Battery discharging while parked - Page 2

Davel · 07-18-2021, 06:48 PM

The many items running in the background drain the chassis battery in 2-3 days. I added a trickle charger to keep it charged when plugged in and use a battery disconnect when it is not plugged in. Good luck, Dave

Winnefredo · 07-18-2021, 09:35 PM

Regarding battery discharge because the steps are out while parked and light is continually on...my View step light only comes on when I open the door, so there has to be another issue. I also installed a Trickel Start maintenance device because it maintains a charge as long as the house battery charge is maintained. It was inexpensive and easy to install. While the battery boost is a nice feature, it obviously does nothing to maintain the chassis battery and enhance its life. In fact it’s sheer existence likely shortens battery life as owners have chassis discharges they tend to ignore because they have the boost. I think Winne would better serve the customer swapping the boost for a charge maintenance strategy, or have both.
Hikerfredo

MadMaxWinny · 07-18-2021, 10:02 PM

If your battery has been bouncing around 11 volts, it's probably been stressed beyond its' useful life. You've gotten some great advice: corroded/loose connections are usually the problem, followed by charging issues. The best advice is to charge the battery (separate, non-RV charger) for a day, disconnect and wait a few hours, and check the voltage with nothing connected. This should be the "true" voltage. If it falls below 12.2-12.3 volts, you've got a bad battery (but maybe other issues which caused it).

LadyLucia · 07-19-2021, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidM

Let me take a slightly different tack on Morich's post above. I suspect that you are seeing maybe 14 volts just when you shut the engine off, and a day later you see 12.5 volts. That is almost normal, 12.6-12.7 volts a few hours after shutting off the engine would be normal.

But you can't start the engine after a day. Why- because your battery is bad. It's voltage is dropping more than normal after shutting down and even though a good battery should start the engine at 12.5 volts, yours won't because it is bad.

Replace the battery and see what happens after that.

David

I'm having a similar problem with my 2008 Winnebago View I purchased used last year. After following several suggested options from different sources I replaced all the batteries, not because they were bad, but because they were the original. After all said and done the problem still exist. This just happened last week while camping and plugged into shore power for 4 days. When it was time to head home I had to use the battery boost. BUT, what I have noticed is if I WAIT a few moments AFTER inserting the key into the ignition (with a half turn), and allow for all the dash lights to do their thing (before attempting to start)...it will turn over 8 out of 10 times. When stored in my driveway I keep the starter battery connected to a float charger and it usually starts up right away after disconnecting the charger. I don't have a battery volt checker so I'm not sure how much it loses per day when not on a float charger. Not sure what's going on, but my search of the internet hints to some mysterious parasitic drain on Winnie Views' starter battery. Hope this helps, and good luck!

RV Tinker · 07-19-2021, 08:41 AM

Most modern vehicles are constantly drawing a current running background checks/tests on the vehicle (fuel system leaks,etc). This typically draws somewhere in the miliamps. If it is taking a day or two to draw down the battery, its probably drawing about 1/2 amp. (much more than normal) If you really want to find the culprit. Disconnect the battery cable from the battery and put an amperage meter in between the battery and and cable. You can then measure how many amps are being used. Then go to the fuse box and pull fuses until the amperage reading drops. This will identify the circuit(s) that is causing the problem. It will help narrow down what the culprit is.

BobC · 07-19-2021, 08:56 AM

My advice - Pay attention to Morich. I seem to follow him around a lot on Winnieowners and he knows his stuff.

PWRving · 07-19-2021, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sailorman76

While my View is in storage, I use the quick disconnect (located to the right of the accelerator pedal) to avoid parasitic drainage. Remember to wait 10 minutes to let the ECM reboot before starting the engine. Still on Original chassis battery in 6+ years!

I’ve never waited 10 minutes to start. I have always disconnected since I bought my 2017 VJ new.
I’m not sure that matters.

Rick 99037 · 07-19-2021, 11:12 AM

As an aside, it's good to remember how voltage relates to what percentage of charge available. Here's one such link. https://i.pinimg.com/600x315/be/e3/3...387b4b2e54.jpg
Also, it would be worth checking to see just how much current is flowing out of the battery when off as well. Almost every vehicle has items that draw even when the engine is turned off. The question is what is normal for your unit. I disconnect my chassis battery when I know it won't be run. I hate having to charge it up, but have given up on resetting the Radio pre-selects.

Morich · 07-19-2021, 12:01 PM

Newer vehicles do have lots more things going on while just resting in the driveway.
Some newer things that are not obvious are built into make our cars fit what we "think" we want, even if most of us would go without them!
Things as simple as the cr engine firing on the first hint of cranking? Remember when it was common to kind of expect the engine to crank a bit before firing? Well that has been fixed as we now have fuel injection which is nice but it also requires that fuel is maintained right at the injectors on the engine and in some cars that means there has to be a fuel pressure monitor checking that the fuel has not run back down into the tank leaving the injector with no fuel to inject at that first hint of cranking!

I'm no way an expert on new engines but I can fully imagine that if there is something to monitor the pressure and turn on a fuel pump if that pressure goes down, there is going to be some drain on the battery!
For some reference, on some cars, if we listen really closely, we may hear action when we open the door, more action when we stick the key in the ignition and even more when we turn it to the first click! If you have a keyless entry, do a few things happen as you walk up to the car? That means there is something in the car waiting and ready to react at all times----just in case we want to go somewhere and we certainly do not want the irritation of WAITING a milli-second for things to happen, do we ?

Is it that we are all getting pampered way too far or it it just that we actually want to be that soft. Would it be a real deal killer if we had to push a button to get to the right radio station? Yes, I'm afraid it would!
So can we get that tied straight to our brain instead?? Or maybe even in color?

BobC · 07-19-2021, 12:25 PM

If you have solar panels set up to charge both house and starting battery banks via Trik-L-Start or similar device and your MH is stored outside, you'll never have a problem with "normal" parasitic drains again unless your winters are extreme.

Right now, while I'm waiting to install my roof-mounted panels, I have a small 50W panel hanging on my ladder and everything is at full charge. It's set up so it's easy to unplug and put away for travel. Anything over 25W or so should suffice.

Note: Depending on the nature of the storage, there may be enough sunlight in open, covered storage to keep things topped off.

RetiredUSCG · 07-19-2021, 01:01 PM

I have a 2019 View 24V. The truck battery drain is normal while in storage. There is nothing wrong with the vehicle. Either disconnect the truck battery (above the gas pedal) when in storage or install this (Trik-L-Start).
Ultra TRIK-L-START Starting Battery Charger/Maintainer

I installed the Tril-L-Start and it works great. Truck battery is always kept charged up through the Trik-L-Start bridge to the house batteries. I assume you also have solar panels on the roof. If so, leave the batteries ON while in storage if you are outside exposed to the sun. All of the batteries will be maintained by the solar panels. I never shut off the house batteries but my rig is stored outside. Been doing this for 2 years, no problems. Never have had to use the boost switch.

BobC · 07-19-2021, 01:18 PM

My solar installs have always been done so they will charge the house batteries whether or not the battery switch is on or off.

RetiredUSCG · 07-19-2021, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobC

My solar installs have always been done so they will charge the house batteries whether or not the battery switch is on or off.

My solar panels came with the RV. I did not install them. I don’t know if they charge the batteries or not if the battery switch is off. The problem is if my battery switch is off, the battery voltage monitor panel above the refrigerator goes dead. I have not dug into the wiring diagrams/connections enough to know if the batteries are being charged or not with the switch off. If I stop at the storage place to check on the RV I would have to turn the batteries on to see the status of everything, so I just leave them on. Been doing this for two years with no problems.

RV Tinker · 07-20-2021, 04:54 PM

So true. My MH has had solar panels with a Blue sky controller. It maintains/charges both the coach and chassis batteries. Chassis battery went 11 years before it had to be replaced. It had not failed, problem was it was a maintenance free battery with no way to add water. The electrolyte level had reached the top of the plates and I knew it would start failing. :( . The 6 volt golf carts lasted over 6 years before an internal failure on one of them caused me to replace them. 2nd set of golf cart batteries is almost at 6 years now. I do not have to worry about small drains on the batteries.