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Old 08-07-2022, 08:20 PM   #1
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Brand: Still Looking
State: Nevada
Posts: 17
THOR #3260
Chassis & House batteries dead

This morning the chassis battery was dead on my 2021 Tellaro 20kt. There wasn't enough juice in the house battery due to several days of rain/overcast skies not allowing solar panels to charge them. I plugged the RV to shore power & after a few minutes, was able to start the RV off the house batteries. A yellow check engine light is now on.

So my question is: would the house batteries drawdown drain the chassis battery?

Does a drained chassis battery automatically cause a check engine light to illuminate?

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Old 08-07-2022, 10:11 PM   #2
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 27.1
State: Florida
Posts: 14,046
THOR #7035
Quote:
Originally Posted by vicap View Post
This morning the chassis battery was dead on my 2021 Tellaro 20kt. There wasn't enough juice in the house battery due to several days of rain/overcast skies not allowing solar panels to charge them. I plugged the RV to shore power & after a few minutes, was able to start the RV off the house batteries. A yellow check engine light is now on.

So my question is: would the house batteries drawdown drain the chassis battery?

Does a drained chassis battery automatically cause a check engine light to illuminate?
No if the battery isolator (probably a BIM in your RV) is wired correctly and working correctly, BUT, Thor has been known to wire them backwards.

I can't speak to any experience with the check engine light in your coach.
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Old 08-09-2022, 01:16 PM   #3
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Tellaro 20L
State: North Carolina
Posts: 279
THOR #26907
Quote:
Originally Posted by vicap View Post
This morning the chassis battery was dead on my 2021 Tellaro 20kt. There wasn't enough juice in the house battery due to several days of rain/overcast skies not allowing solar panels to charge them. I plugged the RV to shore power & after a few minutes, was able to start the RV off the house batteries. A yellow check engine light is now on.

So my question is: would the house batteries drawdown drain the chassis battery?

Does a drained chassis battery automatically cause a check engine light to illuminate?
If your check engine light is on I would suspect you could have a problem with the alternator that is supposed to charge the chassis battery. Even if the house batteries are drained, should not kill your chassis battery. If you can use a voltmeter, check the chassis battery while the engine is running and also while not running to see if there are different voltages (engine running voltage should be higher). I would also check your serpentine belt to make sure it is place. There have been some problems reported with these on some models due to Thor incorrectly routing a new belt with the under hood alternator models.
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Old 08-09-2022, 03:48 PM   #4
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Louisiana
Posts: 78
THOR #26495
Quote:
Originally Posted by vicap View Post
This morning the chassis battery was dead on my 2021 Tellaro 20kt. There wasn't enough juice in the house battery due to several days of rain/overcast skies not allowing solar panels to charge them. I plugged the RV to shore power & after a few minutes, was able to start the RV off the house batteries. A yellow check engine light is now on.

So my question is: would the house batteries drawdown drain the chassis battery?

Does a drained chassis battery automatically cause a check engine light to illuminate?
If the rig is wired correctly, the house batteries should not drain the chassis batteries down at all. They normally operate as two independent systems except while holding down the "battery boost" button, if so equipped. Check engine light should having nothing to do with the battery issue. If operating as it should, once the engine starts, the alternator provides all the electricity needed to operate things on the "chassis" side of things. If the charging system was failing from perhaps a broken serpentine belt or bad generator you would likely see a battery indicator light not a check engine symbol. Check for any messages on the instrument cluster using the buttons on the left side of the steering wheel.
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Old 08-09-2022, 07:29 PM   #5
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Tellaro 20L
State: North Carolina
Posts: 279
THOR #26907
A weak or worn out battery can show up first as a "check engine light". It can also result in other computer problems. From another owner on a pro-master forum :

"The other day the yellow check engine light (Malfunction Indicator Light) came on and dash said "check gas cap". I checked gas cap and started the car the next 2 days to see if the light warning reset. Did not have access to code reader. Never had a problem starting it. Today, the battery was dead and the dash flashed all kinds of messages ..... tire pressure system, coolant, and other system errors. Any idea on where to start ? Should I jump it and try to read a code? My friend has a code reader. Any suggestions welcomed. Thanks. 2015 Promaster gas. 46000 miles. Thanks !"

and solution:

"Thanks everyone, turned out to be a battery going bad. Started by showing a check engine light."
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