Chassis battery problem?

[Triker56]

We just purchased a 2008 Fleetwood Bounder 37D. It has four 6v house batteries and two 12v chassis batteries. Being plugged into shore power keeps the house batteries charged but what about the chassis batteries ?

Should be easy to check when plugged into shore power. Put a tester on the chassis batteries and if you get anything in the 13V plus range then they are being charged.

My old 99 Fleetwood has a B.I.R.D that charges both banks when plugged in.

Ask Fleetwood for the schematics 12V & 120V and plumbing for your D.

[YC1]

Bad battery,
Replace

Measure voltage across it as suggested. If not running 13.5 or more, you had two problems.

Alternators output pulsating DC. If you open the charge line wire, apply full battery voltage to the field, you can run a drill, skill saw, etc. Of course, with internal regulators you can't get to the field on most. They used to sell a kit you could throw a switch to activate the alternator as an AC (alternating current) source.

And yes, on poorly filtered/bad battery systems the resulting electrical noise is heard as a whine in the radio. The wine can cause havoc in public safety outfitted vehicles.

[YC1]

Originally Posted by Triker56

Hummmmm! Guess mine has been bad since new to replace one that only was putting out 12.0V 8 years ago. 13.8 to 13.9V is the most it has every done.
That is by what the VMSpc says.

You are fine. Where yours is being measured may have a slight voltage drop. Grab a regular voltmeter and test right at the battery.

[wa8yxm]

My rig is a 2005, Workhorse Custom Chassis, Factory installed battery was a Workhorse branded Group 78 Maintenance free.

I point this out cause your rig is a 2006, one year newer than mine.

last winter (Roughly 9 months ago) I had to replace the chassis battery
New one is a DEKA Group 78 but, the choice of brand had a whole lot to do with what the store sold . The store tested the OEM and though it was still taking a full charge the load test (Which I had run myself using my hardware) showed less than half the cranking amps (Confirmed my test).

The new battery....... I expect to replace in another 9-10 years.

[matthewg]

I would like to thank each of you for your responses to my problem. I wanted to give you an update. I installed a new battery and still had the same problem: It would only start using battery boost and then would die when I released the battery boost switch. While I was sitting there frustrated wondering what the problem is , I wondered if the battery disconnect switch was somehow the problem. I looked at it and it must have been bumped just enough to disconnect the battery. We must have done it while we were loading the motorhome. I felt like a fool!
Anyway, I have found that part of owning a motorhome is learning as you go, and the fact that I am not very mechanically minded makes the learning curve a bit slower. I went ahead and had everything checked out by a mechanic and everything is working as it should. Thanks again for your help and advice!

Matt

[Nuts]

Originally Posted by matthewg

Anyway, I have found that part of owning a motorhome is learning as you go, and the fact that I am not very mechanically minded makes the learning curve a bit slower. I went ahead and had everything checked out by a mechanic and everything is working as it should. Thanks again for your help and advice!

Matt

Matt, you are correct it is a leaning experience for us also. We have only been doing this for 3 years and are on our third and final RV, no plans to upgrade again. This one still has me confused half the time but learning.

Bill

[mgscott4]

One of the best upgrades I purchased for my MH was a battery monitor. I have the 2025 model but they have a 2030 model now. It monitors my coach batteries and indicates my chassis battery. I can tell state of charge, and exactly how much is going in or out of my batteries. About $200 with a shunt and wiring. It pays for itself in piece of mind and troubleshooting problems.


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