Dead batteries, etc., etc.

CHIPPYSGT · 02-26-2006, 12:25 PM

I just had the oil changed in my '05 Meridian this past week.

When I got home I couldn't find the 50amp to 30 amp dogbone. It apparenty grew legs in the storage lot. I've been trying to get it cleaned up for a trip to SC in mid March.

Here are my facts and questions regarding batteries:

1. I have had to start the engine on aux for the last three or four times I visited the storage lot. I go every time I'm in Roanoke, about every three weeks.

2. Since I don't have a new dogbone yet, I've been running the gen for power as needed.

3. I unhooked all the batteries, filled the maintenance ones with H20 (distilled) and then charged each one individually. They are hooked up right as I took digital pictures beforehand and hooked them up the same way.

4. Engine batteries are dead today, two days after the charge.

5. My steps are moving really slow. This started today.

6. If the batteries are bad, would they still be under warranty. Bought the rig new in Aug, 05.

Is this all normal or is this just another speed bump in the trail of life?

I guess the steps must run off the chassis battery hence the slow steps.

GADGETRY COLUMN

1. My GPS system won't turn on. I couldn't locate any circuit breaker, plug etc. It is 12 volt and is hard wired someplace under the overhead. I couldn't find any pinched wires, etc., but can't see much of it. My question is about the unit itself. It is the Magellan 750 Nav Plus Vehicle Navigation System. There are two rubber covered ports on the front of the box. One small one for a cable hookup with about 6-8 prongs. The second is about the size of a deck of cards, maybe a little thinner. The larger port is empty and would just about hold a deck of cards. Obviously some kind of chip, etc. goes in there. My first thought was the chip and the dogbone ran off together, but looking at the rubber cover it says "Expansion" on it. Does that mean the hole should be empty and is waiting for me to throw hundred dollar bills in it or did something else grow legs while in storage?

I guess if the expansion slot is supposed to be empty then I need to find a broken, loose or chafed wire.

I called Magellan and they are closed until tomorrow.

After all that dribble, does anybody out there have a Magellan 750 and is the expansion slot empty or occupied?

ENGINE COMPUTER

I am getting a message (again, new today) that reads, "No message from trans ecu for 25 minutes". Is that associated with the battery? This was while parked in the driveway.

Thanks for your help!

Doug

CHIPPYSGT · 02-26-2006, 12:25 PM

I just had the oil changed in my '05 Meridian this past week.

When I got home I couldn't find the 50amp to 30 amp dogbone. It apparenty grew legs in the storage lot. I've been trying to get it cleaned up for a trip to SC in mid March.

Here are my facts and questions regarding batteries:

1. I have had to start the engine on aux for the last three or four times I visited the storage lot. I go every time I'm in Roanoke, about every three weeks.

2. Since I don't have a new dogbone yet, I've been running the gen for power as needed.

3. I unhooked all the batteries, filled the maintenance ones with H20 (distilled) and then charged each one individually. They are hooked up right as I took digital pictures beforehand and hooked them up the same way.

4. Engine batteries are dead today, two days after the charge.

5. My steps are moving really slow. This started today.

6. If the batteries are bad, would they still be under warranty. Bought the rig new in Aug, 05.

Is this all normal or is this just another speed bump in the trail of life?

I guess the steps must run off the chassis battery hence the slow steps.

GADGETRY COLUMN

1. My GPS system won't turn on. I couldn't locate any circuit breaker, plug etc. It is 12 volt and is hard wired someplace under the overhead. I couldn't find any pinched wires, etc., but can't see much of it. My question is about the unit itself. It is the Magellan 750 Nav Plus Vehicle Navigation System. There are two rubber covered ports on the front of the box. One small one for a cable hookup with about 6-8 prongs. The second is about the size of a deck of cards, maybe a little thinner. The larger port is empty and would just about hold a deck of cards. Obviously some kind of chip, etc. goes in there. My first thought was the chip and the dogbone ran off together, but looking at the rubber cover it says "Expansion" on it. Does that mean the hole should be empty and is waiting for me to throw hundred dollar bills in it or did something else grow legs while in storage?

I guess if the expansion slot is supposed to be empty then I need to find a broken, loose or chafed wire.

I called Magellan and they are closed until tomorrow.

After all that dribble, does anybody out there have a Magellan 750 and is the expansion slot empty or occupied?

ENGINE COMPUTER

I am getting a message (again, new today) that reads, "No message from trans ecu for 25 minutes". Is that associated with the battery? This was while parked in the driveway.

Thanks for your help!

Doug

BugSlayer · 02-26-2006, 01:55 PM

Well, I cannot help with your GPS or your Engine Computer but I have been through it all with the batteries. I have an '05 Journey which I bought new in the end of Nov of '04. I had numerous problems with the batteries and eventually had the coach batteries replaced under warrenty from Winnebago and the Chassis batteries replaced by Freightliner. I was led to believe the coach batteries failed because of a short in the chassis batteries. Freightliner replaced the batteries after some 'discussion' but refused to pay for the labor to test and actually replace the batteries (they covered the batteries alone). The point is that they did go bad and I had a similar experience as you describe. My advice is to get to your dealer and your chassis service point and ask that they test each system and insist on replacement if they do not test as new (after all, they should). The two systems are seperate for some purposes but a bad battery can and will take all your batteries out eventually. They sure did mine.

CHIPPYSGT · 02-26-2006, 03:08 PM

Bugslayer,

Thanks for the quick response.

I suspected it might be a bad battery or two. No telling how long it sat on the lot before I bought it with little or no care.

I'll call F'liner and Winnie tomorrow.

Doug

NeilV · 02-26-2006, 06:09 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by CHIPPYSGT:
Bugslayer,

Thanks for the quick response.

I suspected it might be a bad battery or two. No telling how long it sat on the lot before I bought it with little or no care.

I'll call F'liner and Winnie tomorrow.

Doug </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Doug,

Make sure your step light is turning off when you leave. Step controllers sometimes malfunction and even though the step appears to work may leave the light on or sometimes a small amount of current going to the motor.

Regards,

Neil

BigRedLancer · 02-26-2006, 08:51 PM

Don't know about your MH model but mine has a continuous drain on the coach battery. The fix was to put a device between the house battery and the coach battery that would keep it charged. Also the chassis battery should never be allowed to completely discharge. This type of battery will most likely fail if it gets discharged. The house batteries should not stay discharged for any length of time as they can develop sulfate in the electrolyte and a cell or cells can be permanently damaged.

At least that is what I have been told by a local battery dealer.

CHIPPYSGT · 02-27-2006, 12:41 AM

BigRedLancer,

I think you're probably right. I'm going to do some checking today. Thanks for the response.

My wife and I sure do miss CA. Big mistake, IMHO ever leaving the great weather.

Doug

AdrianLee · 02-27-2006, 05:45 AM

Doug,

If your batteries are drawing down that fast either you have a serious drain on them in multiple locations or - probably more likely - several bad cells in at least 1 battery in each bank.

As I understand it - the only time the house and chassie battery banks are connected is if you press the Battery Boost switch to start the engine. Otherwise they are not connected in any way. That would preclude one bank drawing down the other bank. That also tells me that you have a bad battery (at lease 1) in each bank.

Normally batteries have at least a 1 year full replacement warranty with a 2 year graduated warranty so your batteries should be under pretty close to full, if not full warranty.

If you think the weather is good where BigRedLancer is you should try where I am - just north of San Diego. The weather has been in the lower 80's the last 2 or 3 days

Adrian

John_Canfield · 02-27-2006, 07:32 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by AdrianLee:
If your batteries are drawing down that fast either you have a serious drain on them in multiple locations or - probably more likely - several bad cells in at least 1 battery in each bank.

As I understand it - the only time the house and chassie battery banks are connected is if you press the Battery Boost switch to start the engine. Otherwise they are not connected in any way. That would preclude one bank drawing down the other bank. That also tells me that you have a bad battery (at lease 1) in each bank.
Adrian </div></BLOCKQUOTE>I think Adrian is on-target.

Chassis batteries discharging is a long-standing problem with Winnebago - there are many parasitic loads on the chassis battery. The effective fix is to use the chassis battery disconnect when the coach is in storage (I have one in the engine compartment) or to use a charging device (like an Echo~Charge.)

However yours shouldn't discharge that quickly - I think it would take a matter of a few weeks not a matter of a few days to discharge that much. You could either have bad cell(s) in the chassis battery and/or an unusual drain on the batteries.

Can't help you on the ECU not communicating with the Info Center (or where ever it interfaces) - perhaps it is related to low battery voltage. Try calling Freightliner for a better opinion.

As far as your GPS power, that needs toubleshooting with a meter. The empty slot is probably for a memory card (SD, compact flash, or ?) My guess is that it would power up and tell you that something is missing.

CHIPPYSGT · 02-27-2006, 09:31 AM

Guys,

I talked with Freightliner and Magellan today. F'liner said all the electronic controls will drain the batteries in about 6 days. I have mine on a slow charge right now.

He also said the headlight swithch that turns and can be pulled out is for fog lights.

Magellan said the computer is all internal and nothing goes in the Expansion slot. Problem is probably related to the dead batteries since the GPS is wired thru the ignition.

Thanks Adrian for rubbing it in. I used to live in University City. Moved in when Governor Dr was two lane, 805 was a dream and Genessee stopped at Governor.

My little 1100SF $16,500 house is now probably worth about $600K.

Going to Advance Auto to buy some quick battery disconnects.

Thanks again.

Doug

DCudmore · 02-27-2006, 02:18 PM

Interstate batteries have problems.Call winne and they will give you a number for the nearest Interstate dealer to you.Take the batteries in and it is a free exchange.These batteries are faulty, I had all three of mine replaced in my 05 and I know of another which had the same ..
You can charge them all you like and they will go dead in a couple of days max.
Don

kenbt · 02-27-2006, 05:17 PM

If your coach came with the Interstate Workaholic series 31 coach batteries (not Chassis)there has been problems with them. Interstate agreed with replacing them with the series 29's that have been more reliable. But Interstate told me they have been having a lot of complaints because of Winnebago's decission to use 3 12volt deep cycle batteries for the coach ratter than industry standard of 4 6 volt deep cycle golf cart type (Trojan T106). I had Interstate go to bat for me on a test run with Winnebago to swap out my 3 12Volts for 4 6 volt because of all the problems I was having making it thru the night dry camping. Every moring my house batteries would be down to 12 or 12.1 volts requiring a full deep cycle recharge. Winnebago refused to let Interstate do the conversion because of what I believe was their worry that word would get out that they acknowledge their is a problem. Soooo I ended up doing the conversion myself with 4 Trojan 6 volt golf cart batteries increasing the amp hours from 378 to 450 hours. The golf cart batteries are true deep cycle batteries and can take the discharge and charging much better than the 12 volt design.