New owner - first problem- Batteries, LVD, Charging oh my

Split from General / Technical for discussion of anything electrical, electronic... 12v, Inverter, Satellite, Headlights, flashlights etc.
Valkyrie
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Joined: June 8th, 2017, 6:20 am

New owner - first problem- Batteries, LVD, Charging oh my

Post by Valkyrie »

Hi ,

I"m a new owner in MA . Found a pristine 1996 Concourse that was stored in a heated garage since day and bought it 2 weeks ago. It looks new. Sofa / club chairs look new. Not a nick , scratch , mark , etc . You can only tell its used by a little wear on the carpet of the rear door and in the drivers footwell. It sat for 10 years , inside , plugged in and was only moved around once in a while . It had a 10 year old inspection sticker on it .

Previous owner replaced all 3 batteries before I purchased it . When I was testing the system I could turn on the coach power switch and everything was fine. Everything works on DC - fridge, heat, waterpump, interior / exterior lights, etc. We've put 300 miles on it and could turn on the coach battery switch and all was good.

2 days ago I heard the LVD alarm . When I turn the coach battery switch to "on" I get a loud alarm from behind the switch. When I move it to "store" or leave it in the middle position , I get a less loud / very faint alarm.

the solar charger panel has the yellow light on during the day and the green light is illuminated indicating that the batteries are charged.

I checked the house batteries with a voltmeter and they are at 11.5 volts. I've had the coach plugged in for 2 days and the batteries are not being charged.

The converter is working .. I have interior lights.

I've read the posts and will start checking the underhood LVD and the under sofa LVD... voltmeter in hand.

The generator is not working properly .. it starts .. stumbles.. smooths out for a few seconds..then shuts off. I suspect a fouled carburator from sitting for 10 years in that heated garage.

I'll report back on my progress . Words of wisdom are appreciated .

Cheers

Jay
Manitou
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Re: New owner - first problem- Batteries, LVD, Charging oh

Post by Manitou »

Welcome to the forum.
You're already aware of many systems/items are involved here. I'm not intimately familiar with a 1996, but 11.5v while plugged into shore power is no good. What do you get with the ford engine running? As for solar, there's a small inline fuse on mine just before it enters the batter bank. It was blown when I got mine. Also, the solenoid thing under the hood that allows charging of the house bank from the ford alternator was bad at the same time. I think it was all just sitting too long. I replaced the fuse and that solenoid and was back in business. Later I changed the old battery charger with a retrofit from progressive something or other. My 2004 came with what they call a "dumb" charger. It's just single stage and will cook batteries if left plugged in. Have you checked the water level of your batteries? I know you said they are new, but if left plugged into a dumb charger, they could be boiled off already.
Rokrover
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Re: New owner - first problem- Batteries, LVD, Charging oh

Post by Rokrover »

I fried my coach batteries once while stationary running the 3-way fridge on DC as the refrigerant heater draws a whopping 20 Amps!

Congratulations on a dream find :)
Last edited by Rokrover on June 10th, 2017, 3:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ted C. / SW Arizona
"The Blue Chook" 2002 Concourse Owner: 2013-2019
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kdarling
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Re: New owner - first problem- Batteries, LVD, Charging oh

Post by kdarling »

Q: Do the house batteries charge after the engine has been running long enough to charge the engine battery? You can also try using a jumper cable to bypass the battery separator.

In any case, the fact that the batteries were recently changed makes me wonder if a wire or two fell behind the batteries and was forgotten. Not uncommon. Use a light and mirror to check. Or perhaps someone can post a photo / description of al the battery compartment wires on their stock Chinook of that year.

Re: generator. First, note that it draws from the gas tank about 1/4 (?) up so it won't empty the tank and leave you stranded. So make sure you gave enough gas,

Mine was gummed up from years of not being started. I first made sure the auto throttle / choke links were all lubricated and working, Then I used ~35 oz of SeaFoam additive in my tank each time I filled it. It only took two tank fills before regular start attempts of the generator apparently worked enough SeaFoam through to clear the carb. I can't swear that's what did it, but seemed to work for me.

Many people end up buying a new carb, although I've read of a few who were able to remove and soak their carb clean and rebuild with a kit, if you're into that.
1994 Concourse dinette, Ford 7.5L (460 V8)
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SMan
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Re: New owner - first problem- Batteries, LVD, Charging oh

Post by SMan »

On the generator front.......I bought a carb on Amazon rather than taking it to Onan and it took about an half hour or so to change and it then fired right up.
Steve aka SMan
2004 Premier V10
Valkyrie
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Joined: June 8th, 2017, 6:20 am

Re: New owner - first problem- Batteries, LVD, Charging oh

Post by Valkyrie »

Thanks for the words of wisdom.

I pulled the batteries and charged them with my black and decker "smart charger" it charges at 10 AMPS then starts ratcheting it down to 1 AMP then i shuts off. So the house batteries are in fact brand new and now .. recharged.

When pulling the batties one of them had a loose ground nut .. and one of the battery - to -battery jumpers had connector that must have been crimped by a child. It fell apart when I moved the batteries. I got 2 new b-to-b jumpers at walmart... 4 gauge wire .. same size as was on there.

I'll put the batteries back in and start checking the LVDs . In the long run , I'll add another panel , replace my converter that has a smarter charger , etc.

maiden voyage is next week 1200 mile trip to WV from MA round trip . I'll have hookups so the battery power won't be a big deal other than the 10 hours of driving each way . I'll bring my chargers and top off the batteries before I leave to head home.

I'll be firing up the propane fridge function. It works on DC and AC..

Everywhere I drive it someone walks up to me and tells me its looks cool . That teal green striping, factory new and shiney , looks stunning.

Thanks again..
Valkyrie
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Joined: June 8th, 2017, 6:20 am

Re: New owner - first problem- Batteries, LVD, Charging oh

Post by Valkyrie »

Update ... We've put about 1800 miles on her and here is the update .. fixes and more problems.

The generator stumbled and was flooding itself .. so I ordered a carb and installed it this weekend. It was nice to knock that out in less than an hour ..

Genny fired right up and runs smooth .. but .. Its not making power ...the charger will only run when I plugged into shore power. Fridge / Microwave run off AC just fine. The manual tells me the the generator is the default if both are running.

Onto a new New problem , sometime between the WV trip and the generator getting fixed the furnance and AC won't turn on . I've done all the research and think that the buttons on my thermostat failed me . I've got a DuoTherm troubleshooting guide. I'll check power in the AC and DC power at the wall thermostat. I've read all the stuff on 4 button vs 5 button.. what a mess...

When the generator is running and I'm not connected to short power . I don't see the "charging" status light on the vent hood monitor LEDs. When I'm on shore power and the generator is off .. I see the light .

So.. I get the generator to run , but it just got me to the next problem and the AC/Furnace went down. One step forward and two steps back.

I've attached a picture of my beauty queen, sat in a heated garage for the last 10 years unused ( 11 more totalling 60K miles ) and now I'm putting her to work. She looks as new inside and out . Like many supermodels ...lots of issues...
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SMan
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Re: New owner - first problem- Batteries, LVD, Charging oh

Post by SMan »

Sitting, like miles and usage, can cause issues. You'll get it. Sure is a nice looking rig!

Good luck!
Steve aka SMan
2004 Premier V10
deppstein
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Re: New owner - first problem- Batteries, LVD, Charging oh

Post by deppstein »

Jay...I am another MA Chinook owner (Brookline). Welcome.

I am just back from a 4000 mile Great Lakes Tour, so just catching up on what's new in the forum.

Our rig is a 2004 Premier with the dinette set-up. Have not done any real interior mods to the interior...other than get rid of the TV, VCR, and microwave. In place of microwave, installed new cabinet doors to create food pantry storage.

I also had an issue with the furnace in the beginning...but (stupid me), discovered quickly that it was because the interior air circulation vents were in closed position so unit kept cutting out.

On the electrical side, I have replaced the original Group 27 battery set with Group 31's, installed a 1000watt put sine inverter (for charging our Copenhagen Wheel Electric Assist Bikes while on the road via house batteries charged by the alternator. Also replaced the original battery system separator with a magnetic Blue Sea 7622 (with the good advice and guidance of Blue Go, Scott, Darling and others from this forum--the amount of knowledge these guys have is AMAZING). I have a 200 watt solar suitcase for base camping (went portable on the solar cuz I need the roof real estate for our canoe and/or kayaks). Solar is augmented as needed to charge the bikes in camp with a 1000 watt quiet inverter portable generator that fits in the back outside storage. We are old tent campers and prefer the rustic sites that usually don't have any power. And I would never run the big generator unless it was a real emergency (just too dang noisy!)

Would love to see your rig sometime. Let me know where you are located, and perhaps we can meet up sometime.
David
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kdarling
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Re: New owner - first problem- Batteries, LVD, Charging oh

Post by kdarling »

Rokrover wrote:I fried my coach batteries once while stationary running the 3-way fridge on DC as the refrigerant heater draws a whopping 20 Amps!
Yeah, I've thought about putting in some kind of relay setup, so that the DC heating element can only be powered from the engine alternator while running, and not from any battery alone.
1994 Concourse dinette, Ford 7.5L (460 V8)
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