Slow Slides

[StanJones]

Can a bad set of house batteries (4) that are about 4 to 5 years old cause the slides to be very slow to the point where they stop and go? Also, last fall my batteries got real low on water. I must have put close to 2 gallons of distilled water in them. I leave the coach plugged in over the winter. I start the 400-horsepower Cummins engine every four weeks and run it for 1/2 an hour. Will new batteries take care of the problem? On one of my four slide controls I get no response at all. Not even a slight noise indicating it wants to move. Thanks.

[wolfe10]

Stan, Can low voltage cause your symptoms -- YES. Can running the batteries very low on water (i.e. the plates are exposed) materially shorten their lives -- YES. Can you reasonably expect more than 5 years life out of wet cell house batteries with only "average care "-- NO. But, before replacing the batteries, put a voltmeter on them while activating the slide -- if voltage drops below 12.0 VDC, suspect them. Fully charge them and have them load tested. Replace if needed. And do NOT start the diesel unless you are able to drive it a minimum of 25 highway miles. It is better not to start it unless you can get the oil, not just coolant up to operating temperature. That can not be done except under load. Brett

[StanJones]

Hope I am replying to you Brett. I'm new to the site. Thank you for your reply. I will pursue the advice on the batteries.

As for the starting of the diesel engine in the wintertime I have heard from both camps. I think that the point that you made about oil temp is very valid. Driving 25 miles as a minimum. So as for your opinion - it is best not to start the engine all winter if it can't be driven - what if anything should be done to get through 5-6 months of sitting?

Thanks.

Stan

[wolfe10]

Stan, Actually, it is the opinion of Caterpillar and Cummins as well -- do not start the engine unless you can get the OIL up to operating temperature. If you can't do that, all you are doing is adding moisture to the crankcase. Brett

[hermanmullins]

Stan, Actually, it is the opinion of Caterpillar and Cummins as well -- do not start the engine unless you can get the OIL up to operating temperature. If you can't do that, all you are doing is adding moisture to the crankcase. Brett

Brett, you just gave out some very good information. I didn't know that just running your engine to operating temp (water) and not driving to get the oil temp up would cause moisture in the crank case. Good to know.

While on the subject, how about the gen. set. Do you need to run the a/c to give a load to get both the water and oil up to operating temp? What would be a good guide time wise since most gen. sets don't have temp gauges. I did know that you need to have a load on the gen. when running.

Again, good info.

[wolfe10]

Herman,

Yes, every generator manual I have ever seen suggests at least 50% load to properly exercise a generator.

When I run the motorhome for exercise (as I did last week), I pull it out of the garage, start the generator, start driving (low speeds), turn on the roof A/C and at least one other device-- even the block heater. Drive 25+ highway miles. Turn off A/C and any other 120 VAC loads to allow the generator to cool down for a couple of minutes. Shut off generator and after 3 minutes of cool down, park the coach.

Brett

Brett, you just gave out some very good information. I didn't know that just running your engine to operating temp (water) and not driving to get the oil temp up would cause moisture in the crank case. Good to know.

While on the subject, how about the gen. set. Do you need to run the a/c to give a load to get both the water and oil up to operating temp? What would be a good guide time wise since most gen. sets don't have temp gauges. I did know that you need to have a load on the gen. when running.

Again, good info.

[rossboyer]

Back to the issue of the batteries and slow slides. The coach manufacturer for our coach states to have the engine running; therefore, the voltage from the alternator is about 13.8 volts when operating the jacks or the slides. I have on occasion turned the ignition switch on without starting the engine to operated the slides, and they do move slower. You might try running the engine at the same time just to see if that "cures" the problem as a test.

[StanJones]

Thanks for your responses. After careful and complete research a tech at Camper Country in Myrtle Beach found it was a pump relay for the HWH system. It was shipped overnight by HWH and replaced while we waited. Slides and jacks are working again.

Thanks again.

Stan Jones