Where is the Battery Boost Button?

[East2west]

Hi, everyone. We have had our Coachmen Leprechaun 317 SA motorhome for about 8 weeks now. We paid pretty good attention during the walk through, the dealer has been good about answering our questions, and the punch list was taken care of nicely last month. We've been camping several time in local campgrounds getting our sea legs, and learning the ropes. Everything has gone very well, but one thing bugs me.

Where is the Battery Boost Button? The technician who did the walkthrough with us explained it to us (gesturing generally towards the dashboard), and the Coachmen Motorized RV Manual even has a photo of it. I think it's a neat feature, the coach batteries being able to back up the truck battery in case of emergency. But where is it?

I thought I did a pretty good look around for it, though probably it's right in front of my eyes; I didn't go underneath, or check inside the generator compartment, though now that I think of it, that might have been a good idea. It's not on the "main mission control panel" between the kitchen and bathroom, or in the fuse panel down on the floor below the main panel, next to the CO alarm. It doesn't seem to be in the battery compartment under the stairs.

Any ideas, yea or nay?

Thanks - Martha

[Batts-toy]

Martha, first of all Welcome to the forum from Mid-California, I cannot answer your question directly because I am not familiar with your coachman. I have read a lot of posts on this forum and every mention of the booster switch has placed it within reach of the person sitting in the drivers seat, sometimes under the seat or low on the dash panel. Mine (which is a Gulf Stream MH) is a Ford Chassis and the switch is on the dash, it is a rocker type switch with a battery symbol on it. Hope this helps , if not others will be along shortly with the answer for you.

[Duckogram]

Mine reads "Aux Start". I can't imagine Coachmen buying different switches for different models when they can buy in bulk for less...

[Hugh R]

YEP

[East2west]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

YEP

Appreciate the help, Hugh and everyone. I'm going to the storage yard Wednesday or Thursday and I'll check it out as soon as I can.

Martha

[Herk7769]

The short answer is (whatever it is marked) that the momentary switch will tie the house batteries to the coach starting batteries as long as the switch is held down.

This provides (hopefully) a charged battery(s) to start your coach if the starting batteries die somehow.

[wana65stang]

East2West check the left hand side of the drivers seat base, (metal part the seat is bolted to) just as you open the drivers door and look at seat bottom you should see a black rocker switch with a battery symbol on it. Hope you find it cheers

[East2west]

Thank-you everyone for your suggestions. I went down and checked it out this week, but no obvious locations seem to be where the switch is:

Duckogram - our generator rocker switches are on the main control panel between the kitchen and the bathroom, instead of on the dash (I'm thinking your photo was of the dash because of the other controls listed), and there are no similar or unmarked rockers on the panel;

wana65stang: Our driver seat is on a swivel and so the mounting could be a little different than what you described. In searching around and under the driver's seat, though, we found any number of wiring harnesses with pretty complex multi-hole plugs on them. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be plugging into them,but they look really technical and cool. Also, there's a wiring harness with a female plug mounted to the edge of the dash below the steering wheel, again with nothing plugged into it.

I took some photos, but haven't had a chance to go through the instructions for loading them up here. I'll give that a shot this weekend.

Thanks again for all the continuing suggestions!

Martha

[Duckogram]

Yes, the pictured switch is on the dash however I also have a genny start/stop switch between the bath and kitchen. The hobbs meter resides there too.

The plug under the steering wheel is most likely your OBD II socket. The only other thing that my be lurking under the wheel is a brake controller recepticle.

Im out of suggestions as to where the booster switch may be hidden.
Sorry...

[Pathfinder75]

I don't want to disappoint you but I do not believe there is one. My 2012 319DSF Leprechaun does not have it. However there is a relay under steps with batteries that charges the Coach batteries when Chassis battery is being charged by engine alternator. While I would love a wiring diagram to see if I would want to add such a feature I just carry booster cables long enough to reach the chassis battery if that was ever needed. Since both are on the same negative ground in a pinch you could take both red and black cables when to short to double length to reach the two positive terminals for the jump.
Good Luck and enjoy.

[jstenger]

There is no switch since the batteries are combined thru the relay under the step everytime you start the motorhome. A dead engine battery will not start the engine, but will have enough juice to energize the relay, thus giving you full power from the coach battery to start the engine.

[Batts-toy]

Originally Posted by jstenger

There is no switch since the batteries are combined thru the relay under the step everytime you start the motorhome. A dead engine battery will not start the engine, but will have enough juice to energize the relay, thus giving you full power from the coach battery to start the engine.

Interesting, this is a first for me hearing of this type of setup,

I see this is your first post, Welcome to the forum from mid-California

[Pathfinder75]

I'm thinking what jsteng may be accurate. I did check battery volts on my unit unplugged and engine off with both sets of batteries only showing battery voltage. With engine running both sets showed 13+ maybe 14 telling me there was a charge to both sets. However with engine off and unit on shore power only coach batteries showed a charging voltage the chassis battery did not.
I just now looked to see if there was 4 gauge or better cables connecting the two sets of batteries via this relay and there indeed was. I expect he is accurate saying with relay energized full power from coach batteries will be available to start engine. I may attempt to prove this to myself by disconnecting ground on chassis battery after energizing relay to see if start power is there like a weak chassis battery would be. Hope I worded that correctly.

[Pathfinder75]

If the relay is a grounded to activate it should energize with chassis battery disconnected or dead. If it is a relay requiring power to energize then a dead battery would not activate relay. Will need to check th is out.

[East2west]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder75

I don't want to disappoint you but I do not believe there is one. My 2012 319DSF Leprechaun does not have it. However there is a relay under steps with batteries that charges the Coach batteries when Chassis battery is being charged by engine alternator. While I would love a wiring diagram to see if I would want to add such a feature I just carry booster cables long enough to reach the chassis battery if that was ever needed. Since both are on the same negative ground in a pinch you could take both red and black cables when to short to double length to reach the two positive terminals for the jump.
Good Luck and enjoy.

Pathfinder75, I'm afraid I have to agree with you. We had a nice weekend camping up near Williamsburg VA, and I had plenty of time to check out the driver's seat and immediate area including dash, doors etc. Unless I'm supposed to shuck out the driver's seat from its seat cover and look there, I don't think we have this feature.

My husband is an engineer and has said multiple times that he would like to see at least a general arrangement drawing, and mechanical and electrical diagrams. So far we have just depending on good old poking around and asking questions.

Thanks again,

[jstenger]

Originally Posted by East2west

Pathfinder75, I'm afraid I have to agree with you. We had a nice weekend camping up near Williamsburg VA, and I had plenty of time to check out the driver's seat and immediate area including dash, doors etc. Unless I'm supposed to shuck out the driver's seat from its seat cover and look there, I don't think we have this feature.

My husband is an engineer and has said multiple times that he would like to see at least a general arrangement drawing, and mechanical and electrical diagrams. So far we have just depending on good old poking around and asking questions.

Thanks again,

You can easily add a switch, just make sure it is fused correctly. Run a power (+) wire from the coach battery side of the solenoid (relay), which should be under the step, next to the coach battery, to the dash, thru the switch, and then back to the solenoid. Tie it into the small wire coming from the ignition.

[2013leprechaun319dsf]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder75

I don't want to disappoint you but I do not believe there is one. My 2012 319DSF Leprechaun does not have it. However there is a relay under steps with batteries that charges the Coach batteries when Chassis battery is being charged by engine alternator. While I would love a wiring diagram to see if I would want to add such a feature I just carry booster cables long enough to reach the chassis battery if that was ever needed. Since both are on the same negative ground in a pinch you could take both red and black cables when to short to double length to reach the two positive terminals for the jump.
Good Luck and enjoy.

Pathfinder
I have same model as you and got wiring diagram from Ron Ross at Coachmen.


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[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by 2013leprechaun319dsf

Pathfinder
I have same model as you and got wiring diagram from Ron Ross at Coachmen.


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If it is digital, and chance you could upload it and share?