Chassis battery dead April 23, 2016, 08:57:56 am Yahoo Message Number: 160026Hi folksNeed some advice on what is causing sudden battery drain in the chassis. We have a 2013 Ford 450 in the 24TK model. We do not tow a toad.After our last trip, we cleaned up the unit and put it in the storage lot. Then went to check on things a few days later and found that we had a dead chassis battery so we took it to the Ford dealer who tested it all day and replaced it. We took it back to the storage lot and a few days later, we checked it and found it dead again.So what do you all think is sucking the battery down to nothing in just a few days? And yes we plan to go back to the Ford dealer on Monday.Thanks in advance Corky 24 TK 2013
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #1 – April 23, 2016, 09:16:09 am Yahoo Message Number: 160027If you checked for and eliminated undetected "parasitic drain" (and a new battery still goes dead quickly), the alternator may have a bad diode. Please post when you determine the cause; thanks.Joan
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #2 – April 23, 2016, 09:20:05 am Yahoo Message Number: 160028My '08 MB had heated mirrors. I unknowingly left the heat on and drained the battery. If you have heated mirrors, take a look.Ed
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #3 – April 23, 2016, 10:23:56 am Yahoo Message Number: 160029Shops came be notoriously ineffective at properly diagnosing this sort of electrical issue. The best solution would be to store it at a location where you can do some testing yourself, perhaps in front of a friend's house, etc, until you find the problem. You will need a good ammeter, able to measure to at least 10 Amps, and tools to disconnect and reconnect cables, pull fuses, etc. If unable to do all this yourself, find a friend who has electrical expertise. If none of this works, find another repair shop that specializes in electrical issues.Steve
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #4 – April 23, 2016, 12:32:20 pm Yahoo Message Number: 160030Ed said, "My '08 MB had heated mirrors. I unknowingly left the heat on and drained the battery.If you have heated mirrors, take a look".Also check the convince/map light up front. I have a habit of ever so slightly twisting he knob causing the map light to come on.FYI, The dash radio run off the house batteriesJohn
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #5 – April 23, 2016, 10:52:47 pm Yahoo Message Number: 160046Thanks to all who gave ideas on what to check. Will update when the problem is resolved.Corky
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #6 – April 24, 2016, 08:47:21 am Yahoo Message Number: 160047Sadly it was our dash radio that drained our house batteries - that and the cigarette lighter socket for usb cords. Good luck. Sandy KalleAnka 96 TK
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #7 – April 25, 2016, 02:55:33 pm Yahoo Message Number: 160071Hi again The Ford dealer checked the chassis battery and they say the battery drain is NOT coming from the chassis. They blame it on drain from the motorhome. Ideas?Thanks Corky 2014 24'TK
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #8 – April 25, 2016, 04:09:03 pm Yahoo Message Number: 160072My standard suggestion is to have a battery monitor installed. They serve several purposes, but the ability to show the amps being used "in real time" would be valuable in your hunt for what is draining your chassis batteries. ie Cut everything off, then see how many amps are being used. If non-zero, then start pulling the DC fuses until you find the circuit involved. The hunt should be short then.Yes, I know it will cost a few hundred dollars, but you will be so smart for having spent the $$You may pay for my advise with unmarked bills, left in a plain brown sack on my step in the dark of night.
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #9 – April 25, 2016, 06:09:24 pm Yahoo Message Number: 160073What components inside the LD coach use the chassis battery? Maybe the '14 LD is different than our '09, but I can't think of anything connected to the Ford chassis battery for something inside the coach ... not even the radio/CD player! I'm eager to hear the outcome of this issue.Ed & Margee '09 MB
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #10 – April 25, 2016, 06:17:05 pm Yahoo Message Number: 160074It doesn't appear that the Ford garage was able to provide a definitive diagnosis, so you might want to follow the advice that Steve offered in post #160029, i.e., if you (or a friend with with automotive electrical experience) are unable to diagnose the problem, search for a shop which specializes in automotive electrics. Beyond the obvious simple causes of parasitic drain, e.g., the radio is on, there's really no way to accurately diagnose an electrical problem without "back-tracing" and testing at each step.As ever, YMMV.Joan
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #11 – April 25, 2016, 06:40:55 pm Yahoo Message Number: 160076I would be interested in how they determined it was the coach?Sent from Garry's iPhone
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #12 – April 25, 2016, 09:14:41 pm Yahoo Message Number: 160079In the morning, I would call Vince and ask, what, if anything, does LD use the chassis battery for. That will give you a starting point. If he says, "nothing" I would take his phone number to the supervisor at the Ford garage and have him call Vince. Do you have the Blue Sky solar controller? If so, this unit is wired to the chassis battery because once the house batteries are charged, charging current is routed to the chassis battery. Ask Vince if there is a fuse you can pull just so you can eliminate this as a possibility if the Ford people see the wiring. My electrical knowledge approaches zero. I've probably exceeded that with this post. Good luck. Ed
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #13 – April 25, 2016, 09:28:10 pm Yahoo Message Number: 160080Our rear speakers in the coach are powered by the chassis battery. We are still having electrical radio problems-long story. Part of the symptoms have been no sound from radio, static in rear speakers. Don't know if there is any relationship to your problem. Sandy KalleAnka 96
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #14 – April 25, 2016, 10:36:30 pm Yahoo Message Number: 160084Hi Sandy. Your speakers aren't powered by a battery. They are ungrounded and are powered by the radio. Whatever powers the radio, usually the house batteries, provides power to the speakers. Some people put a switch in to run the speakers from a television, this disconnects them from the radio, and this same switch may turn off the radio while switched to TV. If someone did put in a separate amplifier to run the rear speakers, I'm sure that it should be running on the house batteries. I'm not sure what Steve may have done to the audio system. I believe a Bose surround sound system for the TV was an option for the anniversary edition, and may be available now too. In an older coach I would check the fuse in the yellow holder under the hood. In older coaches, a CB radio fuse was located there also. They both run off of the House batteries. No telling where the fuses might be for the surround sound system. Your manual should say. HTH Ronb
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #15 – April 26, 2016, 08:41:43 am Yahoo Message Number: 160087A reminder: Some of us "PO's" (prior owners) have modified the factory wiring. If you buy a coach from us, you may find things different than assumed. For instance, I rewired the CB and dash radios to run off the chassis battery, as I didn't expect to use them except when driving. (I provided the purchaser a full set of wiring diagrams and pictures so that he would know what I did.)Corky, if you can bring the coach to New Hampshire I'd be happy to troubleshoot it with you. ;-) If that's too much, then you have at least two options: 1) Divide and conquer (do it yourself by disconnecting, measuring and recording), or 2) get a competent person or shop to do that for you, as Joan suggested. I think option 1) is more fun, less expensive, and highly educational, but that's my opinion.Here's a final suggestion: If you can stand not having your alternator charge the house batteries for awhile, disconnect the house battery lead from the diode isolator, either at both the isolator and the house batteries. (Wrap some electrical tape around both ends and tuck them out of the way, so they won't accidentally touch the terminals.) That way, any troubleshooting of the chassis battery and charging system will not be affected by the house 12V system.Of course, I assume you have a diode isolator in your 2013, as we did in our 1997/8. As Joan says, "YMMV."Mark
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #16 – April 26, 2016, 10:58:57 am Yahoo Message Number: 160092Yes, Joan, "back tracing" is an excellent way to find an electrical problem. It's also expensive for a pro to do at $130 an hour. I say install a battery monitor and find it yourself. Then you will have the monitor to use for the lifetime of the rig.
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #17 – April 26, 2016, 11:01:30 am Yahoo Message Number: 160093"The Ford dealer checked the chassis battery and they say the battery drain is NOT coming from the chassis. They blame it on drain from the motorhome. Ideas?"If this is so, very few coach items use the chassis battery. If you are the original owner, then modifications should not be an issue. The entire coach electrical can be disconnected by disconnecting the engine charging feed to the coach system at the battery isolator. This must be done carefully so the loose terminal lug is protected from shorting. Then, anything LD connects under the hood will run through a waterproof in-line fuseholder, and those fuses can be pulled. This should keep the systems isolated, and see if the battery holds a charge. If not, the dealer is incorrect.Steve
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #18 – April 26, 2016, 12:43:53 pm Yahoo Message Number: 160104"Our rear speakers in the coach are powered by the chassis battery."Unless you have special amplified (powered) speakers installed by a previous owner, your rear speakers--like the front ones--are powered by your dashboard radio. And in all the Lazy Dazes I'm aware of, that radio is powered by the house batteries, not the chassis battery.Andy Baird
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #19 – April 26, 2016, 09:31:45 pm Yahoo Message Number: 160115This is just me. Get some white electrical tape, a sharpie and label all the disconnected wires. Write up what you did as if a disinterested 3rd party will be reading it. In a year, that will be you.You'll never guess how I came up with this.con grins joel
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #20 – April 27, 2016, 10:04:36 pm Yahoo Message Number: 160144Thanks to all who gave ideas on troubleshooting. I have passed the ideas along to DH.BTW DH did speak to Vince at the mothership and we will soon start trying to figure out the problem.And the Ford guy did admit it COULD be an alternator problem but said we would have to check out the coach portion first before they will work on it. The Ford guy pulled the fuse that isolates the chassis and there was still a drain so he blames it on a coach problem draining the battery but did admit it could be a bad diode in the alternator.Blessings on the guy in NH (I think) who volunteered to check it out for us. Who knows...we may take you up on that! It is a long way from Texas but it would be a beautiful drive!Stay tuned for the continuing drama of the wayward battery!Corky
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #21 – April 28, 2016, 08:43:56 am Yahoo Message Number: 160147if he pulled a fuse that isolates the coach, and it still has a drain then it sounds as if it isn't the coach, and you have a typical dealership mechanic that is clueless.Find a real mechanic, most are independent or work for independents.
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #22 – April 28, 2016, 12:44:32 pm Yahoo Message Number: 160151Would disconnecting the house batteries eliminate the coach as a possible source?Jim C
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #23 – April 29, 2016, 03:17:46 pm Yahoo Message Number: 160173"Would disconnecting the house batteries eliminate the coach as a possible source?"No, because LD does connect some items to the chassis battery. However, they typically have done this connection via easily identifiable waterproof in-line fuseholders grouped under the hood - which can be pulled.Steve
Re: Chassis battery dead Reply #24 – April 30, 2016, 09:21:49 am Yahoo Message Number: 160181Thanks for the idea and the explanation...will pass on to DH.Corky
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