Community Forums

paulp · 07-13-2016, 12:57 PM

Hi All,
Just got back from a 3k road trip all was good. Yesterday Went to start engine and nothing, didn't turn over, jacks didnt work only thing that worked on the dash was the horn but didn't check the lights. Tried jump starting and also tried using the aux start button Nothing. The meter in the coach says the engine battery is charging with the generator or when plugged into landline elec.

Today still nothing and no horn. nothing on the dash works. Not even the radio comes on now with aux. power. I can hear the on off buttons come on and off for the aux and main battery disconnect above the entry door.

Had similar symptoms years ago and it was the starter and or bad wire connections to the starter. Could the starter and or starter wires cause all these symptoms?

Also had the alarm disconnected by auto repair shop several months ago.
Any ideas? Thanks for the help.

BFlinn181 · 07-13-2016, 01:12 PM

You might test the battery with a multimeter to see the voltage available. Some Workhorse owners have reported the connector on the steering column from the ignition switch melting due to the high number of items switched by the ignition. It's worth a look to see if that connector is good.

Your starter would only come into play when you switch over to start position, but you seem to have problems even before engaging the starter. If you read good voltage at the battery, then check voltage at other locations that should show battery voltage with ignition in on position. Clean all battery connections, including ground connections.

vettenuts · 07-13-2016, 04:46 PM

What chassis is this?

paulp · 07-13-2016, 05:24 PM

w-22

vettenuts · 07-15-2016, 05:45 AM

Check the relays under the hood. They can cause issues. I believe there is one for ignition. If you watch the recent video posted by ktoutdoor in this thread he shows the relay and its location about half way through the video.

Duner · 07-15-2016, 02:41 PM

Use a voltmeter and start right at the engine battery terminals. If you read 12 or more volts, then have someone try starting the engine. If the volts stay up at the battery terminals, then bat is good and problem is downstream. Check the bat ground connection for tightness and corrosion....that's where I had the bolt/nut loose. Keep measuring the volts as you work your way to the loads.
On a W22, a good place to check is the main fuse box just to the right of the steering linkage. You should have a solid bat voltage there under load (ie the key turned to Accessory position, or lights turned on.

The Aux Start switch may not be doing anything because the solenoid that it feeds are notorious for failing. You won't really know it's bad until you need it like now in your situation. They are underrated and don't hold up to the huge amperage that you can get connecting one battery to another bank of batteries.

Good luck and come back and let us know what you find.

Bill

bbopp · 07-15-2016, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulp

Hi All,
Just got back from a 3k road trip all was good. Yesterday Went to start engine and nothing, didn't turn over, jacks didnt work only thing that worked on the dash was the horn but didn't check the lights. Tried jump starting and also tried using the aux start button Nothing. The meter in the coach says the engine battery is charging with the generator or when plugged into landline elec.

Today still nothing and no horn. nothing on the dash works. Not even the radio comes on now with aux. power. I can hear the on off buttons come on and off for the aux and main battery disconnect above the entry door.

Had similar symptoms years ago and it was the starter and or bad wire connections to the starter. Could the starter and or starter wires cause all these symptoms?

Also had the alarm disconnected by auto repair shop several months ago.
Any ideas? Thanks for the help.

Our 2003 Itasca gave us the same symptoms as your post on a recent trip. After trying and replacing fuses, etc we tried to start it again about 18 hours later and it started right up. We drove it home frome Seattle to Eugene without shutting down. It is now in our driveway and again won't start (dead). How did you solve your problem last year ?

Any suggestions would be great.

hawkeye1995 · 07-15-2016, 09:54 PM

Not sure if the W22 has the same ignition switch as the P32. This switch is located on the lower part of the steering column. I know this is a big problem with the P32 chassis. This sounds just like the problem I had with my unit. A new switch and a modification fixed the problem. You may want to check into this and see if they use the same switch. It is a cheap fix.

paulp · 07-16-2016, 11:35 AM

got it fixed. It was loose wires and bare wire on the starter. tapped them all up with heat resistant silver tape, tighted all the nuts, put the starter back in and it works like a champ.

Thanks for all your recommendations.