2004 Winnebago Journey Shore Power Not Charging Coach Batteries

[Morich]

Sounds like a plan that should do the job.
Small point on starting with the momenary switch is that it is the combined power from both sets of batteries, so unless BOTH are pretty near dead we can usually expect the comnbined power to get us going!
But that is kind of a backup plan for something we really don't expect to happen if we make sure not to run the radio while on the chassis battery while camped. Some RV had a switch to let us choose which batteries to use while parked and that one could get people in trouble if we ran the radio on the chassis battery and at the same time ran the coach batteries down while parked without hoookups!
It's just a wonder we humans ever got so far!

 

[jefflbi]

Sounds like a plan that should do the job.
Small point on starting with the momenary switch is that it is the combined power from both sets of batteries, so unless BOTH are pretty near dead we can usually expect the comnbined power to get us going!
But that is kind of a backup plan for something we really don't expect to happen if we make sure not to run the radio while on the chassis battery while camped. Some RV had a switch to let us choose which batteries to use while parked and that one could get people in trouble if we ran the radio on the chassis battery and at the same time ran the coach batteries down while parked without hoookups!
It's just a wonder we humans ever got so far!

Just so happens is that one of the previous owners has a sticker right above the radio switch to keep it on the Aux selection. I think that's exactly for the reason you mentioned. My new batteries should be here by Friday, so I'll post an update when I get them installed and wired up.

 

[Morich]

What has made me wonder about the radio switch and why we would want to run it on the chassis is still a question. If we are camped and don't want to risk running the chassis down, we likely want the radio on the ocahc. Ifwe are driving and the chassis is powering both coach and chassis through the mode solenoid or BIM, why would we NOT want the radio on the coach? If the coach battery is getting so low that we should not run a radio, perhaps it is time to stop using the radio?
Missing something in the logic of having that switch there to let us mess up our starting?

 

[jefflbi]

Thought I would post a final update on this thread. I finally got the batteries installed. I replaced all of them, using the 2 I had originally bought to use as coach batteries, for the chassis since they are dual purpose. I wound up going with the Interstate Heavy Duty Marine/RV batteries ($425 each) for the coach. I after I got everything wired up, I flipped the breaker for shore power and everything on the coach side came to life. The Dimensions panel lit up and by the display I could see it was communicating with the inverter. Note that the display says it automatically is charging the batteries at 20 amps. Just a minute before taking the picture, it said 25 amp. I'll attach pics. So my problem all along was the batteries.

 

[Morich]

Good deal! Always nice to see things getting done!

 

[BCam]

In retrospect, we had this solved on May 18, but didn't definitively test the batteries. The good news is no unnecessary money was spent.

Although I have many concerns about the use and future impact of AI, it's really helped me out in solving some issues with my vehicles. I did a little experiment. I copied the text of your initial post, verbatim, into Google AI, here's the diagnostic part of the response which hits the nail on the head. It continues with a number of diagnostic tests. If you're interested, you can try it yourself. Better yet, ask AI about a problem you've had that you know the answer to and see if it does a good job. You can even upload photos or diagrams and it will "point" things out:

This issue is almost certainly caused by a Dead Battery Lockout preventing your Dimensions Inverter/Charger from initializing.

Here is the breakdown of why this is happening and how to fix it (I've attached the full response, including troubleshooting).

The Core Problem: "Dead Battery Lockout"

Your Dimensions Inverter/Charger is not just a charger; it is the "brain" of your coach's 12V system. It requires battery voltage (typically at least 9–10 volts) to power its own internal logic board. [1]

• Why it's dead on shore power: Even though 120V shore power is entering the coach (which is why your microwave works), the Inverter/Charger cannot "wake up" to use it because the batteries are too dead to power its CPU. It cannot "bootstrap" itself from 0 volts. [1, 2, 3]
• Why the panel wakes up with the external charger: The external charger raises the system voltage enough to boot up the Inverter's logic. The panel then turns on and reports "50 Amp Service" because the brain is finally alive to see it. [1]
• Why it dies when you remove the charger:One of two things is happening:
  
  1. The Charger is Disabled/Faulty: The Dimensions unit never actually started charging the batteries, so as soon as you remove the external source, voltage collapses.
  2. Batteries are "Open Internal": Your batteries may be so damaged that they cannot hold voltage for even a fraction of a second