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Old 07-07-2012, 04:55 PM   #1
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Changed Batt. Cables, Now Nothing...

Hey all, so I bought and old new (79) MH and I noticed upon general inspection that the main battery cables had frayed and cracked and whatnot, so I decided to replace them. I went to Autozone, and because they did not for some reason have a black and a red cable that were the same length (I've read that this is necessary in some applications), I bought two red ones which, both types of wire being pure copper should make no difference (right??). So, I sanded and wire brushed all of the connections at both ends of the cables, added a small amount of dielectric grease, and tightened everything down snugly. Then, I noticed that when I open the door to the cockpit the dome light no longer comes on. Hmm. Everything run by the house battery works famously, so I know that the solenoid where the positives from both batteries are connected must be good. When I sit in the cockpit and hit the voltmeter switch, both batteries read 13v. However, when I turn the ignition, silence. Not a click, nothing. No headlights, no radio, no gauge lights, no idiot lights, no blinkers. Its like the power is gone to the 'van' head completely.
SO... I checked the main batt with a multimeter. 13v. I checked the other ends of the cables where they mount to the frame and the solenoid, 13v. This is VERY frustrating, as it makes no sense whatsoever. Does anyone have any idea whats going on?? Thanks.
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Old 07-07-2012, 06:02 PM   #2
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13v on ground ca sounds like too much grease, not a good connection to the frame if you are taking reading from ca end to frame.
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Old 07-07-2012, 06:05 PM   #3
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actually yes, correction... the first time i used the multimeter it had no grease at all, and read 13v. Then when i added the grease, i only added it to the positive cable, and i barely used any. Still reads the same. sorry about that...
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Old 07-07-2012, 06:14 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by sparrowspecv View Post
actually yes, correction... the first time i used the multimeter it had no grease at all, and read 13v. Then when i added the grease, i only added it to the positive cable, and i barely used any. Still reads the same. sorry about that...
If there's a v reading from the ground end to the frame, then you have no continuity to ground. Switch to ohms and read from ground ca end to frame.
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Old 07-08-2012, 10:08 AM   #5
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Any progress??
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Old 07-08-2012, 11:25 AM   #6
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^^^Haha... SO... After an extremely frustrating day yesterday, with no progress made, I slept on it. Woke up this morning, checked irv2, and read the "any progress?" post. I walked outside with my coffee, laid underneath the rv (after setting my coffee down of course lol), and basically got smacked in the face with a large 4ga wire that was just hanging in space. Wow. Hadn't seen that before. Connected it to main +, and whammo. Power like crazy. Much easier than a major problem. BUT, thank you DonDee for being so attentive. I know that if I had been boondocking I would have had very timely support and it is very much appreciated.
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Old 07-08-2012, 02:54 PM   #7
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I will tell you a story.... Some years ago I had a problem with a car, I broke out the voltmeter and at some point got a voltage reading where I should not have gotten one, forget what it was, I think with the black on the alternator housing and the red on the engine block I had negative voltage. Those two parts are connected together by a very strong bolt.

I removed the bolt, added a "Star" type lock washer (multiple points of contact) and replaced it.. No problem from that day till some idiot hung a lift just in front of me and totaled it.
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Old 07-24-2012, 02:31 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by sparrowspecv View Post
^^^Haha... SO... After an extremely frustrating day yesterday, with no progress made, I slept on it. Woke up this morning, checked irv2, and read the "any progress?" post. I walked outside with my coffee, laid underneath the rv (after setting my coffee down of course lol), and basically got smacked in the face with a large 4ga wire that was just hanging in space. Wow. Hadn't seen that before. Connected it to main +, and whammo. Power like crazy. Much easier than a major problem. BUT, thank you DonDee for being so attentive. I know that if I had been boondocking I would have had very timely support and it is very much appreciated.
Glad you got it figured out... so many times, me included, we think the problem is complicated, when it's as simple as forgetting to tighten one bolt or re-attach a single connection.

I once rebuilt a small block Chevy motor... did absolutely everything by the book. After many tries, I got it started but it ran like garbage, missing, sputtering and it absolutely refused to idle.

I checked and rechecked the distributor wiring, the timing, the carb and anything else I could think of. I finally relented and asked my brother to see if he could figure out where I'd gone wrong.

He came over, looked at the motor and reached into the engine compartment. He said, "Light 'er up...", I did and it ran perfectly.

I shut it down and sheepishly asked him what he'd done. He walked over to my workbench, picked up and handed me the "pipe" plug that screwed into the top of the intake manifold. The hole was right there, in plain sight. All he'd done was stick his finger in the hole...

I'd forgotten to put it in (the hole's the size of your thumb) and the resulting vacuum leak was causing all my problems. I'd assumed the "problem" was more complex and just could see the obvious...
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Old 07-28-2012, 08:28 PM   #9
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My story of engine mysteries

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Originally Posted by unca waldo View Post
Glad you got it figured out... so many times, me included, we think the problem is complicated, when it's as simple as forgetting to tighten one bolt or re-attach a single connection.

I once rebuilt a small block Chevy motor... did absolutely everything by the book. After many tries, I got it started but it ran like garbage, missing, sputtering and it absolutely refused to idle.

I checked and rechecked the distributor wiring, the timing, the carb and anything else I could think of. I finally relented and asked my brother to see if he could figure out where I'd gone wrong.

He came over, looked at the motor and reached into the engine compartment. He said, "Light 'er up...", I did and it ran perfectly.

I shut it down and sheepishly asked him what he'd done. He walked over to my workbench, picked up and handed me the "pipe" plug that screwed into the top of the intake manifold. The hole was right there, in plain sight. All he'd done was stick his finger in the hole...

I'd forgotten to put it in (the hole's the size of your thumb) and the resulting vacuum leak was causing all my problems. I'd assumed the "problem" was more complex and just could see the obvious...

Okay, here's my story. I was 16 years old. I had a 1946 Dodge Brother's panel truck with a 53 Studabaker straight 6 cylinder flat head engine. I bought it for $100 in 1963, my first car. I got tired of it burning oil and bought a 53 Oldsmobile with a v-8 engine. took the engine out and stripped it down to the bare block and had it hot dipped. My father helped me rebuild it and when we started it it ran great but never got more than 7 pounds of oil pressure. I must have turn the top end of the engine down a doen times but never could figure out what the problem was. I finally traded it for a surfboard. The guy I sold it to went to an auto parts store and explained the problem. The guy at the shop said that the guy that hot dipped the engine block probably forgot to put the "galley or valley" plugs back in to the block after flushing it out. These are little hex plugs with small holes in them for maintaining the oil pressure. Sure enough he bought a dollars worth of plugs put them it and bing 60 pounds of oil pressure. I never re-built another engine. You are right many times its the simplest thing.
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Old 07-29-2012, 07:34 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sparrowspecv View Post
^^^Haha... SO... After an extremely frustrating day yesterday, with no progress made, I slept on it. Woke up this morning, checked irv2, and read the "any progress?" post. I walked outside with my coffee, laid underneath the rv (after setting my coffee down of course lol), and basically got smacked in the face with a large 4ga wire that was just hanging in space. Wow. Hadn't seen that before. Connected it to main +, and whammo. Power like crazy. Much easier than a major problem. BUT, thank you DonDee for being so attentive. I know that if I had been boondocking I would have had very timely support and it is very much appreciated.

Friday I went out from my campsite and got my new 15,000 BTU air conditioner installed.. When we got back.. Plugged in.. NOTHING.

And I mean NOTHING, no power to coach at all.

So,,,, Started the trouble shoot procedure.. Step one, Does the park have power? (yes, lights on many breaker/outlet boxes lit, NOT mine however

Step 2: Check breakers

Step 3: Turn them on

Job done.
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