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Old 07-13-2018, 09:56 AM   #1
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House battery not charging on road

Yellow wire that supples power to solenoid switch when engine starts in order to charge house batt from alternator is dead.Thus charge to house batt does not occur when running coach engine.

I can 'hot-wire' 12 v to the yellow wire top terminal of solenoid & cause it to operate properly & charge house batt.
That is to say, the solenoid & fuses near it are not the problem.

The problem lies where the yellow supply wire is supposed to obtain its' power when engine is started.
I cannot find a wiring diagram that shows this, nor can the winnebago tech folks, & advised I should ask Ford. But this is winnie
problem, not Ford, the way I see it.

Any advice appreciated, thanks.
Bob
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Old 07-13-2018, 07:49 PM   #2
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Your issue is with the lead that activates the charge solenoid connecting the chassis and house batteries when the ignition is on. You need to download the Winn wiring diagrams to find the point that the wire is sensing the ignition and work from there. Could be a broken connection or even a fuse blown in the circuit. Good luck
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Old 07-13-2018, 09:21 PM   #3
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No luck with wiring diagram

Thanks, but spent half hour on phone with Winn tech & they could not find a diagram to show where yellow wire gets power.
I know, hard to believe. They said try ask Ford where they think it should connect.To me that's a crazy suggestion as it is Winnebago that did this wiring!
Can't understand why they can't find a record of it.
I've even checked every Ford fuse i could find, under hood & in cab.

Anybody else have this issue?
Bob
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Old 07-14-2018, 06:15 AM   #4
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I had this problem once and I replaced the solenoid although that didn't solve the problem. I found out that Winnebago installed a 3 way versus a 2-way emergency start switch. Pushing the switch down to 6 o'clock/bottom position allowed the engine alternator to start charging the house batteries.

Must be a rare or isolated occurrence, because no one has ever had this issue but me.

My switch was spring loaded to return to the middle position after an emergency start, so I went for six months NOT charging my batteries.

BTW, what type of coach do you have? Perhaps more eyes on downloadable diagrams might help you.
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Old 07-14-2018, 07:52 AM   #5
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To Davismills
Thanks for that. It's a 2015 minnie w, 24',
which I believe winnebago calls a '322R'.

Not sure what/where is 'emerg start switch' you refer to. The only engine start switch i know is the usual ignition key.
The generator has a rocker switch, but the issue is not with the generator.

Also, winn tech guy mentioned a 'battery boost' switch which could be on dash, which apparently in some models can be used to connect the house & start batts.
There is no such switch in mine.
Bob
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Old 07-14-2018, 08:16 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ogre View Post
To Davismills
Thanks for that. It's a 2015 minnie w, 24',
which I believe winnebago calls a '322R'.

Not sure what/where is 'emerg start switch' you refer to. The only engine start switch i know is the usual ignition key.
The generator has a rocker switch, but the issue is not with the generator.

Also, winn tech guy mentioned a 'battery boost' switch which could be on dash, which apparently in some models can be used to connect the house & start batts.
There is no such switch in mine.
Bob
Yep, I meant the battery boost switch. I'm surprised yours doesn't have one. It allows you to temporarily use your house batteries to start the engine if the chassis battery is dead. I looked at your owner's manual and it looks like the "premiere" model of the Minnie Winnie does have the battery boost switch.
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Old 07-18-2018, 10:22 PM   #7
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I have a 2002 35U Adventurer and experienced the same problem. My solonoids are located behind a panel at the top step. After replacing the solonoids, i saw that there were a couple of small fuses by the solonoids. One was bad so I replaced it and the coach batteries are now charging when driving. It did take a while to find the secret panel though.
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Old 07-19-2018, 07:34 AM   #8
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I had a class c Jamboree with that problem. The wire that sends the the charge to the battery ( I can not remember what color) had a diode wired in it. I started at the solenoid and unwrapped the tape holding the wires together and there it was. Bought a new one at RadioShack and fixed the problem. It was just an in-line diode, nothing fancy. I suspect many class c rvs probably wire that way. Hope that helps.
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Old 07-20-2018, 11:34 AM   #9
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Thanks for that diode idea.
But so far, no sign of it. Just a single yellow wire running a little ways before it disappears into a chassis bundle.
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Old 07-20-2018, 11:46 AM   #10
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Thank you. I looked for fuses in the vicinity
but no luck there.
I really do think there is a blown fuse SOMEWHERE , but.......????
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Old 07-20-2018, 07:01 PM   #11
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Bob-

The owner's manual is available via this trail:

Winnebago Product Information
Operator Manuals
2015 Operator Manuals
2015 Motorhomes (7th Character in Serial Number is 2)
Minnie Winnie

The wiring diagrams for your coach are available via this trail:

Winnebago Wiring Diagrams
Minnie Winnie/Spirit 322R Wiring Diagrams

The signal for that relay comes on circuit "KE," per the Battery Installation diagram (link here), View EA on Sheet 5 (page 6 of the PDF), Zone C-3.

The Chassis Wiring Installation diagram (link here), Detail AB on Sheet 1 (page 2 of the PDF), Zone D-5 says that circuit terminates on fuse position 2 of a fuse panel on the left-hand side of the dash area. NOTE: This does not look like the Ford Passenger Compartment Fuse Panel (download a Ford owner's manual for your coach's chassis at this link). Instead, it looks like a Winnebago fuse panel. You'll have to find the panel.

Circuit "KE" is energized whenever the chassis ignition is on. What that means, practically, is that the engine alternator should charge the house batteries when the engine is running.

If your coach had an AUX BOOST switch, the "KE" circuit would go to that switch, along with an "LS" circuit from the house batteries, and an "LR" circuit would go to the solenoid, instead of the "KE." Without the AUX BOOST switch, if the chassis battery is dead, you'll have to drag out some jumper cables to connect the house batteries to the chassis battery (or any other suitable power source) to start the engine.
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Old 07-21-2018, 08:12 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ogre View Post
Thanks for that diode idea.
But so far, no sign of it. Just a single yellow wire running a little ways before it disappears into a chassis bundle.
If you are looking for the wire that activates the solonid, look under your dash. look for tape that does not look like factory tape. They put an inline connector to splice the wire into a wire that is hot when the ignition is on. Them inline connectors have caused me grief in the past.
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Old 07-28-2018, 10:57 AM   #13
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Been unable to get info u suggested online as travlin in remote WY but hope to get back to this thread soon with good news...we’ll see
Thanks Bob
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