Community Forums

alloyman2k · 07-05-2013, 05:48 PM

Ok friends have an issue. Been traveling all week in my canyon star everything has been working great and all the sufden i loose battery for the engine. Motor dies. I was able to crank with generator and emergency power to get out of the road. Few minutes later engine dies still no power??

GaryKD · 07-05-2013, 05:56 PM

Hi alloyman2k,
Sounds like the alternator has gone bad.

ebksafari · 07-05-2013, 06:48 PM

I agree. Your alternator went bad, you were living solely on the battery. When it died so did the engine. The battery may have a bad cell or two and therefore impossible to get past it to power the engine.

Shadowcatche · 07-05-2013, 06:56 PM

What is the voltage of the battery? A VOM is your friend check it out.

"007" · 07-05-2013, 07:38 PM

You need the VOM and measure the voltage off alternator if you can after getting engine started again it maybe putting out the voltage.
You may also have a bad battery connection someplace and it could be a positive cable or your negative cable to the chassis frame.
My positive cable was loose on the side mounted lug of chassis battery when we bought it, found it two weeks later so much for that PDI.

Capn_Dave · 07-05-2013, 07:49 PM

Is your coach a diesel? If so that sucker doesn't need electricity to run, only to start. Like others said check the batteries with the engine running. You should see over 13VDC with It running. Check the batteries before you crank the rig to see what the voltage is 12.5 VDC. should be about right. Could also be a shutoff solenoid. These cause the engine to shut down when the ign. switch is turned to off position.

GaryKD · 07-06-2013, 06:14 AM

Hi Capn_Dave,
All Newmar Canyon Stars are gas powered.

clyon51 · 07-06-2013, 07:53 AM

It sure sounds like the alternator and a voltmeter is needed to find out. If you want to just keep going, go to get repaired, or just get home, this is how to proceed.

Get yourself a length of 10ga wire long enough to run from the POS on the chassis battery to the POS on the coach batteries. Start the generator so it will begin charging the coach which will inturn charge the chassis and keep the coach going down the road. You could proceed like this a very long time, but would be prudent to get it fixed when it's convienient.

Skip426 · 07-06-2013, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capn_Dave

Is your coach a diesel? If so that sucker doesn't need electricity to run, only to start. .

Modern diesels with Electronic Control Modules and Injectors, need voltage to operate. Pretty much anything newer than a 1954 Case tractor, needs a battery and functioning alternator to keep going.

GaryKD · 07-06-2013, 12:20 PM

Hi clyon51,
Starting the generator should charge the coach and chassis batteries via the BIRD system? Wouldn't this eliminate the need for the wire from the POS chassis to the POS coach batteries?

clyon51 · 07-06-2013, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaryKD

Hi clyon51,
Starting the generator should charge the coach and chassis batteries via the BIRD system? Wouldn't this eliminate the need for the wire from the POS chassis to the POS coach batteries?

Gary, if he in fact had a properly functioning BIRD, I would think that would do the job just fine. But all it would take is a bad solenoid or other problem to be in the same situation.

I have a Trik-L-Start (which only sends a max of 5amps) so I might use that to get me home in the daylight. I do carry a 10ga wire just for emergencies. Which is the most fool proof way to go with an alternator failure. Again though, a BIRD should get the job done very well.

hillboy · 07-07-2013, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skip426

Modern diesels with Electronic Control Modules and Injectors, need voltage to operate. Pretty much anything newer than a 1954 Case tractor, needs a battery and functioning alternator to keep going.

Yep sad but true. Just sold the nearest thing to "no elect power needed" Allegro with 1989 5.9 mechanical. It had an electric fuel shutoff solenoid (could be replaced with a cable) and an electric fuel transfer pump (maybe with a full tank gravity would feed the mechanical fuel pump)

last year I was able to go from Oklahoma to NY with no alternator. Each night charge up batt at camp ground watch multimeter volts. Could have run gen set also....

Wife not impressed.

alloyman2k · 07-07-2013, 10:39 AM

Just want to say thanks for info. I did finally get a VOM and was able to check the batteries and alternator. It turned out to be the alternator, probably due to the massive amount of rain we had to drive in this past week. Anyway thanks again.