Power Issues - Generator not starting - brand new batteries

[Schneider]

Well....I am brand new to RVing. Flew down to Bakersfield and bought a 34-foot super-c Four Winds coach with the Duramax. It was an awesome drive back to the Seattle area, but one issue has me perplexed, as everything was working when we left. Here it is:

1.Generation only hums when I attempt to start it (much like a dead battery in a car).
2.Put brand new batteries in the coach last night (wired it identical to the way it was)
3.When shore power is unplugged, the coach lights flicker on and off and the GFCI protected outlets do not work.
4.Other inverted outlets (near the TV's seem to work.
5.Found the inverter, converter and the transfer switches in the back bedroom, but know very little about these.
6.Also tried to start the generator when the Duramax diesel was running with no luck. Just a click an a hum.

For some reason the power from the batteries is being limited when disconnected from shore power and causing all the above, include the generator not starting.

Does this ring a bell for anyone? Any help is appreciated!! Not ruling out operator ignorance as I am an RV rookie.

Thanks in advance for any help!!

[NorCal_Dan]

My Onan requires holding the start button down for 8-10 seconds so it can prime the fuel before starting. Just a thought...

[Veebyes]

You said that you are only getting a hum on turning the key, an indication of low voltage. Before running off checking potentially expensive things, start with the basics.

Test the battery. Not just for voltage but on a load tester. Check & clean battery connections & connection at starter. Is the bendix stuck on the starter? Key switch faulty? Solenoid faulty?

[DAWg134]

Based upon the virtually non-existent voltage drop while attempting to crank, three possibilities immediately come to mind:

1) Generator not properly grounded, therefore no current flow but good voltage at input,
2) Bad starter motor solenoid (i.e., faulty internal contacts), or
3) Bad starter motor.

There are plenty of other potential issues, but I'd look carefully at your grounding since the generator was working when you took delivery and is still attempting to start…. well, making a noise at least. A long drive on a rough road can easily loosen up a marginal electrical connection. Could also be bad grounding on either the starter or starter solenoid as well.

[Schneider]

Fueled up the coach tonight. No change. It was a longshot anyway.

Monitored the voltage when trying to start the generator. Only 0.01V drop while attempting to turn it over. Assuming this suggests that it is something inside the generator enclosure, preventing it from drawing the current??

Not sure if this is better or worse that the stray current theory??

[JimM68]

agree with tenbear above.

If the genny is out of fuel, it will still crank.
It does have both a preheat and a prime cycle, depending on what you do with the button. UP will prime, hold it there for a while if you suspect it had run out of fuel.
Down will preheat until it is preheated, and then will crank it. If it has fuel it will run if it cranks.

Your inverter should power many of your outlets and all your home entertainment. This should be seamless, and just happen regardless of if you are plugged in or not.

The "house" as well as the inverter, run off those 4 six volt batteries you posted about.
The "chassis" will run off one or more 12 volt batteries.

Most likely, a coach of that caliber will have a huge relay and a system of some sort to connect all the batteries together, so they all charge when you are driving and they all charge when you are plugged in.

[tenbear]

Schneider wrote:
I have 13.65V at the leads going in to the generator when the truck is idling, and 12.8 or so when the truck is off suggesting that all is well with power getting to the generator. Good voltages across the inverter and converter as well.

You need to check the voltage at the generator when it is trying to start, otherwise there is no current being drawn by the generator and so there will be no voltage drop if there is a high resistance connection. Also check the battery voltage under the same conditions.

[Schneider]

1775 wrote:
If it is a diesel, I assume that it runs off the fuel in your "gas" tank. Usually there is a level of fuel in the tank that a generator will not run when below that level. Sometimes a 1/4 tank, sometimes more or less. Make sure your tank is past a half full. Onan generators also will not run if the generator's oil level is low. Check that if there is sufficient fuel in your tank.

I have 13.65V at the leads going in to the generator when the truck is idling, and 12.8 or so when the truck is off suggesting that all is well with power getting to the generator. Good voltages across the inverter and converter as well.

Think I will fill up the coach with diesel to rule out the low fuel "shut-off" theory. The gauge does read 1/2 tank, but I am running out of other ideas. Has anyone on here had the experience of this "shut-off" keeping them from starting their genny? I guess I have ruled this out because of the hum that I get. Sounds like a dead battery and not something that would "by design."

[Schneider]

I have a Four Winds Kodiak 34H. It is a Super-C with the Chevy 5500 Chassis and the Duramax diesel engine.

[Bobbo]

No one is addressing your GFI outlets not working on 12v. They won't. They are 120v only. They work on shore power and generator. Unless they are on an inverter, they will never work from 12v.

[tenbear]

It might help if you told us what your RV is.

Edit: Sorry, I missed it in your first post.

[Schneider]

Four brand new 6-volt batteries wired for 12-volt operation.
Chassis batteries operating flawlessly.

Investing in a multimeter on the way home. Someone is going to need a new toolbox 🙂 Will report back.

[Schneider]

I will try that tonight!
I would love to connect this to the issue with the lights coming on and off and the GFI outlets not working when the shore power is disconnected and running solely on 12v. Do you see a connection between these? The only way I can see a connection is if the power to start the generator comes from the coach-batteries, through the inverter, back through converter and then then to the terminals of the generator. That seems a bit crazy to me, but if it does could point to the inverter as the potential problem. I might try to reset that guy tonight as well.

Thoughts?

[othertonka]

Most MH have 2 sets of batteries, one battery or set for the chassis and one battery or set for the "House". Which batteries did you replace? Also most MH use the House battery/ies to start the generator. Sounds like your house batteries are low or dead. use a volt meter to check the batteries, a fully charged battery should read 12.6 volts. If it all checks out you have a bad connection somewhere along the line, maybe a bad ground where it connects to the frame.

[1775]

If it is a diesel, I assume that it runs off the fuel in your "gas" tank. Usually there is a level of fuel in the tank that a generator will not run when below that level. Sometimes a 1/4 tank, sometimes more or less. Make sure your tank is past a half full. Onan generators also will not run if the generator's oil level is low. Check that if there is sufficient fuel in your tank.