Odd Battery Wiring Configuration in old Motorhome

Also, could this messed up wiring configuration be why I've got fuses burning out right and left??

A lot of helpful info here. I'm glad I posted. Many thanks! Any suggestions for good quality 6volt DC batteries?

Listen to Onaquest.....

A: Get the design/builder's diagrams as soon as you can. Keep a set in the coach. It would also be good to get the chassis electric diagrams if you can. That may be difficult.
B: Find someone that can work on this stuff if you don't feel capable. The OE setup was done the way it was for a reason.

Unfortunately, if your current connections are anything like what you describe, then some PO has done you no favors at all. You should get it corrected as soon as practical.

Just so you know, a marine starting battery is just a plain old car battery with a more expensive label. A deep cycle battery (most common in electric golf carts) is a different animal. If the two are strapped together, the starting battery will be hard pressed to get charged to full density and if the bank gets run down as far as the deep cycles can go, your starting battery will be damaged.
Back before the depression, I did a lot of work on expensive boats.

Before the depression, I did a lot of boat work (why I bought the coach) and I saw this sort of foolishness all the time. (And provided repairs as considerable cost.)

Matt

The '90 PA would not have a BCC. It also would not have a Diode based Isolator.

These linked diagrams are actually for an '89 Bounder, but are typical of your vintage Pace.

The first page shows how the batteries were originally wired by Fleetwood.

The coach was built with one (1) 12volt starting battery and two (2) 6volt aux/coach batteries (wired in series)

The only direct connection between the starting battery and the aux batteries should be through the Isolator solenoid.

There is a device installed (called an IRD - Isolator Relay Delay) that is used to close the Isolator relay for the purpose of charging all the batteries together while the engine is running.

The relay can also be closed via depressing the aux start switch on the dash. These functions can be viewed on subsequent pages of the diagrams.

I suggest calling Fleetwood RV Customer Support to request diagrams specific to your coach. They will e-mail them almost immediately.

That year pace arrow , under the hood would be a diode isolator, and a emg start relay, to jumper the batteries together ( I don't think the bcc became common until a few years later, PA was not the top of the Fleetwood lines)

My guess is the diode isolator died, and they tied everything together house and chassis

A few pictures would help, put them on some place like tiny pic or photo bucket, and put the links in a post

Should be a single group 74 battery for the chassis.
Most Pace Arrows came with two 6 volt batteries for the coach. They would have been wired in series.
My guess would be they are wired up wrong.
There should be a battery control center located under the hood driver's side. Trace the positive wires from the batteries to each of the battery disconnects in the battery control center.
The starting battery should have one large lead on the positive going to the battery control center and a second large cable going to the starter. (Chev. chassis)

just a guess M.S for marine starting battery ,could be the the couch batteries. the other D. C the starting battery. all wired together to keep them charged. I don,t think it is factory wired that way. just my guess. but some thing to do on a very cold night.

No worries! Thanks for the quick response. MS is marine starter and DC is deep cell, so I have two starter batteries and one deep cell (house battery) all wired together. I don't know much about RV battery wiring myself--I'm much better at the mechanical end of things, but this set up seems pretty crazy to me.

Josh,
Well Sir, first off, I'm either numb or, just not educated on what "MS and "DC" mean in your situation. And, you say all three are wired "together"? Your comments state you think this set is for starting the coach? Well, maybe it's just me 'cause I too don't understand this scenario.

If, for some seriously odd reason, they are all tied together for starting, then where's the house batteries? If one of them is for starting and, the other two are for house battery operation then, how could they all be wired together? Please don't get me wrong here. I'm not chastising you, or in any way, degrading your situation. I'm just trying to understand what you've got in front of you.
Scott