Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 01-08-2013, 10:05 PM   #1
Winnebago Watcher
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 2
Lights dimmed to nothing. Been plugged in for a week

We've been plugged in to 50 amp supply for a week. Last night the lights began to dim. The level test indicator showed 1 red light, began to panic, then pressed the OFF side of the AUX. BATT toggle switch & the lights came back on & the battery level indicator showed 4 lights!!
Tonight, again the lights began to dim, still plugged in. Pressed the OFF AUX. BATT. toggle switch, all the lights went out. Pressed ON & the lights came back on dull. Started the generator, with difficulty, thought it wasnt going to start, but ran it for 5 mins then attempted to start the motor, & even when I pressed the boost, no go & even killed the generator.
I managed to start the motor with a boost from my toad. Ran it for 20 mins. the lights came back up bright, & have now been on as normal for the past 4 hours & the indicator shows full. Help, I'm lost.
NOTE. should the Converter Charger fan be working-it's not. Also the odometer now shows 3000+ miles less thn it did when we parked here!
Chris Mundin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2013, 05:49 AM   #2
Winnebago Owner
 
nightriderrv's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: NC
Posts: 68
:welcome:





You have a low volts issue and yes the converter fan should be working with all the lights on and it working at 100% the fan will cycle to cool it down. What it's doing is shutting down so it won't burn out, if you have one of the small desk top fans and can get to the converter blow air directly on it from the end if possiable so it flows through the box body. The speedo issue is from pulling so hard while the batterys were very low and not charged it might fix it self or not.
__________________
Mark Anderson - Nebo NC - western NC - RV Restoration tech - 9 Doggies - Outdoors person
1990 33ft Wilderness Cimarron 33X
nightriderrv is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2013, 06:24 AM   #3
Winnebago Owner
 
bluepill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Pensacola, FL
Posts: 139
1. If you have removable caps on your batteries, inspect to see if they need additional water. A bad battery can bring the whole system down.

2. If the batteries seem ok, check all cable connections & grounds.

3. Now test the voltage at the batteries with the charger/converter both on and off. You should have over 13.5 volts with it on and somewhere around 12.6 with it off.
__________________
2008 Itasca Meridian 37H & 2015 Flagstaff T12RBST
2011 & 2012 Len & Pat's "One lap of America"
27K miles & 41 states in 13 months - Woo Woo
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Yellowstone Lake 6-1-2012
bluepill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-11-2013, 09:29 PM   #4
Winnebago Watcher
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 2
Thanks Nightriderrv & Bluepill,
Iv'e had a busy & frustrating day today. Talked to Winnibego service & based on what I told him, he concluded that the problem lie with the Trombetta continuous duty solenoid. Having researched the solenoid with other RV'ers on this site the consensus seemed to be that Winnibego the cheaper of 2 models so shopping around I was offered a Cole Hersee 24213 & was assured that they are a reputable manufacturer, so went & got it. Unfortunatly there was no wiring diagram with it. It was obvious which were primary & secondary conns. but no further info. so after alot of thought fitted it, hoping that there was no "in & out" with either pair of terminals. Switched on & hey presto everything seemed to be working. 2 hours later, lights seemed to be dimming, I checked the 2 coach batterys volts & they were down to 9.7 volts. I boosted them with my toad for 20 mins & brought them back up enough to get fridge working, hopefully until morning when I can do further checks on terminals or phone calls to Cole Hersee.
Chris Mundin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2013, 06:40 AM   #5
Winnebago Owner
 
nightriderrv's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: NC
Posts: 68
A solenoid is mainly a switch your issue is charging did you check the converter and when the lights are dimming thats when you need to check the output at the converter
__________________
Mark Anderson - Nebo NC - western NC - RV Restoration tech - 9 Doggies - Outdoors person
1990 33ft Wilderness Cimarron 33X
nightriderrv is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2013, 07:12 AM   #6
Winnebago Master
 
Wayne M's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,665
Chris,
I have a 2008 Destination. I am gong to assume that the configurations are basically the same. Here is what I found out:

I was having the same problem. Plugged in, under cover so no solar, and when I went to start I would have to use the boost and it would start. Immediately the display would indicate 11.8 volts or so.

I called Winnebago and talked to someone that appeared to know what he was talking about. Reasoning was that there was no hesitation in his answering so he wasn't looking things up. He told me to do this: Leave both the service and house batteries engaged. Turn the step OFF. He stated that the step motor had a continuous draw and the inverter on trickle could not keep up with it and the other (dash) components. The reason to leave the service and house batteries engaged was because the charging circuit would not charge if they were "disconnected."

Since my original batteries drew down so low for so many times, about a year and a half ago I replaced them with Interstates. The service battery is "Maintenance free" and the house batteries have caps. I monitor the house batteries on a minimum of monthly and add distilled water as necessary.

I have not had any problems since doing what Winnebago said, before or after replacing the batteries. Example: After our last trip and coming back from 4600+ miles to the S&B September 16, 2012, I parked it in storage. I was unable to get back to it for a road ride until the end of December. It started right up, no low voltage, batteries fine.

I'm not sure these same procedures would work for you but the information is free, and unless you purchase new batteries, the procedure is free.

p.s., you have a Trikle Charge system if your model is in keeping with my model.

Oh, I do try and check my battery water level at least monthly, some times it goes a little longer - but not much.

Happy trails.
__________________
Wayne MSGT USMC (Ret) & Earlene (CinCHouse)
2015 Winnebago Tour 42QD - 2020 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve (TOAD)
(RVM-14) It is what it is, and then it is what you make of it.
Wayne M is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2013, 08:18 AM   #7
YC1
Winnebago Owner
 
YC1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 126
Your Converter/charger is not working. See if your microwave is lit up. If so then the incoming voltage is probably ok unless one leg is not working. To test that theory run the generator for 1-2 hours at least to see if the batteries start to come up.

If you have a voltmeter or even a test light put that across each bank of batteries. Compare the brightness or voltage is better at this stage to the voltage across your car battery for comparison. Sometimes the converters/inverters/chargers can get mixed up and stop working. Disconnect from shoreline and turn your batteries off. Leave it off for a couple of minutes. Plug back into shoreline without the batteries connected. See if your lights get bright. If not your charger is probably in need of service. If the lights come on bright then turn on your coach batteries. Let them charge for several hours and then turn on the other bank of batteries.
__________________
Myron & Deborah
08 HR Endeavor 40 SKQ
2012 Ford Edge Limited FWD 3.5L
Aluminator tow bar, Demco base plate
YC1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2013, 08:40 AM   #8
Winnebago Camper
 
HHIDan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ottawa Ontario Canada
Posts: 39
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Mundin View Post
Also the odometer now shows 3000+ miles less thn it did when we parked here!
Maybe, when you lost power your dash went from kilometers to miles (metric to english)? (5000 miles is 8000 kilometers)
__________________
DanielB
'06 Mountain Aire 4309, ISL 400-CM850, Spartan MMGT
'16 Jeep Wrangler
HHIDan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2013, 03:39 PM   #9
YC1
Winnebago Owner
 
YC1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 126
Hi Wayne. After doing some intensive analysis with Chris and the schematics you may find this helpful.

The charging system is fed to the house side of the solenoid. If the house solenoid is not on then the house batteries will not get charged. Or if the house/salesman solenoid is acting up the batteries will not get charged properly.

One is so strange to me about this setup is the that a simple failure can leave you stranded with two sets of dead batteries. By moving the charge wire to the left post versus the right post of the solenoid mounted on the right side in the panel you will always get a charge if the charger is working and even if the batteries were turned off there would be voltage to the rv via the charger.

As for turning off the steps etc I find it difficult to believe the trik-l-start cannot keep up with those parasitic drains. I believe it can deliver 5 amps?? Maybe ten but it has been some time. In my analysis with Chris he is going to move his charger wire and maybe the trik-l-start wire to the battery side of the solenoid.

Hope this helps Sarge.
__________________
Myron & Deborah
08 HR Endeavor 40 SKQ
2012 Ford Edge Limited FWD 3.5L
Aluminator tow bar, Demco base plate
YC1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
lights


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Forza/Solei nothing but junk! pfprice Winnebago Class A Motorhomes 19 10-12-2014 03:56 PM
Long trip, nothing broke! smlranger Campgrounds, Travel and Attractions 11 10-15-2008 05:20 AM
Impression of Vectra after a week of use. Warpath Winnebago Class A Motorhomes 7 07-24-2006 02:45 PM
Removed coach batteries, nothing works?? smlranger Electrical | Charging, Solar and Electronics 12 07-24-2006 04:16 AM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Winnebago Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:57 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.