Just purchased a 2002 Destiny on a 2001 Chevy 3500 van chassis, 8.1 engine. Ran great yesterday. Would not start today. No electrical left on. Lights, horn and radio work. Called AAA. Driver said truck battery fully charged. House batteries read 14.07. Could not start using house batteries although not sure I know how. AAA driver suspected starter or solenoids. Not mechanically inclined. Would appreciate any suggestions before calling an electrical mechanic. In San Diego if anyone knows of a mechanic that might know Chinooks please let me know.
On another matter owner's manual speaks of LVD located behind the driver's seat. I can not seem to locate it. Thanks!
Engines and Drivetrain
Re: Engines and Drivetrain
It sounds like a generic Chevy start problem rather than a chinook specific one. Someone would need to check where juice is getting to when the key is rotated to start (does it stop at the solenoid or the starter). Sometimes a start had a dead spot and can be little taps with a hammer to get one more start out of it. When my rig started acting up with a random no start every once in a while, I replaced both the start and the solenoid just for good measure. Has started ever time since. I'll be in the SD area in a few months, but that doesn't do you any good right now. (I'd be happy to look at it)
Re: Engines and Drivetrain
Many thanks. The AAA driver said pretty much the same thing. I'm happy to know there is not a Chinook switch to be clicked. I will have a mechanic look at it by the weekend. Smart to be here after the tourist season.
Re: Engines and Drivetrain
Hi and welcome!
You may very well have a "self jump start" button. On my 1999 Ford based Chinook this is a (Chinook placed) momentary switch over the driver's right shoulder on the overhead. It has to be held down to be doing anything. The wiring is not overly robust, so you might consider holding it down for awhile and waiting for some power to flow through ahead of actually turning key (or even release it when turning key).
BUT, I highly doubt that is your problem/solution in this case, since you don't seem to be talking about a dead start battery. I think Manitou's advice is good and likely to be the culprit(s).
He's also correct that for Chevy things (or Ford in our case) you go to a place that works on Chevys (or Fords). 99% of the chassis related things are not Chinook involved (there are a couple of things). The one thing that may "stop" you from just going to any old mechanic is that if they are going to do any work where they need to lift you, all places are not equipped to lift something with dually rear wheels and over 10,000#. But some places (especially in nice climates like yours) will just work on them outside and/or with floor jacks. It's something to check into though before you settle on a regular mechanic.
You may very well have a "self jump start" button. On my 1999 Ford based Chinook this is a (Chinook placed) momentary switch over the driver's right shoulder on the overhead. It has to be held down to be doing anything. The wiring is not overly robust, so you might consider holding it down for awhile and waiting for some power to flow through ahead of actually turning key (or even release it when turning key).
BUT, I highly doubt that is your problem/solution in this case, since you don't seem to be talking about a dead start battery. I think Manitou's advice is good and likely to be the culprit(s).
He's also correct that for Chevy things (or Ford in our case) you go to a place that works on Chevys (or Fords). 99% of the chassis related things are not Chinook involved (there are a couple of things). The one thing that may "stop" you from just going to any old mechanic is that if they are going to do any work where they need to lift you, all places are not equipped to lift something with dually rear wheels and over 10,000#. But some places (especially in nice climates like yours) will just work on them outside and/or with floor jacks. It's something to check into though before you settle on a regular mechanic.
1999 Concourse
Re: Engines and Drivetrain
Mechanic arrived today. Said battery showed 12.0 volts. Not fully charged as AAA battery person said. He waited about five minutes. Turned over key and vehicle started right up. Said battery showed 14.10. Unable to duplicate problem. Any one else have ideas with a possible fix or do I not have a problem? It would not start Thursday morning. Thanks.
Re: Engines and Drivetrain
To me any time a vehicle doesn't start when I turn the key there is some problem because it is supposed to start. Can you describe a few things a bit more? Like when was the 12.0 volts read? What was done between then and when it read 14.1? What was happening at that point (engine running and alternator charging? Or?)
When it doesn't start, what does it do? Click? Nothing? Turns over but doesn't catch? Or?
It still sounds (from what we can read) like two or three possibilities. But more detail would help.
1) Battery just bad.
2) Alternator not charging correctly.
3) Something draining start battery.
4) Starter or starter solenoid not working.
5) Possibly something with the battery separator. It would be interesting to know what the voltage reading on the house bank was when the start battery was at 12.0. Was the house bank low too? What happens to the start battery voltage if you hold the "combine/self jump start" switch on for a few minutes? (If you have one.)
When it doesn't start, what does it do? Click? Nothing? Turns over but doesn't catch? Or?
It still sounds (from what we can read) like two or three possibilities. But more detail would help.
1) Battery just bad.
2) Alternator not charging correctly.
3) Something draining start battery.
4) Starter or starter solenoid not working.
5) Possibly something with the battery separator. It would be interesting to know what the voltage reading on the house bank was when the start battery was at 12.0. Was the house bank low too? What happens to the start battery voltage if you hold the "combine/self jump start" switch on for a few minutes? (If you have one.)
1999 Concourse
Re: Engines and Drivetrain
Mechanic checked it right away at 12.0. After about 5 minutes he started it. There is only a click. Does not turn over.When he checked the 14.1 the engine was running. Did not think to check house batteries okay. Have 200 watts solar and they have been consistently above 13.7. I will try starting it every day and hope not to duplicate the experience. Thanks for your post.
Re: Engines and Drivetrain
Okay, well we can tell a few things:
1) 12.0 volts on a start battery (or house for that matter) is quite low. I know it may not sound like it, since they are "12 volt batteries," but it is. Tenths of a volt count here.
2) So unless we have a coincidence, your starter and starter solenoid are probably not the issue.
3) And the 14.1 volts after starting tells me your alternator is working -- or at least CAN work.
So why was the starting battery low? I can think of a few possibilities:
A) It needs to be replaced.
B) You have phantom loads (meaning small loads that slowly and inexorably draw the start battery down). These are not uncommon, but on the other hand you don't have to have them either (I don't).
C) You left something bigger on (but you don't think you did).
The wild card here is the house bank (batteries). Because we don't know what the voltage was. If you have the Surepower 1315 separator that was common, and it's working, it is bi-directional, so your solar should have been sending some power to the start battery. Or was the house battery low also? If, for example, the house battery was up at 13.5 volts or etc., then we might wonder if the separator was working (if bi-directional).
If the house bank was ALSO low, then maybe more is going on - there are things to check.
If the house battery was "up" and you do have a jump starter button, why didn't it help?
Now, I wouldn't want to be counting on my solar to keep up with a biggish start battery drain, so I'm not saying to rely on your panels for that, but with the 1315 that should have sent power forward.
I can park for 2-3 weeks and the start battery fires things right up, and I have my house/solar and start completely isolated from each other. So if you have phantom loads, it's possible to track them down and eliminate them.
But along that line, didn't you say you had just run it a day or so before? That would be some big phantom loads. Is there a dash cam, tire pressure monitoring system, back up camera, or anything else that could be running from the start battery?
Did you play the stereo in the coach at all? Reason I ask is that that does take power from the start battery as wired by Chinook (I and several others have changed that, but we're talking stock configuration here). Just figured maybe you were out enjoying the new coach and playing tunes or etc. and it's not intuitive that the coach stereo would run down the start battery.
So as you can see, there are a number of at-the-moment-jumbled-sounding thoughts here. Once we have more data we can start eliminating certain things. I mean, if you like this sort of sleuthing.
Some things you can check, if you are comfortable doing so. As always, I'm not an electrician, electricity can be dangerous, don't do things you're not comfortable with, etc.
1) With the vehicle not running, remove the negative cable from the start battery, and then put you meter/probes in amps mode. Then place the probes so the meter is between that removed negative cable and the negative battery post. As if you were inserting the meter into the wire path, if you will. Is there a draw? (Of course be careful around batteries, etc.)
2) Reading volts (switch meter and probes back to volts mode), what's the voltage across the positive/negative terminals of the start battery?
3) Reassemble battery cables.
4) You could also read the voltage on the house bank, but best if the batteries have been resting (no charge or loads) for some hours if possible.
BG
1) 12.0 volts on a start battery (or house for that matter) is quite low. I know it may not sound like it, since they are "12 volt batteries," but it is. Tenths of a volt count here.
2) So unless we have a coincidence, your starter and starter solenoid are probably not the issue.
3) And the 14.1 volts after starting tells me your alternator is working -- or at least CAN work.
So why was the starting battery low? I can think of a few possibilities:
A) It needs to be replaced.
B) You have phantom loads (meaning small loads that slowly and inexorably draw the start battery down). These are not uncommon, but on the other hand you don't have to have them either (I don't).
C) You left something bigger on (but you don't think you did).
The wild card here is the house bank (batteries). Because we don't know what the voltage was. If you have the Surepower 1315 separator that was common, and it's working, it is bi-directional, so your solar should have been sending some power to the start battery. Or was the house battery low also? If, for example, the house battery was up at 13.5 volts or etc., then we might wonder if the separator was working (if bi-directional).
If the house bank was ALSO low, then maybe more is going on - there are things to check.
If the house battery was "up" and you do have a jump starter button, why didn't it help?
Now, I wouldn't want to be counting on my solar to keep up with a biggish start battery drain, so I'm not saying to rely on your panels for that, but with the 1315 that should have sent power forward.
I can park for 2-3 weeks and the start battery fires things right up, and I have my house/solar and start completely isolated from each other. So if you have phantom loads, it's possible to track them down and eliminate them.
But along that line, didn't you say you had just run it a day or so before? That would be some big phantom loads. Is there a dash cam, tire pressure monitoring system, back up camera, or anything else that could be running from the start battery?
Did you play the stereo in the coach at all? Reason I ask is that that does take power from the start battery as wired by Chinook (I and several others have changed that, but we're talking stock configuration here). Just figured maybe you were out enjoying the new coach and playing tunes or etc. and it's not intuitive that the coach stereo would run down the start battery.
So as you can see, there are a number of at-the-moment-jumbled-sounding thoughts here. Once we have more data we can start eliminating certain things. I mean, if you like this sort of sleuthing.
Some things you can check, if you are comfortable doing so. As always, I'm not an electrician, electricity can be dangerous, don't do things you're not comfortable with, etc.
1) With the vehicle not running, remove the negative cable from the start battery, and then put you meter/probes in amps mode. Then place the probes so the meter is between that removed negative cable and the negative battery post. As if you were inserting the meter into the wire path, if you will. Is there a draw? (Of course be careful around batteries, etc.)
2) Reading volts (switch meter and probes back to volts mode), what's the voltage across the positive/negative terminals of the start battery?
3) Reassemble battery cables.
4) You could also read the voltage on the house bank, but best if the batteries have been resting (no charge or loads) for some hours if possible.
BG
1999 Concourse
Re: Engines and Drivetrain
Thanks for your suggestions. I will try them tomorrow. The coach and chevy battery are completed isolated from each other. There is no Chinook switch. I do listen to news/talk shows when driving. I do plan to start the coach each day to see if I again have this problem. Thanks.
Re: Engines and Drivetrain
Sounds good. I do want to clarify a couple of things that I may have made confusing.noel wrote:Thanks for your suggestions. I will try them tomorrow.
Okay, so just to clarify, there are two different things here. Not to dispute you, but just because I may not have described them well.noel wrote:The coach and chevy battery are completed isolated from each other. There is no Chinook switch.
1) There can be a self jump start switch (the Concourses have one). That is a switch you press and hold down that lets you start the Chevy with the assistance of the house batteries. Sounds like you don't have that one.
2) But the other way they can connect, I'd be very surprised if you don't have. That is via a battery separator (also called a combiner, isolator, ACR, etc.). What this does is behind the scenes. It allows a few things:
a) It allows the Chevy alternator to charge the house bank when driving.
b) It keeps you from drawing down the start battery when camping.
c) It can (if bi-directional) allow the coach charging systems to charge the start battery.
I won't say there was never a modern day Chinook without one of these, but I've never heard of it.
That shouldn't matter one bit. What I was referring to is that many Chinooks have a second "car stereo" in the rear of the coach. You might not expect it, but as wired from stock they run off the start battery somewhat. So if you listen to that rear radio for many hours while camping it could draw down the start battery potentially.noel wrote: I do listen to news/talk shows when driving.
That will be good to know. Then if it starts every day, you could start extending it to two days or more to see if time affects it.noel wrote: I do plan to start the coach each day to see if I again have this problem. Thanks.
1999 Concourse