Community Forums

DMroz · 10-19-2008, 11:24 AM

When motorhome (Jayco Designer Class C 2001) sits for 2 weeks the engine will not start. Coach is plugged into electric so frig stays running. Boaster switch on dashboard will not start the engine. Baffled do not know what is wrong. Does anyone have any suggestions?

DMroz · 10-19-2008, 11:24 AM

When motorhome (Jayco Designer Class C 2001) sits for 2 weeks the engine will not start. Coach is plugged into electric so frig stays running. Boaster switch on dashboard will not start the engine. Baffled do not know what is wrong. Does anyone have any suggestions?

chasfm11 · 10-19-2008, 11:48 AM

You probably have some load hooked into your chassis battery unless there is some sort of problem with your charging circuit and the battery is not getting fully charged to start with. Loads are usually CO or propane detectors.

Options:
1. Physically remove the engine battery cable when not in use.
2. Install a disconnect switch on the engine battery. That accomplishes the same thing but is easier to do each time.
3. Figure out where the load is. You could do this with a DC ammeter although it is easier if you have a wiring diagram too. I found out that my step controller was draining my engine battery so I moved it to the house battery.

Good luck.

porscheracer · 10-19-2008, 01:01 PM

In addition to having a drain on your batteries - my suspicion is that you have a bad relay in the crossover circuit. The giveaway is that the booster switch doesn't work. Your chassis batteries may or may not be supposed to charge off the shore line - it varies from unit to unit.

speed racer · 10-19-2008, 02:25 PM

I just replaced the engine battery in my MH today for the same reason. Also when I tried to jump start it directly to the engine battery it still wouldn't start. New battery fixed it.

jfb · 10-19-2008, 07:27 PM

My Workhorse chassis battery is independent of the converter house battery charging system. A new chassis battery would hold up for only a few weeks due to parasitic drainage from chassis systems. After such discharges over a couple of years the chassis battery was shot.

I added a XANTREX unit. Hooked up to the chassis battery from a house battery, it is designed to maintain a trickle charge, from the converter, to the chassis battery, shutting off as appropriate. I hope this works as we are full-timers and might not move very often

This unit was expensive. I have seen them on the internet for around $40, after I had this $160 unit installed!!

steelheadbluesman · 10-19-2008, 08:46 PM

IMHO, jfb has the solution, but you might want to Google Trik-L-Start online. Costs $50 and is easy to install in 15 minutes. It lets your engine batt receive a trickle charge from the aux batts (which are being charged by your converter whenever the rig is plugged in to shore power, but only as needed.) I had the very same problem, but now my rig can sit for weeks and then start right up. Hope this helps.

Bounder94 · 11-19-2008, 08:14 AM

This sounds like the PERFECT setup...I have to replace my engine battery due to reasons stated above (drained to dead too many times), so after new battery goes in, one of these goes in also...Thanks for the heads-up, never heard of one that charges from the house batteries...man, PERFECT

http://www.lslproducts.com/TLSPage.html