BT Cruiser Emergency start switch

When the engine battery is low or empty, you push the emergency button and then turn the ignition key to start the engine.

navegator

What navegator said with the addition of "from the house batteries."

And you have to actually HOLD the button down while using it.

thanks so much for info

The emergency start switch is often used to start the generator. The coach battery(s) can get run down and you may want to use 120 volts for something. Either way, the switch connects the 2 banks of batteries.

The engine alternator would charge the coach batteries faster, but it would burn more gas and be noisier.

Gene in NE wrote:
The emergency start switch is often used to start the generator. The coach battery(s) can get run down and you may want to use 120 volts for something. Either way, the switch connects the 2 banks of batteries.

The engine alternator would charge the coach batteries faster, but it would burn more gas and be noisier.

On my motorhome, the emergency start switch isn't very helpful for starting the generator unless one has a helper or somewhere around a fifteen foot armspan. What does work when alone is to start the main engine (which also activates the coupling relay) and then walking back to start the generator. Even better, of course, is to avoid letting the house battery get so low that the generator cannot be started.

And if the interconnect solenoid should ever not work so you can't hook both battery systems together for a built-in generator or main engine start, we always carry along a small portable generator that can charge either battery system. ;)

Do you have a built-in generator? If so, it would seem wasteful of both space and weight to carry a second generator. I carry a lot of spares, but not that. Since I am almost always towing, and with friends when not, in that kind of emergency, I would pull a car alongside the MH and use jumper cables.

My chassis engine starts from the chassis battery, my generator starts from the house battery. Both failing at the same time would be, odd, and both battery banks can easily be reached by the cables.

I'm concerned with the interconnect solenoid failing when we're drycamping with no other vehicles around to jumper. The likelihood of this solenoid failing is far greater than both the coach battery system and the engine battery system failing at the same time.

- We do have a built-in 4KW Onan generator.
- We don't have solar.
- We - and other RV'ers - have experienced failures of this solenoid.
- We don't tow.
- We prefer maximum non-tow self-sufficiency ... and thus not having to rely on others being around/available for help ... any more than absolutely necessary when on RV trips.
- We have the space to easily bring along our little Honda EX650 suitcase generator, as we also need it for anytime/anyweather drycamp battery charging.
- We do carry along a spare interconnect solenoid, but firing up the EX650 would be far easier and quicker than installing another solenoid should the coach battery system or engine battery system fail unexpectedly when drycamping.

Bring a set of jumper cables that could reach from your house batteries to your chassis battery in the event that the solenoid fails. You could also carry a quality battery jump-starter as a backup.

I have another question. This rv has a master switch by the entrance door to the house part, Do I turn this switch off only when I put in storage or do I use this switch more frequently? Normally I leave the coach plugged in when I'm parked at home, does the master switch need to be in on position when plugged to shore power?