battery problems

[Jerry and Kay Hudson]

Help!!!!

Today I returned after being at work in Russia for one month. I went to check out our 2002 Contessa prior to a trip that we would be taking next week and low and behold it would not start off of the chassis batteries without the assistance from the house batteries. the meter on the inverter readout showed that the chassis batteries had 0 charge and the coach batteries had 13.4. I am assuming that the system worked as designed and quit charging the chassis batteries as I leave the coach plugged in to shore power while I am away. Is this the indication of a burnt or bad cell or some other gremillion? Once i got the engine started, it was showing a charge going to the batteries of 14.4 to 14.5 volts. Also, the speedometer is pegged all the way on 85 and will not move back to zero once started. And the engine warning light is also illuminated...Any ideas or thoughts would be appreciated.

Hopefully I got the spelling right this time around.

Thanks
Jerry and Kay Hudson
2002 Contessa

[LarryNCarolynShirk]

If you have an Echo Charger, it may have quit working or a fuse blew.  Try charging the chassis batteries with a battery charger over night.  After they are fully charged, your guages and idiot lights may return to normal.

Larry

[LEAH DRAPER]

My understanding of the operation of the echo charger is that for it to be operational the ignition key must be turned to the left which means leaving the key in the vehicle.  If this is not correct, some one speak up.

[Gerald Farris]

The echo charger (if you have one) charges the chassis batteries from the house batteries. If the house batteries have a voltage of 13V to 14.4V the echo charger will use house battery current to charge the chassis battery at a maximum rate of 15 amps. If the house batteries are above 14.4V, the echo charger will be limited to 14.4V. The echo charger turns off if the house battery voltage drops below 13V.

The echo charger works off the voltage of the house batteries regardless of the key position. The most common reason for a problem with an echo charger is a blown fuse. The fuses (one on each (house battery red wire)(chassis battery red wire with a yellow stripe) wire) are located in-line a few inches from the echo charger.

Gerald    

[Richard And Babs Ames]

We installed an Echo Charger for the chassis batteries after running the gen set for 180 hours after hurricane Charlie and finding out the charging system had no provision to charge them. Beaver tech said that was kind of a engineering snafu but true. Ours works independant of the ignition.

I have heard of some motorhomes that will back feed through the igintion if on "accessory" and keep the chassis batteries charged.

[Jerry and Kay Hudson]

Thanks evryone for your help. I was able to get them charged back up. I went to a shop and had them check the batteries and it indicated that they were just low and no dead cell. I will have to take a look at the charging system and find out why the chassis batteries were dead and the coach were just fine. I ran the engine for about a hour today and they charged right up. I must have left something on and did not know it.

Thanks,
Jerry and Kay Hudson

[Glenn Perkins]

I would "echo" the echo charger suggestion.  Over the past 130K miles in 9 years, I am now on my 3rd unit (Magnum Version) since the first Xantrax unit failed at about 80K miles, and the second at about 100K.  Rob Pierce (SunBum RV) replaced both for me while in Yuma over the past three winters.  So far the Magnum unit has been good though I did recently have a blown fuse to the chassis batteries this past month while here in Mission TX this winter.