which battery for gen start?

[corprimo]

Just got our new to us 2004 Journey and it will be stored outside w/o power near Portland OR for the winter while we're up here in Palmer AK. My son in OR can fire up the Onan 7.5 quiet diesel generator monthly and run it under load for an hour, but I'm curious which batteries supply the starting juice for the generator - chassis or coach? I'm thinking of hooking up a 10A battery charger to the Onan when it's running to charge up the chassis batteries a bit monthly. Battery disconnect switch in engine compartment will be off. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. We're planning on driving it up to AK in late April, which will be my 21st trip on the Alcan.

[BFlinn181]

Generally it's the house batteries connected to the generator, but with the boost switch both sets connect.

[corprimo]

On a similar topic, when the Cat diesel is running on our Journey, does the Alternator charge both chassis and house batteries?

[BFlinn181]

I can't answer that, some only charge house batteries on shore cord. Easy way to see for yourself, Use a multimeter and test battery voltage with no engine, generator, or shore power. Then retest when engine is running. Voltage should be higher if they are charging. You can do the same on generator and shore power to determine if chassis batteries charge on generator and shore power. If they don't you can add a B.I.R.D. switch or one of these: Ultra Trik-L-Start

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by corprimo

On a similar topic, when the Cat diesel is running on our Journey, does the Alternator charge both chassis and house batteries?

Corprimo,
First off, congrats on your purchase of your '04 Journey. Nice coach. I've got a good friend that has the exact same coach. But, he does not have a "battery disconnect" for the chassis batteries in the rear of the coach. I was under the impression that those were not installed by the factory 'till around '06 or so. But, I'm always learning. Anyway, to answer your first question, yes, it should be your house batteries that start your gen.

And to answer your second question, yes your alternator charges both sets of batteries while your engine is running. That is of course, assuming that all the components linked in that system are working correctly.

Now, up until around late '05 early '06, most, if not all, Winnies and Itascas had NO CHASSIS battery charging from shore power. Many of those coaches came with the Dimensions 2000 watt Inverter/Charger. And, the charger side of it was/is a 3-stage charging unit. When the house batteries are in a very low state of charge, the charger is in the "Bulk mode" and delivers as much as 65 or more amps. When they start to simmer down, the charger goes into what's called the "Acceptance Mode". It can deliver around 15+ amps in that stage.

When it really calms down and the house batteries are at the top of the charge, it will revert to what's called the "Float mode" and, at that point, will deliver around 0-5 amps, on and off.

But, as stated, there was not provisions for charging the chassis batteries until around '06 when the factory started installing what's called the "Trik-L-Start" system. That system primarily allows voltage/amperage that's intended for the house batteries, from the inverter/charger, to be diverted to the chassis batteries. Many guys have purchased it and hooked it up to the system (it has good instructions showing how to do so) and are quite happy with it.

On our '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the C-7 330 CAT also had no provisions for charging the chassis batteries so, before I learned of the Trik-L-Start system, I simply purchased a Napa, three stage battery charger and hard wired it directly to the 110VAC breaker panel, at the foot of the bed and, ran the 12VDC wires directly to the chassis batteries. That system for me, has been working flawlessly for about 2 years now.

But, unless your particular '04 Journey has been setup differently than the majority of that era, you most likely are not getting any charging to the chassis batteries on shore power or, with the generator running.
Scott

[corprimo]

Thanks for all the replies - I'm learning a lot! Our '04 Journey is parked down in Portland for the winter and we'll be driving it up to our home in Palmer, AK in late April after I put new tires on it. (It still has the original tires on it.) We'll be down there for Thanksgiving and I'll winterize it then and have my son check it monthly and run the generator for a while over the next 5 months. We've had a 5th wheel for years, so the electrical system on the DP is a whole lot more complicated! I'll get the Trick-L once I get it home and start doing all the maintenance on it.

[SuperGewl]

Originally Posted by corprimo

On a similar topic, when the Cat diesel is running on our Journey, does the Alternator charge both chassis and house batteries?

Not sure on the older models but on the new Gas ones if the engine is running it will charge the house batteries, and if the gen or hooked up to shore power it will charge the chassis batteries. The new system goes both ways, depending on what is running so you should not have to worry about either set of batteries.
You should be able to look in the owners manual and or schematics to determine if it does.

[John Hilley]

Originally Posted by corprimo

Thanks for all the replies - I'm learning a lot! Our '04 Journey is parked down in Portland for the winter and we'll be driving it up to our home in Palmer, AK in late April after I put new tires on it. (It still has the original tires on it.) We'll be down there for Thanksgiving and I'll winterize it then and have my son check it monthly and run the generator for a while over the next 5 months. We've had a 5th wheel for years, so the electrical system on the DP is a whole lot more complicated! I'll get the Trick-L once I get it home and start doing all the maintenance on it.

It would only take about 15 minutes to install the Trik-L-Start while you were winterizing, one connection to each side of the battery isolation solenoid and one to ground, plus two self tapping screws for mounting.

[MaverickBBD]

One of the first recall/service tips I received regarding my '05 Journey was for the Trik-L-Start. It keeps my engine batteries 1 volt below the house batteries. As far as tires you should call around but you will not find any better deals then Les Schwab. No sales tax in Oregon. We got our new tires from the Schwabbie truck center in Eugene.

[John Hilley]

Originally Posted by MaverickBBD

One of the first recall/service tips I received regarding my '05 Journey was for the Trik-L-Start. It keeps my engine batteries 1 volt below the house batteries. As far as tires you should call around but you will not find any better deals then Les Schwab. No sales tax in Oregon. We got our new tires from the Schwabbie truck center in Eugene.

Don't you mean 0.1 (one tenth) volt below house batteries? mine stays 0.2 volt below house batteries.

[corprimo]

Ordered Trik-L-start last night. We'll be in Portland for Thanksgiving with coach in our son's driveway and will install it then. I got a price on Michelin tires from Camping World, which was good for a laugh, then called Schwab and priced 6 Toyo M154's. I'll get them in Wilsonville where they can also balance them. AK Highway in April should be a nice trip - spring on the south end, winter up north and break-up in Palmer.