Community Forums

david.j.w · 12-25-2012, 10:22 AM

First of all Merry Chrismas to every one. The Rv is a gas rv ford v10. you are correct about the batteries being seperated. the house batteries are attached to each other and the battery for driving it. I had found and cleaned the battery grounds. i am having trouble finding the motor ground, could i just run another or should i keep looking?? Also i dont think it is the starter making the noise. Its right under the lid next to the driver seat, not on the motor but on the wall. It is a square looking thing making the noise. I have a picture of it on my phone and trying to figure out how to put it on here. Actually from wht my dad explained i dont think the starter is making any sound. its where the motor and the transmission connect, a cylinder with a squareish thing on top. The batteries are draining slowly even though i turned the breaker box off? So it has to be a ground right(reason the batteries are draining)? or combanation of that and the starter. The problem is probably something silly. i am just not much of a mechanic!! ha

david.j.w · 12-25-2012, 10:25 AM

Also i see a cord running off of the starter but no ground that is because it is attached on the motor right? And that being the reason the ground to the motor could be the problem

david.j.w · 12-25-2012, 10:54 AM

I got it started!!!! i think it is the batteries but still cant find the reason why the wiper motor burned up. The lights and everything worked. But i guess there wasnt enough juice to start the generator. so i jumped the house batteries and got the generator started and when i did that the motor home started like a charm so its got to be the batteries. I am going to let it run for an hour or so and then kill the breaker box and hopefully it will start on my moving day. with no rain

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! And safe trips for those who are driving!! i will keep you updated. I still need to find the reason the wiper wire burned up. but I will atleast make it to where i am going just with out wipers ha!!!!! So now i am praying for no rain!!

Mike Canter · 12-25-2012, 11:12 AM

The clicking you heard on the firewall is the starter solenoid because the battery voltage was too low to keep it engaged. Classic sign of a low battery voltage. The batteries may not have charged because of a dirty connection which you have now fixed or because the battery is no good. If you haven't done it already make sure you actually remove the battery cables from the battery and wire brush the battery posts and inside the battery cable ends. The need to be bright and not full gray. Stop by Autozone and buy a special battery brush to clean the cables correctly. If that battery cable connection to the battery is not clean and bright the battery will not charge.

Libero · 12-25-2012, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundancer268

Hitting the starter motor is a bad Idea. It was good advice in the past but many motors including starters are now using permanent magnets for the stater poles and can be destroyed by a physical impact. Do NOT hit the motor and please do not recommend this unless you know the motor uses the old style wire wound stator assembly.

As recommended check ALL wires bolted to the frame and clean them so that bare metal is showing at the frame and wire terminal. I am constantly finding more bad grounds on my coach every time I get under neath it for any reason. Even if I am not having any problems I clean the newly discovered connection. I also use Silicone Dielectric Grease on the connection when I put it back together to prevent future problems. Good Luck and happy travels. Ed

The fix was for a 21 year old engine and IS applicable. Wacking the starter is one of the trouble shooting options after making certain ALL connections were OK and cleaned of course, the batteries were good and the solonoid was engaging.

Having done that the next place to look is the starter.. Sometimes this can be temporarily solved by tapping the starter housing and it is sound advice for a 21 year old engine.

Mike Canter · 12-25-2012, 08:15 PM

If the starter solenoid on the firewall is clicking and not staying on then what is the point of hitting the starter motor because there is no power to the starter and is not the fault. If the solenoid stays on and the starter doesn't turn or doesn't engage then you can try hitting it.

Libero · 12-25-2012, 08:42 PM

One has to use common sense when troubleshooting or doing anything for that matter.

Of course the problem has to be isolated to the starter before one would tap it. This means validating the Solonoid is doing its job and a proper connection is made for the starter circuit by having good connections and sufficient voltage, then the last thing to do is try things that could solve an immediate problem such as bad brush connections in the starter.

By the way, this was the only way I could get my 2001 Monaco Diplomat started when I was parked far from any maintenance facility. It was a bad starter which I got fixed as soon as I could, but tapping with a hammer did work and got me on the road and I would do it again in a heartbeat under the same

BFlinn181 · 12-25-2012, 09:58 PM

If you had it hooked up to your house (shore power) and the batteries weren't charged, again, as everyone has said, make sure all connections are clean and the batteries have proper water levels. You might also have an issue with the converter/charger if when plugged in the batteries don't stay charged. You may check by disconnecting the house batteries and see if the converter/charger powers the house lights and circuits. Look for any circuit breakers or fuses on the converter/charger and test to see if it works. Running the engine and generator for just an hour isn't enough time to charge up all the batteries. You might want to hook up a battery charger if the on board converter/charger isn't working so it will be fully charged when you prepare to leave.

tuffr2 · 12-26-2012, 01:26 PM

Does it do any good the tap the solenoid too? I have tapped starters and that worked but I remember as a kid tapping the solenoid and that worked too. This was on a ford car where the solenoid was on the fender well.

Mike Canter · 12-26-2012, 01:39 PM

If the solenoid on the fender/firewall is clicking or chattering then I would say most likely no. There is always a one in a million it might especially if I was stuck out on the middle of nowhere

Old Bounder · 12-27-2012, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by david.j.w

First of all Merry Chrismas to every one. The Rv is a gas rv ford v10. you are correct about the batteries being seperated. the house batteries are attached to each other and the battery for driving it. I had found and cleaned the battery grounds. i am having trouble finding the motor ground, could i just run another or should i keep looking?? Also i dont think it is the starter making the noise. Its right under the lid next to the driver seat, not on the motor but on the wall. It is a square looking thing making the noise. I have a picture of it on my phone and trying to figure out how to put it on here. Actually from wht my dad explained i dont think the starter is making any sound. its where the motor and the transmission connect, a cylinder with a squareish thing on top. The batteries are draining slowly even though i turned the breaker box off? So it has to be a ground right(reason the batteries are draining)? or combanation of that and the starter. The problem is probably something silly. i am just not much of a mechanic!! ha

If your RV is a 1991 as you said earlier, it is NOT a V10, it is the older 7.5 liter 360CID V8. With that established, and the info above, what you are hearing is the Starter Relay (not to be confused with the starter solenoid). If this relay is chattering (buzzing) it is an indicator of low voltage on the relay coil. This caused by a low battery or a bad battery connection. The ground sounds the most logical, but all connections should be cleaned.

The frame/engine ground will be a braided metal strap from the lower engine block to the frame.

Here is a simple diagram of the ford start circuit. The relay on the right is the starter relay that you hear buzzing. It's purpose is to pass the voltage (current) on to pick the starter solenoid via larger wires.

Mike Canter · 12-27-2012, 06:35 PM

In the automotive world they are still called solenoids because it uses a plunger to move the large contacts.

Old Bounder · 12-27-2012, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Canter

In the automotive world they are still called solenoids because it uses a plunger to move the large contacts.

Lighten up, Mike...

We all know it is A solenoid, but it is called "the starter relay" to differentiate it from the larger "Starter Solenoid".

Mike Canter · 12-27-2012, 06:54 PM

Lol, now why do I have to lighten up? Why would you bring it up and tell everyone they are wrong when we all know what it is and what it is called? In the whole automotive world it is called a starter solenoid actually a "remote" starter solenoid by everyone except you.

JEGS Ford-Style Remote Mount Starter Solenoid - JEGS