voltmeter? First, check voltage across the paired batteries(a front and rear terminal, wired together to produce 12v). I think I remember seeing my batts drop to around 11.6-11.8v, if I remember correctly. See what your voltage drops down to. Then do the same at that front terminal-it should be just a tad under the battery reading. If ambitious, you could also do the same at the point where that cable enters the generator as well. I've got a feeling you'll find a big drop somewhere along the line. Then you could repeat the same excercise after engaging the boost switch and compare voltages.

If you find you don't have enough hands to do all these chores at once, you could do this. Locate the battery connection solenoid in the basement. It may say "Stancor or White-Rogers" on it and have a white label. Next to it is a smaller aluminum-colored one, a CH24200 model-that's not it. The connector solenoid will have two heavier cables that can be tied to one post-nothing will happen if you do this since this is what your boost switch is doing...tying them together. In fact, you can operate your rig just fine this way as long as one set of batteries isn't bad and might draw down the other one, leaving you stranded.