2010 Vista 32K 12V Power

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phil-t

phil-t

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Joined
Jul 10, 2017
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So, we just bought this MH and I am trying to understand the 12V Coach/Chassis power systems.  Does not seem as the coach batteries are being charged while the MH is being driven.  Normal?
If we run the generator in the evening for a couple of hours the 12V system then works OK until the voltage drops below some point like 11.9 V and the Coach battery disconnect then goes off.  (This is after a night of no 12V use and a few hours of early morning limited 12V use.  Turning on the ignition and running the engine will bring it back, but not charge the coach batteries.  Does this seem correct?  I'm also not sure if those coach batteries get charged while plugged into shore power.  We spend several hours on the road and when we stop, turning off the engine, the 12V coach power goes out.
Thanks for any insight into this.  It just seems that those coach batteries should be getting charged while driving.
 
If all is working as designed, your Vista house batteries will charge from shore or generator power. While driving, both house and chassis batteries will be charged. That, of course, assumes the house batteries are in good condition and will accept and hold a charge. An older battery or one low of water in its cells may not be able to do so. 

The coach battery disconnect should not automatically turn off at any voltage, but if you have an inverter (produces 120vac power form the battery), that will shut down when the voltage drops too low. Even when that happens, you should still have 12v power for lighting, fridge, furnace, etc. Only the 120v wall outlets should be affected by the inverter.

Running the engine at idle produces very little charging, but highway speeds should work fine.

I gather this coach is new-to-you. Are the house battery(s) perhaps original?  A 2010 vintage battery is probably on its last legs by now.

There are articles in the RVForum Library on many topics, including an entire section titled Newcomers Need to Know. One such article gives an overview of RV power systems:
http://www.rvforum.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=420:v-electrical-systems-primer&catid=14&Itemid=151
 
Welcome to the Winnebago family! There's a chance all of your batteries are original and/or at end of life. First order of business is to replace all batteries, house and chassis. Always replace batteries as a set, do not mix and match. 

After that, with the engine running, the house and chassis battery banks should measure around 14 volts.  If the chassis batteries measure ~14V and the house bank is ~12V, then your battery mode solenoid is probably defective. If your chassis batteries do NOT measure ~14V with the engine running, then there's a problem with the engine alternator/charging circuit.

Also your chassis battery bank is probably not being charged when on shore power, Winnebago added a device to shuttle a little charging current to the chassis battery bank in the diesel pushers in the late 2000s but not the gas rigs.

We have a zillion posts here about batteries and charging problems, search for battery or Trombetta or charger.
 
Thanks for the responses.  Yes, this coach is new to us.  I will do some testing with my meters.  The batteries are not original, but not sure of the age.  No inverter.  I can test the batteries for condition and will certainly replace them if needed.  Need to do the same with the tires (they are original).  I am more concerned with the correct operation of the charging system(s) right now.  I can certainly do the testing, if know how it is supposed to work.

Thanks again for the help.
 
Well, I went back to the basics on this, because my diagnosis made no sense - the batteries tested good.  I traced out all the cabling in the battery box and found a very bad 2/0 ground connection.  FIXED!  Everything is working as it should.  I'm getting 13.4 V at both chassis and coach batteries with engine running, and again with the generator running, and again plugged into shore power.
Now to the tires.  8)
 
Removed all three batteries (wanted to clean everything up anyways).  Charged them with a battery charger and took them down to a local Auto Parts that does a free load test.  4 hours on load (I did not ask the specific test parameters) but the tech said all was good.  So everything cleaned, installed and terminals sealed with a spray on terminal sealer. 
 
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