Battery and wiring issues 76 d21

[Rollingmenace]

Ok I started back on the winnie today gotta be ready for a trip to Moab  in early may.  Got the dash back in and believe all the wiring sorted... I'm really pushing for reliability here.... I ran into an issue today though... Coach side everything working good but on chassis side Ive run into a problem... 

Battery showing 12 volts key in ignition everything goes great and all accessories work... Now when I go to start it I hear a click then loose all power to everything chassis... Dash headlights wipers ect ect....  All the wiring at dash is good.. I had a question w the dual mom switch but I don't think that's not the issue I figured that out... After say 15 - 60 min or so I get my power back.. Untill t turn key to start again.... Click no power... .

I  have a suspicion it has something to do with the circuit breakers  in the battery tray area... I plan on going through and replacing all battery cables  when I get back into town mid week .. I would also like to wire in a new solenoid in battery box just because and replace all 3 circuit breakers and wiring ....

I thought I saw a post maybe last fall of someone who rewired as well but can't seem to find it ... Also I'm a relative noob to the whole motorhome thing so where in the heck can I find the parts to do this... Specifically the circuit breakers and solenoid.... Is the solenoid a specific one or say would a regular ford type starter solenoid do the trick....
THANKS FOR ANY HELP.... I just panicked today it wasn't having any issues this fall when parked and I'm on a tight deadline to get this sucker ready for the road

[DRMousseau]

This sounds to me like a typical loose or poor ground connection. When I get that "click" and nothin'.... I turn on the headlights and try again. Turnin' on the lights lets me know if the battery's reasonably good. Now if I hit the key again, and the lights dim and come bright again when I let off,... I gots a weak battery. If they go out completely, I usually find it's actually a poor battery or ground issue to be the fault. Double check that battery voltage, read the meter when the key is hit to start. This will show the volts under load and verifies if the battery really IS good. If the volts are good, really good,... Then I'm pretty sure I have a bad ground somewhere. Make sure the terminals are clean and tight on the battery, especially the negative, AND make sure frame connections are tight and clean. Cold or damp weather can really bring out connection issues on battery terminals even if they LOOK clean! Surface oxides of lead can give ya problems, so remove the terminals connections, and clean both post AND terminal.

You said it was a good time before ya get power back enough to try again. Watch them battery volts then,... if it drains low and slowly recovers so you can try again, then it kinda seems ya gots battery problems. I'll swear by a hydrometer for knowin battery condition! But new sealed batteries wont give access to the cells!!! Voltage readings can sometimes spot a bad cell under load, but you'll need to be as sure as you can that the battery is adequately charged, so put it on a charger if necessary. Volts should be 13V or better with full charge. If ya then see volts under load drop by 2V, to say 10-11V... you can be pretty sure ya got a bad cell and will need a new battery.

I replaced that breaker and solenoid too. They're kinda exposed to tough environmental conditions in the battery compartment, and mine were badly corroded and soon to fail. Found em both at the local parts store, nothin special really. Picked em up at O'Reillys I think

[Rollingmenace]

Thanks rot the reply.. I was kind of thinking it could be a battery or connection issue ...  I have two nearly new batteries ready to go back in in place of the ones in there.. The cables connecting old battery's to solenoid looks shady at best... I will replace all cables as well..

My thoughts were bad cables possible skeptical battery's when loaded by starter possibly causing over current at the circuit breakers thus the complete loss of power.. It's not like dimming I loose everything ... That and the overall old and possibly poor condition of batteries , cables, and components in the box say it's time for replacement I just  hope that corrects  the problem...

I need to go through my chassis manuals and owners manuals and see if there is a good schematic or something better explaining the battery compartment wiring... Or if anyone knows of a thread here or a link would be greatly appreciated...

[Oz]

Here's a topic JT posted when he rewired his, including photos he was so gracious to provide.  The wiring really didn't change across these vintage years.

http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,6365.msg15294.html#msg15294

Here's an in-depth, awesome tech article posted by Dave B.  complete with his own schematics.  It covers Chrysler ignition as an entire topic, but scroll through it and you'll see some helpful diagrams:

http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,3424.msg8218.html#msg8218

[Rollingmenace]

Awesome ...! You guys rock as always that was exactly the thread I was looking for.... Can't wait to get back into town so I can get to wiring mine up

[DRMousseau]

BTW,... that lose everything "complete loss of power", "when loaded by starter"
Most usually the result of a bad, loose, or dirty connection. Dimming is usually a weak battery. These are my two most common "go to's" when someone's engine wont turn over or only "clicks".


Check battery post connections, cable ends, and ground connections. And cable condition, any "green" in the cable near terminal ends,... replace 'em!