Battery drain

FlyDoc · 12-07-2018, 01:33 AM

We recently bought a gently used 2017 Thor Axis and have had issues with the chassis battery dying every 2-4 days. Our son tested it and found there is something drawing a few amps when everything is off. Just wondering if anyone else has dealt with this and can give us a clue where to look before we spend a lot of time tracing wires.
BTW - love this forum and have found it very helpful as this is our first RV.

**revjeffrey** · 12-07-2018, 01:38 AM

Welcome to the forum!! Have your son add a battery cut off knife type switch in the compartment!

JamieGeek · 12-07-2018, 02:01 AM

Hello, congratulations and welcome.

Yeah instead of wasting time to trace down a current draw most of us just put the knife disconnect switch on and disconnect the battery when storing the RV.

If you haven't already, download and read Ed's excellent crowd sourced Axis/Vegas owner's manual found here:
http://www.thorforums.com/forums/f10...nual-4961.html

FlyDoc · 12-07-2018, 03:06 AM

Thank you JaimeGeek. We discovered Ed’s manual early on and it has been a lifesaver!

FlyDoc · 12-07-2018, 04:26 AM

He just ordered one for us - thank you!

Brandy66 · 12-07-2018, 03:17 PM

What chassis is your rig built on? If it's a Mercedes there is a battery disconnect built in just above the gas peddle (yeah I know it's diesel).. Mine is the Mercedes and I have the same problem with battery draw down but don't care to redo all my presets every time I want to use it so I hardwired a battery minder into my shore power and try to keep it powered up when ever possible.

JamieGeek · 12-07-2018, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brandy66

What chassis is your rig built on? If it's a Mercedes there is a battery disconnect built in just above the gas peddle (yeah I know it's diesel).. Mine is the Mercedes and I have the same problem with battery draw down but don't care to redo all my presets every time I want to use it so I hardwired a battery minder into my shore power and try to keep it powered up when ever possible.

His unit is an Axis which is built on the Ford E-Series (E-350, E-450) chassis.

taylorbob1 · 12-07-2018, 08:09 PM

It’s probably the Axxera radio drain which has been talked about frequently in this forum.
That is, the radio hooked up to the house batteries (along with the CO/LP leak detector) is always on and draining the battery.
The options you have (as discussed on this forum):
- utilize the house battery disconnect switch located in the battery bay (turn to off position)
Or
- create a separate disconnect switch under the front dash specifically for the Axxera radio, and also one for the CO/LP detector accessed under the passenger side of the bed on my Vegas 24.1

thor293 · 12-22-2018, 11:33 PM

Its the Axxera I am sure, on my ACE it does the same thing, I found the fuse that powers the radio (in the ACE it is back in the battery compartment attached to a solenoid. I unplug that if it is going to be sitting for any more than a couple of days. Hard to believe that a radio can drain a full size battery but it does, an amp an hour x 24 hrs x 4 days adds up, that is a 100 amps

bevedfelker · 12-23-2018, 12:57 AM

By chassis battery you mean the one in the engine compartment, right? The Axxera radio is connected to the house batteries AND the chassis battery. The house batteries provide current to operate the radio and the rear/side view cameras. If you leave your USE/STORE in STORE when driving you'll notice the radio won't work and the cameras don't operate.

The chassis battery is connected to the radio to provide current to keep the radio station preselects and the clock current. If the house batteries provided that function every time you put USE/STORE in STORE the radio preselects would go away and the clock would stop working.

So if your chassis battery is draining down check the radio connection. But to save yourself hours of aggravation trying to chase down an parasitic load I'd install the knife switch like suggested above.

Gypsydae · 11-05-2020, 02:02 PM

New to Forum, recently purchased a 2020 Axis24.1. The info and help afforded here is great, looking forward to having a venue to discuss any questions or problems that arise is really appreciated.
Thanks
Gypsydae

taylorbob1 · 11-05-2020, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gypsydae

New to Forum, recently purchased a 2020 Axis24.1. The info and help afforded here is great, looking forward to having a venue to discuss any questions or problems that arise is really appreciated.
Thanks
Gypsydae

Welcome to the Forum!

Are you having battery issues?
Fire-away with your questions if you can't find the answers in the SEARCH function.

Bob Denman · 11-05-2020, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gypsydae

New to Forum, recently purchased a 2020 Axis24.1. The info and help afforded here is great, looking forward to having a venue to discuss any questions or problems that arise is really appreciated.
Thanks
Gypsydae

Welcome to our campfire!

PKap · 04-17-2021, 03:09 PM

I need a new chassis battery for my Thor Vegas 2017. What would people suggest. I'm thinking maintenance free because of the access issues. Should I get an AGM?

taylorbob1 · 04-17-2021, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PKap

I need a new chassis battery for my Thor Vegas 2017. What would people suggest. I'm thinking maintenance free because of the access issues. Should I get an AGM?

I’m in same boat
The Ford Motorcraft works fine, but may be reaching end of product lifecycle.
The stock battery is maintenance-free
I know how to access thru the passenger dash area (thanks to the FORUM), but will probably wait until it’s too late

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