Cranking battery keeps going dead

[nautiquecowboy]

I have a reoccurring problem my chassis battery keeps going dead. Emergency start does absolutely nothing have to continue to jump it off. Has anyone else had this problem?

[JamieGeek]

Sadly once the battery goes dead a few times then it is toast and needs to be replaced.

My chassis battery discharged on me once while in storage--I installed a disconnect immediately after. Haven't had an issue since (when in storage both my batteries are disconnected).

[nautiquecowboy]

HEY JAMIE going to replace the cranking battery and put a battery disconnect switch on it good ideal .I had to check with Ford and make sure it was safe to do that has on some of these new engines require some type of battery for the computers. Sure don't know what's causing it but there is a drain on it. Again thanks Jamie

[cavie]

Originally Posted by nautiquecowboy

I have a reoccurring problem my chassis battery keeps going dead. Emergency start does absolutely nothing have to continue to jump it off. Has anyone else had this problem?

How old is the battery? Did you have it load tested? May have a bad cell.

[nautiquecowboy]

It's the original that come with it so it's time to change it.Just going to put new one with a battery disconnect switch. This problem of the dead battery has happened several times I've been lucky most of the time it'll just kill a battery. What's something that gets to me is Thor nor Camping World seem to know what's causing it ,and there's lots of us has had this problem.

[revjeffrey]

Originally Posted by nautiquecowboy

It's the original that come with it so it's time to change it.Just going to put new one with a battery disconnect switch. This problem of the dead battery has happened several times I've been lucky most of the time it'll just kill a battery. What's something that gets to me is Thor nor Camping World seem to know what's causing it ,and there's lots of us has had this problem.

My battery issues were solved after 2 years of grief @ the Thor Service Center with them installing a new BIM.

[blw2]

just replaced my chassis battery today.

I have religiously disconnected both batteries for years with switches on the posts and never had an issue
except more lately we've been going longer times between trips and they self discharge down a bit too much. I added 100 Watts of solar and now keep the house topped off, the post switch is now left closed but the use/store switch still gets put into "store" mode. Works well.

Then recently I decided to add a Trik L Start system... and for it to charge the chassis battery I leave the chassis post switch closed. Sadly, I've learned that the trik l start needs 13 V at the house battery to think it's receiving a charge, otherwise nothing goes to the chassis battery....and my house battery seems to be floating around 12.7 V....so in a month or so I now had a very dead chassis battery...and since it was very dead it would no longer even take a charge...not that I would have trusted it long even if it had taken a charge...I've learned the hard way these things don't like to be discharged


(and just for comic relief...with the RV battery in the back of my pick-up this morning, planning on swinging by the store today to get a new one...I go out this morning to a dead truck battery too! It was getting old and a bit slow to turn over so not a big surprise...but still, two batteries for me today

[nautiquecowboy]

Originally Posted by revjeffrey

My battery issues were solved after 2 years of grief @ the Thor Service Center with them installing a new BIM.

I'm sorry but I would love to know what a BIM is . I will get one.

[nautiquecowboy]

Originally Posted by blw2

just replaced my chassis battery today.

I have religiously disconnected both batteries for years with switches on the posts and never had an issue
except more lately we've been going longer times between trips and they self discharge down a bit too much. I added 100 Watts of solar and now keep the house topped off, the post switch is now left closed but the use/store switch still gets put into "store" mode. Works well.

Then recently I decided to add a Trik L Start system... and for it to charge the chassis battery I leave the chassis post switch closed. Sadly, I've learned that the trik l start needs 13 V at the house battery to think it's receiving a charge, otherwise nothing goes to the chassis battery....and my house battery seems to be floating around 12.7 V....so in a month or so I now had a very dead chassis battery...and since it was very dead it would no longer even take a charge...not that I would have trusted it long even if it had taken a charge...I've learned the hard way these things don't like to be discharged


(and just for comic relief...with the RV battery in the back of my pick-up this morning, planning on swinging by the store today to get a new one...I go out this morning to a dead truck battery too! It was getting old and a bit slow to turn over so not a big surprise...but still, two batteries for me today

strange would say that seems like the same thing happens to me as one battery goes dead seems like they all do.Wife's car my truck seems like they all talk to each other and decide to quit at the same time.

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by nautiquecowboy

I'm sorry but I would love to know what a BIM is . I will get one.

Battery Isolation Manager (BIM)
Battery Interconnect Relay Delay (BIRD)

[nautiquecowboy]

Originally Posted by Beau388

Battery Isolation Manager (BIM)
Battery Interconnect Relay Delay (BIRD)

THANKS I will definitely check into it.

[rudyhehn]

Also check your BIRD and Trombetta relay. If it is working properly your chassis battery should charge when you charge your house batteries on shore power or generator.

[Mo_Mike]

Originally Posted by rudyhehn

Also check your BIRD and Trombetta relay. If it is working properly your chassis battery should charge when you charge your house batteries on shore power or generator.

Our BIRD was wired wrong from the factory (resulting in a dead chassis battery even though plugged into shorepower) After I traced the wiring and "corrected" the connections the coach has charged properly on SHORE POWER, GENERATOR, or ALTERNATOR. The TROMBETTA relay opens and closes as it should. Bad thing is before I traced the wiring, I took it back to the dealer and was told "..there's nothing wrong, thats the way it is supposed to work" ..

Famous last words..

[DocMike]

I learned that once a battery goes "Sulfate Dead" it is dead. I had a 6 month fight with Thor over that when we first got our RV. The house batteries had been misused/mishandled prior to our purchase and as a result they would never hold a charge. It took a lot of correspondence back and forth, but Thor did step in and cover the cost of the replacements. Since then I have been religious on checking water levels and keeping the unit on shore power 24/7.
I am sure that once the chassis battery goes "Sulfate Dead" (for whatever reason) it is dead.

DocMIke

[The_Breeze]

Originally Posted by nautiquecowboy

I have a reoccurring problem my chassis battery keeps going dead. Emergency start does absolutely nothing have to continue to jump it off. Has anyone else had this problem?

Had this happen to me once in Tucson. My cure? Get under the hood, disconnect the + terminal and set it aside as not to touch the terminal. Believe me, when you turn the key and she doesn't kick you'll remember what you did and hook it back up (he says)...

[gnach]

But the USE/STORE switch must be in USE, right?

Originally Posted by rudyhehn

Also check your BIRD and Trombetta relay. If it is working properly your chassis battery should charge when you charge your house batteries on shore power or generator.

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by gnach

But the USE/STORE switch must be in USE, right?

In Thor MC parlance if your coach is on shore power or you are running the generator you are USING the coach. Where you are physically located does not matter. If the coach in in a storage area and not on shore power, you are STORING the coach. Of course if you are in the coach using the coach and not on shore power or running the generator, you use/store switch should be in use.

[The_Breeze]

Originally Posted by Mo_Mike

Our BIRD was wired wrong from the factory (resulting in a dead chassis battery even though plugged into shorepower) After I traced the wiring and "corrected" the connections the coach has charged properly on SHORE POWER, GENERATOR, or ALTERNATOR. The TROMBETTA relay opens and closes as it should. Bad thing is before I traced the wiring, I took it back to the dealer and was told "..there's nothing wrong, thats the way it is supposed to work" ..

Famous last words..

You may have misheard those last words. "there's nothing wrong and I don't feel like work"...

[nautiquecowboy]

This is an update on the problems I'm having with my cranky battery just got a call today the part has came in .Now that's just a matter of when I can get it scheduled to be put on. Hopefully this will fix my problem. Thanks for everyone's help I will keep you posted.

[Hugh.vines@att.net]

Originally Posted by revjeffrey

My battery issues were solved after 2 years of grief @ the Thor Service Center with them installing a new BIM.

Is the bim a solonoid under the hood