Help! No coach battery power

Moondoggie · 03-01-2017, 06:25 PM

Ok fellows, I have my first real RV problem and I'm hoping someone here can help.
Power went out in our town last night and is still out today. I went out to the RV this morning expecting everything to be working off of batteries, but no such luck . Here's the sequence to what I know.
1. the xantrex pro status meter was beeping and flashing an alarm and showing some kind of fault code. I pushed one of the buttons and the beeping stopped. There was a reading for input voltage, but input current and output power showed zero or near zero.
2. I tried the lights, nothing came in.
3. I checked the battery disconnect to make sure it was on. It was.
4. I checked the fridge. It was on auto and I expected to see the Gas lite on, but both lights were off.
5. I checked the breakers on the convertor box and every switch was "on".
6. Cranked the Ginny and everything (look gets, tv, fans, heat, etc) came on immediately, including the refrigerator "on" light.
7. I checked the battery indicator switch which now indicated fully charged batteries. (Before the Ginny was running, the battery indicator lights were completely dark.
8. I let the Ginny run for nearly an hour hoping to charge the batteries if they were dead.
9. Shut off the Ginny and everything went dark, including all refrigerator lights (it wasn't even running on gas)
10. I'm now running The Ginny charging phones and such because the power may be Off for a while. Everything seems to be working under Ginny power, by nothing under battery power.
Does anyone have any ideas of what I'm missing?
Thanks
Hugh Chapman
2017 ACE 29.4
950 miles.

Oneilkeys · 03-01-2017, 06:34 PM

Have you checked the 50 amp breaker in the coach battery box? It has a red or yellow button and red or yellow "flag" shows if it is tripped. You push the flag back in so it does not show to reset it. Could have happened when the power went out. In my Axis it is on the left hand side of the batter box, way in the back. Also check your store/use switch to make sure it did not trip. Same thing happened to me years ago and it was the breaker.

Moondoggie · 03-01-2017, 06:46 PM

I didn't know I had such a thing. But...Neither of those buttons had the yellow flag showing. I pushed each, making the yellow flag pop up, the second one shut off my genny. I reset them both and restarted the Ginny and was back where I started.
Now I have shut off the Ginny and I'm getting the beeping/error code again. The code flashes E05 and OL.
Does anyone know what the code means?

Oneilkeys · 03-01-2017, 07:06 PM

The 05 fault code is low battery voltage, I do not recognize the OL. Since your coach batteries appear to be fully charged and everything works on generator, you apparently have an issue between the coach batteries and the coach. The wire from the coach batteries runs thru the 50 amp breaker in the battery box, thru the Use/Store switch to the converter and then to the individual breakers. The generator is hooked to the converter and then to the breakers. Since that system works, you probable have a problem in the wiring from the batteries to the converter. If you have a volt meter, you could check and see if you have power on the side of the 50 amp breaker between the breaker and the Use/store switch. If you have power there, the breaker is good. Next check if you have power on the other side of the Use/Store switch. If you do, then that switch is good. Then you have to check the converter and see if power comes out of there to the individual breakers. The problem probably is in one of those three: 50 amp breaker, use/store switch, converter. Do all this with the generator off and not plugged in to shore power.

Moondoggie · 03-01-2017, 07:55 PM

Thanks Oneilkeys. I appreciate your effort to help. I'm really not much of an electrition and I don't have a volt meter. Maybe I can find someone local who does.
I'm kicking myself for buying this thing. I bought new in hopes of avoiding these problems. I live 2.5 hours from the dealer, and frankly they haven't been much help alsince my check cleared.
I can't help but think he problem occurred as a result of last nights storm. I know when we drove it home on Sunday night the cabin lights were working, but the three days since it's been plugged into shore power, so it may have malfunctioned earlier and I didn't realize it until our power failed.
Thanks again for your help. I'll try to find someone with a voltage meter. Maybe we can get it going again.

jpmihalk · 03-01-2017, 08:34 PM

Were you plugged into shore power at the time the power went out in town? Do you have a surge protector to use between the RV shore power cable and the shore power outlet?

Oneilkeys · 03-01-2017, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpmihalk

Were you plugged into shore power at the time the power went out in town? Do you have a surge protector to use between the RV shore power cable and the shore power outlet?

He's right. I did not buy a surge protector right away and I regretted it. Power outages and lightening storms can cause major damage to the electrical system and appliances. It seems expensive, but the best one you can buy will save you money and heartache in the long run. It seems that all your appliances are still good, so if it was that, you may have been lucky. Don't let one bad experience turn you off of RVing.

scrubjaysnest · 03-01-2017, 08:48 PM

You will need a volt meter for these tests.
1. with the ginny off with voltage do you measure at the batteries.
2. If the battery voltage is good, 12.6 or better, what voltage is at the DC distribution panel at the wires coming from the battery(s) again with the ginny off.

If battery voltage is good and you don't have any at the distribution panel then the suspects are breaker, use/store isolation relay, or wiring.

Mo_Mike · 03-02-2017, 12:53 AM

It could be the TRANSFER SWITCH, that automatically cuts between shore power and Genny. If you say you have lights when generator is running, then your converter is working. We had the same issue and thought we had blown something big, but was just wires in the transfer switch not making good connection.

I am not sure you could check this out without a volt meter, though

Moondoggie · 03-02-2017, 01:09 AM

Thanks Mike., and everyone else. I think I can borrow a voltage meter from a guy at work. If so, I'll let you know what I find out. This sure seems like a great board.

Oneilkeys · 03-02-2017, 02:15 AM

https://1drv.ms/w/s!AiYx6DLSeiiP6UNyy_VYGDO0BW6L

This is the link to Ed's Vegas/Axis manual with all sorts of great info on systems, issues, problems and modifications. It is a great reference guide which will help you find the parts to and understand the complex electrical systems and other systems in these RVs. It is a great guide for both the newbie and experienced RVer.

Moondoggie · 03-02-2017, 03:54 AM

This is a great guide! Thanks to you and Ed!

Elkoholic53 · 03-02-2017, 12:51 PM

I'm having similar issues with 2016 Quantum PD31 when disconnect from shore power. Does anyone know the service manual link for the Quantum?

Oneilkeys · 03-02-2017, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elkoholic53

I'm having similar issues with 2016 Quantum PD31 when disconnect from shore power. Does anyone know the service manuals l link for the Quantum?

As far as I know, no one else has put together a manual for any other Thor coach. However, the appliances and systems on Thor Class C's are the same or very similar to the Axis/Vegas so Ed's manual should be a lot of help. For the Class C "ers" it would be nice if someone would take Ed's manual and adapt it. Thor will send you the schematics for your coach and a list of systems, so you could see where your coach is different from the Axis/Vegas. I has a Class C on a Ford E-350'chassis some years ago and there was a lot of info on the chassis available on the net.

I will bet that your electrical system from the battery to the individual breakers in the coach is very similar to the Axis. Thor has used a couple of different parts, but they seem to be generally similar even in the larger coaches.

Oneilkeys · 03-02-2017, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moondoggie

This is a great guide! Thanks to you and Ed!

Hope you find your problem and that it is an easy fix. Please let us all know what you find, we might have a similar problem in the future and if it may be a general issue, Ed will put it in his manual that he updates periodically. Good luck and don't let it sour you on your Axis or RVing. And buy a surge protector and good digital volt meter. You will be surprised what you can learn to fix in your RV when it is really necessary. I fixed several things in the middle of nowhere in NW Canada and Alaska that could have ruined my trip.

The other thing that I bought after several years was a good tire monitoring system. I wish I had done it earlier for my piece of mind and safety.

Mo_Mike · 03-02-2017, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oneilkeys

Hope you find your problem and that it is an easy fix. Please let us all know what you find, we might have a similar problem in the future and if it may be a general issue, Ed will put it in his manual that he updates periodically. Good luck and don't let it sour you on your Axis or RVing. And buy a surge protector and good digital volt meter. You will be surprised what you can learn to fix in your RV when it is really necessary. I fixed several things in the middle of nowhere in NW Canada and Alaska that could have ruined my trip.

The other thing that I bought after several years was a good tire monitoring system. I wish I had done it earlier for my piece of mind and safety.

What tire monitoring did you go with?

Mo_Mike · 03-02-2017, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moondoggie

Thanks Mike., and everyone else. I think I can borrow a voltage meter from a guy at work. If so, I'll let you know what I find out. This sure seems like a great board.

You can also get coupons for harbor freight for a "free" voltmeter with any purchase. Handy to have on hand

Oneilkeys · 03-02-2017, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mo_Mike

What tire monitoring did you go with?

I bought the Tire Minder A1A system and have been very happy with it.

Forest Grump · 03-03-2017, 12:59 AM

BCC: Battery Control Center. With the generator off and unplugged from shore power. Take your voltage readings there too. Start with the batteries. Then the voltage coming into your inverter. Next the voltage the three sides of your transfer switch.

Start with that. BCC should read the same 12.7 in and out, batteries 12.7, inverter 12.7. If voltage is less than 12.7 or zip your problem is between those two devices. Reset all fuses/breakers they might be half tripped. Reset inside your coach the main power fuse/breaker too.

Metalman · 03-04-2017, 02:50 AM

I had the same problem not long ago. I found a loose connection on a large size copper lug on a black device under the dinette seat, not far from the fuse box. One nut was less than finger tight and the other nut on the other side of the black device could be tightened more than one turn.

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