bburns8

Update One of the security guards at the park knew an RV electrician and called him. He came out today. Our inverter is burnt. He bypassed the inverter, and we are on house batteries, and the fridge is back on AC. Our GFI outlet is working again. The electrician said the same thing that Wolfe10 and others had said this post that to drive the MH with the generator on and the external battery charger on the house batteries. I started the engine, started the generator and turned external battery charger on. I let the engine run for more than 30 minutes. The voltage on the chassis battery is slowly dropping volts (12.65, 12.64,12.60 volts). The volt indicator on the driver's dash is staying in the NORMAL position. I called the electrician back and he said this is normal and we can drive it. What are your thoughts? Do I need another external charger on the chassis batteries to drive it?

Yes. I called but they don't do it anymore.

We are in Raleigh, NC at the state fair grounds rv park. We are here for medical. I've called the RV shops, mobile units and they don't work on the 12 VDC. The two places I found was Buddy Gregg in Knoxville, TN but they are 5 hours away and Cummins in Kenly, NC that is 50 miles away. We have 330 CAT but Cummins in Kenly said they still could work on it. Cummins has a mobile unit but will not send it this far out. We have to go to them. 2001 Fleetwood Discovery 37U 330 CAT

Thanks Wolfe10 for all your help and expertise. I appreciate your help. Unfortunately, there is no one knowledgeable of a motorhome 12 VDC system near me. I stopped an RV repair person yesterday here at the park and he took a look and didn't know. I found a tow company last week that can tow it front wheel lift. I will probably have it towed Monday.

I have the standalone charger on the chassis batteries right now. If the chassis batteries get a full charge higher than12.8 VDC would I be able to drive it 50 miles? If yes, would I be able to drive it 50 miles without the standalone charger on?

Chassis batteries with engine running idle = 12.12 volts Chassis batteries with engine running idle and boost on = 12.23 volts

Thank you Rich, I appreciate it.

What does the "Main Battery" and "Aux Battery" rocker switch do? Asking because I have the Auxillary start rocker switch on the side of the driver and I have the "Main Battery" and "Aux Battery" rocker switches above the driver.

I have two chargers. One is producing 10 amps and I'm using that one on the house batteries. The other one is producing 8 amps and I'm using that one on the chassis batteries. I plug the standalone charger into the 110 outlet. How would I use the stand alone charger driving? I would need to plug it in to use it.

YES No, I have not tried that. I didn't think it was safe to have it turned on and charging the house batteries with the engine running.

It is highway miles.

No. Do you mean the stand alone battery charger?

The circuit breakers are on. The inverter and charger are both turned on. The generator works but I cannot run the generator because the voltage on the house batteries drops below 12 and automatically turns off the generator.

Both chassis and house battery voltage drop when the engine is running. When I turn on the generator it is not charging the house batteries and the voltage on the house batteries drops below 12 and automatically turns the generator off. I am not able to use the generator at all because of this issue right now.

I am not at the coach right now but will test the boost/combine switch when I get back. House batteries are not getting a charge. I'm using the stand alone battery charger twice a day to keep them charged. When house batteries have a full charge, I take the charger off and by evening I will check them and they have dropped down to 12.50 volts or lower. The only load on the house batteries is the AC, the fridge is on propane and a few interior LED lights at night. Is the coach drivable like this to go 50 miles? The only place qualified that can get to the coach right away is 50 miles away. I didn't want to have it towed if I didn't have too.

I didn't disconnect the solenoid. It is hard to get to and I'm not comfortable disconnecting it. Chassis battery volt readings in series Not plugged into shore power = 12.71 volts Engine running idle 5-10 minutes = 12.20 volts Engine RPMs at 1500 for 5 minutes = 12.18 volts Engine running idle after testing RPMs = 12.17 volts Engine turned off = 12.62 volts Plugged into shore power = 12.64 volts

Thanks Wolfe10. I have a digital voltmeter.

Question: If the alternator is out/not working will the needle on the instrument panel not move at all (because it is staying in the normal position)? Thanks, no I have not done this.

Any on you want to come to NC? Football game this weekend in Raleigh. RV park is right here at the stadium. I need help! I will be testing these suggestions tomorrow. Question: When the house batteries are disconnected by the ground terminals and I start the engine IF the chassis batteries are not dropping would I be able to drive the coach with the ground terminal disconnected to the batteries? If yes, would there be anything else that would need to be disconnected?

I've tested with engine running idle, but not with someone stepping on the accelerator. I will test it and see what the voltage says.

Yes, chassis and house batteries drop when fully charged and engine is off. They drop gradually and by evening or the next morning I have to place the standalone charger back on them.

Is the solenoid switch on the solenoid or inside the coach?

Thanks. The batteries came back to a full charge, but started dimming yesterday. I checked the volt reading and it was at 70%. I put the stand alone battery charger back on them, but the dimming is getting worse. I do not have a big load as I using the 110 outlet for the things I need to use right now.

Thank you for taking the time to think through this and share your knowledge. I appreciate it. I have a solenoid, but do not know where the boost switch is/what it looks like/how to turn it off/on. There is no load on the battery banks when I start the engine except for what the fridge uses since it switched to propane when the GFCI outlet lost power. I disconnected the ground cable from the inverter, started the engine and the voltage was dropping on chassis batteries. No, it has not been tested. I know how to use a multimeter, but do not know how to test output of the inverter/charger. No, GFCI outlet lost power and took several other outlets with it (microwave outlet, living room and bedroom TV outlets, bathroom outlet, slide outlet, outlet in dinning area and fridge outlet). I can't reset the GFCI outlet. I removed the cover to the GFCI outlet and tested the wires for power and no power is going to the GFCI outlet. The volt reading was 7.

Has anyone used Cummins Sales and Service in Kenly, NC for repairs? Good or bad experience? Thanks.