Battery combiner relay or solonoid not working properly.

[funjnt]

Well I am not sure what the BCC is but I don't think our older coaches have this. My switch is wired from each battery bank as in the diagram above.

As of yet I still haven't taken any time to work on the troubleshooting of this so far. I do thank you all and will probably have time this week to dive in. I will keep you all posted.

[p1havasu]

Yes, I was told that this system does charge the starter battery before charging the house. Problem is that while driving, it never switches over. At what voltage does that switch over? The starter battery is always at 12.9-13.2V plus. At 13.9V+ from the alternator while running.

We run the inverter to power the A/C fridge while on the road. The charger should easily keep up the house (if charging). However, the house slowly drains and the fridge shuts off. Was also told it takes a long time running to charge the starter and switch over and to run with fridge off. Don't agree. The starter battery is always fully charged quickly. Friends with the same A/C fridge charge and run all the time, no problem. This should be the case here too, right?

Hoping for a simple fix when understanding.

Thanks for all the help, Mike

[TR4]

Here’s a picture of my wire schematic, maybe yours is different. As you can see the boost solenoid is more or less directly connected to the house and chassis batteries.

Mike did you do the test I listed?

Bill

[p1havasu]

Have not yet done the test you just conveyed. Will do this AM and advise.

Mike

[p1havasu]

Bill, I did disconnect the house battery and performed the test you suggested.

No volts to large house side. The small terminals are same voltage and when grounding, the actuator clicks and house connects with chassis on large terminals. Worked exactly as you stated.

Thanks, Mike

[HarryStone]

Do you see the heart interface echo charger. That is the device that determines if it needs to charge the house battery, and applies a ground. It acts like the BCC, I mentioned in my other post.

[TR4]

Originally Posted by p1havasu

Bill, I did disconnect the house battery and performed the test you suggested.

No volts to large house side. The small terminals are same voltage and when grounding, the actuator clicks and house connects with chassis on large terminals. Worked exactly as you stated.

Thanks, Mike

Great! Now perform the same test with someone pressing the boost switch.
After that, preform the same test by starting the engine to confirm the oil pressure sending unit is working. Now you’ll know power is going to your house batteries.

Bill

[p1havasu]

OK Harry and Bill, I think I got this.

Yes, have the echo charger and wired per instruction and I think working properly. Disconnected the house battery, and when manually grounding the small terminal, both with the boost and with the engine running, the voltage transfers to the house side of the solenoid.

After reconnecting the house battery and starting the engine, the solenoid does not actuate. Both small terminals same at 13.04V+. The starter battery volts were 13.96, the house 12.84 and the echo not charging. Not sure why the echo not charging yet, but thinking it will turn on. Just sitting not running for the last 24 hours plus, the small terminals were same voltage and the echo charger was charging. The house was 13.44V and the starter was about 13.2V, for sure lower than the house.

My guess is that the oil pressure sender is still not grounded. And I think the echo charger is working properly, but not positive.

Final test is running engine and charging house with inverter and house fridge running happily moving down the road.

Thanks, Mike

[CntryCoachRV]

Originally Posted by p1havasu

OK Harry and Bill, I think I got this.

Yes, have the echo charger and wired per instruction and I think working properly. Disconnected the house battery, and when manually grounding the small terminal, both with the boost and with the engine running, the voltage transfers to the house side of the solenoid.

After reconnecting the house battery and starting the engine, the solenoid does not actuate. Both small terminals same at 13.04V+. The starter battery volts were 13.96, the house 12.84 and the echo not charging. Not sure why the echo not charging yet, but thinking it will turn on. Just sitting not running for the last 24 hours plus, the small terminals were same voltage and the echo charger was charging. The house was 13.44V and the starter was about 13.2V, for sure lower than the house.

My guess is that the oil pressure sender is still not grounded. And I think the echo charger is working properly, but not positive.

Final test is running engine and charging house with inverter and house fridge running happily moving down the road.

Thanks, Mike

Mike,

The Echo Charger is not involved with charging the house batteries in my 2000 Intrigue, the echo charger “echos” the house battery to the chassis battery, this occurs with engine shut down and house batteries are receiving a charge from the inverter charger. I think your echo charger is similarly wired so I am fairly it has nothing to do with your situation. Are you certain the contacts on the solenoid are capable of passing enough current to charge your house batteries?

Ray
2000 Country Coach Intrigue

[p1havasu]

Yes, I agree in total. My echo charger works and wired the same way as yours. Yes, the solenoid does work to pass current, just not engaging to charge house while engine running.

[TR4]

Echo charger operation;

When the input voltage is 13.0/25.5 volts DC or higher, echo-charger automatically switches ON. The LED glows a steady green. When the input voltage is lower than 13.0/25.5 volts, the echo-charge automaticallyswitches OFF, and the LED blinks green. The output voltage of echo-charge is limited to 14.4/28.8 volts. When it reaches 14.4/28.8 volts, the charge current will decrease, maintaining a float condition. The starter battery will be fully charged without overcharging.

Bill

[BrianGlenn]

Originally Posted by TR4

Here’s a picture of my wire schematic, maybe yours is different. As you can see the boost solenoid is more or less directly connected to the house and chassis batteries.



Mike did you do the test I listed?



Bill

If your coach is similar to Bills - wire number 24A - a 16AWG blue wire from engine pressure switch activates the solenoid while being running. It shows on my CC wire list - attached.

Disconnect it and measure voltage or continuity to ground while engine stopped and engine running.

I suspect oil pressure switch is wired incorrectly when it was replaced (seems to me I remember you stating somewhere it was replaced?).

Brian

[p1havasu]

Thanks for all the help and input here. Amazing and learned a lot!!!

OK, here is my finally........

Figured out the whole system and all working properly, almost.

Batteries good. Alternator good.
Diodes work properly.
Same voltage to both sides of small terminals.
Battery boost works properly.
Solenoids work. Can manually ground to charge house.
Echo charger properly charges chassis from house.

When engine running, does NOT close solenoid and no connection to ground through the oil pressure sender. Shop had found that to be the problem prior and fixed ground issue, stated all working properly. NOT.

I determined that the problem has to be a bad oil sender or still a grounding issue, that was not actually fixed. All else good. So has to be unless something else unknown in this so called simple circuit. Gave up.....

Took it back to shop to revisit the issue a second time. Had fixed grounding terminals to grounding block prior and did think worked. As I said did not. Now determined intermittent finding other grounding issues with the wiring. Multiple bad and overheated connections to ground on wiring, some that actually made no sense to be there, and cheap connectors. Cleaned it up with good connections and all now works perfectly.

So finally understanding the circuit and checking for bad components, ended up being poor grounding connections and perhaps modified sloppy wiring, at least in my case. For an 18 year old coach, might look for that wiring/grounding stuff early on.

One last question having an LG house fridge in the coach. For those that have, do you need to drive with them cold and turned off, or leave them on and running while driving. I think the latter though told not to. At least I now can. A couple of my buddies do.

Great Coach Too
Thanks, Mike

[TR4]

Mike, I have a Samsung residential fridge, it’s on all the time.

Bill