Coach Battery Switch Vista 31KE

thirty · 06-11-2020, 04:56 PM

First question: Preparing for the first long trip of the year and found battery disconnect actuator switch (COACH BATT) won’t connect house batteries.

Batteries are charged and showing 13.5 volts.
The battery solenoid shows 13.1 volts on each side
None of the yellow wires into the actuator switch show signs of any juice.

Second question: is the actuator switch always tightly connected to the wiring connection preventing it from separating?

Anyone have any ideas? Thanks for taking time to help.

The coach is a 2014 Vista 31KE

powercat_ras · 06-11-2020, 05:30 PM

I think there is a green LED in the Coach Batt Switch that is powered from one of the 15 amp coach power branch circuit fuses that powers fans and / or lights. Do you still have coach power when connected to shore power? Is the green LED in the switch on when connected to shore power?

You might want to measure voltages across the actuator with and without shore power on. The measurements you posted I assume were with shore power on, otherwise the non-battery side should have read no voltage.

Power is fed to the part of the Coach Batt Switch that feeds power to the battery connect / disconnect actuator thru a 5 amp in-line fuse that in my Vista is located in the space behind the circuit breaker panel somewhere. I've never had to remove the circuit breaker panel so can't be specific. There is also a 150 amp fuse between the Coach Batteries and the connect / disconnect actuator right near the batteries.

Those connect / disconnect things have big contacts that are operated by a 12 volt solenoid pushrod. Sometimes they stop working due to the pushrod not moving. That's the worst case that the connect / disconnect failed.

Good luck.

Morich · 06-11-2020, 05:50 PM

The plug looks like it is damaged, showing scars where pried apart.I would start there as it should fully closed and asnap hold it together. If pried open the snap may be broken. Possible poor connection so I fix the obvious before chasing harder things.

powercat_ras · 06-11-2020, 05:52 PM

> Second question: is the actuator switch always tightly connected to the wiring connection preventing it from separating?

The contacts on the back of the switch are flat blades, and the winnebago socket has mating contacts. Its very hard to push on or remove. It could be pushed down a little bit more to close the gap in your photo but it's already making a good connection where it is now.

On my Vista 12 volts is fed thru the 5 amp fuse from coach battery on wire LJ, and wires LG and LH go to the battery disconnect solenoid. Can't say yours will be the same.

On my Vista coach branch circuit feeds the LED inside the switch on wire WC and gets it's return to ground on the white - KF.

Good luck.

thirty · 06-11-2020, 05:53 PM

With shore power disconnected, I have 13 volts on both sides of the battery mode solenoid and 13 volts on the solenoid side of the disconnect relay and zero on the opposite side. .

I normally have a LED light in the COACH BATT switch but it isn’t working now that this problem arose.

thirty · 06-11-2020, 05:54 PM

Yeah, I did some damage trying to separate them in order to test the switch. I never imagined they were as stiff as if they were glued together.

powercat_ras · 06-11-2020, 06:05 PM

Is it possible that the 55 amp circuit breaker has tripped? This would open up all the branch circuits that are in the DC fuse panel inside the WFCO power box including the one that feeds the LED in the switch. It would also cut off the converter charger from the batteries and the other coach circuits fed by other circuit breakers.

Some things like the radio and the passenger seat desk power outlet are fed from a different 30 amp circuit breaker and the breakers / fuses in the driver's side power panel inside under the dash.

thirty · 06-11-2020, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by powercat_ras

Is it possible that the 55 amp circuit breaker has tripped? This would open up all the branch circuits that are in the DC fuse panel inside the WFCO power box including the one that feeds the LED in the switch. It would also cut off the converter charger from the batteries and the other coach circuits fed by other circuit breakers.

Some things like the radio and the passenger seat desk power outlet are fed from a different 30 amp circuit breaker and the breakers / fuses in the driver's side power panel inside under the dash.

I can’t find a 55amp CB on the diagram but all others are intact and show continuity. Thanks for helping.

**creativepart** · 06-11-2020, 10:25 PM

Batteries at rest would never be at 13+v. If fully charged and at rest they would be 12.6 - 12.7v. Unplug from shore power, wait a full hour or longer, then check your battery voltage.

Also, the coach battery button won’t work if the batteries are dead.

thirty · 06-12-2020, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by creativepart

Batteries at rest would never be at 13+v. If fully charged and at rest they would be 12.6 - 12.7v. Unplug from shore power, wait a full hour or longer, then check your battery voltage.

Also, the coach battery button won’t work if the batteries are dead.

Thanks - I realized that mistake after posting. After disconnecting the shore power overnight, the solenoid is 12.7v on both sides and the relay is 12.7 on the solenoid side and still zero on the outside.

The batteries have been fully charged throughout this issue and the button still doesn't work.

Morich · 06-12-2020, 01:48 PM

We all have to work out methods that fit us and our way of thinking but there might be a different way of testing when we get into looking at things like this plug and switch.
I tend to like not disconnecting plugs like this if I see no signs of heavy corrosions, etc, that need cleaning but that is assuming it can be reached and accessed to test things without taking the switch off.
I hate trying to flip the latches on both sides out far enough to release while also putting enough pull on things to separate them! Just too tricky so I keep a set of cheaters on hand. I've found that round toothpicks may excellent "prybars" to wedge under the clips to hold them released while I do the pulling and wiggle needed.
I have to ask myself what it is I really want to get done on this switch. If I want to know that it is getting the correct input/output, I find it more practical to test it as it will be used, rather than as a separated pair of items, plug and switch.
It doesn't always work on different design of plugs, but many times, I can run the probe of my meter down in the space alongside the wires to make contact with the metal connectors. In the box with my meter, I keep a set of number 12 copper wire with flattened ends that slip down into this space and then use probes with clips instead of the sharp probe end.
The advantages I see is that it allows me to leave things together to avoid the nuisance of trying to get the clips off and prying things apart which can lead to breaking but the bigger reason is that I can test thing more completely and have to go back a second time less often.
There are times when connectors look good, seem to fit but do not connect when plugged together. Sneaky little things like a crack between some random pair of lugs may test good with a meter using very low power but fail when it starts drawing 8-10 amps in the normal use. So I want to test where I can see the input as well as how the output changes when I try the switch. No better test for the switch than seeing it actually do what it is expected to do.

thirty · 06-12-2020, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morich

We all have to work out methods that fit us and our way of thinking but there might be a different way of testing when we get into looking at things like this plug and switch.
I tend to like not disconnecting plugs like this if I see no signs of heavy corrosions, etc, that need cleaning but that is assuming it can be reached and accessed to test things without taking the switch off.
I hate trying to flip the latches on both sides out far enough to release while also putting enough pull on things to separate them! Just too tricky so I keep a set of cheaters on hand. I've found that round toothpicks may excellent "prybars" to wedge under the clips to hold them released while I do the pulling and wiggle needed.
I have to ask myself what it is I really want to get done on this switch. If I want to know that it is getting the correct input/output, I find it more practical to test it as it will be used, rather than as a separated pair of items, plug and switch.
It doesn't always work on different design of plugs, but many times, I can run the probe of my meter down in the space alongside the wires to make contact with the metal connectors. In the box with my meter, I keep a set of number 12 copper wire with flattened ends that slip down into this space and then use probes with clips instead of the sharp probe end.
The advantages I see is that it allows me to leave things together to avoid the nuisance of trying to get the clips off and prying things apart which can lead to breaking but the bigger reason is that I can test thing more completely and have to go back a second time less often.
There are times when connectors look good, seem to fit but do not connect when plugged together. Sneaky little things like a crack between some random pair of lugs may test good with a meter using very low power but fail when it starts drawing 8-10 amps in the normal use. So I want to test where I can see the input as well as how the output changes when I try the switch. No better test for the switch than seeing it actually do what it is expected to do.

Morich, thanks for the insight. I agree with you on not taking the switch apart and will make note of the toothpick approach. Sound advice!

I have a replacement solenoid now and will see if that’s the culprit. When I got to checking, iI realized my low voltage wire was unpowered, and therefore might have a faulty solenoid.

Morich · 06-12-2020, 03:36 PM

Old hammerhead way to test for a solenoid not making contact is use "jump" the two heavy lugs together. Kind of asking for a flash as contact is made and the jumper has to be heavy enough to not heat up is doing it on something like starting a car, but if we have battery on one big lug and not on the other side, we can "play" like the contact is made inside by connecting them together on the outside. Old way of starting cars with bad solenoids on the starter was to use something like a pair of big pliers and shorting the two together to turn the engine over. Usually made a big ugly burn on the pliers, though!
If I'm understanding what you mean on the "low voltage" wire not having power, I might want to think it a bit more. what I think you are saying is that the small wire is not getting voltage, so let me give my thoughts. Maybe wrong but something to think about if we are both saying the same thing.
The small wires feed power to the coil of the solenoid when we set up the right conditions. Different RV do it a bit different but I think that power comes from the start battery and when we push the boost or Aux switch on the dash the solenoid pulls and the two strings are connected together. or when we start the engine there is power fed to this solenoid on the small wire and it connects them. These are sometimes called "slave relays" as the little wires make the big wires jump and do the work! So if we don't get power to the small wires to energize the coil, it will not move the contacts to make the big wires works.
I've not studied it but you started with wondering where that power came from and I kind of lean toward still making sure if it is getting to the solenoid to make it work--before changing the solenoid. If the power is not getting to the little lug, the solenoid is probably not bad, just not aware we want it to do anything!