Dead Engine Batteries Again

[DCTENT]

I have 2008 Dynasty, My engine Starting batteries keep going dead, I have Coach plugged in to 50 AMP Service at ALL times while in storage, Inverter shows Charging, I have everything inside coach working, I'm thinking I should have trickle charge going to Starter batteries while plugged in, So why then do they keep going dead, I have replaced all orginal Batteries with AGMs,
I Have Both Controls In Battery Box On.

[Midniteoyl]

Whats the actual voltage at the batts while charging?

[DCTENT]

Don't Know, Don't have voltage tester, I took Batteries To Mechanic, He charged & Tested & says REPLACE, Batteries were purchased Last Spring. Something has to be array in My Charging System, However I Don't really know how the Charging system works....
Is ther a seperate charger for the Starting Batts, Or should they be charging as long as i have charging on AGS Panel as well as Lights etc inside Coach.

CONFUSED & FREEZING In Minnesota!

[bullydogs1]

You need to find out if you have what is called the BIRD for chassis batteries to charge from coach..If not, you might have what I have which is a board from MegaTech that engages the Trombetta relay that connects the batteries together... Once the house batteries go to float charge at 13.6 -- my Mega Tech board cuts out so if I am plugged in at the same spot for a while my chassis batteries could go dead. Mega Tech has an updated board available which I just purchased....You need to see if you have the BIRD in the front run bay. Otherwise, your house/chassis batteries are separate and you need either a trik-l-start which I am currently using(until weather warms up).or a solar charger...

Hope this helps...Monaco Tech by your coach number can tell you if you have a BIRD or the MegaTech board.

[Mike Canter]

Now you say that the house batteries are staying charged so you know the charger is working for sure so that really only leaves a wire or a fuse or a relay/solenoid bad going to the engine batteries. My recommendation is to buy a trickle charger for now so your batteries are kept charged so they will not freeze. Dead batteries will freeze especially up there. I will go and look at my wiring diagrams tomorrow and see if it shows anything obvious.

So you used the MH this whole summer without a problem? If so then it probably means you are only charging them via the alternator. Normally there is a single charger that goes to both sets of batteries plus they split the solar panel charge to both sets of batteries. Your solar panels are probably a little under the snow.

When you changed all your batteries to AGMs did you reprogram your charger for AGMs?

[bachler]

I have posted the same problem with our coach It's only a couple years old;;; Well I purchased a battery charger Had a friend help me hook it up , It turns on any time the coach is pluged in.. I had enough people tell me about that BIRD I thought I was flying away;; Any way with that $50.00 charger my troubles are over.. You can also put a trickel charge unit in it; Then with a little care your battery will last 8/9 years;; Life is good;;

[Midniteoyl]

You really need a VOM.. you can get one at ACE for $20 or less that will be good enough...

[Oh-one]

I have the same problem with our07 Imperial. Installed a Tril-L-Start and solved the problem. Check it out on their web site. Cost under $100.

[Bill2]

You need the xantrex digital echo charger. It is hooked up to the house batteries and it keeps the start batteries charged by eco charging from them to the start. I have used one since the coach was new and have never had a start battery discharge again.
Bill

[Diplomat Don]

DCTENT......You're getting a bunch of good answers, but I agree with the last two. For me, it was easier to just install the built in charger. You now have a choice of three brands to choose from, the Ultra TRIK-L-START Starting Battery Charger/Maintainer, the Xantrex Echo Charge or the new model from ME-SBC Smart Battery Combiner.

I originally installed the Trik-L-Start and it worked well for a couple of years, but then the indicator lights quit working properly and the sealed case got a bulge in it. I eventually replaced it with the Echo Charger which seems like a more substantial unit and does cost more. Shortly after I bought the Echo Charger, Magnum came out with their unit. I really like Magnum products and it would probably be a good choice.

These units all take only a few minutes to connect in your battery bay. Once you're done, they work without ever touching them again.

I installed the BIRD in my coach after the Trik-L-Start appeared to be failing and had mixed feelings about it. I know people like and use them, but I wasn't comfortable with how they charge and that some people coincidentally had to replace the Trombetta relay after installing them. I installed the better quality Trombetta relay as a preventative measure, but I removed the BIRD and went to the Echo Charger unit. I'm very happy with the Zantrex product.

This last summer, I replaced all of my batteries (5 years old) as they were starting to get tired. I had always had some battery acid issues and was constantly looking for ways to keep the acid down. What really aggrevated me was that the battery bay in Monaco Mama's coach was always dry with dust in it. When I replaced the batteries, I called Magnum and asked them to walk me through the settings on my inverter. They were way off and had been causing the acid issues. I changed the settings to what they recommended for my batteries and added an automatic watering system. My batteries are now dusty dry and perform flawlessly.

Sorry about the long post.

[Robi.1014]

Dip Don,

You mention "acid issues". Can you expand on what these were? Was your Inverter charging your batts too much?

And what types of batteries did you choose as your replacements? Just wondering.

["007"]

Give this thread a read may help with your chassis battery charge.

[deandec]

Many rigs have no charging of the start batteries when the battery charger is working (ie shore power/generator). Only the alternator charges the starting battery.

As stated above, you can add a Trik-l-Start or Bird or similar to your battery compartment to allow the start batteries to be charged when on those power sources.

Or, perhaps one of the above features is already installed on your coach but not working. I have read recently of one coach manufacturer who installed the charging units wired backwards on occasion.

[Mike Canter]

DCTENT, your 2008 Dynasty has the Bi-direction Isolator Relay Delay (BIRD) for maintaining the charge on your Chassis and House batteries while driving or plugged into shorepower. I have attached the page out of your owners manual that describes how it works. I have also given you a link to the Intellitec pdf file that explains it and has some trouble shooting data. My big guess is that your Big Boy relay has failed. The second guess is that your coach or house batteries have to get above 13.1 volts before the BIRD will allow your system to charge the engine batteries. So if your house batteries are never getting higher than 13.1 volts your motor batteries will NEVER be charged. One bad house battery can cause that or not having your inverter/charger set up correctly or setup to charge AGM batteries vice liquid acid batteries. So the first thing is to find out if your house batteries are above 13.1 volts with a voltmeter. If not then why not. If they are above 13.1 volts then you need to check that 12 volts is on both sides of the large terminals on the isolation relay (Big Boy). Intellitec tech support is real helpful in trouble shooting. Or you can email me direct at mike.c@mindspring.com and I can walk you through it.


http://intellitec.com/PDF/5300362.100.pdf