Battery help 88 super chief

[Xjsport95]

I have two batteries in the stair well but they seem to be hooked up wierd... itââ,¬â,,¢s like all the wires are hooked to one battery then the second battery is jumpered to it... thereââ,¬â,,¢s a few switches up front I donââ,¬â,,¢t understand as well thereââ,¬â,,¢s a two way switch tha labeled and ââ,¬Å"dualââ,¬Â and ââ,¬Å"mom.ââ,¬Â And another switch thatââ,¬â,,¢s says aux battery on/off... I canââ,¬â,,¢t seem to find out how itââ,¬â,,¢s supposed to be wired or howââ,¬â,,¢s the switches work

[Xjsport95]

I donââ,¬â,,¢t know how to add a picture but I have on cable goin to the hydraulic pump, one ground cable, one + cable goin to a solenoid then on the other side of the solenoid is two large cables(one red and one black)

[Rickf1985]

Those are your house batteries and they are where all of your power comes from for the 12 volt side of things in the coach. Heater, lights, water pump, hot water heater, fridge. The switches up front turn the power on and off. The batt aux is the one that turns your power on and off. There might be a light next to the switch and if the light is on then the power is on to the coach. The MOM switch is there so you can jump the starting battery from the coach batteries. Be aware that if the battery switch is off then the batteries will not charge when the coach is plugged into shore power,  the switch totally disconnects the batteries from everything. The ironic part is that the latching relay that works that on/ off solenoid to turn the power on gets its power from those coach batteries so if they are dead you cannot switch them on to charge them from the coach charger without jumping them. You can do that using the mom switch but it can get complicated and the vehicle has to be running. Let me know if you understand all of this before we go there.

[Xjsport95]

All makes sense... Iââ,¬â,,¢m just not sure if itââ,¬â,,¢s hooked up correctly... are both batteries supposed to be hooked together in parallel and just one cable feeding the coach? Or is each battery supposed to be wired in separately?
From what I gather if itââ,¬â,,¢s running weather the engine, generator or shore power the battery switch should be in dual and aux on?
If Iââ,¬â,,¢m camping not plugged into shore would I leave the ââ,¬Å"dual/momââ,¬Â switch in the center position?
When the switch is in ââ,¬Å"dualââ,¬Â does that mean itââ,¬â,,¢s coupling the coach and starting batteries?
Iââ,¬â,,¢m sorry of al the questions... first RV still learning everything

[Rickf1985]

It sounds like the batteries are connected correctly, positive to positive and negative to negative and then the coach wiring run from there. The momentary switch is basically a jump start switch and it can be used to charge the coach batteries while the engine is running but it only works while the engine is running. The switch should be moved back to the center position when shut down although it will disconnect when the key is turned off. It will connect again when the key is turned back on and that is not good to keep starting on the deep cycle batteries. Since you are just starting out it is best to just leave the mom switch alone unless the starting battery is dead, then you need it to jump yourself. Otherwise leave it in the of position. The battery aux switch is usually left in the on position anytime you are using the coach and only turned off for storage. You do not have to do anything with these switches under normal circumstances. You need to get a copy of the owners manual, this will explain all of the switches and controls. It is in the manuals section but I don't know if that one is in the free section or the members section where you need to be a regular member. Check this out and see if it helps you out at all. It should show and explain most of the controls. It has been years since I looked at it so I don't remember if it has what you need or not.


http://www.winnebagoind.com/resources/manuals/pdfs/Operator1988/88Winnebago-Itasca.pdf

[Xjsport95]

What does the dual switch do?

[Rickf1985]

It connects the starting battery to the house batteries. So in effect all three batteries are at that point connected. This can be used when you are driving to top off the coach batteries or when you have a dead starting battery to jump your starting battery from the house batteries. Other than that it has no other use. When the ignition key is off it does nothing at all.
To clarify, The mom side is to jump start yourself with a dead starting battery. The dual side of the switch is to charge the coach batteries while driving.

[Xjsport95]

Thank you

[Xjsport95]

So my front battery keeps dying... the mom switch doesnââ,¬â,,¢t appear to be able to jump the vehicle, Iââ,¬â,,¢m thinking the solenoid is failing... but I keep the switch in dual and the aux batt on... is that correct?

[Ericb760]

Check out my posts on this very subject. You most likely have a parasitic drain on your starter battery. For me it was aftermarket LED headlights. Even with them switched off the on/off switch was drawing power and draining my battery. Pull it out and get it tested and/or charged. Then buy and install a battery disconnect switch.

https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php?topic=15342.msg96099#msg96099

[Oz]

What posts on this subject?

Giving at least the titles would help.
Giving the links would help even more.

[Ericb760]

What posts on this subject?

Giving at least the titles would help.
Giving the links would help even more.

Edited to include referenced thread.

[Oz]

Thank you!