battery problem

[topbuddy10]

My coach is up for the winter and I have it plugged into electrical.
Both of my batteries appear to be charged however, when I unplug the system there is no coach power. I have checked the fuses on either side of the relay in the front of the unit and they are ok, Any ideas of what the cause may be or how to fix it? The coach is a 91 Winnebago Chieftain.

[crasster]

How are you sure the batteries are good? Sometimes the voltage will check out but if they are put under a load they fizzle. You need to put them under a load test. I would unhook them, keep them at 12V wired together and test it on external things such as portable inverters etc.

[Sam_Spade]

topbuddy10 wrote:
First of all the rv is plugged into the 120v electric and has been for the winter, The coach battery appears to be charged yet I do not have coach power if I unplug the 120v,

The main (starter) battery loses charge even while plugged into 120v but will accept a charge from a portable charger when hooked up separately.

Appearances can be deceiving.

The above two symptoms tend to indicate a couple of things:

In most configurations, the starting battery in the "truck" (chassis) does NOT charge when connected to shore power....so that's probably normal. It needs to have it's own tender connected while in storage. If it sat totally dead for very long, it probably should be replaced now.

We can't hope to help you with the coach 12 V problem without some meter readings: Battery when you think it's charging. Battery when shore power is disconnected for starters.

IF....the 12 V power appears to be normal when shore power is connected then the two most likely culprits are "storage" switch turned OFF or a bad connection at or near the battery including INSIDE the battery.

[topbuddy10]

Update on battery issue: It has been too cold lately to get at it, but next week looks warmer. To fully explain issue: First of all the rv is plugged into the 120v electric and has been for the winter, The coach battery appears to be charged yet I do not have coach power if I unplug the 120v, The main (starter) battery loses charge even while plugged into 120v but will accept a charge from a portable charger when hooked up separately. Both the 5a fuses on either side of the relay are ok, Any suggestions other than already given? Sam

[MikeDavies]

Redacted.

[Sam_Spade]

topbuddy10 wrote:
I know batteries are charged because I checked them with a meter.

And that still doesn't tell us what we need to know.
What was the battery voltage when you checked it ??
And were they connected and under a small load at the time ??

Sometimes the voltage can be perfectly fine (12.6 or more) when disconnected and then go straight to ZERO when a load is applied.

[wa8yxm]

Ok, first On most coaches the status display shows not the condition of the battery but the voltage on the house power panel (12 volt panel) this.... if plugged in... Is the converter output.

Next we have the famous "Salesman" switch, properly called the Aux Battery Disconnect Switch. If this is in OFF/Disconnected/Store state (position) then the batteries are NOT connected to the house, or for that matter to the converter. And this is suspect #1

Then there is a fuse and/or Circuit breaker somewhere.. May be the right hand most fuse or fuses on your fuse panel, may be elsewhere

Finally we have the assorted connections, and the batteries themselves.

[time2roll]

Assuming the battery holds 12.6+ volts when unplugged... you have an open circuit. Keep poking with that meter until you find the point with 12.6 on one side and 0 on the other. Repair, replace, clean or adjust that item.

[topbuddy10]

I know batteries are charged because I checked them with a meter.

[time2roll]

What is the voltage on the battery terminals when plugged in?
What is the voltage on the battery terminals when you unplug?

Post the results.

Otherwise you may as well take it into a shop.

[dougrainer]

topbuddy10 wrote:
Yes I do have an invertor/convertor. I will check it out. Thanks

No such thing. You have either below. Odds are it is a Converter only
1.Inverter/CHARGER
2.CONVERTER

As another poster stated, a REQUIRED tool for an RV'er is a simple cheap Multitester. That way you can check for 12 volts and 120 volts. You need to verify the batteries have 12 volts. Usually, when you have a Winne Battery disconnect system which used Intellitec solenoids. either the 5 amp ATC fuse on the solenoid was blown or the Solenoid itself is bad. Check the 2- 5 amp fuses on the disconnect solenoid. Doug

[fourmat]

how are you determining the batteries are charged? Converter should not shut down Chassis battery. Use a test light on the relay and you should be able to tell if its working if battery has power

[topbuddy10]

Actually when I said batteries I meant the main (start) battery and the coach battery. When I unplug the electric 120 there is no 12vdc or (naturally) 120vdc. Relay in question is in the front engine compartment just above the coach battery which is wired to a relay and it has a 5v fuse on each side of the relay and these are both ok. Sorry for the confusion and thanks for the assist.

[lanerd]

duplicate

[lanerd]

topbuddy10 wrote:
My coach is up for the winter and I have it plugged into electrical.
Both of my batteries(I assume you mean your house batteries) appear to be charged however, when I unplug the system (what system?) there is no coach power (12vdc or 120vac?). I have checked the fuses on either side of the relay in the front of the unit (what unit?) and they are ok, Any ideas of what the cause may be or how to fix it? The coach is a 91 Winnebago Chieftain.

Being a coach that old, not sure that you have an inverter...more than likely just a converter. In which case, once you unplug from shore power, you won't have any 120vac.

But your word usage is unclear about what specifically you are talking about.