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barmcd · 03-24-2022, 11:21 AM

I've got this noise coming from the back run bay and I can't really tell where it's coming from. Its a low click and then another noise that has somewhat of a twang to it. They both could be relays actuating.

Here's the background. The front step quit working with the key turned off. I found that out yesterday when I drove over to get the coach its annual inspection. Once I turned the ignition off and opened the door, the step stayed retracted.

This morning I went out to troubleshoot the problem and Katherine asked me to look for something in the bedroom while I was out there. That necessitated turning on the interior lights, which I had not done since November when we got back from our last trip. They didn't work and I went to look at the inverter remote and it had a fault light and a low battery message. I looked at the microwave and the LEDs on the front were out.

The first thing I did was check the EMS and both lines were 120V and there were no errors. Then I measured the batteries and they were at about 3V each. I got into the basement and the green light on the inverter was not illuminated. I checked the 120V circuit breakers and they looked good. I flipped all of them off and back on just to make sure.

I went to the rear run bay and didn't see anything amiss. The domestic battery cutoff switch was in the off position, but I bypassed that solenoid three years ago and I think that switch has been off since then. I flipped it on anyway and then went around to the shore power cable at the rear of the coach and removed and reinstalled it.

I went inside and noticed the microwave lights and overhead kitchen lights were on. I checked the inverter remote and it was in charge mode and the fault light was off. I then tried the steps and they now work as they should.

I went back the rear run bay and that's when I heard the clicking noises. Here's a pic of the entire bay. I think the noises might be coming from two different places, the green box at the bottom and the big relay in the middle. I've held my hand on both and can't feel anything. I've tried using a piece of PVC pipe and a wooden dowel to amplify the sounds, but had no luck figuring it out.

Here's a youtube video of the noise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2h-LqllOXc

Update: In the time it took me to type this up, the noises have stopped. Just for grins I checked the battery voltage and it was 6.7 volts on one battery which is what it should be if its charging. Could the noises be caused by the extremely low battery voltage I initially found?

8.3Oilbuner · 03-24-2022, 01:36 PM

Hi Dennis; Rats, jumped right to a reply without looking at the UTube video. Be right back. I think the click you are hearing is the Lambert Battery Maintainer trying to charge the batteries. If I am correct, if the voltage on the batteries gets too low it starts to cycle trying to send charging voltage to the batteries. It seems after flipping the domestic cut off things straightened out. Not sure how Monaco wired all the batteries through the battery cut off switches. I found out years ago on our coaches that even if you throw the battery cut off switches to the off position, when you plug into shore power the batteries do receive charging from the inverter, even in the off position. So when working with any battery situation I always unplug from shore power to prevent an voltage from being sent to the batteries. Seems nutty to me and would hate to fry anything if certain things touched a ground if the batteries are being charged.

Don't know if this has anything from what you experienced but thought I would reply. Hope all is well now.

barmcd · 03-24-2022, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 8.3Oilbuner

Hi Dennis; Rats, jumped right to a reply without looking at the UTube video. Be right back. I think the click you are hearing is the Lambert Battery Maintainer trying to charge the batteries. If I am correct, if the voltage on the batteries gets too low it starts to cycle trying to send charging voltage to the batteries. It seems after flipping the domestic cut off things straightened out. Not sure how Monaco wired all the batteries through the battery cut off switches. I found out years ago on our coaches that even if you throw the battery cut off switches to the off position, when you plug into shore power the batteries do receive charging from the inverter, even in the off position. So when working with any battery situation I always unplug from shore power to prevent an voltage from being sent to the batteries. Seems nutty to me and would hate to fry anything if certain things touched a ground if the batteries are being charged.

Don't know if this has anything from what you experienced but thought I would reply. Hope all is well now.

That's what I was thinking. I need to figure out what caused the batteries to be so low. I've never had charging issues before.

8.3Oilbuner · 03-24-2022, 05:27 PM

Hi again Dennis; Sure sounds like something got disconnected so you did not get charging to the batteries. From what you wrote in your post it sounds like even the inverter/charger was off. On our previous 2000 Monaco Windsor the person we sold it to lived in our area. She called one day and asked me to look at the coach in storage as she had no battery voltage. She had it in a storge yard plugged into shore power, but the coach had no power inside. That year of Windsor has a RC6 panel for batteries and showed charging levels and it was dead. Kept looking for something wrong and my wife said, just for the heck of it why don't you go to the back of the coach and flip all the breakers on the electrical panel. Went back to look at panel and no breakers had tripped. I reset them all and, like magic, everything came to life. Batteries now charging. That one got me so who knows what have been tripped. Mabey just the unplugging from shore power and reinstating shore power tripped something. Hope things straighten out now.

jacwjames · 03-24-2022, 07:31 PM

Dennis,
This happened to me last year. My system different but I did have the Lambert 415 maintainer (the green thing). It was clicking on and off randomly. In the past I never noticed it. There is a trouble shooting procedure, which I did and it seemed to pass. But my chassis batteries never did seem to get/stay fully charged.

This is what drove me to install the Bluesea MLACR. Simple install and it let me remove the Lambert, Isolation Relay, and BIRD.

153stars · 03-24-2022, 07:59 PM

We got our Lambert charger training from jacwjames thread lol. Get all your batteries charged you can jumper cable pos to pos at batts with one cable or put jump start solenoid with a bolt or on one lug in a pinch using only alternator or genny/shore power, even drive with dead alternator and genny running. I saved aa 8" slightly swelled battery jumper just in case. Don't forget they will all drain together as well. I never leave without a 2/12/50a battery charger. Inverters won't charge below a certain value 8-9v a quick jumper or cycling the emergency start can get it going. Something happened to put you where your at after getting all batteries charged time to do some testing.
I also installed a Blueses MTL-ACR replace my diode batt isolator, I kept my jumpstart solenoid that's its only purpose and it has to about the biggest made ,1000 amps easy. That was the only isolator, no chassis charge on shore besides to 90 watt solar, that I don't think was ever located to a battery period. There no last wire out of din rail connectors at rear run bay , and the screw was still tightened down no marks on flat head screw ,I was very curious . The 2 45 watt panels and solar solar controller was probably $1200 just in parts in 1995 and I don't think anyone ever finished last 24" of wire to all the battery connections right there. I decided to put on house batts instead of chassis. That reminds me I should double fuse that wire for a short back .

barmcd · 03-25-2022, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacwjames

Dennis,
This happened to me last year. My system different but I did have the Lambert 415 maintainer (the green thing). It was clicking on and off randomly. In the past I never noticed it. There is a trouble shooting procedure, which I did and it seemed to pass. But my chassis batteries never did seem to get/stay fully charged.

This is what drove me to install the Bluesea MLACR. Simple install and it let me remove the Lambert, Isolation Relay, and BIRD.

I'm thinking I should install the Blue Sea solution. I've been looking at pictures Van sent me of his setup. Our coaches are both 2000 Dynasties, but our run bay's, while very similar, are slightly different.

jacwjames · 03-25-2022, 07:37 PM

Van is the one that convinced me to do the change. He's provided me rock solid advice on a number of issues.

The Bluesea is pretty easy to hook up. Looking at your pictures it looks like it would be pretty easy using existing cables. House on one side, chassis on the other.

The hardest part for me was running an extra wire so I could install the switch on the front dash.

By far one of my best mode's.

153stars · 03-25-2022, 08:36 PM

I got lucky and found a dozen or so extra wires from passenger side rear engine bay frame rail to center console in my 1995. It opens and old GPS unit is stowed in there. It does still work. Of course maps are way out of date. Mostly wires are#12 few #10 one #8 and a Belden 2 wire shielded. They were even long enough to not need splices.
I was surprised that the switch does even flash codes, like if I leave main chassis disconnect off and it can't charge chassis batts. I think I got code when used its manual disconnect feature , maybe I was just playing around with too I can't remember. It was major upgrade for mine as I only had a massive ,heavy 18" long diode isolator.

jacwjames · 03-26-2022, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 153stars

I got lucky and found a dozen or so extra wires from passenger side rear engine bay frame rail to center console in my 1995. It opens and old GPS unit is stowed in there. It does still work. Of course maps are way out of date. Mostly wires are#12 few #10 one #8 and a Belden 2 wire shielded. They were even long enough to not need splices.
I was surprised that the switch does even flash codes, like if I leave main chassis disconnect off and it can't charge chassis batts. I think I got code when used its manual disconnect feature , maybe I was just playing around with too I can't remember. It was major upgrade for mine as I only had a massive ,heavy 18" long diode isolator.

I looked for wires front and back and found some but never could confirm there was continuity between any of them. I even bought a tracer to try and find wires but not successful. So I just pulled a grouping of 5, used one, and now have 4 spares.
Mine did the same thing, freaked me out the first time. I like the lighted aspect of the switch, a quick glance tells me it's latched and working. Also like the idea that the chassis battery is charged at ~13.4 volts.

Notn2bars · 03-26-2022, 07:06 PM

Hello all,
Dennis we will be doing the Bluesea MLACR upgrade also. We already received our Bluesea and will be doing the install within the next week or two. You mentioned that Van had sent you a couple of pictures of his setup. I was wondering if you would be so kind as to send the pics to us. Jim has offered his expertise as well. We are out of town until Wed so I can't check the run bay. If memory is correct, we have the same run bay as you. With things the way they are currently, we are going to stay put and continue upgrading and repairing the MH. Good luck and God bless you with your project, Ed & Sylvia

barmcd · 03-26-2022, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacwjames

I looked for wires front and back and found some but never could confirm there was continuity between any of them. I even bought a tracer to try and find wires but not successful. So I just pulled a grouping of 5, used one, and now have 4 spares.
Mine did the same thing, freaked me out the first time. I like the lighted aspect of the switch, a quick glance tells me it's latched and working. Also like the idea that the chassis battery is charged at ~13.4 volts.

Did you only use one wire from the ML-ACR? I thought you needed to use 3, one from the battery bank and two from the ACR.

barmcd · 03-26-2022, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Notn2bars

Hello all,
Dennis we will be doing the Bluesea MLACR upgrade also. We already received our Bluesea and will be doing the install within the next week or two. You mentioned that Van had sent you a couple of pictures of his setup. I was wondering if you would be so kind as to send the pics to us. Jim has offered his expertise as well. We are out of town until Wed so I can't check the run bay. If memory is correct, we have the same run bay as you. With things the way they are currently, we are going to stay put and continue upgrading and repairing the MH. Good luck and God bless you with your project, Ed & Sylvia

Check your PMs.

pwhittle · 03-26-2022, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barmcd

Did you only use one wire from the ML-ACR? I thought you needed to use 3, one from the battery bank and two from the ACR.

There are only two wires from the ML-ACR to the switch. The power and ground at the switch can come from anywhere.

You can hook the power at the switch to either battery bank, but if that battery bank is dead, you won’t be able to use the switch to combine them. You do still have the option of manually combining the using the yellow knob on top,of the ML-ACR.

Paul