Thor

[Fmarazita]

I just bought a 2018 Vegas Thor, when I plug it in to charge the onboard batteries and leave it plugged in for a few days my engine battery dies I check to see if anything‘s on and nothing is on is anyone ever experienced this problem or can anyone assist

[Hugh.vines@att.net]

My guess it’s the solenoid on the right side of engine on firewall 20 dollars on amazon

[Mag]

I have an Axis and I had the same thing happening. If I remember correctly the disconnect switch in the step well has to be in the on position before you plug into shore power. It should be on when you're driving anyway. If it's not on before you plug in, the light comes on at the switch anyway and you can't tell if it's on or not. Haven't had an issue since. I've been meaning to verify this but waiting for better weather.

[axis earl]

Absolutely, the USE/STORE button has to be ON. Check that first.

[16ACE27]

The USE/STORE switch as nothing to do withe the "engine" (chassis) battery.

The chassis battery should not die after a few days, plugged in or not, unless there is an excessive drain on it.

[axis earl]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

The USE/STORE switch as nothing to do withe the "engine" (chassis) battery.

The chassis battery should not die after a few days, plugged in or not, unless there is an excessive drain on it.

Sorry, absolutely correct about the chassis battery. It will not charge when plugged in to shore power. Many just connected a good long term charger to the chassis battery and/or a cut off switch. This is from a previous Axis owner.

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

The USE/STORE switch as nothing to do withe the "engine" (chassis) battery.

The chassis battery should not die after a few days, plugged in or not, unless there is an excessive drain on it.

Sorry to disagree but the purpose of the Trombetta relay and circuit module is to allow the batteries to interconnect. This is done by the emergency start switch or by the Trombetta control module. The module compaires the voltages between the chassis battery and house battery. If one battery is below 12.6 volts and the other is above 13.1 volts, after 2.5 minutes the batteries are connected by the relay. This allows the engine alternator to charge the house battery and the charger to charge the chassis battery. Newer coaches have a BIM instead of a Trombetta but it functions the same. Since the store/use switch disconnects the house batteries from the charger, neither the house and chassis battery would be charged if the switch is in the store position. Conversely if the store/use switch is in the use position, both the chassis and house battery will be charged by the charger.

[axis earl]

Originally Posted by Beau388

Sorry to disagree but the purpose of the Trombetta relay and circuit module is to allow the batteries to interconnect. This is done by the emergency start switch or by the Trombetta control module. The module compaires the voltages between the chassis battery and house battery. If one battery is below 12.6 volts and the other is above 13.1 volts, after 2.5 minutes the batteries are connected by the relay. This allows the engine alternator to charge the house battery and the charger to charge the chassis battery. Newer coaches have a BIM instead of a Trombetta but it functions the same. Since the store/use switch disconnects the house batteries from the charger, neither the house and chassis battery would be charged if the switch is in the store position. Conversely if the store/use switch is in the use position, both the chassis and house battery will be charged by the charger.

Sorry back! It did NOT charge the chassis battery on our 2016 Axis which many of the other Axis owners confirmed. As we have said, check it out with a multimeter to know how it is actually working.

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by axis earl

Sorry back! It did NOT charge the chassis battery on our 2016 Axis which many of the other Axis owners confirmed. As we have said, check it out with a multimeter to know how it is actually working.

The class Cs built on Mercedes chassis do not allow the charger to charge chassis batteries.
From ED F. Vagas/Axis manual-

The coach is equipped with either a Battery Control Center (BCC) or a Bi-Directional Isolator Relay Delay (BIRD)and Trombetta (isolation relay)that performs two important functions. They provide a method of charging the coach battery from the engine alternator and charges the chassis battery from the converter when the coach is plugged into shore power. When neither battery is being charged, the batteries are isolated from each other to prevent the loads of one battery from inadvertently discharging the other battery.The BCC (ifso configured) is inthe storage compartment under the driver’s seat. It will probably be a RV Custom Products model TH-1020see Appendix 5).

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by Beau388

Sorry to disagree but the purpose of the Trombetta relay and circuit module is to allow the batteries to interconnect. This is done by the emergency start switch or by the Trombetta control module. The module compaires the voltages between the chassis battery and house battery. If one battery is below 12.6 volts and the other is above 13.1 volts, after 2.5 minutes the batteries are connected by the relay. This allows the engine alternator to charge the house battery and the charger to charge the chassis battery. Newer coaches have a BIM instead of a Trombetta but it functions the same. Since the store/use switch disconnects the house batteries from the charger, neither the house and chassis battery would be charged if the switch is in the store position. Conversely if the store/use switch is in the use position, both the chassis and house battery will be charged by the charger.

Originally Posted by axis earl

Sorry back! It did NOT charge the chassis battery on our 2016 Axis which many of the other Axis owners confirmed. As we have said, check it out with a multimeter to know how it is actually working.

Originally Posted by Beau388

The class Cs built on Mercedes chassis do not allow the charger to charge chassis batteries.
From ED F. Vagas/Axis manual-

The coach is equipped with either a Battery Control Center (BCC) or a Bi-Directional Isolator Relay Delay (BIRD)and Trombetta (isolation relay)that performs two important functions. They provide a method of charging the coach battery from the engine alternator and charges the chassis battery from the converter when the coach is plugged into shore power. When neither battery is being charged, the batteries are isolated from each other to prevent the loads of one battery from inadvertently discharging the other battery.The BCC (ifso configured) is inthe storage compartment under the driver’s seat. It will probably be a RV Custom Products model TH-1020see Appendix 5).

The OP has a problem with his chassis battery dying after a few days. This is an abnormal condition, period.

Whether or not his chassis battery charges when plugged in is a completely separate issue and varies not only by the model of RV but also by different years of the same model.

The OP was concerned enough to start two new threads about his problem but has not returned to expand on his symptoms. Maybe he figured out he left the lights on which is easy to do in these Ford chassis RVs.

[Down South]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

The OP has a problem with his chassis battery dying after a few days. This is an abnormal condition, period.

Whether or not his chassis battery charges when plugged in is a completely separate issue and varies not only by the model of RV but also by different years of the same model.

The OP was concerned enough to start two new threads about his problem but has not returned to expand on his symptoms. Maybe he figured out he left the lights on which is easy to do in these Ford chassis RVs.

I notice this a lot here. I know it happens on all forums but at least the OP could do is come back and say thanks, got it figured out or go fly a kite or something.

And as usual, its someone with one to a few posts. They sign up, ask a question, get an answer and are never heard of again.

To the OP, I hope you show back up to let us know the status....

[MENEE24]

Originally Posted by Fmarazita

I just bought a 2018 Vegas Thor, when I plug it in to charge the onboard batteries and leave it plugged in for a few days my engine battery dies I check to see if anything‘s on and nothing is on is anyone ever experienced this problem or can anyone assist

On my rig, that would be my Inverter is off.

[Oneilkeys]

Axis doesn’t have an inverter. In my 2016 Axis the BIRD was miswired from the factory. I don’t know if your 2018 has a BIRD, but there is another thread discussing this issue and how to troubleshoot and possibly solve it.

[sailchap01]

After 4 dad batteries and failure to keep a charge, Mercedes finally admitted that they had a bad starting battery and replaced same.
In addition, because I was getting too paranoid, I installed a Xanthrex echo charger. It's essentially a trickle charger permanently installed.

Larry

[Down South]

Unless you are posting to this thread for general conversation, The OP hasn't been back since the date that he joined.

Last Activity: 03-28-2020 06:19 PM
Join Date: 03-28-2020

[Oneilkeys]

Originally Posted by Down South

Unless you are posting to this thread for general conversation, The OP hasn't been back since the date that he joined.

In the seven years I have been in the forum, most threads turn quickly into “general conversation”, hopefully around the original general topic of the thread.

[Rigsbya5458]

Make sure you put switch in the use position. I had the same issue. I had to replace both coach batteries and the chassis battery before I figured it out. The switch in the store position disengages everything and will prevent batteries from charging when plugged in to shore power.

[nautiquecowboy]

I have had the same problem with my 2016 Thor axis replace the solenoid driver side front. Fixed the problem for now chassis battery no longer dies.

[Oneilkeys]

Originally Posted by nautiquecowboy

I have had the same problem with my 2016 Thor axis replace the solenoid driver side front. Fixed the problem for now chassis battery no longer dies.

The Trombetta is a pretty solid unit, but more than one person has posted that their’s went bad, so it is a good thing to check.

[RichRob]

Had similar problem with my batteries dying. Ended up replacing the batteries. I keep mine plugged in at home all the time. Also, those batteries that came with my Vegas were awful. I have a mechanic who replaced the batteries and he told me that what I had was crap.