1970 Explorer Class A on a 1969 Dodge M300 chassis with 318 cu. in. (split year)
1972 Executive Class A on a Dodge M375 chassis with 413 cu. in.
1973 Explorer Class A on a Dodge RM350 (R4) chassis with 318 engine & tranny from 1970 Explorer Class A
Eyeteeth wrote:
The starter turned... lights and everything stayed on.
The starter turned... lights and everything stayed on.
Yea! Progress is good.
I recommend replacing both battery cables while you are at it.
eyeteeth wrote:
I was just out looking into the ground part. a jumper (cable) to the chassis was easy enough...
The good news is we got further than previously. The starter turned... lights and everything stayed on. Going to chase the rabbit down that hole for a bit.
I was just out looking into the ground part. a jumper (cable) to the chassis was easy enough...
The good news is we got further than previously. The starter turned... lights and everything stayed on. Going to chase the rabbit down that hole for a bit.
Hurrah!! I just won a mental bet with myself! (I make bets but I don't gamble.)
The most important ground connection is the cable from the SLI battery's negative post to the engine block.
Then, the rest of the ground connections can vary. Many vehicles, including most Class C motorhomes, have a ground strap (braided flat metal strap) from the engine block to the vehicle's metal body/cab. Class A motorhomes don't necessarily have metal bodies or cabs so there's usually another major secondary ground connection, either off the SLI battery's negative post/clamp or the engine block.
I can't count the number of times I've seen people leave off the braided metal ground strap, especially when doing an engine swap, and then wonder why their vehicle's electrical system isn't working or acting all wonky.
Do NOT overlook the ground/negative side of your vehicle's electrical system!
It's gotten to the point where the first thing I do when chasing electrical problems is connect a jumper cable from the battery's negative post/terminal to the engine block.
In the majority of cases, the electrical problem I'm chasing suddenly disappears.
The thing that was tricking me away from simply being a ground was the weird activity with the way ALL power would go away. Then eventually come back. I figure it would either come back immediately, or, well just act differently. Always easier in hindsight.
So anyway... moving on... when I removed the Jumper, I noticed as heavy of a gauge it was, it was still warm. So, something still wasn't right. Made a trip to the store and stocked up on a some items. (I already had electrical grease.
![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/smile.gif "smile")
. )Anyway, Got back, and a few minutes to mess around before heading to the track, so started taking things apart to clean, re-grease, replace, and re-assemble. and got a MUCH better crank out of the starter. I may even try and return the battery... we'll see. Could use the $$$ right now... gotta buy racing slicks for three karts. Also, for those keeping track of the guy who's doing more lurking than anything else currently... both of my boys are playing premier level soccer. Like everything else... Teams fees and travel take a chunk.
There are manual battery chargers, automatic battery chargers, battery charger/maintainers, and battery maintainers.
Manual battery chargers, which are almost unavailable today, require constant monitoring because they will just keep throwing a charge at the battery until they boil away the electrolyte and ruin the battery.
Automatic battery chargers are better but not by much. They shut off when they sense the battery is (almost) fully charged. However, many (if not most) are just single stage chargers.
Battery charger/maintainers are best because almost all are multi-stage chargers, capable of fully recharging a (partially) drained battery and keeping the battery's charge topped off. (I'll leave it up to you to read up on what the charging/maintaining stages are.)
Note: Some multi-stage charger/maintainers have too many stages/functions/features. The extra stages/functions/features are only suitable for old, nearly worn out batteries that should be turned in for recycling rather than trying to "save" them.
Finally, there are battery maintainers. These are low-amperage devices that are typically permanently mounted in the vehicle and connected to the battery. They are good for maintaining a battery's full charge but are not powerful enough to recharge a drained battery.
I have received reports of some battery maintainers draining a battery when left unplugged, in an idle/stored vehicle, for an extended period of time. However, I have a strong basis for doubting these claims.
Newer vehicles have a small steady parasitic power drain, due to all the electronics, that can significantly drain a battery if the vehicle is idle/stored for an extended period. Personal computers have small batteries to maintain memory state when powered off ... provided they're not left off too long. Newer vehicles should also have the same type of small batteries but most do not. The implicit design assumption is the vehicle will be operated at least every week or ten days, therefore offsetting the battery drain by recharging via the alternator.
So, the supposed problem with battery maintainers may actually be due to a newer vehicle with lots of electronics.
eyeteeth wrote:
Let back up... and say I HATE dealing with electrical. I'm fairly adept at working on most things, turning a wrench... swinging a hammer... fixing stuff. But I just despise electrical. I have no problem letting someone else deal with it...
The thing that was tricking me away from simply being a ground was the weird activity with the way ALL power would go away. Then eventually come back. I figure it would either come back immediately, or, well just act differently. Always easier in hindsight.
So anyway... moving on... when I removed the Jumper, I noticed as heavy of a gauge it was, it was still warm. So, something still wasn't right. Made a trip to the store and stocked up on a some items. (I already had electrical grease. . )
Let back up... and say I HATE dealing with electrical. I'm fairly adept at working on most things, turning a wrench... swinging a hammer... fixing stuff. But I just despise electrical. I have no problem letting someone else deal with it...
The thing that was tricking me away from simply being a ground was the weird activity with the way ALL power would go away. Then eventually come back. I figure it would either come back immediately, or, well just act differently. Always easier in hindsight.
So anyway... moving on... when I removed the Jumper, I noticed as heavy of a gauge it was, it was still warm. So, something still wasn't right. Made a trip to the store and stocked up on a some items. (I already had electrical grease.
. )I don't exactly love dealing with electrical problems. (A very sarcastic understatement.) I rate electrical problems right down there with changing baby diapers. Lots of experience with both means I can tolerate both necessary tasks but definitely don't enjoy either.
As I mentioned before, the vibration of simply walking around inside a motorhome can be enough to jiggle a loose ground connection back into contact.
Yes, jumper cables will get warm if used for more than a few minutes. Battery cables will also very warm if you crank the engine for extended periods. However, battery cables are more than ample for the much lower amperage during normal operating conditions.
Battery cables are easily the most critical part of a vehicle's electrical system. If they're bad/loose/corroded/old/dirty/..., nothing will work right.
So, your problem was most likely a bad/loose negative/ground battery cable. As TreeSeeker mentioned, replace both battery cables, making sure all connections are clean and tight, and you shouldn't have any more problems. (At least in that area ... other problems are likely to crop up, which goes with the older motorhome territory.)
Requirement #1: A new or know-good battery.
Requirement #2: New battery cables. (Two new ones, one for positive/supply and one for negative/ground,)
Step #1: Clean battery posts and inside of battery terminals. (Bright shiny metal = clean connection, dull oxidized metal = unreliable connection.)
Step #2: Apply a small amount of dielectric grease to battery posts and inside of battery terminals. (As with many things in life, a little is good, a lot is not.)
Step #3: Place battery terminals on battery posts and tighten well. (If you can wiggle the battery terminal, even a little bit with lots of effort, they ain't tight enough.
Step #4: Repeat steps 1 though 4 with the other ends of the new battery cables.
At this point, you're ready to continue with the rehabilitation.
Anything you do before following this SOP is will very likely result in wasted time and effort.
Note: I really, really hate solving the same problem more than once ... so, the result is this SOP.
Because I live in interior Alaska, with winter lows frequently below negative forty degrees F, I typically use arctic grade cable from Polar Wire Products.
Alternatively, I will sometimes buy the heavier battery cables used on the big diesel engines in heavy construction equipment. (This works in Anchorage and points south ... locally, construction companies buy battery cables from Polar Wire.)
In terms of heavier cables, if the OEM battery cable uses 4 AWG cable, I go to 2 AWG or even 1 AWG cable. In turn, heavier OEM cable means even heavier custom cables.