Battery charge question

Maggiewaggie · 11-02-2015, 02:59 PM

Please help. I have a 2011 Sunseeker on a Ford Chassis. Do the cabin batteries charge from the engine battery when it is running? The book says "no" but my RV mechanic says "yes."

Jim Schings · 11-02-2015, 03:42 PM

You SURE the book says "no"? I find that hard to believe. Measure your cabin battery voltage with the engine running and not. Not running it will be under 13V (12.7 or so). When running it will be well over 13V. If that is the case it IS being charged from the engine/alternator.

Maggiewaggie · 11-02-2015, 06:45 PM

Ok, will do that. (Well, will have a friend do it) I'm the typical gal who was married to a guy who did it all and didn't want help. Lost him to cancer but not ready to quit roaming.
Thanks so much for your help.

ATVer · 11-02-2015, 07:19 PM

You can use your installed battery charge monitor to tell if the engine system is charging the coach battery as it should. Assuming the coach battery is not fully charged you will see less than 4 lights on the monitor. Start the engine, wait a couple minutes for the charging system to close into the coach battery then check the monitor. With the engine running you should see full charge indicated or 4 lights. 4 lights doesn't mean the battery is already fully charged just that the engine alternator is charging the battery. If you don't see 4 lights then there is something wrong with the charge control circuit.

RamblerGuy · 11-02-2015, 09:55 PM

We have a 2011 Sunseeker and the chassis system charges the coach batteries. If you don’t get four lights as ATVer stated the battery control center is not working properly.

If the coach batteries are fully charged or if the coach is on shore power, you'll have four lights whether the chassis engine is running or not. You'll need to disconnect shore power and use some 12 volt power for a while until you have three lights to test as ATVer suggested.

PS The battery control center works both ways. If you are on shore power, the BCC connects the coach and chassis systems so it keeps the chassis battery charged.

PPS If you look on the left side of the driver's seat, you'll find a switch with a battery symbol on it. If the chassis battery is dead, press that switch to use the coach batteries to start the engine. The battery disconnect switch at the stepwell may have to be on for this to work.

funfinder5 · 11-03-2015, 12:56 PM

For others new to this reading it later realize that the charge is a slow change as the voltage is being regulated by your engine alternator which is reading your fully charged chassis (engine) battery.

It's more of a maintenance charge to keep your house batteries from draining from whatever loads they have on them (lights, water pump, fridge) while you are driving.

Delco Bobby · 11-05-2015, 01:22 PM

While testing my TV setup last night my coach battery dies after less than ten minutes. I had the Sunseeker 2013 2050 plugged into shore power for three days straight then most of the next day it was not plugged in. On that day I drove about 20 minutes or so and then parked for shopping. After that I turned on the TV and the light above the dinette.

So now I suspect my battery is not well as this is not the first time the battery seemed to not have a good charge in the ten weeks that I have owned this guy. I believe it was sitting on the dealer's lot for quite awhile before I bought it. Overall I have negative feelings about the dealer's $110 an hour service so I hesitate to get them involved.

In reading the Forest River Owner's Manual it seems that the battery should be charged and maintained by the FR installed devices. BTW, in my opinion the FR manual is excellent.

I will shortly go out and check the voltage with the engine running and not running as mentioned above.

I have some disabilities so I can't get on the floor to take a close look at the fuse box and other gizmo under the bed of my RV.

What can I do to check the charging circuits are working properly?

Thank you,

Bobby

Jim Schings · 11-05-2015, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delco Bobby

I will shortly go out and check the voltage with the engine running and not running as mentioned above.

Bobby, if you use my (Jim Schings) or ATVers suggestions above, you will see if the coach batteries are charging or not. That is the first step. It is possible that if the battery sat discharged on the lot for a long time it has sulfated too much to recover. The symptoms are that the batteries indicate charged, but their life will be very short...

Delco Bobby · 11-05-2015, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Schings

Bobby, if you use my (Jim Schings) or ATVers suggestions above, you will see if the coach batteries are charging or not. That is the first step. It is possible that if the battery sat discharged on the lot for a long time it has sulfated too much to recover. The symptoms are that the batteries indicate charged, but their life will be very short...

I have a Save-A-Watt which I plug into a normal AC outlet in my house. It shows volts, amps, etc.

Is it possible for me to plug an inverter into a DC outlet other than the dash one and then plug the Sav-A-Lot into the into the inverter? Will the inverter interfere with the voltage readings?

Other than that all I can think of is to open up the battery compartment and take a reading directly off of the terminals.

Guidance will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Bobby

Jim Schings · 11-06-2015, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delco Bobby

Is it possible for me to plug an inverter into a DC outlet other than the dash one and then plug the Sav-A-Lot into the into the inverter? Will the inverter interfere with the voltage readings?

Other than that all I can think of is to open up the battery compartment and take a reading directly off of the terminals.

No. Too many variables. I would just measure the voltage on the batteries in both conditions....

Delco Bobby · 11-06-2015, 04:51 PM

Yeah, that is what I was thinking but you said it better.

My leaking propane tank is in the compartment next to the entry door and the battery compartment. I think I will wait to run the test until after the propane tank is replaced later this month. I don't want to take a chance on an errant spark lighting up my day.

It takes my dealer way too long to do any work under his warranty. The tanks were supposedly ordered on October 20th. So it will be a month that they are letting me run around with a propane leak plus another month of failing find the cause of the leak and just throwing parts at it.

trdutch · 11-07-2015, 09:24 AM

My '14 charges from the engine alternator
I know this because
A) it was explained to me by a tech who also confirmed that it is a maintenance charge not a quick charge
B) when I was having issues that turned out to be bad battery's The only way I could get DC items (like the slides to opperate) was to start the coach and the dead batteries took enough charge to bring in the slides and then they were dead again
(You can't bring in slides with the engine running)
As has been discussed on other threads this summer,I think you need new batteries or they need water
Batteries are good for 2-3years unless you get virgin lead core
Most new battery's have recycled lead and they ain't what they used to be

Garrette · 11-08-2015, 09:16 PM

Check the breaker for the charger/converter. Mine did the same on first outing. Push breaker all the way down and than back up. If unsure, do all of them.

Sent from my iPad using Forest River Forums

MNtraveler · 11-08-2015, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RamblerGuy

PPS If you look on the left side of the driver's seat, you'll find a switch with a battery symbol on it. If the chassis battery is dead, press that switch to use the coach batteries to start the engine. The battery disconnect switch at the stepwell may have to be on for this to work.

Just to point out, some units have that and some don't. I don't yet know the rhyme or reason of it. Our MBS 2401R does not have it though it is listed in the MB chassis manual. But a lot of stuff is listed in the manual that is obviously optional and just isn't there in the MH model (e.g., rear heater, rear defroster, overhead air vents, etc.).

RamblerGuy · 11-08-2015, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNtraveler

Just to point out, some units have that and some don't. I don't yet know the rhyme or reason of it. Our MBS 2401R does not have it though it is listed in the MB chassis manual. But a lot of stuff is listed in the manual that is obviously optional and just isn't there in the MH model (e.g., rear heater, rear defroster, overhead air vents, etc.).

The original poster stated she has a 2011 Sunseeker on a Ford chassis, which we also have. The battery booster switch is on all of them. In 2011 FR was not selling Sunseekers on the MB chassis. I believe Brian Clemens, a FR representative who participated in this forum, addressed the issue of no battery booster switches on MB's, and stated that MB didn't want them to connect anything to their electrical system. That is probably a good idea in general. An inept shop could really do damage to modern automotive electronics.

MNtraveler · 11-08-2015, 10:44 PM

Thanks for the explanation. I still need to run some tests to see if the two battery circuits are in fact still connected for charging purposes either way or both.

Delco Bobby · 11-09-2015, 05:16 PM

I had my RV plugged into shore power for 3 days. Then I took a 15 minute drive to the park. When I pushed the battery check button only one light lit up.

About 30 seconds after starting the engine the one light I had on got brighter and sll the battery status lights were glowing.

I am assuming my battery needs replacement.

Bobby

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delco Bobby

Yeah, that is what I was thinking but you said it better.

My leaking propane tank is in the compartment next to the entry door and the battery compartment. I think I will wait to run the test until after the propane tank is replaced later this month. I don't want to take a chance on an errant spark lighting up my day.

It takes my dealer way too long to do any work under his warranty. The tanks were supposedly ordered on October 20th. So it will be a month that they are letting me run around with a propane leak plus another month of failing find the cause of the leak and just throwing parts at it.

Delco Bobby · 11-10-2015, 09:47 PM

Correction of the typo in my last post to this thread...

ALL of the battery check lights were glowing after the engine was running.

RvBill3 · 11-12-2015, 06:21 AM

The fact that all the lights on the battery level meter were on means very little. When a battery is charging, all lights will be on. But also, shortly after a battery has been charged for any length of time, the level meter will show all lights on. This is because of a "surface charge" on the battery and is not a true indication of its status. Check the battery meter before charging (turning on engine, generator, or connecting shore power). If it is low, it will take hours--not minutes--to reach a full charge. Of course, a volt meter on the battery can give a better indication of what is going on.

2012 Forest River Sunseeker 2300 Chevy

Delco Bobby · 11-22-2015, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RvBill3

The fact that all the lights on the battery level meter were on means very little. When a battery is charging, all lights will be on. But also, shortly after a battery has been charged for any length of time, the level meter will show all lights on. This is because of a "surface charge" on the battery and is not a true indication of its status. Check the battery meter before charging (turning on engine, generator, or connecting shore power). If it is low, it will take hours--not minutes--to reach a full charge. Of course, a volt meter on the battery can give a better indication of what is going on.

2012 Forest River Sunseeker 2300 Chevy

Dealer checked my battery and says it is fine. I took the RV in to get other work done and mentioned that the battery seemed bad to me.

Their computer system was down and they could not give me a RO. Received one by email later that day. Saw they wanted $55 to test the battery and I replied to forget it as I can get it done for free elsewhere. About 4 or 5 days later they called and said my RV was ready. They didn't see my email because of their computer system being down so they had it on the bill along with some other stuff that was much more expensive than estimated. I paid it and left but gave the service writer a lecture; but it was probably not his fault. First week in that position. Some the people there are rather snarky, this kid isn't.

I still don't think my battery is right but they had a chance to well me a new one.

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