No 12vdc in a 2022 252RBLE

[Grandpa Ken]

I hope this information will help someone.

We got home and found that the solar charging controller was showing a 601 code, meaning that the battery was disconnected or below 6 volts. My volt meter confirmed that the battery was at 12.88 volts. The 12 volt disconnect switch was working correctly and was passing 12 volts. When I tested the 12vdc input on the fuse panel there was 0 volts. I pulled the lower paneling from the frame where the battery cables entered the lower compartment and found that the nuts securing the wires to the circuit breakers had fallen off. The attached picture (looking up from below) shows the condition I found the connections. Six of the eight nuts connecting the wires were off. I don't think the nuts were properly tightened at the factory. They must have been getting loose and finally fell off. I reconnected the wires and used nylon locking nuts to help prevent this from happening again in the future.

Check your nuts!

[BarabooBob]

Now that is some poor quality control. At least the loose connections didn't get hot and burn your rig into the pavement.

[Aussieguy]

what happens when the Nylock gets hot and melts?

Better off with a good lock washer ...

[Jayhawker]

Originally Posted by Aussieguy

what happens when the Nylock gets hot and melts?

Better off with a good lock washer ...

Use both, a washer and a nylock nut.

[Capacitor]

Nylon is an insulator, use lock washers.

[Aussieguy]

best would be those serrated flange nuts .....the bigger surface area can push down more making a secure contact with battery flat surface

steel nuts/studs (stainless or plated) are not good conductors
you can use a multimeter to confirm ...

if you want best performance make sure battery has good FLAT contact surface
and it is clean, Cable lugs need to be FLAT too
don't rely on battery nut to flatten a heavy lug... you might strip the battery connection

surface area + nice and tight .......... is the important stuff for large connections
restrain you battery cables from moving sideways if they continually get loose

and/or
if a connection gets hot it will expand and contract, which can loosen over time
fix the reason why it is getting hot .... good connection should maybe get a little warm IF you drawing a heavy load from a inverter etc

[Grandpa Ken]

I reinstalled the original nuts with the washer. I used the nylock nuts as a second 'back-up' nut to keep it tight. The tight connection should not get hot enough to melt the nylon. If it gets that hot there will be other issues. Yes, the nylon is an insulator, but it is not in contact between the wire lug and the stud and doesn't insulate the connection.
I've been in the electrical business for over 50 years so I feel confident that this fix is not going to be a future issue.
Thanks for your replies.

[Bob K4TAX]

Originally Posted by Grandpa Ken

I reinstalled the original nuts with the washer. I used the nylock nuts as a second 'back-up' nut to keep it tight. The tight connection should not get hot enough to melt the nylon. If it gets that hot there will be other issues. Yes, the nylon is an insulator, but it is not in contact between the wire lug and the stud and doesn't insulate the connection.
I've been in the electrical business for over 50 years so I feel confident that this fix is not going to be a future issue.
Thanks for your replies.

I use internal tooth lock washers for these applications. While in others where the lug makes contact with a flat surface such as the ground connection to the frame, an external tooth lock washer works best. Split washers are used for for mechanical items.

At least your 50 years of electrical experience paid off. EVERYONE should have a VOM or DVM in their toolbox and know how to use it.

Bob

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Bob K4TAX

I use internal tooth lock washers for these applications. While in others where the lug makes contact with a flat surface such as the ground connection to the frame, an external tooth lock washer works best. Split washers are used for for mechanical items.

At least your 50 years of electrical experience paid off. EVERYONE should have a VOM or DVM in their toolbox and know how to use it.

Bob

X2

I am also in the external lock washer camp, especially for lug-to-frame/case style ground connections. They've been shown to be gas-tight and superior to other methods. Every electric motor with the gray lacquer case you ever see will have this style connection. The teeth cut right through the lacquer.