No power from new batteries

[Matt_NY]

Hi,
(newbie alert)
We just purchased a 2000 Rexhall Vision (Class A). The batteries were shot, so I bought new ones (Autocraft Marine/RV Group size 24M). Now I have no power at all unless I am plugged in to my household power. I have checked all the breakers (none are tripped or off). What else can I check?

Thanks,
Matt-NY

[fischer]

When I google the battery it shows that it is a 12 v starting battery . the coach battery should be the only starting battery

[adondo]

My little trick when changing batteries is to use colored Tyraps. (Tie-wraps, whatever) Sometimes we get into large battery backup systems, so the same idea works.

On a motorhome, attach black Tyraps to every negative terminal leaving the batteries. (ignore 6 volt battery jumpers) Use red Tyraps for all chassis positives, and yellow for house positives.

The marked black are all frame-ground common, so it matters little how they go back. The red and yellow wires/cables need to just go back to the proper battery set.

As for 6 volt batteries, (i.e. golf cart) just count the caps. Each cap (cell) is about 2 volts. A 12 volt battery has six caps, a 6 volt battery has three caps. You need SIX fill caps for ALL motorhome house battery sets. The jumpers are to go from positive to negative on a pair of 6 volt batteries, and that's why I said to mark with Tyraps the cables that leave the set to head to whatever. If you have four golf carts, then you need TWO sets of six cells/caps.

[BarbaraOK]

And take a picture of your battery bay - including close ups of what is connected where. Never, ever remove batteries without a good picture(s) of what is currently working!

Barb

[kdk]

Matt; First turn off your battery disconnect. If you have two 12 volt batteries then put them in side by side with terminals matching, by this I mean positives at one end ans neg. at the other. Using your short jumper cables connect the red to positive terminals and black to neg. Connect the red cables from the coach to the positive of one of the batteries (doesn't matter which one as long as they reach and are not stretched tight). Now connect the black wire from the coach (ground) to the other battery ground. When done you will have the red coach cables to one of the positive terminals and the black ground to the other batteries negative. Always connect the ground wire last so you don't short out any wrenches. Use a multimeter to verify you have 12 volts at your battery disconnect, not 24 volts before turning it back on.
Google "12 volt side of life" for diagrams if you have any doubt about how to do this.
Blessings; KDK

[Matt_NY]

CT, good point. I have 5 cables. There are two jumpers along with the the two Red and one Black.
Matt

[CT_WANDERER]

Assume can cause you money if you are not right. Ring out your wires to find the ground cable. That would be neg. You said you have 2 Red and 1 Black cable. You need four cables two are jumpers to connect positive to positive and the other one goes negative to negative.

[Matt_NY]

Thanks, I think I found the problem... It was the installer (namely me). When we disconnected the old batteries, we failed to take note which cables were connected to what terminals on the batteries. There was one cable left disconnected (and somehow was hidden from sight). By the time I bought new batteries and installed them, we forgot which cables go where. Now my question is: There are two Red wires and one Black wire. Do I assume that the Red are hot (Pos) and the black is (Neg)? Also, there are only two 12V batteries - does it matter which battery the cables go to?
Thanks again,
Matt-NY

[adondo]

This may sound silly, but did you remove the red plastic caps? I have a friend who works at Napa, and he says they get at least 3 people a week who put the cables on top of the plastic caps, and thus insulating the cable. (And complain about "bad" batteries) :B

[MNtundraRet]

Did you remember to reconnect the ground wire?

[wolfe10]

After verifying that they are hooked up properly, look for the "salesman switch". Probably near the entrance door.

[wny_pat1]

Are you sure you hooked them up right. I always mark the positive cables with red tape, and take a pic before unhooking. That way I have a reference to look at when hooking them back up.

[J_Walker]

I feel sure that you have a switch to disconnect the batteries. It looks like the batteries are switched off.

[cpmath]

Make sure the battery disconnect switch is ON.