2002 Sahara Safari 40' no start or dash lights

mcgyverdc wrote:
yes understand the 2 different banks of batteries....starter batteries show 12.8v at the terminals....
I've been looking for the location of the "master" switch....and can't find it.....

Details are important.
Your responses don't exactly match some of the questions asked.

IF....the cable clamps are not making good connection, you can measure 12+ volts on the battery terminals but nothing on the actual cable ends that are attached to the posts.

So you need to measure the voltage on the cables, with the ignition switch turned ON.

Next test: Do the headlights and parking lights work?
If not, then you definitely have a battery, cable or main fuse link problem. If they DO work, then it's back to the ignition switch or fuse probably.

And I don't think anybody mentioned a "master battery switch".
I don't know what that is, in relation to the starting batteries for the engine.
There might be an emergency battery switch.....but there might not too.

I really think that your next move, in addition to the suggestions above, should be to try to jump it to another known good battery.

One more time... do the headlights work?
The switch by the door (salesman switch) is for the house batteries only... not your engine/dash/headlight batteries.
On your dash you should have a boost switch. What happens when you hold it down and try and start?
Do you have 12V in the left front compartment?


PS: Welcome to the forums and the more info you give us the faster we can help.

mcgyverdc wrote:
Everything worked perfectly, then went to start and nothing comes on when i turn the key...driving me nuts! Must be a master fuse or something

If it's intermittant, it's probably not a fuse. If the battery itself is showing voltage, it's not the battery itself...

I had a car that acted kind of that way once. I'd turn the key a little, things would light up, turn it further to start the engine, and everything would go dead. I'd go look under the hood, nothing looked weird, shut the hood....and it would work again. Turns out that the battery connections were bad and shutting the hood jiggled it back into working order. I had to clean/scrub the battery posts and cables and put them back on nice and tight.

Unless I'm misunderstanding your symptoms, it sounds like this could be the issue.

Everything worked perfectly, then went to start and nothing comes on when i turn the key...driving me nuts! Must be a master fuse or something

mcgyverdc wrote:
Thanks, yes started yesterday....no problem. Engine is a 350 Diesel Cummins

Would there be a fuse or something coming from the starter battery?

Did the dash lights work when it started this time? Or do they not work even when it starts?

some people refer to the battery disconnect AKA RV storage switch
as
the salesman switch

Salesman switch????? never heard of that...

There usually is a manual chassis battery disconnect switch in a bay near the chassis batteries. It could also be a different switch. It isn't the small switch that disconnects the house batteries. My coach has two one by the door for the house batteries and one in the bay for the chassis batteries.

Most likely It is the starter solenoid. Try this push and hold the "AUX BATT" switch to join the battery's together. You should get power to the dash and it should start.
Bill

Do your headlights work?