Dead Coach Battery and No help from Emerg Start?

[tdpinokc]

Have been doing odds and ends for the last couple days on new 2018 Vegas. Have had External 30A plugged in all the time. Went to start engine and battery is dead. Tried to use Emerg Start assist as advertised and no help. Coach batteries appear to be charged. Got any suggestions on what is happening?

[Beau388]

Hold the emergency start in for about five minutes and then try to start the engine while the holding emergency start switch in. It works just like you were getting a boost for you car from another car. Most start the generator and let it run while using the emergency start.

[nosticks]

If you are plugged in you can use a battery maintainer from an indoor outlet to a 12v receptacle on the dash to keep chassis battery charged. As to the emergency start, if you didn't hear a click when you pushed the button, I would suspect the solenoid.

[flipper003]

I seem to be having the same problem as tdpinokc regarding the chassis battery going dead in a couple of weeks even though plugged in to outside power and USE switch in use position. Everything else seems ok but I would think the chassis battery should be being trickle charged by the external power. I am trying an external trickle charger for now and will check in a few days to see if
it is keeping up or not. House batteries are fine like tdpinokc's but the chassis
battery is going dead. It is new and I fully charged it prior to putting it in. The
2015 Thor Axis 25.1N is kept inside a heated/ A/C garage. Haven't found the 12v/120v inverter yet on this thing. Thanks for any suggestions!

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by flipper003

The 2015 Thor Axis 25.1N is kept inside a heated/ A/C garage. Haven't found the 12v/120v inverter yet on this thing. Thanks for any suggestions!

Only coaches with an external kitchen or residential refrigerator have an inverter installed at the factory. Many have installed an after marker inverter.

[sage]

Unless you or a previous owner installed an Inverter, there isn’t one. Not standard equipment on the Axis/Vegas coaches.

[flipper003]

Aha! That may be why I can't find one. I recently bought this slightly used (7,700 miles) and it had the steering stabilizer and rear air bags added but wasn't
sure about the inverter. Shouldn't it be maintaining a charge on the chassis battery when plugged into shore power (it seems to be on the house batteries) without the inverter?
The wiring looks very clean and everything else seems to be working so it seems
like something is draining the battery, although everything I know of is off.

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by flipper003

Aha! That may be why I can't find one. I recently bought this slightly used (7,700 miles) and it had the steering stabilizer and rear air bags added but wasn't
sure about the inverter. Shouldn't it be maintaining a charge on the chassis battery when plugged into shore power (it seems to be on the house batteries) without the inverter?
The wiring looks very clean and everything else seems to be working so it seems
like something is draining the battery, although everything I know of is off.

Yes it the coach's charger should also charge the chassis battery. Usually there is a bidirectional relay that preforms that function, It is the same relay that you engage when you select the emergency start switch. You can search this forum for "BIRD" and find several whays to trouble shout the charging system

[nosticks]

Originally Posted by Beau388

Yes it the coach's charger should also charge the chassis battery.

Not so on the Ford E series chassis.

Many things can drain the battery. If storing it without shore power, remove neg. cable from chassis battery.

[axis earl]

Nosticks comment is what I was also led to believe. We have not driven our 2016 Axis for around a month and a half now. I normally keep a trickle charger on the chassis battery but neglected this approach. Went to start it yesterday and the battery was completely dead. Tried the emergency start and nothing happened. I have since put a charge on the battery and the engine started. My understanding from my RV service center is that the chassis battery is completely separate from the coach batteries/shore power, etc. I will make a point of keeping the trickle charger on the chassis battery in the future. I also have one of those solar panel trickle chargers specifically for the battery but it does me no good in the storage compartment.

[scrubjaysnest]

On ours, the B.I.R.D. was wired wrong so when the chassis battery was dead you couldn't use the emergency start. After rewiring it now works correctly and no more dead chassis battery.

[axis earl]

We have used the emergency start during our first year with it and it did work. If the battery is as dead as I guess mine was the other day, it still didn't work.

[lwmcguire]

If your boost switch is wired correctly and working, should you have a dead chassis battery you will need to hold it 45 seconds or longer, 5 seconds probably wont be enough

Sure a lot of threads recently with this type issue

[blw2]

about the whole timing thing...

keep in mind that pressing the switch is exactly like connecting jumper cables...except through smaller wires.

so just like with jumper cables....if the battery is not so dead, just a little low..then it'll crank off the jump battery as soon as the cables make contact.

If on the other hand the battery basically dead, then it will take a few minutes for a little bit of charge to build in the dead battery

and if it is deader than a doornail, then the dead circuit might be shorted and it'll basically never work

[ComputerChips]

And you must press and hold the emergency button down during the cranking process.

[wayneg51]

Had the same problem in my 2016 ACE 30.1. Chassis battery dead, emg switch no help. RV tech said chassis battery doesn't charge from converter. He found a blown 15a fuse in the wire to trip the emg solenoid. Replaced it and now relay engages when emg switch is pushed. We also installed a knife switch on neg battery post to disconnect battery when coach is not being driven.

[Bob Denman]

I agree with the "knife switch" idea...

http://www.thorforums.com/forums/att...1&d=1550165433

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

I agree with the "knife switch" idea...



http://www.thorforums.com/forums/att...1&d=1550165433

Is there a reason for preferring a knife switch over the knob style disconnect? Seems like the latter is more compact and, by taking the knob off could even be helpful in theft deterrence if you use them on the chassis battery and the house pack.

[blw2]

Originally Posted by Pete'sMH

Is there a reason for preferring a knife switch over the knob style disconnect? Seems like the latter is more compact and, by taking the knob off could even be helpful in theft deterrence if you use them on the chassis battery and the house pack.Attachment 15681

I went with the GAMA as you have pictured...made in the USA!
Some folks claim that they are less reliable. I think it's probably just because you can't easily SEE that it is disconnected. I've been using one on each battery for 5 years now...so far so good
I like the look of them better...Don't care for all that un-insulated energized copper banging around in there

[Bob Denman]

I sort of liked the one I chose because of it's simplicity...
But I guess that as long as one that you choose is working as planned: it's an equally good choice!