Recent Posts

21

Technical Support / Re: 2007 Patriot Thunder Starting

« Last post by Bill Heffernan on March 11, 2026, 08:51:44 PM »

Gremlins. I went back to the coach this morning. I brought a different meter, but again confirmed that the batteries were fully charged. Same result. Took apart, cleaned and reassembled all of the connections. Same result. Turned it over one last time and it fired right up. I've turned it off and on a couple of times after letting it warm up and it fires right up. Could that be the Big Boy? Thanks

22

Technical Support / Re: 2007 Patriot Thunder Starting

« Last post by Eric Maclean Co-Admin on March 11, 2026, 04:07:33 PM »

David
Point well taken but in our coaches the inverter function  and battery charger are both house in the same unit generically referred to as the inverter even though the unit serves three different functions 1) Multi stage battery charger 2) pass through relay 3) inverter function.

Eric

23

Technical Support / Re: 2007 Patriot Thunder Starting

« Last post by David Ciotti on March 11, 2026, 02:42:20 PM »

I really hate to post this but the terminology used here is important for troubleshooting purposes.  A standard battery charger converts 115 volts AC into approximately 12 volts DC to charge a battery.  An inverter converts 12 volts DC into approximately 115 volts AC to run standard household appliances.

24

Technical Support / Re: 2007 Patriot Thunder Starting

« Last post by Eric Maclean Co-Admin on March 11, 2026, 01:49:25 PM »

Bill
With your coach plugged in and the inverter/charger unit charging with a voltage above 13.2 Volts the B.I.R.D ( bi directional relay delay) should activate the Big Boy solenoid to connect the chassis battery bank to the house battery bank allowing the inverter / charger to charge both battery banks together.
When you push the battery boost switch it also activates the Big Boy solenoid to connect the house battery to the chassis battery allowing you the boost the chassis bank to get a dead chassis battery started.
A common problem with the system is that the contacts inside the Big Boy solenoid get dirty over time and use, to the point there is no connection made
This and the fact the engine ECM has a small parasitic draw all the time leads to a dead chassis battery bank over a period of time ( 3 or 5 weeks time )

The good news is the Big Boy can be taken apart and the contacts cleaned up to return it to operation.
There is a full description of the B.I.R.D. operation and troubleshooting as well as an article on how to dismantle the Big Boy and clean it in the COACH ASSIST library under COMMON PROBLEMS.

Start by making sure your inverter/charger is charging properly and go from there.

Hope this helps
Eric

25

Technical Support / Re: Air Springs and Shocks for 2002 Patriot Monticello Magnum Series B Chassic

« Last post by David T. Richelderfer on March 11, 2026, 11:58:07 AM »

My experience.  There is a lot of info in this thread.  Read the other posts in the thread, as well.

https://beaveramb.org/forum/index.php/topic,11030.msg75086.html#msg75086

26

Technical Support / Re: Air Springs and Shocks for 2002 Patriot Monticello Magnum Series B Chassic

« Last post by Steve Huber on March 11, 2026, 03:05:43 AM »

Part#s for the air bags are in Coach Assist.

27

Technical Support / Re: 2007 Patriot Thunder Starting

« Last post by David T. Richelderfer on March 11, 2026, 12:52:54 AM »

How old are the batteries?  What was the voltage reported by your meter?  A fully charged 12v battery should show 12.6v to 12.7v.  A half-discharged 12v battery will show about 12.2v.  If your coach is plugged into 120v shore power, then the inverter should be delivering 13.3v+ to both the house and coach batteries.

28

Technical Support / Re: 2007 Patriot Thunder Starting

« Last post by Frank Bergamo on March 11, 2026, 12:35:34 AM »

Are you plugged in with inverter charger on? The only way to really test batteries is with a load tester. Just checking voltage will not give you a true condition of batteries. Need to know what is really going on before making a decision on what to do next!

29

Technical Support / 2007 Patriot Thunder Starting

« Last post by Bill Heffernan on March 10, 2026, 10:37:03 PM »

I went down to our coach to start it today after it had been in storage for the last 4-5 months and could not get it to start. Neither the engine nor the generator would start. Both acted as if the batteries were very low, but my meter showed that the batteries were fully charged. The dash had a low battery warning. Using the battery boost did not seem to make a difference. All the connections seemed good. We'll occasionally get low battery warnings, but it has always started, sometimes using the battery boost. I'm scratching my head on this one. Anyone have any suggestions. Thanks! 

30

Technical Support / Air Springs and Shocks for 2002 Patriot Monticello Magnum Series B Chassic

« Last post by Jack W Hannah on March 10, 2026, 06:17:15 PM »

Any suggestions for a source of the Air Springs and Shocks for my 2002 Patriot Monticello?

Thank you.