I was in Utah on vacation when my V-10 gas motor in our 2012 Itasca motor home suffered a catastrophic failure with 19,000 miles on it. Ford replaced the motor under warranty with a long block engine assembly. I drove home to Northern California and put 1000 miles on the new motor. The Ford dealer in Utah did a great job and the motor is tight as a drum as it didn’t lose a drop of oil on the return home trip.However, as soon as I got home I find that I cannot start the engine with the chassis battery and have to use the dash mounted coach battery boost button to start it. 1. The chassis battery is fully charged at 12.7 volts2. The chassis battery rocker switch next to the entry door will not activate (no click or green LED light)I’d prefer to fix the problem myself as opposed to taking it to the dealer for repairs and would appreciate some help in troubleshooting the problem. Has anyone else experienced this problem?1. Are there dedicated chassis fuses that I should check?2. Could the transfer switch, operated by the chassis battery rocker switch, have failed?3. Is there any possibility that when the engine was replaced, the mechanics failed to properly attach wires to the starter?4. Are there any other troubleshooting tips that can be looked at?Many thanks

Need more info... Did you start it to leave the repair shop or was it running?If it was running, maybe a ground off the battery?Start at the battery and follow it to the boost switch. Then check the grounds... What does the charge gauge show when it is running..Put w voltmeter on the chassis battery while running and see if the alternator is charging the battery. Should be 13 or more volts...

I was plagued with a poor cranking engine which turned out to be a weak ground. The thing was the engine would crank albeit poorly but after I hooked up a dedicated ground cable from the starter to the frame the change in the starter was amazing!Steve

Is anything else not working such as your slides or jacks? Can you measure chassis battery voltage at the disconnect solenoid or to the frame rather than the battery terminal?

krivanj wrote:Need more info... Did you start it to leave the repair shop or was it running?If it was running, maybe a ground off the battery?Start at the battery and follow it to the boost switch. Then check the grounds... What does the charge gauge show when it is running..Put w voltmeter on the chassis battery while running and see if the alternator is charging the battery. Should be 13 or more volts...I left the shop in Utah and must have stopped and started the MH probably 40 times on my 1000 mile return trip to California...... without problems. Ironically it failed in my driveway as soon as I got home.Will check my grounds and also see if the alternator is charging the chassis battery.Yes, once I've started the motor with the boost from the house batteries, the slides and jack work just fine.

Bad battery cable connection and/or bad battery. Check both, starting with the cables. Are they clean? Are they tight? How old are the batteries? Dennis

Engine will not Start... Trouble shooting help requested

Geocritter
Explorer
Nov 08, 2015
I'm frugal by nature but nonetheless, whether it's my car or my RV I'll get at least a 750-850 cca (cold cranking amp) battery. I consider a large powerful battery to be cheap insurance. It's so nice to have that reserve power during critical times, such as when you're having other engine problems or accidentally left the headlights on.

Steve
Chum_lee
Explorer
Nov 06, 2015
Chassis batteries for MH's are kind of a universal fit in that there is usually a lot of room under the hood and most are top post. (class A gassers) Never buy a new battery with less CCA's (cold cranking amps) than the one you are replacing. If you buy an 84 month (warranty) battery, chances are you'll be fine even with some off brands. There is always a bad egg in every bunch though. I've found it's usually best to buy a national brand battery from a major national store. If they do fail under warranty, you wont have far to go for replacement and you still have your house batteries as a back up.

Chum lee
wolfe10
Explorer
Nov 06, 2015
Biggest battery that will fit in the space you have! Measure the space and see what will fit.
Racorman
Explorer
Nov 06, 2015
Thanks guys......

I pulled the chassis battery out and installed my Jeep battery and the MH started up right away. I removed the Jeep battery.

I cleaned up the terminals and posts of the old chassis battery and installed it. They actually looked good, but apparently, that was the problem. All works fine and alternator is charging chassis and house battery at 14.4 volts

My chassis battery is almost 5 years old and I should think about replacement. Any thoughts on replacement battery size and brand?
wildmanbaker
Explorer
Nov 06, 2015
If it is starring with the boost switch, then the starting circuit is in tack and working normally. As others have said, start at the battery, check voltage on the battery posts, then posts to cables, then cables to the battery control box under the hood on the bulkhead. BE VERY CAREFUL AS THE BOX CONTAINS THE BATTERY VOLTAGE FROM BOTH CHASSIS AND HOUSE BATTERIES. A short to the box will very likely cause whatever causes the short, to explode. There are relays in the box and may be some near it for the chassis battery.
Good luck and let us know what you find.
Farmerjon
Explorer
Nov 06, 2015
Check and clean battery posts and connectors and have battery tested or test with a known good one. actually you have done the test with a known good battery when you jumped it with the coach battery.If it is the original battery that's about due for replacement because of how MHs are typically used.
good luck
rockhillmanor
Explorer
Nov 06, 2015
Is it turning over or just won't start?

The V-10 has about 4 solenoids.

One is attached to the starter as an assembly and the other ones are placed all over the place under the hood. :R

I just had an RV mobile guy out and he checked each solenoid as I sat inside turning the key.

Mine turned out to be the solenoid mounted on the inside of the right fender.

VERY common problem with the V-10's.
midnightsadie
Explorer II
Nov 06, 2015
this sounds like a dying battery easy thing to do .pull one out of your car and try it.
rcmiller32
Explorer
Nov 06, 2015
Pull the batteries and have them tested. You can have 12 volts but no amperage on a bad battery.
Tinstar
Explorer
Nov 06, 2015
I had 13.6 volts in my battery and it wouldn't crank the engine. Turned out the battery plates had shorted.