AUX Solenoid Change Allows Alternator To Charge House Batteries - Good Idea or NOT???

[imnprsd]

Good point. But you would make a lousy shrink?

Most of us are just trying to be helpful, and a forum is a good place to share ideas. One idea can lead to another idea and therefore a long post might follow. In the end it is desirable for us all arrive at a better solution and/or correct some misconceptions along the way.

The reason why I would suggest you carry a battery jumper is so you DON"T have to remove your solenoid or unhook any wires when on the road. Also, using a jumper means you don't need to remove any wires, which should e of help when it comes time to replace the solenoid when you get home. (Labels not withstanding.)

[4x4van]

Originally Posted by imnprsd

Good point. But you would make a lousy shrink?

Most of us are just trying to be helpful, and a forum is a good place to share ideas. One idea can lead to another idea and therefore a long post might follow. In the end it is desirable for us all arrive at a better solution and/or correct some misconceptions along the way.

The reason why I would suggest you carry a battery jumper is so you DON"T have to remove your solenoid or unhook any wires when on the road. Also, using a jumper means you don't need to remove any wires, which should e of help when it comes time to replace the solenoid when you get home. (Labels not withstanding.)

Guess that's why I'm not a shrink!?

I guess it depends on the mounting location of your solenoids. Mine are easy to access without removing them. But I can see a couple of potential problems with the jumper idea that you may not have considered. Adding a jumper without disconnecting any wires/cables would require you to also carry two extra nuts (in addition to the jumper) and even then there may not be enough of a stud remaining to add another cable & nut. So then the only alternative would be to remove and reinstall the existing nuts on each side of the solenoid in order to add your jumper. But at that point, the cables are already disconnected. So just swap one to the other side and re-tighten the nuts and you're done.

[imnprsd]

All but one of the battery-solenoid cables in my RV are firmly attached and not easily moved. The one cable that can be easily disconnected is too short to jump.

And while I have enough experience to replace a bad solenoid on the road, I'm betting that 75% of the RV owners out there do not. Moreover, I bet 99% do not carry a 4-gauge 12-16" jumper cable to easily bypass a failed solenoid. And I'm betting 100% you don't carry a jumper cable at all.

I didn't carry one either, but now I do. And you don't need extra nuts. You can use the ones on the solenoid.

[SCVJeff]

I have to admit I've fallen asleep several times trying to get to the bottom of page 2 while still trying to understand where the problem is? .. did I miss it? It's just a contactor. If it fails, jump it. If you wanna beef it up, not a bad idea. Stressing like this over a non-problem and one of the more minor pieces in that coach is gonna cause an aneurism when something important breaks.

[4x4van]

Originally Posted by imnprsd

All but one of the battery-solenoid cables in my RV are firmly attached and not easily moved. The one cable that can be easily disconnected is too short to jump.

All of the cables on every RV that I've owned had enough play in them to be relocated to the other side of the solenoid; yours must be different.

Originally Posted by imnprsd

I bet 99% do not carry a 4-gauge 12-16" jumper cable to easily bypass a failed solenoid. And I'm betting 100% you don't carry a jumper cable at all.

You're right, because a jumper cable is not necessary for most RVs.

Originally Posted by imnprsd

...you don't need extra nuts. You can use the ones on the solenoid.

In which case both cables are already disconnected. At least one of them could likely be relocated to the other side of the solenoid on most RVs, making the additional jumper cable unnecessary for most. But, whatever works for you and your RV is the only thing that really matters .

[imnprsd]

My good deed for the day...

As I pulled into a Walmart parking lot last month (in my tow car) I saw a stranded RVer looking under his hood.

I offered my assistance and he said he was waiting for a tow truck. He looked "approachable" so I offered to take a look at his battery problem. He said okay.

It was an older gas-RV that would not start. Nor could he switch on his headlights, but his battery bank was fine.

I did not have any tools with me, but he had a 12V test light. Turns out, his battery solenoid failed that lead to the chassis solenoid.

These were "funny looking" solenoids to me and not standard automotive "Trombetta" type he could get a Auto zone on the fly, but a failure is a failure, and his solenoids would have to be special ordered.

Solution: I convinced him to go into Walmart and buy a 24'' long battery for $8 cable and jumper the bad solenoid. He then started the RV and drove off... saving a bunch of money and time.

So here's one RVer who will always carry a spare battery jumper cable with him in the future. You can bank on that! ...And I think it also makes sense to have a $6 12V test probe on hand too! ...And a volt meter wouldn't hurt either, but not totally necessary.

Maybe this is the real point of this post: There are some little things we all can do to help ourselves and others out on the road -- that don't cost very much!