12 volt electrical issue-2003 Holiday Rambler Admiral SE 30

[BarbH]

We are traveling in our RV and today encountered a problem with our electrical system. We've done some trouble shooting and suspect it might be a weak/bad chassis battery. However, we are not sure and hate to start guessing. The battery is almost 4 years old, so replacing it is probably in order. The issue is that the generator will not start unless you use the battery boost button. Then when on 50amp. shore power the hydraulic leveling system turns on, but the jacks will not extend. When pushing the jack's buttons the air conditioning thermostat intermittently drags off & on. Does it make sense that we suspect the battery is weak and we might need a higher capacity battery to power our 120 volt equipment. It is a Ford F-53 chassis. Any advice and/or suggestions would be very much appreciated.

[BarbH]

Thanks everyone for the input! We will have the battery load tested and the connections checked today. Hopefully that will resolve this issue! We have kept up with the battery maintenance, however realize that almost 4 years is a long time for the chassis battery. Thanks again!

[tenbear]

BarbH wrote:
......When pushing the jack's buttons the air conditioning thermostat intermittently drags off & on. Does it make sense that we suspect the battery is weak and we might need a higher capacity battery to power our 120 volt equipment......

The battery does not power the 120 volt equipment. What is happening here is that the 12v which is used to power the thermostat for the AC is being pulled down by the same battery/wiring/charging problem. Solve that and the AC will work again.

To learn more about the RV electrical systems have a look at The 12 volt side of life.

[tenbear]

I would check the battery voltage right on the battery posts when trying to start the genny. If the voltage drops a way down then the battery is the problem. In that case I would check to see if the battery is being charged. If the battery voltage doesn't drop then the problem is in the wiring, most likely a bad connection.

Starting the genny takes a lot of current and it doesn't take much of a bad connection to create a problem.

Have you been doing the required battery maintenance, checking water levels and adding distilled water when required?

[Fleetwood99]

Welcome to RV.net.

I would agree. sounds like weak connection somewhere. Start with the Battery Cables. I have seen battery cables that look clean but, turns out after removal the contact surfaces were not clean. Wiring brush battery post Tool is a must to do the job right.



Good Luck and please post us after you find the gemlin.

Edited added: POWER OFF EVERYTHING FIRST before working on electrical 120AC and 12DC. GENSET OFF. SHORE POWER UNPLUGGED

[fischer]

When things seam strange I would always suspect a dirty or bad ground. Follow the ground wires off the battery's and make sue they are clean and tight . Mine is bolted to the frame . when mine came loose I thought I had a bad battery.

[enblethen]

I would have the battery load tested.
Sounds more like a bad(corroded) connection.
The slides should operate off the coach batteries and not the chassis battery.
Still sounds like bad connection.