1989 winnebago cheiftain / batteries not charging/ unless engine is running

[vernon]

hello, my house batteries are not charging when hooked up to shore power, and also when im plugged in to shore power the lights and such do not work right untill i start the engine, any solutions, how do i check to see if the converter is working properly. and shouldnt all lights work if hooked up to shore power?

[M & J]

Welcome to the forum.

If you use the search feature you will find volumes on this exact question already answered.

[jeno]

I had the same problem, under the hood on the drivers side there is a metal plate behind it is fuses and circuit breakers, one of mine had to be reset. Try that I think it will help.

[Rickf1985]

As Jeno said check the breakers but be sure the switch right next to the radio is set to have the house batteries on and if they are totally dead then you will have to hold the momentary switch to the left of the steering wheel by the headlight switch, the momentary start switch. That will give power top the coach batteries long enough for the latching relay to change over when you hit the switch by the radio. Unless that switch is in the ON position (the momentary switch on the left) then it should not be charging when running. And if it is charging when running then the coach should be working off of the chassis battery when stopped since the momentary switch is probably in the ON position. Let us know what the switch positions are and we can go from there.

[bluebird]

Also what is the name and model number of the panel in your coach. Put a battery charger on the house batteries and charge them up. Does you lights work when the battery charger is hooked up?

[vernon]

hey guys sorry so late with the reply, im going down to check everything you suggested. I went down yesterday and pulled the batteries,charged  them one charged to a 100% and the other to 65%. things were working fine, my cousin went to bed last night and said everything was working fine, when he woke everything was dead the c-02 sensor was going off all night.
I have it hooked up to shore power, and its still draining the batteries some where. but like i said im going down to check everything you guys have suggested. thank you

[vernon]

ok, i looked in the panel for blown fuses = none blown, i went in and held down the MOM switch and the lights work when held down, and go out when released. also yes hooked up a battery charger and lights do come on with it hooked up to the charger. charger is on now. Help also the stereo power cuts in and out when charger is not hooked up.

[jeno]

None of the button circuit breakers were popped out?

[vernon]

no circuit breakers were popped

[87Itasca]

Where are these circuit breakers located?  I didn't see anything like that on my '87 Elandan. I have an almost identical problem.

[jeno]

Mine was an 89 like his and under the hood on the left hand side there's a metal plate you take that off and on the left side there's fuses there for the vehicle portion and then to the right there's pushbutton circuit breakers if one is popout you just push it back into reset

[bluebird]

Do you know what kind of circuit breakers there are in a 12v system?  Here is what they look like. They should be very close to the batteries.


The converter could be shot too. What kind of panel is in your coach?

[vernon]

ill go check on that circuit, the  one in the pic that you shown. I had that converter replaced about a year and a half ago. do know what usually fries them and how to test if its working or not?

[HamRad Mobile]

Good morning, Vernon; 

     Dave is one good source for information on the wiring and functioning of the 12 VDC circuits and appliances in a Motor Home RV.   

     DR Mussseau is another one who can answer many such questions. 

     Frank, Froggy1936, is another very good source. 

     And, I can also answer questions about the "12 VDC RV power converter" in the average motor home RV. 

     However, before any of us can really respond, there are some questions for you: 

     (1.)  What is the brand and model of the "12 VDC RV power converter" now in your motor home?  You said that it was a replacement put in 1.5 years ago. 

     (2.)  Do you still have the literature and information that came with the new 12 VDC RV power converter? 

     (3.)  What test equipment for looking at an RV 12 VDC electrical system do you have, and how familiar and experienced are you in using that test equipment?  This would include any test meters or DVM (Digital Volt Meter) or DMM (Digital MultiMeter), or even something as simple and basic (and useful) as a 12 VDC test light.  If you have an oscilloscope, then we really can look at what is going on inside things. 

     (4.)  For possible later use, do you have the wiring diagrams for your motor home RV? 

     OK.  That is the point from which I need to start in doing anything with your 12 VDC RV power converter.  Or, if it is that recent, perhaps it really is a true power supply, and not just a "power converter."  The brand and model designation will indicate that. 

          Enjoy;   

          Ralph 
          Latté Land, Washington 

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Yep, we gotta know all the details (with pics if possible) of the components in order to help.  If something was replaced or "CHANGED"  we gotta know it.   Unfortunately, Winnebago did not start posting wiring diagrams until 1990 so detailed descriptions of what you have are important.  The only sure bet for approximately 1983 to say 2000 is that Winnebago almost exclusively used the Magnetek 6300 Series power center in that era.

[Rickf1985]

The circuit breakers on my 89 are under the panel as mentioned under the hood and are pop out type that you just push the white button back in to reset. There is a 40 amp breaker for the rear control center that also has the charger power passing through it and that is the one that will pop and stop all charging and power . It sounds to me like the charger is not working. I just had that problem with mine which is only a year old and found that the ground wire going into the charger had come loose from heat cycling. Be sure all of the connections on the charger are good and tight. That was all that was needed to get mine back up and running. If your batteries are that low you may need new batteries. One at 65% and one at 100% in parallel is not a good combination. The low battery ill drag down the good battery very quickly. Even if you get the charger working you need two equal batteries.

[vernon]

Thanks you guys all great reply's and help. I went down and pulled the converter, two blown fuses, all fixed for now. again thanks so very much.