ScottBrownstein wrote:
We are being a little fast and free with terminology here. On most rigs, the battery disconnects are not solenoids, they are solenoid activated physical switches the only use power to close and open, but remain in whatever state when power is removed. The solenoid switch in the BCC is a powered solenoid that must remain powered to stay closed. I too have lost power while driving and saved the day by using my BCC boost switch to re-power the chassis. The problem was a cracked battery lug on the chassis battery that decided to stop conducting at 55 MPH on route 95! Didn't generate an immense problem, but the dash went dead as well. Pushing the Boost switch (and holding it) re-powered the rig and all was well. In fact, I eventually started the generator which powered the converter and fired the BCC solenoid for me so that I could take my finger off the switch and drive for the rest of the day until I could make repairs.
The BCC solenoid CANNOT cause loss of power in any way! A bad disconnect switch (or cable, or battery lug) can!
I can only pass on what the service tech and engineers at Thor told me, as well as service technicians at two different RV shops.
They all said the chassis power was disconnected due to a faulty solenoid. There was no cracked battery lug when my unit failed. There was, however, a total and complete loss of power.
As I wrote earlier, Thor replaced my BCC and wired in a manual disconnect that I can use to disconnect the chassis power for storage. It works great.
I am thankful that my reporting the failure to the NHTSC finally lead to a recall of the defective units. Hopefully no one will get killed when their RV stops running while going down the road. PLEASE take in your RV for repairs as soon as possible!
