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Old 02-27-2015, 06:53 PM   #1
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Winnebago Adventurer Battery Boost switch

I have a 2012 Adventurer 32H, original batteries. Its been in storage for about two months with the house side plugged into 30amp commercial power. Recently went to run-up engine and charge-up chassis battery and the battery was dead. Tried the aux (bago calls it battery boost switch) and when I held it in the cockpit panel lights came on, in fact flashed, but engine never turned over. Might the chassis battery be too dead? Would being plugged in to commercial power affect the battery boost function? thanks in advance.
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Old 02-27-2015, 11:07 PM   #2
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I have a 2012 Adventurer 32H, original batteries. Its been in storage for about two months with the house side plugged into 30amp commercial power. Recently went to run-up engine and charge-up chassis battery and the battery was dead. Tried the aux (bago calls it battery boost switch) and when I held it in the cockpit panel lights came on, in fact flashed, but engine never turned over. Might the chassis battery be too dead? Would being plugged in to commercial power affect the battery boost function? thanks in advance.
pryorb
On my coach if the chassis battery voltage is to low... or the battery is dead....or the ground or positive cables/connecters are corroded...the chassis battery boost switch will not work because that switch uses chassis battery voltage to trigger the boost solenoid.
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Old 02-28-2015, 06:06 AM   #3
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pryorb, check the Coach and Chassis Battery disconnect switches on the left side of the entrance step well. Note if the Coach battery is disconnected it will not charge.
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Old 02-28-2015, 09:42 AM   #4
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pryorb, after doing a little research I found that on your coach the battery boost switch is fed from the coach battery. It sounds like your coach battery just had enough power to bring in the boost relay which connected the low chassis battery to the coach lights. Does sound like the coach battery is not begin charged, check the battery disconnect switches.
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Old 02-28-2015, 10:46 AM   #5
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If you can get the battery boost solenoid to engage, then hold the battery boost switch down for about 60 seconds before you try to start. Just like jump starting a dead battery on a car, you sometimes have to let the dead battery build a little before it has enough power to turn the starter over.

If the house batteries are fully charged and the battery boost still doesn't work, then you can always use jumper cables from the house batteries to the chassis battery to jump start.

My Itasca did not charge the chassis battery when on shore power, so I added a Trik-L-Start that trickle charges the chassis battery when on shore or generator power. It's an easy installation and only costs about $50.
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Old 02-28-2015, 10:47 AM   #6
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Thanks for the inputs. Btw the battery disconnect was set to ON. Once our weather (snow) goes away I'll attempt to jump start the engine. Assume using a portable jump start battery I'd need to run a long negative from the jump-starter (portable battery) to the engine block while while directly connecting the positive cable to the chassis battery?
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Old 02-28-2015, 01:22 PM   #7
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Thanks for the inputs. Btw the battery disconnect was set to ON. Once our weather (snow) goes away I'll attempt to jump start the engine. Assume using a portable jump start battery I'd need to run a long negative from the jump-starter (portable battery) to the engine block while while directly connecting the positive cable to the chassis battery?
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Not necessarily "to the engine block"...a good connection of the negative clamp anywhere on the frame/chassis will work.
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Old 02-28-2015, 02:01 PM   #8
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I had a similar situation once on my 2010 32H. It seemed like a weak connection. I had my wife hold down the battery on/off switch inside the door in the on position while I held the battery boost switch and cranked the engine. It started right up. I did have to replace the chassis battery that year as it was weak.
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Old 02-28-2015, 02:24 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by pryorb View Post
I have a 2012 Adventurer 32H, original batteries. Its been in storage for about two months with the house side plugged into 30amp commercial power. Recently went to run-up engine and charge-up chassis battery and the battery was dead. Tried the aux (bago calls it battery boost switch) and when I held it in the cockpit panel lights came on, in fact flashed, but engine never turned over. Might the chassis battery be too dead? Would being plugged in to commercial power affect the battery boost function? thanks in advance.
pryorb,
One of the first things you need to do is, determine how the charging systems work on your particular coach. As you most likely know, there are two systems. The first is the alternator, driven by the engine. The second one is, what ever is supplied by the coach builder. In most gas rigs, a "Converter" or, Converter/Charger is utilized. In diesel rigs, an "Inverter" or, Inverter/Charger is supplied. The second system is powered by 110VAC, either shore power or, generator power.


And that can be via, 50A or, 30A or even 15-20A, depending on coach make, model and system.

Now, so many people ASSUME that most coaches have the same equipment. Well, that's just not the case. So, you say your coach was plugged into shore power, while you were away. And, you say that the coach would NOT START when you tried it. Well, based on those statements, I'd say you have NO charging system that charges or, maintains the CHASSIS battery(ies) while plugged into shore power.

Winne, Itasca, and a whole host of other RV builders, for years have not wanted to address this problem. In some, they did, but, for others, it's just not a priority in the build process.

So, with all that being said, in order for you NOT TO HAVE YOUR PROBLEM again, you'll need to figure out:
1. What you have and,
2. What you need to do to remedy this situation.

Some will advocate the addition of a unit called a "Trik-L-Start". It's not a battery charger. It's a unit that simply siphons off, some of the charging voltage and amps, destined for the house battery(ies). It's quite simple to install and wire. There is a newer version called the "Amp-L-Start" which, is supposed to be a newer, more powerful and improved model. Either will work.

If, upon inspection of your coach, you find you have NO charging system for your chassis battery(ies) while plugged into shore power, then you'll have to either install one of the above or, do what some others have done. And me being one, I installed a permanently hard wired battery charger, specifically for the chassis battery(ies). It was easy to do and, it now provides a tapered charged, for the chassis batteries only. And, since I tied it into an un-used breaker in my 110VAC breaker panel, I can shut it off if ever I need to.

And, if anything should go wrong with the Inverter/Charger I have, while on shore power, it won't effect my charging of the chassis batteries.

And, you asked about "Commercial power" effecting the battery boost function. No, it will not. Your A/C power or, Shore power as it's called, no matter where it's sourced from, home, business, etc. will have no effect on the battery boost function. Much of how the battery boost function depends on how it was wired from the coach builder.

For instance, on our coach, an '04 Itasca Horizon, 36GD with the C-7 330 CAT, that battery boost solenoid is wired in such a way that, it serves two functions. It automatically couples together, both the chassis batteries and the house batteries for charging, while driving down the road or, anytime the engine is running. It also ties the house batteries to the coach batteries together MANUALLY (via pushing the switch on the dash) for use when, the condition such as you've experienced, a low chassis battery, so that the house batteries can assist in voltage for starting the big beast.

Hope this info has helped some.
Scott
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Old 11-10-2015, 11:15 AM   #10
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I know that this thread is almost 7 months old but I am running into what I believe is a similar problem and want to see if anyone is still following this.

Our 2000 Winnebago Adventurer 35B has developed a problem where the chassis battery will not charge when plugged into shore power and, even when the house batteries are fully charged, the battery boost does no good whatsoever. I have resorted to jump starting the chassis battery directly from one of the house batteries with the jumper cable coiled tightly and clamped to hold it that way. I clamp the negative clamp for the chassis battery to the metal surrounding the battery box and all works fine, run the engine for a half hour and the chassis battery builds up a good charge quickly. The engine alternator seems to charge the chassis battery just fine but the chassis battery, when sitting for a few days (perhaps over 3 days) will go dead.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Dick
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Old 11-10-2015, 11:28 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by Dick1030 View Post
I know that this thread is almost 7 months old but I am running into what I believe is a similar problem and want to see if anyone is still following this.

Our 2000 Winnebago Adventurer 35B has developed a problem where the chassis battery will not charge when plugged into shore power and, even when the house batteries are fully charged, the battery boost does no good whatsoever. I have resorted to jump starting the chassis battery directly from one of the house batteries with the jumper cable coiled tightly and clamped to hold it that way. I clamp the negative clamp for the chassis battery to the metal surrounding the battery box and all works fine, run the engine for a half hour and the chassis battery builds up a good charge quickly. The engine alternator seems to charge the chassis battery just fine but the chassis battery, when sitting for a few days (perhaps over 3 days) will go dead.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Dick
Install the new Amp-L-Start. It's a new upgrade to the Trik-L-Start that Winnebago uses on some of it's newer coaches. Mine didn't have one from the factory, so I installed this one. Works great for keeping the chassis battery fully charged and ready to go.

AMP-L-START Starting Battery Charger/Maintainer - Overview Page
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Old 11-10-2015, 11:44 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by Dick1030 View Post
I know that this thread is almost 7 months old but I am running into what I believe is a similar problem and want to see if anyone is still following this.

Our 2000 Winnebago Adventurer 35B has developed a problem where the chassis battery will not charge when plugged into shore power and, even when the house batteries are fully charged, the battery boost does no good whatsoever. I have resorted to jump starting the chassis battery directly from one of the house batteries with the jumper cable coiled tightly and clamped to hold it that way. I clamp the negative clamp for the chassis battery to the metal surrounding the battery box and all works fine, run the engine for a half hour and the chassis battery builds up a good charge quickly. The engine alternator seems to charge the chassis battery just fine but the chassis battery, when sitting for a few days (perhaps over 3 days) will go dead.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Dick
Dick,
Well, first off, lets analyze one of the first things you stated. You say,
"Our 2000 Winnebago Adventurer 35B, has developed a problem......"

So, let me ask you this. Based on that statement, is this the first time you've experienced this issue? In other words, if you've parked your Adventurer before, and left it in storage on shore power, did it fire right up when you went to start it?

If so, then maybe, you already had some form of keeping the chassis batteries charged, while on shore power and, it MABYE is malfunctioning at present.

But, if your coach has ALWAYS DONE THIS, (which I suspect) then yours, like just about any and every Winne and Itasca made, prior to right about late '05 or early '06, didn't have and, was never equipped from the factory with any provisions to keep the chassis batteries charged, while on shore power.

And if that's the case, then the above suggestion is exactly what I would suggest. Up until very recently, I had a 3-stage Napa battery charger that I had installed about 4 years ago, and hardwired it to the coaches 120VAC system and breakers, solely to provide charging to the chassis batteries during times being plugged in. It worked flawless for four years. Then, that charger went south for the winter and never returned.

So, I did my normal digging and researching and, came up with the Amp-L-Start for my solution. It ran me about $65.00 (with shipping) and, it took me a whopping hour to install. And I was lollygagging around. But, it's a very simple system. It's not a battery charger. It's only a small box, that looks at and determines the voltage difference between the two battery banks. If it sees a .5V difference, it steps in and goes to work. It will allow as much as 15 amps to be inserted into the chassis batteries if needed.

Once all batteries are up to snuff, then it and, the rest of the system, drops down to idle. It simply watches and maintains, when and if, it needs to. It's a great answer to this somewhat industry wide issue. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Scott


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Old 11-10-2015, 12:04 PM   #13
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FIRE UP, You suppose that someone should start a new thread on the new AMP-L-Start as an upgrade to the TRIK-L-Start? The AMP-L-Start is fairly new so many people might not know that it is available. I'll leave that up to you if you want to.
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Old 11-10-2015, 01:09 PM   #14
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... the battery boost does no good whatsoever...
The boost/charge solenoid is a very common failure point. MANY threads here and elsewhere on repairing or replacing it.

Google search example
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Old 11-10-2015, 04:38 PM   #15
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Fire Up,

You are right on the money. We had been out of RVing since 2010 due to my health problems which finally resolved themselves to the extent that we could get back in this year.

We bought this motorhome in April and, for a while, were constantly using it on a regular basis for getting it checked out, preventive maintenance, a few short trips to work out any bugs, etc. And, of course, no problems with letting it sit around, not running.

Then we took a 6+ week trip, had a 2 week stay and that was when we first had this problem with the chassis battery going dead. At home, in our driveway, we can't leave the stairs out because we have to drive our car too close to the MH to get in and out of the garage. I never thought of the obvious fact that the stairs, going in and out several times a day, are operated off the chassis battery. Plus whatever other sneaky leaks are there.

I researched the TRIK-L-START & AMP-L-START and ordered the AMP-L-START. It looks easy enough to install and probably won't take much longer than jump starting the chassis battery.

Thanks to you and aauummm and everyone else for your help.

Dick
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Old 11-10-2015, 05:07 PM   #16
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Fire Up,

You are right on the money. We had been out of RVing since 2010 due to my health problems which finally resolved themselves to the extent that we could get back in this year.

We bought this motorhome in April and, for a while, were constantly using it on a regular basis for getting it checked out, preventive maintenance, a few short trips to work out any bugs, etc. And, of course, no problems with letting it sit around, not running.

Then we took a 6+ week trip, had a 2 week stay and that was when we first had this problem with the chassis battery going dead. At home, in our driveway, we can't leave the stairs out because we have to drive our car too close to the MH to get in and out of the garage. I never thought of the obvious fact that the stairs, going in and out several times a day, are operated off the chassis battery. Plus whatever other sneaky leaks are there.

I researched the TRIK-L-START & AMP-L-START and ordered the AMP-L-START. It looks easy enough to install and probably won't take much longer than jump starting the chassis battery.

Thanks to you and aauummm and everyone else for your help.

Dick
It comes with very good instructions and diagrams. You will need some #12 ga stranded wire if the AMP-L-Start is mounted within 5' of the batteries, or #10 stranded wire if further than 5' from the batteries. It's a piece of cake install and the delivery from LSL is fast.
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Old 11-10-2015, 09:08 PM   #17
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FIRE UP, You suppose that someone should start a new thread on the new AMP-L-Start as an upgrade to the TRIK-L-Start? The AMP-L-Start is fairly new so many people might not know that it is available. I'll leave that up to you if you want to.
aauummm,
Amp-L-Start has been around a while. It's popularity is slowly gaining. Trik-L-Start is it's older brother and, most are more aware of it than the younger one. Both have been discussed from time to time on various posts on here and other RV forums. Just about all the discussions arrise from posts about problems with chassis batteries not charging while on shore power.

The Trik-L-Start is a good unit. But, like any American product, (foreign too) some think it needed to be improved or, enhanced. So, Amp-L-Start was born. Coaches are and have been for a while now, coming with larger battery banks which, includes larger chassis battery banks too. That would mean that the limitations of the Trik-L-Start, at only a maximum of 5A to be directed to the chassis batteries, would or, could be straining.

So, the Amp-L-Start, is developed to route a maximum of 15A to the chassis batteries, if and when needed.

But, to answer your question, I don't really think a new thread about it, it's capability in relation to its older brother, would really do any good. Yes, there are quite a few out there that are not aware of it but, I think it will "self advertise" over time. Good thought though.
Scott
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Old 11-11-2015, 06:05 AM   #18
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When I looked at the 2, side by side, the price difference was small compared to the amperage difference between the 2. It didn't appear to make much sense to save a few bucks and give up 3 times the amperage.
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Old 11-11-2015, 06:46 AM   #19
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aauummm,
Amp-L-Start has been around a while. It's popularity is slowly gaining. Trik-L-Start is it's older brother and, most are more aware of it than the younger one. Both have been discussed from time to time on various posts on here and other RV forums. Just about all the discussions arrise from posts about problems with chassis batteries not charging while on shore power.

The Trik-L-Start is a good unit. But, like any American product, (foreign too) some think it needed to be improved or, enhanced. So, Amp-L-Start was born. Coaches are and have been for a while now, coming with larger battery banks which, includes larger chassis battery banks too. That would mean that the limitations of the Trik-L-Start, at only a maximum of 5A to be directed to the chassis batteries, would or, could be straining.

So, the Amp-L-Start, is developed to route a maximum of 15A to the chassis batteries, if and when needed.

But, to answer your question, I don't really think a new thread about it, it's capability in relation to its older brother, would really do any good. Yes, there are quite a few out there that are not aware of it but, I think it will "self advertise" over time. Good thought though.
Scott
I hear ya FIRE UP. When I purchased LSL's TOAD CHARGE some time ago I also looked at the TRIK-L-START and at that time there was no AMP-L-START. In going back to their website to purchase the TRIK-L-START a couple of weeks ago I discovered that the new upgrade had been made available.

I hadn't heard of the new upgraded model in discussions on here. It was a new one on me! So I figured that it must be pretty new and that no one knew about it. As you say, it will self-advertise the more that it is mentioned on here.

It's a great product and I think that every MH should come from the factory with it installed.
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Old 11-11-2015, 06:53 AM   #20
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You also may want to check the water level in the batteries (both engine and house). When you keep the coach plugged in to external power for long periods, the fluid levels in the batteries can drop. If the level gets too low, the acid/water mixture will not cover the battery plates, and the batteries will cease to function. Add distilled water only if they are low.
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