2000 Georgie Boy P32 Intellitec Battery Disconnect issues

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IronAngel

Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2021
Posts
11
Location
Jefferson, TX
I have 1 2000 Georgie Boy The Suite P32 Chassis that I'm having issues with the Intellitec Battery Disconnect.

I have replaced the disconnect solenoid, yet still do not have 12v in the coach. I have replaced the batteries with 2 new AGM.

I've been trying to use the wiring diagram and chase the battery power cables, as I do not think they are connected correctly. This diagram is very poor, at best.
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On the left solenoid battery connection, my connection goes to the positive post of my Chassis Battery, The Right battery connection goes to my Coach positive battery post and a short jumper to the System. Intellitec's wiring diagram shows that the House batteries are wired to the left post of the solenoid and the right post to the system.

I inherited my GB from my Dad, and I think a previous owner changed this to bypass the bad solenoid.
My question is, Should I just reverse the 2 battery cables?

Anyone with a 2000ish Georgie Boy with P32 chassis, if you could let me know how your battery disconnect is wired I would much appreciate it.

Thanks
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Have you considered that maybe the disconnect solenoid wasn't the problem in the first place? What is it that wasn't working?

Please tell us more about your electrical system - few of us know how your GB was intended to be wired. Does it have disconnects for both house and chassis 12v? Is there also an Aux (aka Emergency Start) solenoid?
 
What you described sounds more like the solenoid that ties the house and chassis batteries together, not the disconnect. What you described is for charging the house batteries while your engine is running. It also is operated by a switch in the dash which allows you to jump the chassis battery from the house batteries if you have a dead chassis battery.
The intellitec disconnect looks like this:
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Have you considered that maybe the disconnect solenoid wasn't the problem in the first place? What is it that wasn't working?

Please tell us more about your electrical system - few of us know how your GB was intended to be wired. Does it have disconnects for both house and chassis 12v? Is there also an Aux (aka Emergency Start) solenoid?
I only have a single Intellitec switch located inside the door. I replaced the Solenoid, but is is a different make than the Intellitec brand, the solenoid that I took out and replaced is an

KIB LR9806 Latching Relay. I have also ordered a new switch control panel.​


Many systems, in my Georgie Boy, that do not work were bypassed by some previous owner. It is painstaking pick-n-shovel work to troubleshoot these.

My current symptom, is the red LED is ON on the disconnect switch and will not switch to Inuse. So, No Coach 12V power to lights etc..

I do NOT think the Georgie Boy was supposed to disconnect both the Chassis and Coach batteries together or there would be 2 disconnect solenoids.

Also, I tested the solenoid by disconnecting the battery, then using some test alligator clips applied power to both the control pins on the solenoid. It would click in one direction, but when reversed, the clips got hot, like there was a short.
 
This is the only wiring diagram that I can find. It comes from the Georgie Boy Owners manual that I have. I'm other manufacturers that use the P32 Workhorse chassis has something very similar.

There are 3 other devices in the diagram that are on my panel, ( 1 is above the Solenoid and 2 others to the right of the solenoid), that I have no idea what they are, nor how they work. I am not an electrician. I am doing the best I can with what I have and can't afford to pay a professional electrician to fix this crap.

Any help would be much appreciated.
 

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On my RV the solenoid was perfect. The switch that controls it needed cleaning.

HOW TO CLEAN that switch
Remove power.. any way you can (lift all negative cables or pull the two SMALL wires off the solenoid or remove the fuse that feeds the switch

Cycle the switch off/on/off/on/off/on (Use store) 50-100 times. Restore power and try again.

Alternative (test only) using "patch cables" (Short wires with clips on 'em) hook one to one of the SMALL terminals on teh solenoid and ground it. Now hook the other to the other small terminal and tap against the HOT wire on the solenoid. it should make a "Clunk" check for power... NO power. Reverse the jumpers and try again. Still no power test the "Switched" end with a test light (in fact do that before you start and after the first try) This 100% narrows it down to the switch or wiring connecting the switch or the fuse feeding the switch. likely a 5 amp.

On an intelletec Battery Control Center.... With the solenoid buried in the guts. (hard to access) there are some test points you can use up on the left side about 1/3 the way down. One is a "Quick Connect" Flag and the other a pad... There are two sets. Main and Aux and without the manual open I'm not sure which is which.
I looked the Battery Control Center manual did not make it to this computer.
 
OK, I disconnected the switch cable. I then disconnected both the chassis and coach negative terminals. I then checked that I had no power to the solenoid. I used jumpers to connect the ground from the chassis battery, (closest), first ground to the negative terminal on the solenoid and briefly touched the positive to battery positive, clunk sound. I tested continuity thru the solenoid and have it. I then reversed the ground to the positive terminal and touched battery positive to the negative terminal on the solenoid, clunk again, this time no continuity. So, I did this check to the old solenoid, it is good too :( oh well I have a spare.

Also, when I replaced the solenoid and applied power, both of the 5amp fuses blew. I now have higher amps in there, for testing purposes only. I just don't have spare 5 amp fuses yet.

Just a note to you, My dad did say that he had replaced the disconnect switch before. I have since found out that the newer version of the single switch is slightly different and that a cable change would need to be made. I've ordered another switch that comes with an adapter pigtail cable.
 
So, if the Chassis battery positive cable is on one side of the solenoid and the coach battery positive is on the other, would that not create an issue at all?
 
That is what I tried to explain is a way to charge your house batteries while you drive. But it is not a good idea to have a latching solenoid for that. Because you could drain your chassis battery along with the house batteries while you are camping. When it's time to leave you won't be able to start the engine. A continuous duty non latching solenoid should be there instead. You should have another latching solenoid nearby. That would be the disconnect that you're looking for.
 
That is what I tried to explain is a way to charge your house batteries while you drive. But it is not a good idea to have a latching solenoid for that. Because you could drain your chassis battery along with the house batteries while you are camping. When it's time to leave you won't be able to start the engine. A continuous duty non latching solenoid should be there instead. You should have another latching solenoid nearby. That would be the disconnect that you're looking for.
Well, in my system, I appear to have only 1 latching solenoid, and it has the cable that runs to the switch just inside the entrance door. There are 3 other electrical devices close to the solenoid, but I have no idea what they are.
 
You say "the system". I don't know what that is. However, I have read that some motorhomes use an electronic isolator instead of a solenoid. I don't know anything about those. Maybe if you post a picture of the device that short cable goes to, someone can help identify it.
 
You say "the system". I don't know what that is. However, I have read that some motorhomes use an electronic isolator instead of a solenoid. I don't know anything about those. Maybe if you post a picture of the device that short cable goes to, someone can help identify it.
Here are a few pics I managed to take. It is tight space and a lot of wires. The Picture with the short battery cable is on the right post of the latching solenoid, I don't know what it is attached to. The longer cable on the right side of the solenoid goes to positive terminal of battery 1 of the Coach battery parallel set.
 

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You say "the system". I don't know what that is. However, I have read that some motorhomes use an electronic isolator instead of a solenoid. I don't know anything about those. Maybe if you post a picture of the device that short cable goes to, someone can help identify it.
I name the Battery Disconnect Circuit, "the System"
 
Well, the switch by the entry door is usually the house battery disconnect and in a class A coach is near always activates a solenoid relay. Often an Intelletec Big Boy realy, but there is nothing magical about that brand. It's just a common use component. Is the switch by the door labeled Intellitec? That would infer it was originally an Intellitec relay.
In any case , that relay battery cables ought to go to HOUSE battery positive and to the main DC distribution panel, so that opening the relay does indeed disconnect power. Or it might be between the battery and a deck mount converter/charger, which inturn feeds the DC fuse panel. Hard to guess how it should be wired without at least roughly understanding the whole house DC power layout.
 
OK, at least 1 of the 3 "other" components is a White Rogers 120-105751-6 Coil/Solenoid. Perhaps all 3 are. I have no idea how they operate, yet...
 

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I was able to restore power to inside coach and I got the Battery Disconnect working correctly.

I replaced the Intellitec Switch Panel, and cut and spliced the new adapter cable for the switch.

For the Power to the coach, I found that the 50 amp circuit breaker had tripped that connects battery to converter. I had to feel around for the tiny reset switch.

I am going to rewire the batteries, Coach and Chassis plus the Generator to reflect the poor wiring diagram for the 2000 Georgie Boy Suite models, and I suspect the early P32 Workhorse chassis RVs..

Thanks for the help I received here.
 

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