Looking for a pre 1997 Chinook concourse Owner

[Blue~Go]

I wasn't sure about how to use the pm feature, so I just sent it this way.

No worries.

If you do want to send a PM - also known as a private message - (to me or anyone else), just go down to the bottom of one of the person's posts (the person you want to send the message to), and look for this button:

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I'll post back in a bit with some thoughts on the 7622 install.

[Blue~Go]

Okay, here is a potential plan for the wiring you have installed. It's not 100% perfect to the highest standards, but it should be "decent," and probably better than what you had. Note of course that I'm not an electrician, but just a "civilian" with some familiarity with DC wiring and ABYC standards trying to help

This is what I think you have now, from reading above. You may need to click on the drawings to enlarge them enough to read the notes.

Here is a fusing suggestion, and an idea of how to treat the wires if you don't fuse them. Fusing is best of course, but the fusing protects the wires (and hence the rig) in case of a short, so if you don't fuse them, you want to take extra care that they don't chafe/short/etc.

I don't know what kind of amperage your starter draws. So although 175 amp fuse would be more conservative for the #4 wire, you may need to use 200 amp, or even 225. Still better than no fuse though as a short will still very likely blow even a 225 (lots of amperage in a short).

Since the wires are already in place, I haven't addressed voltage drop - that's more for the stage of planning the wires, and I didn't want to add "extraneous" info.

BG

[kyidletime]

Thank you BG, I think that I can handle implementing your plan. I'll get the necessary MRBFs ordered. You've been a BIG help in getting my updating done, and I really appreciate it....... Alan

[Blue~Go]

I'm glad if I could help. Sorry if I made it sound too complicated earlier. I know that sometimes I just want to know how to do something, vs. every little detail -- maybe I gave too much information at points.

I did just see a rather stupid/big mistake I made on the fusing diagram, and also a note I missed putting on the wiring diagram. Sorry! Let me go over them:

Note missing from first drawing:
The short piece of wire going to the chassis ground that comes off the charger (upper right in Diagram annotated 1.jpg) should really also be a #6, to match the main/long wire you upgraded to a #6. That way you don't have a smaller link in an upgraded chain. But it's not a huge problem if you leave it, because it's not a very long run (so not too much voltage drop). I presume it attaches to the chassis/frame where mine does, outside, under the rig, sort of under the rear corner of the shower).

Stupid mistake from second diagram:
Well, I kind of have an excuse for this, but not really. See, I was thinking that you'd have output from the alternator heading back on that #6 wire. Reason is, in my ('97 and later) system, you do, because the house battery is "in back" along the path of that wire. However in your setup, you DON'T. That wire is purely to get battery power from the house battery to the house loads, and to get charging power from the charger to the house battery.

The upgrade to #6 (or potentially larger) wire is not part of the "mistake." That was needed to keep the voltage drop of your charger down to a dull roar on the way to the house battery.

But where I was wrong was in suggesting the 100 amp fuses on each end of the house battery to charger wire. Duh, no, that circuit will not see more than 45 amps going to the battery from the charger, and probably less than that going the other way (the maximum amount going the other way depends on what loads you power from the house DC panel, but I don't see it going over 45 amps or so.

SO, here is a corrected diagram. The change is in the fuse sizes on the #6 wire. This is good, as you now don't have to go "over" the recommended amp rating, AND we can accommodate that section of #8 ground wire from the charger to the chassis ground easily. I will circle the changes in purple and change the text. Again, sorry about that mistake. It's hard for me to "remember" that your house battery is up under the hood, and so that wire "coming back into the coach" does not also connect the start and house batteries like it does in my and other later Chinooks. Mea culpa. Let me know if you have already ordered the larger fuses because I will then take care of making it right.

[kyidletime]

Thanks for catching that. One thing though, I did replace that #8 wire from my new converter/charger with a #6 wire. Got a dumb question. Do the mrbfs come with a fuse, or do I need to order the fuses as well?

[Blue~Go]

Thanks for catching that.

Well sorry I even put in something I had to catch. Geez. I'm just so used to my (and similar) Chinooks having that wire "go back" to the house batteries, whereas both your house and start are under the hood.

One thing though, I did replace that #8 wire from my new converter/charger with a #6 wire.

And that was great. I was just thinking of the (probably white, probably still #8) ground wire that goes out of the charger and to the chassis ground. That is part of the "loop" that includes your new #6 wire. However, since it is relatively short, not nearly (nearly!) as big a culprit in voltage drop as your original, ten-miles-long #8 positive wire that you replaced. And if you are fusing at 60 amps or below, that will cover the #8 wire as well.

Got a dumb question. Do the mrbfs come with a fuse, or do I need to order the fuses as well?

Not dumb at all. The fuse holders do not include a fuse. Which kind of makes sense as how would they know what size you want. So I typically order the fuse holder (single or double depending on need) and then one fuse plus a spare for whichever sizes I need. I typically try to keep the fewest number of sizes possible, so I don't have to carry a crazy number of spares, but there was no good way to fuse the two wires (going back to charger and 7622 interconnects) with anything close to the same size.

[kyidletime]

Hi Blue, I haven't bugged you for awhile, so thought that I'd throw another one of my "dumb" questions at you. This afternoon I decided to start my generator and let it run for awhile, as Onan suggests. At first it didn't want to start but after pulling the spark plug and cleaning it, it started right up. I was going to turn on the a/c so that the generator would have a load on it, but the a/c didn't have any power to it. In checking further it appeared that my 12 volt system was energized. Shouldn't the generator take care of energizing the 12 volt system? Do you think that my bad house battery would have anything to do with my lack of power with the generator running?

[Blue~Go]

Hi Blue, I haven't bugged you for awhile...

Been kind of quiet around here. More fun when there are posts

This afternoon I decided to start my generator and let it run for awhile... I was going to turn on the a/c so that the generator would have a load on it, but the a/c didn't have any power to it. In checking further it appeared that my 12 volt system was energized. Shouldn't the generator take care of energizing the 12 volt system? Do you think that my bad house battery would have anything to do with my lack of power with the generator running?

A couple of questions:

1) Do you mean "my 12-volt system WASN'T energized"?
2) By a/c do you mean air-conditioning? Or AC power in general (110 volt power). I'm presuming you mean air-conditioning.

*******

Well first of all, as far as your Chinook onboard systems go (both AC and DC), running the generator should be just like plugging in to shore power. In fact, the "brown box" simply has an automatic transfer switch, and that detects whether you have shorepower or generator, and switches to the appropriate source. Now, you did do some work in the brown box, but let's assume for now it's all working how it is supposed to and go through what should be happening. Then you can see if something is awry, of if you just had something set wrong or whatever.

So, in the brown box you should have four things:

1) AC main breaker and sub-breakers. In my rig there are four sub-breakers: Air-con, Microwave, Charger, and Outlets.
2) DC fuses.
3) DC charger (takes AC power and makes it into DC to charge your batteries and run DC loads).
4) Automatic transfer switch

#1, #2, and #3 are all visible on the front (when you open the little door). #4 is hidden away in back (it can go bad, but let's presume for now it is working).

So, when you plug into shorepower or turn your generator on, you still have to turn on the various breakers on the AC panel. (No particular reason not to turn on all four.) So that's the first thing I would check. Are all of the AC breakers on? (usually that is flip them upward). If one is not quite right, you can turn it off, then re-flip it on.

There is no special thing to turn on for DC power, *presuming* you have that "house battery main switch" turned on (that is on your dashboard/Echlin solenoid). Without that on, I think your direct AC stuff should still work, but the DC charger won't be connected to house loads. Normally the house battery would energize things, but even then no DC charger power will get through with that switch off.

So if that switch is off, and your house battery is toast, I can imagine you may not have DC power either.

So in summary, things I would check:

1) Were/are all AC breakers on. Maybe to make sure, flip them off and on again.
2) Is the house battery to house DC loads switch on (Echlin solenoid switch).

Now do you have AC power? Even if the Air-Con doesn't work, what about the AC outlets?
Now if you put a meter on the house battery, does it show a charge coming in to it? (Say 13.5 volts or etc.?) Presuming it's not so bad that it can't even register anything.

Depending on the answers to these questions, we can go from there.

[kyidletime]

I think maybe I found what the problem was. You remember the Echlin solenoid that I have controlled by the disconnect switch on my dash? Well, after I plugged my rig into shore power and still didn't have dc power in back, I remembered that the solenoid was sticking somewhat, so I tapped it a couple of times and the 12 volt power came on. I didn't try it again with the generator running, but do you think that might have been the problem? I'll check that out tomorrow. I'm going to replace that sticky solenoid too. Any recommendations?

[kyidletime]

You hit the nail right on the head in your post. Thanks again!