Dead Battery

[idahoreb]

Had my 42dl14 motorhome parked and it now will not start. What is the best way to jump the unit to get the engine started. I tried the battery boost and it still didnt start.

[palehorse89]

Originally Posted by idahoreb

Had my 42dl14 motorhome parked and it now will not start. What is the best way to jump the unit to get the engine started. I tried the battery boost and it still didnt start.

Completely dead batteries like you describe are super hard on alternator's(Trying to charge them back up) Alternator's are designed to "Maintain a battery/s"............Suggest you remove all the batteries and charge them back up, using a battery charger,then before re-installing them, take them to a parts store and have them do a "Load Test" on them to determine the condition of them, so they don't let you down while on the road.

[twinboat]

If it has a generator, hook jumper cables from your car, to the battery that starts that, It needs much less power to start. Once it is running, it should run your charger for the engine batteries. Let it run an hour or so before trying to start M/H

Good luck

[palehorse89]

Be careful if your genset is started by your 6 VDC "House Battery's" , make sure to hook them up to the 12 VDC side of the 6 VDC configuration .........and with 4 dead 6 VDC batteries........ this condition sure would tend to make for a extremely large load for a auto's alternator!
I am not sure if your auto's charging system would survive this??????? Maybe?
To the OP: Do you have AC outlets where the Coach is parked? to operate a battery charger?

[twinboat]

There is no 6 VDC configuration, only jumpers between pairs of 6 volt batteries. Hook your jumpers to the big cables that go away from the batteries. Positive to positive and negative to negative. You car alternator will be fine. It can produce it`s max output long enough to get some power in your batteries, besides it can only put out max current at about 2000 rpm. So don`t put a brick on your gas pedal.

As far as the M/H alternator, they put big ones in, to do super hard? work.

[lanerd]

Not sure if you tried this or not, but it's my understanding that if you hold down the battery boost switch, for several minutes, that it will charge the chassis battery up sufficiently that it (along with the batter boost) will start the engine. Give it a shot.


Ron

[palehorse89]

Originally Posted by twinboat

There is no 6 VDC configuration, only jumpers between pairs of 6 volt batteries. Hook your jumpers to the big cables that go away from the batteries. Positive to positive and negative to negative. You car alternator will be fine. It can produce it`s max output long enough to get some power in your batteries, besides it can only put out max current at about 2000 rpm. So don`t put a brick on your gas pedal.

As far as the M/H alternator, they put big ones in, to do super hard? work.

Just hooking the jumpers to one of the 6 VDC battery + -
...........is what I meant, I have read/seen this done, reason for my comment, maybe not worded right?

[vsheetz]

Originally Posted by lanerd

Not sure if you tried this or not, but it's my understanding that if you hold down the battery boost switch, for several minutes, that it will charge the chassis battery up sufficiently that it (along with the batter boost) will start the engine. Give it a shot.


Ron

Agree, I have done this in similar situation.

If no joy, just jump it from whichever set of batteries is most accessible. On my previous coach the chassis batteries were inaccessible so jumped from the house batteries under the steps.

[rag_ftw]

I would suggest charging batteries. I had a cranking battery go bad on me in National Park where not power was available and had to jump the diesel. Had to jump start to get out of the park. Not sure what happened but something in the process caused my headlights to blink three or four time and then go out. I have not been able to get them back on since. Still tracing wires and looking for relays that may have been fried during the "jump starting".
If you have the time charge the batteries and let them start your coach. Jump starting and high alternator loads are hard on other equipment.

[DA_BUS]

I think by now you probably have it started...but I would have plugged it in to at least 110 and let it charge itself.

[idahoreb]

Thanks to all. Havent had chance to try suggestions.

Ron