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Old 09-17-2020, 08:43 PM   #1
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Southwind Electrical Mystery

I have a 2017 southwind 36L and had to replace the house batteries last week. Four Duracell 6v golf batteries installed and the coach cam back to life. But now i have a gremlin that is mystifying the fleetwood techs and me. When on battery power/inverter, i lose power to the slideouts, tank monitor panel, water pump, entry steps, electric captain and passenger sseats, awning, rear view monitor, and windshield wipers. If i turn on the generator or plug into shore power, everything is fine.

Jacks, radio, map lights, dash cluster, coach lights (inside and out), TVs, Fridge, etc all work.

Checked all the fuses I could find including the 200/300 buss fuses from the chassis and house batteries, all the breakers and 12v fuses in the battery control center, checked the settings for the Magnum Energy monitor for the inverter... running out of ideas.

Anyone have a clue why these random things lose power when the inverter takes over? Thanks for any ideas, I am camping and have a multimeter and time to keep looking. This is my fourth RV with the last three all Southwinds, I'm not afraid to tackle something but need to know where to dig!

Bob Thomas
Columbus Ohio
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Old 09-17-2020, 09:36 PM   #2
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you lost one of your wires on the house batteries

Quote:
Originally Posted by BThomas View Post
I have a 2017 southwind 36L and had to replace the house batteries last week. Four Duracell 6v golf batteries installed and the coach cam back to life. But now i have a gremlin that is mystifying the fleetwood techs and me. When on battery power/inverter, i lose power to the slideouts, tank monitor panel, water pump, entry steps, electric captain and passenger sseats, awning, rear view monitor, and windshield wipers. If i turn on the generator or plug into shore power, everything is fine.

Jacks, radio, map lights, dash cluster, coach lights (inside and out), TVs, Fridge, etc all work.

Checked all the fuses I could find including the 200/300 buss fuses from the chassis and house batteries, all the breakers and 12v fuses in the battery control center, checked the settings for the Magnum Energy monitor for the inverter... running out of ideas.

Anyone have a clue why these random things lose power when the inverter takes over? Thanks for any ideas, I am camping and have a multimeter and time to keep looking. This is my fourth RV with the last three all Southwinds, I'm not afraid to tackle something but need to know where to dig!

Bob Thomas
Columbus Ohio
2017 Southwind 36L
When you plug in or run your generator, the relay that joins the batteries closes.
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Old 09-17-2020, 11:11 PM   #3
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Just a guess since you replaced the batteries before this occurred. You nay have left a ground lead off of the batteries, that provides the ground for all the 12 volt items.
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Old 09-18-2020, 05:10 AM   #4
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Here's my guess:


The items not working are powered by the chassis battery. The chassis battery is probably going bad. As posted above, when the engine is started or generator running or plugged in, the battery isolation relay is energized connecting the chassis and coach bats.


Chassis battery is probably a 2016, so 4-4+ years old. 5 years for me has been an average life on a chassis bat.


This assumes the new bats were connected properly and have been rechecked by dealer.


Could be the chassis bat just needs a good charging if it has been sitting and not plugged in.


Not sure if Southwind is the same but on Thor's they recommend not using jacks or slides unless generator on or plugged in. Low voltage can cause problems with them.
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Old 09-18-2020, 06:06 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don View Post
Just a guess since you replaced the batteries before this occurred. You nay have left a ground lead off of the batteries, that provides the ground for all the 12 volt items.
Yep, what is the last thing you touched? IF things were working ok prior to the battery change the problem most likely lies within that area.

Working with another poster for nearly two hours on the phone we discovered he had left a jumper off between the posts of his house batteries.

They don't always follow a logical design when putting these things together.

Look very closely and use a camera if needed to look around and behind the battery banks. A cable might be lazing about. If you see a loose one do not pick it up before you shut off both banks of batteries and disconnect from shore power.

Take some pictures of the battery area and post for the gang to look at. Alas my friend, you are not the first to have issues after changing batteries. Pictures before are very important.

That said, the mere moving of cables and connections in need of cleaning and tightening can add mystery to the fun. I don't like to advise folks just to jump in and start cleaning and tightening before getting some voltmeter readings so get a note pad and take notes. There will be a test some rainy day or worse, rainy night. Having those reading is much less stressful than trying to rely on memory when under the gun.
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Old 09-18-2020, 06:45 AM   #6
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Anyone have a clue why these random things lose power when the inverter takes over? Thanks for any ideas, I am camping and have a multimeter and time to keep looking.
Is the problem is always the same items? If I read you correctly, everything works when the inverter is not in use? Like several others here, I would look very carefully at the connections that you made and be sure that all of them are good and in the proper locations.
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Old 09-18-2020, 12:33 PM   #7
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Thanks for the replies and knowledge guys. I went over my original pics and what I have now in the battery compartment and so far have found no errors. All grounds look solid (that I have found). I unplugged shore power this am and got 30 seconds of all is well. Then something in the compartment with the inverter and battery control center (fuses) clicked then I list the items listed originally (awning, steps, tank monitor, etc).

Also saw the inverter monitor showed it was off, I turned it on but that made no diff. Also noticed the battery check switch would show power for battery aux but blank for battery main. And the power control monitor showed no communication.

Coach battery is new last year, plenty of power there. I fear that when the old coach batteries died, they took something with them... a solenoid, switch, relay, etc that is needed to switch the coach from shore power to those 12v items to coach battery power via the inverter.

Inverter is working, light is on whether on shore or coach power, it powers the LR Tv's, residential fridge, and certain 110 outlets. Just seems an odd that some items (steps, awning, slideouts) are interconnected through the transmission or ignition for safety but the rear monitor, wipers, tank monitor are not safety restricted.

Pics are attached of original battery bank, new battery bank, monitors, and battery check (aux battery selected, I assume that is the coach battery). Thx for any ideas, I keep searching. Bob 614.395.3341
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Old 09-18-2020, 12:58 PM   #8
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At 11.78V on the batteries (last photo), the batteries are essentially discharged. Could there be a battery protection device in the circuit automatically disconnecting the batteries to prevent further discharge. Also, at 11.78V, the inverter would consume any energy left in the batteries just to turn on not allowing any power left for the other stuff.
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Old 09-18-2020, 02:51 PM   #9
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Time to bust out the voltmeter.

Across both banks when no shorline
Then start rv and same voltage readings
Then with shoreline and engine off

try to identify thing that is going clunk. Sure sounds like a solenoid that is acting up. As you suggest it may be a device to switch from shoreline converter power to battery power. Not having a diagram it is just a guess of course.

Take some pictures of the device that goes clunk.

Your coach batteries may not be getting charged when on shoreline (but maybe with alternator). So something may indeed disconnect them entirely if the voltage gets low enough. Could be the low battery voltage on the batteries alone causing the issue and getting the charge path back to that will solve the issue.

As a temporary test, cautiously use a jumper cable between the positive post of the engine batteries and the positive post of the coach batteries. See it it stays online a bit longer. Probably not extremely useful piece of information but every little bit helps.

And I see your are new here so WElcome::
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Old 09-18-2020, 03:29 PM   #10
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Thanks for the replies and knowledge guys. I went over my original pics and what I have now in the battery compartment and so far have found no errors. All grounds look solid (that I have found). I unplugged shore power this am and got 30 seconds of all is well. Then something in the compartment with the inverter and battery control center (fuses) clicked then I list the items listed originally (awning, steps, tank monitor, etc).

Also saw the inverter monitor showed it was off, I turned it on but that made no diff. Also noticed the battery check switch would show power for battery aux but blank for battery main. And the power control monitor showed no communication.

Coach battery is new last year, plenty of power there. I fear that when the old coach batteries died, they took something with them... a solenoid, switch, relay, etc that is needed to switch the coach from shore power to those 12v items to coach battery power via the inverter.

Inverter is working, light is on whether on shore or coach power, it powers the LR Tv's, residential fridge, and certain 110 outlets. Just seems an odd that some items (steps, awning, slideouts) are interconnected through the transmission or ignition for safety but the rear monitor, wipers, tank monitor are not safety restricted.

Pics are attached of original battery bank, new battery bank, monitors, and battery check (aux battery selected, I assume that is the coach battery). Thx for any ideas, I keep searching. Bob 614.395.3341
Looking closely at the two pictures where is the cable that ran from the lower left up across the bank of batteries? I don't see it in the second one.
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Old 09-18-2020, 07:01 PM   #11
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The missing one? The split wrapped one? Good eyes.
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Old 09-18-2020, 10:56 PM   #12
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The missing one? The split wrapped one? Good eyes.
It's still there, just re-routed.
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Old 09-19-2020, 02:39 AM   #13
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Check that your battery "use/store" switch is in "use" position.


I second Ndrorder, coach batteries are discharged. The clicking you hear is likely the battery isolation solenoid. If like the 2015 Thor I had or the current 2016 Miramar, yours will have a BIRD device that controls the solenoid. If plugged in (converter working)or engine running (alternator working) the solenoid will close, charging both coach and engine bats. Unplugged and engine off the solenoid will open, isolating the coach and engine bats when the voltage drops too low, preventing discharge of engine bat.



I also second YC1, volt meter time. Unplug coach, engine off, wait 10 minutes or until you hear the "click", check the voltage at the coach batteries and engine battery. Might want to check across the terminals and from hot post to chassis ground. If your readings are all 12+ volts they are probably all good.


Anything below 12 volts indicates an issue like: item not receiving charging voltage, loose corroded terminal, miswired, battery discharged, etc.


Start the engine run for a few minutes do checks again with engine running. Should be 13+ volts at both coach and engine bat. If not then possible issues alternator not working, isolation relay contacts burned, battery control module not working. (I had the isolation relay contacts burned on my current 2016 Miramar, I believe due to faulty coach batteries, previous owner replaced batteries but did not repair solenoid.)



Shut the engine off, plug in the coach, do checks again. Should be 13+ volts at both engine and coach bats. If not then converter not working or the usual suspects, (loose/corroded contacts, miswire, open fuse)
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Old 09-21-2020, 10:59 AM   #14
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More checking over the weekend and this morning, i found (after being schooled by my electrician cousin) that i need to isolate or remove buss fuses to check continuity. Found that, when unplugged from shore power, no 12v flowed from the engine battery to the battery control center. There is power accross this fuse when plugged into shore power. Removed the fuse (200a Buss) and there is no continuity, dead. Nowlooking for a replacement. Camping for 3 more days so should be able to find one (NAPA or Amazon) and replace for final check.


THANKS to all for the warm welcome (have been lurking for years, finally joined to post), let me know if you need anything in Central Ohio or need training on VacuFlush system (last RV - not fun but necessary)!! Will update after $2 fuse is replaced. bob
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