Chassis Battery Drain

Mikeso · 12-01-2008, 09:06 AM

I know that there have been discussions on this site regarding the battery drain experienced with the chasssis(engine) batteries. I just replaced mine about 4 weeks ago and they have gone stone dead in that time.
I have to wonder why this happens? A friend of mine has a newer Fleetwood which is also on the XC chassis and he does not seem to have this problem. What is it that Winnebago is or isn't doing that Fleetwood does?
Comments?

Mikeso · 12-01-2008, 09:06 AM

I know that there have been discussions on this site regarding the battery drain experienced with the chasssis(engine) batteries. I just replaced mine about 4 weeks ago and they have gone stone dead in that time.
I have to wonder why this happens? A friend of mine has a newer Fleetwood which is also on the XC chassis and he does not seem to have this problem. What is it that Winnebago is or isn't doing that Fleetwood does?
Comments?

MaverickBBD · 12-01-2008, 09:15 AM

You are correct much has been said about battery drain. Starting with '06 Winnie. put a trickle charge on their rigs. I even think there was a service bulletin issued for 05s to have one installed. It keeps chassis batteries a 1/2 volt below house charge.

AA4WP · 12-01-2008, 09:19 AM

Mikeso:

How long did the original chassis batteries last you? Were they the original batteries?

Did you charge you batteries after you replaced them? Did you do what I used to do, and get factory seconds for a greatly reduced price?

Some people use a trickle charger to maintain their chassis batteries fed from the house battery charger. Personally I have not had a problem keeping the chassis batteries charged up, especially since I watch them carefully and recharge them with an independent battery charger which I monitor, about once a month.

Wendell

autofish · 12-01-2008, 09:42 AM

With batteries we only have a few choises because our MH has so many parasitic drains on them, clock,computers,etc,so we have to keep a charger on them when not in use in order to keep up with the drains or we can disconnect all drains. If the batts are keep charged and water is keep full they should last 5-7 years mine are 6yrs old now and still work fine.

smlranger · 12-01-2008, 11:31 AM

I think you will find the parasitic drains on your XC chassis will drain those batteries in 4 weeks. I invested in a battery minder and keep it on the chassis batteries and have never had a problem.

At the IRV2 National Rally in July 07, a fellow RV'r with a Tiffin Phaeton on the XC chassis had to jump start his coach after it sat in the campground for one week. He did not have any charger/battery maintainer on his chassis batteries.

Mikeso · 12-01-2008, 12:10 PM

I appreciate everyones responses. After reading responses to earlier discussions on this issue and that if the lithium battery in the CAT computer goes dead it can cause major issues. I went home at lunch time and put the charger on them. When I did I heard a buzzing sound which I thought was coming from the charger since the batteries were so far down on charge. I walked to the front of the coach and heard a very noticible buzzing sound coming from under the front cowling. I immediately started heading back to the charger to shut it off when, all of a sudden the buzzing sound stopped. I pray that this one of those things where silence is golden.
When I installed the new batteries, which were top-of-the-line units from American Battery, the gentleman that sold them said that they were fully charged ready to install. After installation I checked the voltages on the panel and was reading a little over 13 volts.