1997 Jamboree CSport Battery Issue

[1timejam]

Sooooooooo we are newbies. Green as can be! A few weeks past we were given a 1997 Jamboree CSport. It is in really good condition but there has been some battery issues. Our main engine battery has been going dead. There was a huge draw we couldn't figure out, so we installed a battery disconnect until we could locate the source. Turns out the house battery is wired straight to the car batter without a stop switch. In the fuse panel by the house battery (for the fridge/tv antenna/radio) it is drawing almost 5amps. We have heard that house batteries are not suppose to be wired to the car battery. The only time they are disconnected is when the main key is in the accessory position.

Can someone out there make sense of this. It doesn't seem right for the battery to die so quickly, in like 2 days.

[rjf7g]

Where did you install the battery disconnect? Are the batteries wired together in series or parallel?

[wanderso]

Something clearly is not right or has been rewired at some point. Fleetwood has wiring diagrams for this rig if you contact them. 5 amps is a pretty strong draw. You can go to the fuse block (typically in a brown or black box near the dinette that also houses the battery charger and 110 to 12 volt converter) and start testing circuit by circuit to find the offending device.

These particular charger/converters of your vintage are known for failing after x number of years, depending on the brand so that is also an item to check out anyway (albeit may have no relation to this issue)

In any case, in addition to this amp draw, it seems that there is a problem with the battery isolator or it has been removed from the system. There should be pretty much zero voltage draw from the motorhome's starter battery from the RV accessories. The isolator prevents this from being possible. Here is an example of one that is available.

http://www.dyersonline.com/sure-powe...FUhffgod770AbA

You will want to contact a place like Dyers to confirm the proper one for your application.

There are great folks in this site with more seasoned experience than me who will have further insights.