Battery Compartment Trouble

[Don Stewart]

Hi All, I am new to the forum and Beaver motorcoaches. We just purchased a used Contessa (2002/2003) triple slide Tuscany. We just took it out on our first shake down to find out what work needed to be done to bring it up to par. The battery compartment had been neglected, a lot of corrosion. When I moved the slide to the out position to examine the coach batteries, the weld on that side of the tray supporting the coach batteries broke. I want to remove all batteries, clean up the compartment, weld the broken joint and get it all nice, lubed and working properly. My question, to start, is this, are there any precautions that I need to be aware of when disconnecting all of the batteries? Any tips would be most appreciated. Additionally, if anyone knows of a good mechanic in the Upland CA area, we would like to know of them. Thanks.

[Joel Ashley]

Hi Don.  Welcome.

One precaution during disconnect of the battery banks is to throw a tarp or dark fabric over any solar panel on the roof, or locate and remove any fuse from the solar controller.  The feed from the solar unit can cause a spark during the disconnect and reconnect operation, especially if the coach is in bright sun.  It may not be an issue in a building or at night.  Of course, turn off any master battery switches, be sure you have plenty of ventilation/air flow around the batteries, wear safety glasses (I got battery acid in an eye once when I was young and stupid - it's no fun), and make note or take a photo of the cable configuration prior to removal.  Allison (transmission) warns against arc or similar welding things on the coach as the electric current can damage components.

Others here have had experience entirely rebuilding bad trays, and they may chime in with advice.  I rebuilt the one on our old Pace Arrow, but it only held 3 batteries and didn't slide.  Nevertheless, after having a new one fabricated, I'd protect it with POR-15 paint.  I used it on the Pace Arrow's tray and rusting chassis and frame members, and on deteriorating parts of the Beaver's tray, and can attest that it is pretty darned tough stuff.

Joel

[Marty and Suzie Schenck]

Take pictures of how your batteries sit in the tray and how the cables are routed and connected. Have the welders ground clamp as close to the welded area as possible. Also do the welding with the batteries disconnected. On my 98 Monterey some welding was done on it without disconnecting the ECM wires at the computer without any problems. On my 2002 Thunder I think I would disconnect that just in case. Marty

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Don,
Battery compartments can get pretty bad if neglected. Only precaution I know of is to either cover the solar panel or insulate the house battery output leads as the solar panel will generate a voltage if left uncovered. I insulated both house and chassis battery leads when I welded and cleaned my tray. There was a thread on the forum a few months ago that said you could bend a tab to get the tray to slide out of the frame. I couldn't locate a tab on mine (but pulled it prior to thread being posted) so I removed the frame too, as I also had a weld break on the tray. Took more time but did make cleaning up the assembly easier. Once I had it cleaned up, I used a primer and epoxy spray paint on mine. I would not recommend welding the tray in the coach as you could introduce other electrical problems if done incorrectly. Also be sure to check the condition of the rollers and track they run on. Do not use WD-40 as a lube on the rollers. A silicon based lube is OK.
Steve

[Don Stewart]

Thank you all for your input. I wouldn't have thought to cover the solar panels. My coach has some age on it so I do have several other problems we are addressing. We found the 12v water pump not to be working, so we will address this when we do the battery compartment. We will post the other items in separate posts. Again, thanks to all that have provided us your support and suggestions.

[Don Stewart]

We will be attempting the repair of the battery compartment this weekend. Does anyone have a diagram of the compartment or know how the slide tray is removed from the frame? Is there a tab that needs to be bent or a bolt that needs to be removed? Also a wiring diagram would be helpful. Thanks in advance to anyone responding.

[Edward Buker]

Don,

I refinished by battery tray while in place about a year and a half ago and it has held up very well. I did not have the complication of a broken weld so you may be on a path to remove yours if it makes it easier.

This post is just about my finishing steps in case it helps. After removing the batteries I used baking soda and water to neutralize the acid on the frame and then rinsed it well. I sanded anything that was loose with course sand paper and then a red scotch brite scuffing pad. I wiped the frame down with enamel reducer as a solvent and then primed the frame with a spray can of self etching primer. I then used a spray can of black epoxy appliance paint. The self etching primer along with the epoxy appliance paint I have found to be the most durable finish I can get out of spray cans. The paint was from Rustoleum and the self etching primer was from Dupli Color but other brands are good also. The last step that has proven to be very helpful is I bought 3M stick on non skid strips which I think are three inches wide in a roll. The kind that would go on steps etc. That material is very tough and durable, It isolates the fumes and acid residue from the metal surface. Any battery movement while going down the road does not wear the paint away.

My angle steel frame being 1.5 inch by 1.5 inch allowed me to fold and just apply the 3 inch wide non skid without cutting except for length. Photos are of rusty frame, frame cleaned and primed, and then the finished product with paint and the non skid in place.

Later Ed

[Don Stewart]

Again, thank you all for your input. We did repair the battery compartment. It had two broken welds and a missing stop on one side, that probably contributed to the broken welds. We removed everything, cleaned it up, repaired the welds, repainted and reinstalled. I now have another question, that may deserve a new post?

My son thinks that the solar panels may be overcharging the coach batteries. We are not sure how they are regulated? We have uncovered the panels and watching to see if the batteries boil over.

Does anyone know how the solar panels are regulated for charging the coach batteries?

[Les Brandt]

I would think most come with a charge controller. Where it is I don't know. Others will likely chime in.

[Gerald Farris]

Don,
Your coach has a charge controller between the solar panels and your batteries. It is probably located on the back wall of your basement, but I am not sure of the location on a 2002 Contessa.

What is the voltage readings at each of your battery banks? Overcharging of a battery bank by solar panels is rare on a Beaver coach. So I would take voltage readings at the batteries with the coach in bright sunlight to determine that there is a problem before even attempting to locate the charge controller.

Gerald

[Edward Buker]

Don,

The house banks are large and the solar charger is capable of only a few amps (maybe 5) so they are an inadequate source or energy to aggressively charge and boil out a battery. While the solar charger is active check your coach monitor panel and the voltage should be 13.8V or so and maybe 2-5 amps for solar charging.

Later Ed

[Bill Sprague]

....

Does anyone know how the solar panels are regulated for charging the coach batteries?

Ours is under the bed!

[Don Stewart]

We checked this morning and the coach batteries were at 12.5v and the solar output was at 1 amp. We may just have some leaking caps rather than a boil or over charge problem. This is a new, to us, motorhome and we are looking for a reason that the battery compartment was so damaged.

[Don Stewart]

Here is a picture of compartment prior to repair.

[Don Stewart]

Picture of broken rear weld.