Ignition just clicking

[Wehren]

Have a 1999 Monaco Windsor. Worked just fine then now ignition just clicks. Had lights, now no lights. Any suggestions? Does anyone have a diagram of the fuse box under the driver's side? Boy, I could use some ideas. Jim

[railtrailers]

I do not know what chassis your motorhome is on. If it is a Ford, we had the starter energize relay mounted near the radiator go bad. It would click solidly, but not pass the juice. After perhaps a dozen cycles, it made contact and the engine (a 460) cranked right up. Once home, I replaced the failing relay and had no further trouble with it.

[Branson_N_Tucso]

Just for future reference, when you remove the top of fuse box, look on the inside usually tells you what the location of the fuses are for.

[old_guy]

once I had a car that just clicked. turns out the battery was OK but the wire going to the starter had so much corrosion under the insulation it stopped the flow of current to the starter. put a new cable on and every thing worked great after that

[wa8yxm]

Suspect list starts with the dead battery as someone said UP thread. See note below

Bad connection. On my Damon since they hooked 3 leads to the battery positive they used crimp on ring terminals instead of a proper battery terminal. the ring terminals are made of a different metal. Does not react much with copper but reacts like blazes to lead and acid.. Lead is less reactive to the acid so they had to be cleaned of rust and polished every couple years. Finally I visited a battery store and made an electrical "Edit" now the battery connection is a proper lead battery terminal and no more corrosion.

The battery ground.

THe famous "other" but odds on Other are ... low. very low..

The promised note:

My RV is a 2005. it has a B.i.R.D. (Bidirecitonal Isolater Relay Device) so if I'm plugged in .. as I am now. the Chassis battery is charged by the big PD-9180+wizard in the back of the rig.. (they put it a long. LONG way from the batteries) just as the house batteries are.. (and when going down the road the house is charged by the engine alternator.. ..Just like the chassis battery)

1999.. You might have had a one-way Isolator. Do not know

[atsrmf]

Mine are all new, a bad connection isn't the problem, but with many others it could be. It seems most batteries aren't made with quality and durability in mind. I should just buy Interstate and be done with it. At least I'll get free replacements which might last another year.

[gbopp]

Make sure your battery terminals are clean and tight.

[atsrmf]

Battery age doesn't matter. Both batteries in my motorhome are less than a year old and are junk.

[Dick_B]

When we started to leave our last campground ours wouldn't even click. Even the radio was dead and the door locks would not work. Hooked up the battery charger that I always carry, for about 20 minutes, and it started right up. Battery is about 2 years old.
Going into the dealer tomorrow.

[donn0128]

Wehren wrote:
voltage reads 12 V

12V is a DEAD battery.
Fully charged should read approx 13.5VDC
Take the battery out, connect it to a stand alone battery charger, charge for 24 hours, and take it to a battery store and have it load tested.

[ferndaleflyer]

I would try ground connection on battery, which would also contribute to a dead battery

[rgatijnet1]

You don't have a fuse problem if you hear clicking when you turn the ignition. The clicking means that you are just not getting enough current/amps to the starter to get it to operate. The headlights draw quite a bit of current as well which is why they are not working.
If the BOOST switch won't allow the starter to operate, start by checking ALL of your battery connections. You may also have had a single cell go bad, which will drag down the output current to the point where it will not power the starter. A bad cell will sometimes show up in a much lower voltage reading.
When using the BOOST switch remember you have to hold it down while you turn the ignition key.

[Wehren]

voltage reads 12 V

[Ivylog]

You should have a boost switch on the dash. What happens after holding it down for 30 seconds and then try starting? Your headlights make a good meter...what happens to them when you try and start? If they go out you have a battery/connection problem.

[ScottG]

Sounds like the battery is dead. Can you test the voltage?