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max49 · 12-02-2012, 11:49 AM

solenoid photo by firstmrmax | Photobucket

when I'm plugged in this clicks every 10 to 30 seconds. My converter does charge the chassis battery after the house batteries are charged. I just don't know if the clicking is normal

trackman · 12-02-2012, 02:14 PM

The only time a true (if that is what this is)solenoid clicks is if it is not making contact. Could be the solenoid or the component it is feeding causing the click

max49 · 12-02-2012, 02:26 PM

I don't really know what it's called and not exactly sure what they do but I think the one on top allows the engine to charge the house batteries but when the engine is not running it disconnects from the chassis battery.
The one on the bottom, that clicks when plugged in, (I believe) allows the converter to charge the chassis battery, supposively after the house batteries are fully charged.
It seems complicated to me, but I can't find any thing that doesn't seem to be working right at this time.

bluepill · 12-02-2012, 02:55 PM

In most cases one of the solinoids is for connecting the two battery banks together for charging while the engine is running (with the alternator as the source of charging current), and the other solinoid is activated by the "emergency start" switch (allowning the house batteries to boost a low chassis battery).

The 2 smaller terminals on each solinoid are for "control" - i.e. turning the solinoid on or off. One terminal will be connected to the negative (ground) side and the other to the positive (hot) side. Either side can be switched to control the solinoid. Use a voltmeter to monitor the voltage at these terminals and see if the voltage is fairly constant - which it should be - or drops to a lower voltage when you hear the clicking.

exrench · 12-07-2012, 01:14 PM

I had the same symptoms and went through the diagnosis that the previous posts suggest and replacing the chassis battery stopped the click.Hope this is of use to you.

max49 · 12-08-2012, 12:06 PM

I plugged the MH this morning, the clicking was there , I unplugged it and cleaned, checked tightness on my connections. I did'nt find an obvious problem. My battery is original , about 8 yrs. old and has never given me a problem. However I decided to use my Harbor Freight Battery Load Tester and according to it my battery is just into the 'Weak Status". I decided to put my auto battery charger on it for a couple of hrs. It would only take the 2 amp setting as the 10 amp would just keep bouncing back and forth, cutting it off as being fully charged.
After I finished charging it I plugged the MH back in and the chassis battery is reading about 13.4 volts and the house batteries are showing about 13.6 volts , I can not catch it clicking at this time.
Since my chassis battery is 8 years old, and showed just weak under the load test I'm wondering if I should think about getting a new one even though it has served me well and never given me a problem yet.
It's a dang shame, I have brand new Deka 1000 CCA battery and it's just too long and too high.

Max Hubrich · 12-16-2012, 03:11 PM

Sounds like you have an old, worn out battery. It has served you well-

Go to Sam's club and buy a new one for around $70 bucks. That should fix your problem. Cold weather will always fail an old battery (I guess it's gotten to freezing in CO by now). Heck, you wore out an engine before a battery-

Good luck,

**JohnRR** · 12-16-2012, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by max49

It's a dang shame, I have brand new Deka 1000 CCA battery and it's just too long and too high.

Disconnect the battery in question and connect the larger battery with a set of jumper cables to see if the solenoid quits clicking it might ease your mind about replacing the battery if you know for sure you need one.

tompen · 12-17-2012, 04:45 PM

The solenoid you are pointing too is closed when either the coach batteries are bieng charged by the invertor, or the chassis battery is bieng charged by the alternator. It is controlled by the BIRD that it is mounted on top of. It also closes with the emergency start switch on the dash. If you are plugged in it closes when the coach battery reads charging voltage, about 13.5 volts. It then allows the chassis battery to stay charged. If the voltage then goes below 12.5 volts for 5 seconds it opens so the chassis battery won't be discharged by the coach. Put a volt meter or test light on the small terminal of the solenoid that goes to the BIRD and see if the voltage cycles. If so it will be a problem in the BIRD or or at least the coach side. Try pushing the emergency start switch. If the clicking stops and the solenoid holds closed it is probably not the solenoid. If it still opens and closes it is likely bad. It is a constant duty solenoid readily available for around $20.00. Good luck.