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Help / Stranded / RV will not start /Road Service is no help

GlennLever
Explorer
Explorer
Help

We pulled into the RV park here last night.

Connected to shore, had heavy rain.

Disconnected this morning and went to leave and the engine will not crank

Turn the key, dash lights up, gauges read.

Battery condition indicators say they are good and they were new last year.

Generator cranks.

Road service has been her for three hours, cannot find the problem

If power is supplied to the starter solenoid engine cranks and fires right up.

Ideas?
61 REPLIES 61

Tinstar
Explorer
Explorer
Exact problem I had about 2 1/2 months ago ANd it was the "other" relay that caused my problem. I had 12 volts from of the ignition but "0" at the starter. After a couple of days crawling around, I found an unlabeled relay. Put a known good on in it's place and my problems were over. That relay was in a bay near the back of the coach where my fuel filters were. It was hanging by wires on the back wall of a bay. Wiring went from ignition, to this relay to the starter. I was about to wire a remote switch on mine too and there's nothing wrong with doing that until you can trace it down.
:CNever pass up a chance to go somewhere:C

FIRE_UP
Explorer
Explorer
Skylark wrote:
Glenn, I have a Gillig chassis. Do you have remote start in rear engine compartment? Check and see if the remote is switched to the rear start, if so, can not be started from the front.


Skylark,
In his original post, he stated his rig was running and starting fine. He camped for a night and, the next time he went to start it, it was in the morning and, a no-start condition existed. What you're suggesting would mean that he would have had to trip that remote start switch during the night, if in fact, he has one. Many times, problems like his have a simple answer, a blown fuse that no one knows about, a wire that fell off or, became disconnected some how.

But, it can also have a more complicated answer too. A relay that's not tripping and making contact when it should. Who knows? This will he interesting to find out what his problem came out to be.


Glen,
Yeah, we're reading and seeing about your epic snow storm. Man, that's a lot of white stuff. When you find out your problem, please be sure and paste it on here so that all of us can learn something. Good luck.
Scott
Scott and Karla
SDFD RETIRED
2004 Itasca Horizon, 36GD Slate Blue 330 CAT
2011 GMC Sierra 1500 Ext Cab 4x4 Toad
2008 Caliente Red LVL II GL 1800 Goldwing
KI60ND

Skylark
Explorer
Explorer
Glenn, I have a Gillig chassis. Do you have remote start in rear engine compartment? Check and see if the remote is switched to the rear start, if so, can not be started from the front.

GlennLever
Explorer
Explorer
Very nice job on the clean up.

I have the wiring diagram, there is a secondary solenoid, I just cannot find it.

I now have a work around with a remote starter switch which is a pain to use (turn the dash key to on jump out walk to the back and turn the remote start key) and we are off.

The search may have to wait now until spring as I am sure you have heard of the epic winter storm I am heading into to return home (Rochester, NY 60 miles from Buffalo ,NY)

Thanks for the pictures.

FIRE_UP
Explorer
Explorer
Glen,

I certainly don't mean to sound sarcastic but, it took four pages for someone to ask you what kind of coach, engine, chassis, and more. Many of the remedies that were suggested only apply to rigs with gas engines. Some applied to diesels. Now that you've stated your type of engine etc. Along with this post, I'm sending along a couple of pictures of the starting system on our coach. It's an '04 Itasca Horizon, 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT.

Now, in those pics, you'll see the starting system relay and, remote mount solenoid. There's also a 100 amp fuse and, a secondary relay. All of which play a part in starting this beast. Now, here's a point. I have no idea if your DIESEL rig has anywhere near, the same type of system or not. If so, you'll need to find it and check it out. If not, well you can disregard this entire post.

But, our rig is 10 years old and, you'll see the kind of condition I found that starting system in, by accident when I was doing some other maintenance and repairs. So, while I had good access to it, I rebuilt it. But, your rig MAY have something very similar. Good luck.
Scott






Scott and Karla
SDFD RETIRED
2004 Itasca Horizon, 36GD Slate Blue 330 CAT
2011 GMC Sierra 1500 Ext Cab 4x4 Toad
2008 Caliente Red LVL II GL 1800 Goldwing
KI60ND

GlennLever
Explorer
Explorer
I have checked all the fuses and circuit breakers I can find. I'm almost sure the problem is a bad secondary solenoid or the 200 amp fuse I cannot find, and that task may wait till spring.

Once I am back home and have access to my tools I will fix this myself no service centers.

We were winterized at CW in Fayetteville. If I had not been there watching they would not have run the washer machine to get antifreeze into the pump. Good thing about the "deluxe" winterized by CW is anything freezes they fix it for free, or so I'm told.

xctraveler
Explorer
Explorer
Glenn,

Good luck on Rochester, we are from there but not in winter anymore. The snow is in Buffalo so none in Rochester.

Had a friend with an older coach on Spartan Chassis with Cummins engine and he had to run around back and short a solenoid every time he wanted to start it. Had a screwdriver he kept handy just for that. Sounds like you have replaced the screwdriver with a switch.

Hope you can find a decent mechanic to trace it out and repair it for. I have used Tracey Road Equipment in Henrietta for routine Freightliner service.
Paul
2012 Phaeton 36QSH on Freightliner Chassis with a Cummins 380 pushing it. 2011 Cherry Red Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with US Gear Unified Tow Brake System. Check out my blog
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jwmII
Explorer
Explorer
Check your 12 volt fuses. Sounds like a blown or dirty fuse on solenoid or relay power. Typically in the era of your coach these were inline fuses frequently in a 12ga line coming off of a + post on one of the chassis batteries. If they were in line to close to the top of the battery they would get slobbered up from battery out gassing and the connection would be so poor conductivity was lost. Seldom was the fuse blown. Anyhow this completely shut down the drivers ability to start the coach but it could be gotten around by a jumper just as you have described. Many coach builders will place a gang of wires on + and - terminals as a convenient place to pickup power. Check it out. Good Luck.
jwmII

GlennLever
Explorer
Explorer
gatorcq wrote:
I wish I knew what chassis and engine you had. as each Mfg has something different. And I thought I read every thread.


Chassis is a Gillig, engine is the 325 cummins engine that is used I n fire trucks and marine applications (an upgrade at the time of purchase.

rgatijnet1
Explorer III
Explorer III
I know nothing about your vehicle but I do know that some vehicles use the same part number/identical solenoid for many different functions. The solenoid is just a switch and how it is wired determines what it controls.
In any case, if you have a couple of the SAME IDENTICAL solenoids on your coach you may try switching their positions to see if your symptoms change. If each of your solenoids have different part numbers, then forget this advice.

GlennLever
Explorer
Explorer
ferndaleflyer wrote:
You sure you are going to Rochester? Looks like they got a bunch of snow up that way this morning......


Heading that way, currently sitting in a CW waiting to be winterized, I had planned on doing that when I got home.

ferndaleflyer
Explorer III
Explorer III
You sure you are going to Rochester? Looks like they got a bunch of snow up that way this morning......

just_me
Explorer
Explorer
Could be a FUSIBLE link in the start system. By going to the solenoid and jumping it there your by-passing the key. Good luck on finding your problem. Electrical can be a ---ch.
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Bikeboy57
Explorer
Explorer
Glenn,

I am not trying to be a smart aleck. You said you have 12v at the ignition switch. You seem to be a savvy guy. Did you mean you have 12V when the key is turned to start? Because the ignition key has at least two positions, maybe three if there is accessory. All three will have 12V, but the one you want to confirm is the start circuit from the key.

If that's what you meant, then I apologize for the comment.

You said the relays in the back click when the switch is on, and that you have 12v on the hot wire into the relays.

I had this problem once with a relay in the start circuit. The relay was part of the antitheft system. The relay would click, and it was getting voltage, so I assumed it was good. It was only after I triggered the relay, and ohmed the contacts that I discovered the relay was closing but the contacts had very high resistance. Enough resistance to keep the circuit from making. I would check the resistance on the contacts for all the relays in the circuit. And it took me three weeks to sort it out to this point.
Richard and Rhonda
1999 Newell
Subaru Outback toad

gatorcq
Explorer
Explorer
I wish I knew what chassis and engine you had. as each Mfg has something different. And I thought I read every thread.
Dale & Susan
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