Startup batteries charged but no dashlight or motor start

[charliereed]

Checked every fuse and have 12.4 Votes reading on battery, plus the battery, black, gray, fresh water reader in the bath shows full charged battery. Since the DC startups gets to the inside meter, why don't it reach the dash and starter? It's a Holiday Rambler Ambassador 270 Cummings and has given me no problem. It's been setting since April '11 and I've started it and the generator monthly and it has never failed before. Is there a fuse that could effect it which is located outside the normal chassic box where all the chasse related fuses are located. Your suggestions would be appreciated. By, the way it starts immediately using the house battery switch. It has only 11k miles on it.

[Robi.1014]

>"By, the way it starts immediately using the house battery switch."

I'll take that to mean that when you use the Battery Boost switch, the main engine will start, but if not using the BB switch, then nothing happens. Sounds like a chassis battery-bank connection failure. Suggest checking everything in the battery compartment (main cut-off switch and all of the large cables therein). I think you'll find something "open".

[Diplomat Don]

charliereed.......Did you/someone turn off a master switch in the battery bay for the starting batteries? Mine has two large mechanical switches/disconnects for the two battery banks.

[Downsizer]

Had a friend with similar situation. His "Crank" switch in the back engine compartment was disabled. We toggled the switch and it cranked right up. That's the switch mechanics use to crank the engine while standing there. It will NOT start unless the key is on.
We had been on rough roads in Alaska and that switch in the engine compartment had gone into "neutral".... took a call to Monaco to trace it down... thanks Monaco!!

[charliereed]

Thanks gentlemen and ladies for your advice. What troubles me is that the start batteries shows full charge on the inside meter, and it will not start or dash lights burn when the generator is running? Checked ALL fuses in the chassic and lines and find none blown, but replaced those associated with the dash and start anyway. With the information you've provided me I'll go at it again. Weather is great now in Texas so I need to be out anyway. Thanks again, Charlie

[Mike Canter]

Lets stop and think. It cannot be a fuse because you say that it starts using the House Battery boost switch right away. That eliminates the fuses, and the ignitions switch and the starter and the starter solenoid. So lets forget a fuse. This means that it is a Chassis Battery Disconnect Switch is bad or a positive battery cable loose on the battery or corredoded or the disconnect switch or and battery ground cable loose or corroded at either end.

Correoded or loose battery positive and negative cables can show good with a very small amperage but when you bring up the amps then they are not going to make a connection. You cannot just looke at either end of the positive and negative cables and say they are good. Go to a autoparts store and buy a round battery post brush then take off the battery cables and clean the inside of the cables and the battery posts until they shine and do that with the other ends also. Take that ground end of the negative cable off and wire brush the rust off the frame and put it back on tight. If that does not fix it then carefully remove one of the cables from the back of the battery disconnect switch and put it on the other terminal so both cables are on the same terminal and the switch is out of the circuit. Try all that and let us know what happens.

[wa8yxm]

I will tell you a problem I have from time to time (Every few years)

turn the key on dash lights up, all indications are full battery, turn to start and everything goes dark and no power to starter.

Remove battery lead, hook up load tester, Full up and in good condition is the return from the test.

Clean and re-attach leads to battey and I'm good for a few more years.

[charliereed]

Mike, never did it before in my 75 years, but I give up. I've done all the below and still no go. Now, when using the booster the motors pulls the power down and it will not start. Generator runs great, but will not turn on the dashlights, or start the unit. Of course it runs the house batteries. I've done the following:
1. Changed every fuse in the chassic box.
2. Put Amp Meter on the battery disconnect out put and get a full reading.
3. Checked oil, water, etc.
4. Checked each fuse connector with for conductivity uwith no problem.
5. Cleaned and tighten all batteries, but since both the house and start batteries are fairly new they had good connections.
6. Went down your list carefully, making sure that I had covered each.
7. It has to be a quirk that very seldom happens. The unit has less then 12,000 miles on it, but set in an enclosed garaged for 5 years without ever being started. The gentleman, who bought it new, I think faced a serious health issue, maybe a storke, and no one came to the rescue of the MH. Of course all plastic items are brittle, and everything dried up as was after it was parked. I put new tires on it to replace new looking tires; had cummings and allison change all fluids, and run diagnoses, etc. and have driven it about 5k miles since purchase. It had 7,200 miles on it when purchased.
8. I guess the next move is to turn it over to a high charging repair center.
I'm a retired Army individual who had a tad of exposure to Army Personnel Carriers, but i'm no expert, but have a basic knowledge of the working of thf electrical and mechanics of a vehicle. Thanks again for all your patients with me. Blessings, Charlie

[trouble&rose]

Hi

We picked up our coach from the Camping World in Mesa after our purchase and our house batteries would not power anything

The service guy tested the batteries under load and they tested BAD
after talking to the terminal mgr about replacing them... the tech came back and put a plain voltage meter on them and they read 12.3....hence no replacement batteries on his dime

We went directly to Interstate Battery center and the batteries were junk

Obviously we do not send people them because of his poor choice to save money at our expense

good luck and warmest regaurds

Trouble

[charliereed]

THANKS TO EACH OF YOU: Problem Solved!
When nothing else works read the instructions (but the right one was hard to find). With this particular Switch when you wire around the connector yo have to have a ground wire ("depending on the type of disconnect switch you have, you may or may not have to cut the neutral wire." After reading the instructions on a non-Holiday Rambler, I cut the wire and bingo it started. Now I'm wondering if I'll wake up tonight to fire trucks behind my house. What an ordeal. I symposize with those of you who have to undergo this nightmare. Thanks again to all, yes it was the Disconnect Switch. Regards, Charlie

[Mike Canter]

That doesn't make sense why you had to cut any wires because you had already driven it and it worked. Still not sure what ground wire you are talking about. What does this wire go to?

[charliereed]

Mike, I don't understand it either. After taking both power wires off the disconnect and bolting them togeather along with the small netural and ground wires, I tried to start it and it would not go, only the dashlights on. Read a pdf manual on some other model MH and came across ("depending on the type of disconnect switch you have, you may or may not have to cut the neutral wire.") Tried it and it started on first turn. What I don't understand is that the major start-battery switch has to still be on before it will start? Anyway, ordered a new disconnect switch (althougb I've read on several post and Google searches where many RVers permanent by-pass the switch. Not smart enough to feel good in doing that, so I ordered an identical switch. Figure that the Mgf knows more about what is needed and right than I do. I know that there are many forum members that appreciate you as much as I do. Thanks again, Charlie

[Mike Canter]

Maybe the previous owner always started it by pushing the Boost Switch. How di you start it to get it home?

[Robi.1014]

Charlie: Did I miss it?.....please tell us what your rig is (make, model).

I'd like to suggest that we "standardize" some of the phrase-ologies that we're using when troubleshooting our rigs. As an Army guy, I'm sure you'd agree with this.

There are 3 main/high-current "switches" on most of our rigs for our DC (battery) circuits. There are other high-current switches, of course, but we're discussing 12-volt circuits at this time. These switches are:

#1: The "Chassis Cut-Off" switch. When OFF, this switch effectively disconnects the starting battery-bank from all "chassis" loads. "Loads" would be stuff like head lights, windshield wipers, tail lights, motorized entry steps, and dash stuff....like dash air and your back-up camera monitor. This switch is physically within 18" of the positive lead of the starting battery (or starting battery pair). It is a manual switch....thrown On & Off by hand.

#2: The "House Cut-Off" switch. Similar to above, when "OFF", essentially all "house" loads are disconnected from the house battery bank...such as 12V lighting throughout the RV. This switch is physically located within 18" of the batteries that it services. It is a manual switch....thrown On & Off by hand.

By the way:
Neither of the above 2 switches would have a "neutral wire that can be cut" (paraphrasing one of your statements above). So perhaps you are discussing switch #3 which would be:

#3: The "House Disconnect" switch. This is a solenoid-operated switch....which is to say that you don't manually turn it On & Off at the switch location. This switch is physically located (typically) up near the front of the RV. On my rig, it is located under the driver....in an outside bay. On my rig, most of my 12V fuses are here as well.

So question for you:
When you "..cut the neutral wire", which of these 3 switches are you referencing?

With your answer, all of us on this blog will be a big step closer to helping you find your problem. Also: suggest that you turn off the two "cut off" switches in your battery-bank area, then turn these switches back on.

Hope to hear from you soon!