Rv won't start

[Scotteller9]

hello . My name is Scott Eller Replaced starter on 1997 winnebago adventure . Rv still won't crank. All it does is click. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

[creativepart]

Curious why you began with replacing the starter? The battery would be the logical first step.The common reason would be that your starting battery is dead or your battery cables are not tight or are corroded. Have you already ruled that out? And if so how?

PS. I combined your two threads with the same content into one thread.

[Scotteller9]

Battery is new . cables are fine.

[Scotteller9]

Starter is brand new . Just replaced 2 days ago

[creativepart]

Battery may be new, but that doesn't mean it's not dead. Have you verified this?

[Scotteller9]

The battery is fine

[Scotteller9]

Replaced starter because it would do nothing but click when tried to crank it. Took it to be tested and it was bad. Bought new starter and all it still does is click when you try to crank it.

[creativepart]

Well, from what you describe you don't have any problem. The battery is new and fully charged. The cabling is clean and well attached. The starter has been replaced and is brand new.

With all those details there is hardly anything else in the starting system that could cause the starter to not turn off and just click.

Dead starter solenoid? Bad wiring from the battery to the starter? Bad grounding? Bad ignition key (though I doubt it would even click)?

That's all I can offer. Hopefully others will jump in and make a suggestion.

PS. Just an FYI, when asking for help it helps everyone - us and you - if you could please explain everything you're already done or tried.

[Morich]

I would agree with the suggestions for the most part, so maybe going back to check in detail may help. A few thoughts on how the starter and system work may help asit can be the details that we miss.
When we only get a click when we turn the key, it often works like this. The key closes a circuit to make a solenoid which is just a "switch" that is electrically operated. The click is often that solenoid as it takes very little power to move the contacts and we can often hear them click.
But where things often fail is that the contacts on the solenoid are meant to carry the big power needed to turn the starter and engine. At times those contacts on the solenoid get corroded or burned and that will not pass enough power to turn the starter, so nothing happens except the click!
Or as a second common thing, there is enough battery power getting to the solenoid to move it but not enough to turn the starter.
this is where we need to be sure that what we think is okay , really is doing what it should.
First step is to make sure the start battery is actually still good as even new batteries can be bad or go bad over a few weeks if they are not kept charged. One problem that we often find is that folks get new batteries but store the RV and there are "parasitic drains" which run the battery down. These are things we may not think about and they sneak up on us, if not aware. Things like the radio, any LEDs, etc. draw power even when we think they are turned off.
So what voltage does the battery show? And it certainly can be easy to miss that one end of the cables is not making good contact. One of the more common problems is that the ground cable is loose or corroded where it meets the frame ground or bus bar.
If you look at the resistance from the negative battery post to ground, does it say near zero to indicate good ground?
Also it is easy for the cable from the battery to the solenoid near the starter to be a problem. Have you actually looked or tested that connection?
Another point which I don't know about on your model is if the solenoid is built as part of the starter or a separate item which did not get changed with the starter.

The reason we are both questioning what you have told us is that the system is very little more than we have mentioned, so something is being missed.
1. Turning key makes solenoid click
2. Solenoid contacts close to pass high power and current to starter
3. Starter turns engine

There are lots of details missing on that lineup, but if the solenoid is clicking, a good starter will turn if it is bolted to the engine to have a good ground there and getting good power.
A final thought might be to make sure the engine itself is not frozen up or totally bad, so that it won't move!

[Scotteller9]

Would the fly wheel have anything to do with the problem

[creativepart]

Usually if the flywheel doesn't fully engage with the starter gear you hear a "zing" sound not a click. If the engine is seazed then the starter would click and not much else but you'd see dashboard lights seriously dimming as the starter tried to turn the engine over.

I still say get out a multimeter and start checking voltages.

[Morich]

Creative is right, And I was not thinking clearly as the starter is not likely to engage the flywheel if the starter is not turning. Been too long since I got down to that being a problem.
I would not look too much at the starter mechanics without really knowing "for sure" that the more likely things are right.
Way back, before I had a meter, one test for a bad battery was to turn on a number of things like the lights and then try to honk the horn. Theory is that if the battery is weak or connections not good, things that draw very much power lights the lights and horn will not work well either.
Not a great test but if you do this and the horn sound more like a choked chicken, it needs more looking for power problems.

[Americanrascal]

Had a similar problem back in the late 80's on a class A we had. Could not even get a good "click" when I turned the key. I replaced the starter 3 times , checked batteries, solenoid-- all checked out perfectly. I was young and learning.

An RV repair tech came by and immediately found a very hot ground wire (frame to battery) It was a corroded grounding connection to the frame. A file, sandpaper and a good tightening repair and after about 5 minutes of cleaning it up, the engine started right up. Never had another problem but boy I sure kept that ground to frame connection clean after that. I also owned 2 extra brand new starters !

[Bobn1957]

A lot of people overlook the grounds, a rusty connection will appear OK on a meter until you try to pass a large current through it.

[sjrv]

When checking the ground, be sure to check the connection from battery to chassis AND connection from chassis to engine. This is usually a flexible braided copper strap, cleverly hidden where it is not obvious. When inspecting connections, it is best to actually disconnect/unbolt them and look at the metal to metal contact area. Sometimes, it looks ok from the outside but is corroded where you can not see.
While you have it apart, clean the metal surfaces well, and best to use new lock washers to assure a good new connection. If you were previously getting engine whine in your radio, pretty good bet that a grounding gremlin is lurking.

[slapfoot]

Have you made sure it is in park or neutral. I pulled that one once!

[Wyatt]

It’s also always possible that the new starter is defective. I’d check all of the connections, as mentioned above, the solenoid and then maybe pull the starter out and bench test it...

[deckape]

It's always the ground. Start by removing and cleaning both of the terimals and post at the battery. Shine them up good. Find were ground wire is connected to frame and remove and clean the termial well and tighten . Remove the wires to starter and clean them well. Now try and start your coach.

[HappiHenri]

You said your battery is new and fully charged, and that the cables are fine. . . But -

(1) Check your cables and (2) Check you ground connections - both from the battery AND to the Starter. (they will be different)

One of the problems which develops with older autos is corrosion build up in under the battery lugs where the cable goes into it. Copper is very sensitive to moisture, road salt, and battery acid, corroding very quickly to the point of losing a lot of its electrical connection. So carefully inspect your cables and lug ends. If OK see if you can load test those cables to see of they can handle the very high amps a starter requires.

The other very common problem is that the ground connection (usually to/from the vehicle frame) gets corroded after years of exposure to all the above elements.

To make a fix on a unit like yours with the problems you describe I would FIRST check the ground connection points. Which usually means removing them, cleaning them and reinstalling them. Then I would also coat them with a grease carefully rubbed into the connection with a finger to help waterproof them.

Then I would ALSO carefully check your cables - particularly where the cable goes into the lugs. The problem is that most battery cables are made by simply removing the cable insulation, inserting the bare copper wire into the lug dry, and crimping it. Ok when new - but water/salt/acid usually makes it way into the crimped connection and corrodes it over time. Corrosion does not conduct electricity. This is why I dip my cable ends into a dielectric waterproofing grease before making the crimp, because it I want that grease in there to repel future corrosion elements but have found that a good secure crimp will still make a really solid electrical connection.

Taking this 1 step further - Coast Guard requirements for boats is that all wiring on a boat be tinned copper - because the tinning helps prevent corrosion of the copper strands in a wire. For battery cables & lugs what boat manufacturers do is dip the lug and tinned copper cable into flux and then solder, because a soldered connection will not allow any water into it. When you think about it road conditions for most cars are very similar to marine applications in that they are exposed to salt water when driven in winter weather. So I would prefer to follow Coast Guard wiring recommendations for automotive wiring as well - for the same reasons.

[Bo Walker]

Scotteller9 Try the boost button and see if if will pick up power from the two house batteries.

Please let us know what you find.