Chassis Battery

[loydstuts]

After several years of research, and a lot of 'this is the one!' thoughts, the DW and I finally found, for us, the ideal coach. It is the Winnie Chieftain 39T. We found one this summer in Georgia, and made a fast trip, checkbook in hand. We have had a few minor problems, which I eventually figured out. This one though....
When we bought the coach in June, they told us that they had replaced the engine (chassis) battery. In late August, I found that the battery was not holding a charge. At this point, let me say that we are out in the boonies of south Texas parked for a long time. I crawled under the coach, pulled the battery, hauled it into the nearest town and had it checked. As I thought, it had dead cells. Bought and installed a new battery and all my problems disappeared, so I thought. Here it is, a month later, and same old thing.
My question is this. Is the chassis battery hooked up to the charging system in the converter/invertor? I put a 15 amp external charger on the battery and it now holds a charge. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated. Be Blessed!

 

[Weewun]

You didn't say what year the MH is.  The older model Winnebagos did not charge the chassis battery from Shore or Genny power.

 

[scottydl]

Year of rig?

Many older models (1990's) and some newer did NOT have built-in chassis battery charging, except of course when the engine is running and the alternator is working.  A Trik-L-Start is a device made just for this purpose, that can be purchased and wired inline to keep your chassis battery topped off.  Or, you can just use an external trickle charger (mine was $15-20 from Walmart) and plug it on there whenever you are parked or camping.  That's what I did for several years with our 1994 Thor motorhome, but we didn't boondock so additional shore power was always available.

 

[John Canfield]

I'm assuming you have only one chassis battery?  If you have two, always replace both batteries at the same time.

Your chassis battery is not charged by the charger/converter.  Add a Trik-L-Start.  Here's how to install it.  The instructions only cover diesel pushers, but maybe they will help some.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Year is not important - none of the Winnie Chieftains charge the chassis battery while on shore power (or generator either). The converter/charger does not have circuitry to handle both house and chassis batteries.

The solution for these coaches is a device called the Trik-L-Start. It is relatively inexpensive and quite effective. Winnebago itself recommends it for those who park for long periods on shore power.

http://www.lslproducts.com/TLSPage.html

Note that if your chassis battery is dead, you should be able to start the engine by using the Aux Start switch on (or near) the dash. This couples the house batteries to the chassis battery as long as the switch is held down.

 

[loydstuts]

Thanks guys! For the record, it's an '02. I'll get a Trik-l start when I go to town today. Thanks for the link for the installation as well. I knew I could count on this forum for help!  Be blessed.

 

[John Canfield]

Take some pictures for us and do a little how-to write up if you have the time.

 

[Sloop]

Where I store my M/H there is no available AC voltage so over time the chassis battery would die down.  I verified the only current draw was a continuous 45ma from the dash mounted CD/Radio used to retain the memory setting in the radio.  I installed a dash mounted switch that allows me to cut off power to the 12V memory feed to the radio.  Now when I store the M/H I flip the switch and cut the power to the memory.  The battery lasts for months now and I have never encountered it discharged enough to notice. Cutting the memory voltage does eliminate any saved settings you have in the radio.  I recorded these settings on my ?Cast-off? list and just reset them prior to using the M/H.  Hopefully this helps others who may not have the power to use a Trik-L-Start.