Jacks just took out my power! Still sitting at home.

[KaptnKluck]

NewRVLady, You should start the engine BEFORE messing with the slides or jacks. If it won't start you aren't going anywhere anyway.

Note: Your jacks should always be down BEFORE operating slides, you can break a windshield due to racking the chassis.

Hope you get to go camping.

[Wayne M]

Originally Posted by jfran304

As other people stated above only your house batteries will be charged when you are plugged in but not your chassis batteries. Your chassis batteries will only be charged when your motor is running...........Jon

It really depends on the manufacturer and what the manufacturer's manual states.

In my 2008 both the house and chassis batteries are charged using the built in Trickle-Charge system when plugged into 110v or higher. In you model, and others, it may just be the house, or just the chassis.

Call the manufacturer for the correct information, or find someone with a manual.

Good luck.

[crah]

Her coach has already been identified as a 1997 pace arrow which does not charge the chassis batteries when plugged in.

[JimmyD1]

Originally Posted by KaptnKluck

NewRVLady, You should start the engine BEFORE messing with the slides or jacks. If it won't start you aren't going anywhere anyway.

Note: Your jacks should always be down BEFORE operating slides, you can break a windshield due to racking the chassis.

Hope you get to go camping.

I have a Monarch Knight and if the motor is running the slides will not operate due to interlock. In addition the manual states to extend and retract slides with air bags inflated and no jacks. Bottom line: Read your manual first, learn how everything works then make your own decision on how to operate your Rv.

[Fanman]

Originally Posted by newrvlady

O.k. so all my frustration this week came from running the chassis battery low. I think???? We jumped our battery with our neighbors automatic jump starter thingy and the jacks worked. I am confused however on why the slidhttp://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=prod3890061&navAction=pushe went in and out and the front jacks went down but the back ones would not budge. Maybe I used up all the power putting in and out the slide and putting down the front jacks and then it had no more juice. Hmmm. Hopefully. So maybe I will invest in one of these automatic jumper deals. Anyone know of a good brand?

I purchased a Stanlely 450 amp portable jump starter from Sam's Club about 3 months ago and it has been great. Not only will it jump start your batteries, it will air your tires up too without having to plug into a/c current. Course you need to charge it every now and then. Here's a website you can go to to see this product. Stanley - 450 Amp Battery Jump-Starter with Compressor - Sam's Club

[Wayne M]

Originally Posted by crah

Her coach has already been identified as a 1997 pace arrow which does not charge the chassis batteries when plugged in.

And that is why I say, "Check the user manual, or check with the manufacturer." There is no way I would know that information without being told.

Is your information from being a past user of that model? Just curious where it came from. I tired to search for a user manual but I could not find one.

Thanks.

[teddyu]

Guess the OP has gotten her jacks up and gone camping. It to bad that no response was provided for all of us following this thread to understand and provide further solutions. That's a newby for you. Just my two cents...

[sdennislee]

Originally Posted by teddyu

Guess the OP has gotten her jacks up and gone camping. It to bad that no response was provided for all of us following this thread to understand and provide further solutions. That's a newby for you. Just my two cents...

She replied in a different thread, it was her batteries that caused the failure.

Give here little bit of lead-way, she's new and trying to figure a lot of problems and at the same time learn to post here.

I an just imagine how frustrating all this is for her right now being new to RV'ing and encountering multiple problems, right before her trip.

[azpete]

a good pre delivery inspection would have eliminated a lot of this lady's problems. this is especially important if you are buying from a private party. more if you are buying from a dealer. (from a dealer standpoint, this makes a happier customer)
it sounds like this lady bought a coach with a lot of unresolved problems at the time of purchase. tires right out of the box, battery problems, jack problems. the seller should have at least informed the buyer that these things were needed.
sure she is a new buyer, but its not fair or ethical to not make these things known. i hope she bought it at a good price. she sounds like a nice lady that got taken advantage of, but i only know what i have read.
i sold and repaired motor homes for over 30 years, with another 15 years as a service tech for hwh. and not once did i neglect to have an informed customer. i slept well at night knowing that i didnt hide something from them. a satisfied customer is a repeat customer.

[ahicks]

Originally Posted by azpete

i sold and repaired motor homes for over 30 years, with another 15 years as a service tech for hwh. and not once did i neglect to have an informed customer. i slept well at night knowing that i didnt hide something from them. a satisfied customer is a repeat customer.

I spent a lot of time with them too. We had an excellent pre-delivery inspection/demo program in place - one that had evolved over many years, with a LOT of experience behind it.

The biggest problems I had were with people who were clueless regarding the complexity of their purchase! They assume they can just slide behind the wheel and go full time with no prior experience. They are NOT WILLING to take the time and effort required to educate themselves or even acknowledge a learning curve or potential for "issues". It usually doesn't take long for this problem to come to a head, but generally when it does, the dealership is the one that takes all the fall out!

Not saying that's what's happened here, but as an ex service manager, that I saw that problem WAY too often..... and was forced to eat the resulting fallout.

[JC2]

Originally Posted by ahicks

I spent a lot of time with them too. We had an excellent pre-delivery inspection/demo program in place - one that had evolved over many years, with a LOT of experience behind it.

The biggest problems I had were with people who were clueless regarding the complexity of their purchase! They assume they can just slide behind the wheel and go full time with no prior experience. They are NOT WILLING to take the time and effort required to educate themselves or even acknowledge a learning curve or potential for "issues". It usually doesn't take long for this problem to come to a head, but generally when it does, the dealership is the one that takes all the fall out!

Not saying that's what's happened here, but as an ex service manager, that I saw that problem WAY too often..... and was forced to eat the resulting fallout.

I agree with your comments as most people don't have a clue on what to do when buying their first rv, and there are a lot of sales people that will and do take avantage of that. We recently traded our 05 Winnebago Class A gasser for a 2004 DSDP and during the initial inspecton noted several things that needed to be addressed and "written" down on the initial purchase order. I learned this over the last 15-20 yrs of buying. On pickup day, most obvious items and those written down had been completed, however, on the drive home, some previously undetected issues surfaced. I called the service mgr from home and found some things had been "overlooked" during their initial check and should have been detected. 4-6 weeks later and (3) trips of 120 miles each, these items have been fixed/corrected to the tune of $3300 in parts/labor which the dealership absorbed. The GM alluded to the fact that he would like me to pay half. NOT. I politely told him that these items would have been caught if they had checked them in the first place. Several days later, after checking the work order, I did find several items, to the tune of $355.00 that, in all fairness, were extra items that I felt were my responsibility. Bottom line, newbys need someone experianced to help them until they gain sufficiant knowledge to go on their own as repairs ain't cheap.

[azpete]

as everyone has witnessed. the old saying is true.
"if you make someone happy, they will tell ten people. if you make them unhappy, they will tell anyone who will listen."

[K5EAG]

I had a similiar problem and finally found the problem.
I would suggest you check the battery connections on your chassis (engine) batteries.

I found a loose connection on one of the Positive (Red) cables which was loose, corroded and had been arcing causing the bottom side of the battery cable and the top of the battery post to be pitted from the arcing.

I took the cable off the battery post, cleaned and filed down all the rough spots on both the cable connector and top of the battery post. This solved all my jack and slide problems.

Keep an eye out on all the battery connections on both the Coach and Chassis/Engine.
Hope this helps.....

[newrvlady]

Originally Posted by crah

You really need to learn how to maintain your batteries. I know it is so much information to digest but you will have a hang of it shortly. A good article to read is the 12 volt side of life. Do an Internet search and read up. You will learn more about batteries than you ever imagine. Does your coach have a battery disconnect switch for both your chassis and house batteries? You need to invest in a method to charge your chassis batteries (not the jumper thing your neighbor has). Not thy the jumper is a bad thing to have. I you keep letting your battery run down low or going dead, they will not last long. You need to keep them charged up for proper maintenance.

I agree, I was thinking of buying a smart solar panel that I can plug into a cigarette lighter and leave it sitting on my dash when not driving the r.v..
Anyone have any feedback on that idea? Also my r.v. has a main and auxillary disconnect swith. I have heard that I should disconnect when not using the r.v. but that i need to leave it on when plugged in. Hmmm. When we have it at home we always plug it in because the chassis battery goes dead within two days....I will go read that article.