Forum Discussion

samven1's avatar
samven1
Explorer
Nov 18, 2015

Chassis battery drain

I noticed a strange problem with my 2015 Four Winds 22E on a Chevy 3500 chassis and am wondering if anyone else has noticed it. I was winterizing the RV and just finished charging the battery. I had put the key in the ignition and turned it to acc to get the mileage and check the fuel level. I hit the lock button for the doors and turned the key off. I went back to the coach and checked that everything was off and the coach battery was disconnected and shut the door. Before putting the hood down I checked the chassis battery with a volt meter one last time and it reads 12.5v. I thought that cant be right, I just took the battery charger off 20 min ago. I must have left the dome light on, so I go back in and the dome light is off but the dash lights are on. I checked all the switches and everything was off but the dash lights stayed on. I figured they must be on a timer and so I waited, 10 min, 20 min, 30 min still on and the battery voltage was down to 12.35. I could not figure out why they would not go off so I opened the driver side door to get out and boom out they went. The dome light timed out and the battery started to recover. I put the key back in the ignition and turned it to acc and back off and the dash lights stayed on until I opened the driver side door. This would not be a problem in any other vehicle but since I do often leave the drivers seat and go out through the coach if I was parked for any length of time I could kill the chassis battery. It is also very hard to see in the daytime because its only the glowing needles and the backlight for the button lettering. So if you are putting your RV to bed for a while you might want to check that all the lights really do go out.
Class C
  • tenbear's avatar
    tenbear
    Explorer
    Nov 24, 2015
    I just checked my rig, 2004 Chevy chassis, and the dash lights go out as soon as I pull out the key.
  • samven1's avatar
    samven1
    Explorer
    Nov 24, 2015
    The first thing I do is take the key out and put it in my pocket. I have locked myself out of the car a few times because my attention was distracted and I either left the key in the ignition or on the seat next to me.
    I hope that I do have the protection circuit but mine did not shut off the needle lights and the lighted buttons for 30 min which was when I opened the driver side door. Maybe if I had left it longer they would have gone out.
  • BruceMc's avatar
    BruceMc
    Explorer III
    Nov 23, 2015
    GM typically has a power management circuit that ensures the battery will not be depleted. Both my 2004 Malibu Maxx and 2012 GMC Canyon has this feature - it has saved me on more than one occasion.

    I tested this a couple of times on the Sunseeker yesterday; it seems to turn off the dash back-light without fail. I'll continue to play with it over time to ensure it works without getting out of the drivers door.

    One thing to check: Do you leave the keys in the ignition? I tend to pull the key out about a quarter inch, which disconnects the "Key in ignition" chime. It may be that if the key is left in the ign, the PMU might not do anything.
  • BruceMc's avatar
    BruceMc
    Explorer III
    Nov 18, 2015
    I wondered if this was an issue for GM chassis.
    I'd heard the later fords would run the chassis battery down unless the drivers door was opened/closed when killing it. I hadn't heard of GM doing, but now that we have a new 2016 on a 2015 chassis, we'll be very aware of this issue.

    We didn't have any problems with the 2000 Four Winds on the '99 chassis, but the in-cab electronics were a whole lot simpler then.
  • samven1's avatar
    samven1
    Explorer
    Nov 18, 2015
    Thanks guys, its good to know this is a feature and not a problem. I figured that most of the chassis uses would make it impossible to get out without opening the door. I am just glad I caught it before I put it to bed for the winter.
  • Snowman9000's avatar
    Snowman9000
    Explorer
    Nov 18, 2015
    Very weird. Well, good tip! We have a Chevy C and sometimes exit through the coach door after stopping. I'll keep my eye on it now.
  • IAMICHABOD's avatar
    IAMICHABOD
    Explorer II
    Nov 18, 2015
    I also had the same problem on my Chevy Based class C.

    Open the drivers door and the dome light would not come on or when turning ignition off and exiting the radio would stay on,I also sometimes exit thru the coach and the radio would time out in 10 Min. This would not happen at times.

    Most cars and trucks have a little plunger type switch in the door or the door frame that performs that function.

    After some research I found that Chevy had put that function in the door latch itself. If the door latch doesn't fully close or open that switch will leave the power on. It is not a lot of movement.

    I fixed it by cleaning the latch with contact cleaner and a light lube. You can use your finger to open and close the latch and see what I mean.

    Another hint,if you want to see the mileage with out turning on the key just push that little button that switches the odometer from mileage to trip and the odometer will light up so you can see it.

    Hopefully that will help,mine is 10 years older but knowing Chevy they sometimes don't change a lot of little things.
  • Sam_Spade's avatar
    Sam_Spade
    Explorer
    Nov 18, 2015
    samven1 wrote:
    So if you are putting your RV to bed for a while you might want to check that all the lights really do go out.


    This is a good heads up.
    Mine do that but I've never checked to see how long the timeout is; I just ASSumed that there was one. I always open the door to solve the problem.

    It is not a fluke, just a feature left over from the most common use of the chassis.
  • old_guy's avatar
    old_guy
    Explorer
    Nov 18, 2015
    very different. I would call the manufactures and ask if this is something they built into the unit or a fluck

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