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JandKSunshine's avatar
JandKSunshine
Explorer
Jul 21, 2017

Battery issues

Hello! We're fixing up a '95 Winnebago Adventurer that we bought not too long ago, getting it ready for full-time use. We have a 400W solar system, with two batteries on the house bank and one on the engine bank.

Problem 1 - We seem to have a constant drain on the engine battery, which I read somewhere might be normal for a '95. (Is that true?) We took it to a festival, and after the weekend, the engine battery was dead. (We ran the dash stereo a lot, which didn't help - I'm wondering if I can just wire that to the house bank.) Anyway, I pushed the switch to start the engine from of the house bank, but it didn't do anything, so I put jumper cables on them and that did it - it started soon after. The switch made a clicking sound when I pushed it, which makes me think the switch is good...

Problem 2 - Taking out my multimeter, I'm reading zero resistance between the positive terminals on the engine and house banks. That shouldn't be, right? Those are supposed to be separated, right?

I just read something about a battery isolator - I'm wondering if all of these problems might be related to that? Would you have any other suggestions of things to check?

One other thing - should the solar only be used for the house bank? Or can I charge the engine battery off of it, too?

Thank you!!!

Johnny
  • Sam_Spade's avatar
    Sam_Spade
    Explorer
    Jul 22, 2017
    JandKSunshine wrote:

    Problem 2 - Taking out my multimeter, I'm reading zero resistance between the positive terminals on the engine and house banks.


    You should NEVER try to measure resistance in a circuit that is "hot".

    IF there was not a connection between the points you were testing, it might have fried your meter.
  • MEXICOWANDERER's avatar
    MEXICOWANDERER
    Explorer
    Jul 22, 2017
    A '95 used a 1116411, 425, 437 Delco reg which could not turn on without stator latent signal. The 10MT starter was old school. But the ECU PROM was fed battery voltage to keep memory settings. Isolate the PROM power, and every start was a computer re-learning curve. Neat huh? The voltage regulators above fit both the CS130 and the CS 144 alternator. Late 1980's CS alternators did not bother using a 270 ohm resistor in the PLIS "I" terminal which burned out the original 411 voltage regulator. This was a factory GM chassis problem.
  • MrWizard's avatar
    MrWizard
    Moderator
    Jul 21, 2017
    454 are notorious for battery drain
    something to do with the starter or alternator
    both of my previous MH had 454 and both would do that just setting

    yes you can rewire the radio, i did, just find the (2) hot wires, 1 is for play the other is radio memory, and move them, run a wire from the house circuits up front under the hatch

    unfortunaely, the emg start relay gets it power from the chassis battery which was dead, so pushing the button did not work
    it might have worked if you had pushed it before hitting the key ... maybe

    take the hot wire from the rocker/push button and move it to a hot wire from the house batteries, that way it will always work (as long as the house batteries have charge) thats what i did

    while your at it
    go online and find a 454 hot starter sheild
    hot starter restart problems are another thing, they are know for
    the starter blanket reduces that problems, keeping some of the exhaust heat off the starter, so it doesnt get heat soaked and lockup
  • 2oldman's avatar
    2oldman
    Explorer II
    Jul 21, 2017
    JandKSunshine wrote:
    One other thing - should the solar only be used for the house bank? Or can I charge the engine battery off of it, too?
    Separately, perhaps. It's not clear to me that charging two dissimilar battery setups will work well.

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