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Topic: HELP! Truck battery drained; house battery o.k. (Read 10 times) previous topic - next topic
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HELP! Truck battery drained; house battery o.k.
Yahoo Message Number: 58220
O.k. I hope someone is out there, cause I need some help.
 I'm parked at a PA Turnpike service area. I've been here three hours to rest. I was getting ready to head out again when I discovered I hadn't turned of the truck headlights. Needless to say, my battery is drained, and the truck won't turn over. Is there anyway to draw on the house batteries to start it up? Or the generator? Or, should I just call Ford and call for a jump start?
 Of course, I don't have any jumpers. And, I'm traveling alone and its 9:30 at night, AND, I'm not going to knock on the door of any of the truckers....so please don't offer that as an option.

Maybe I'll just take a pill and sleep.  :-(

Jeanne Allen

Please respond to the message board and not to my email.
Re: HELP! Truck battery drained; house battery o.k.
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 58221
O.k. I'll answer my own question. After reading the LD manual and the LD Group archives, I have concluded that I might be able to bypass the diode isolator and use the generator to charge the truck battery. But, frankly, knowing me, the time and the location, I would have a better chance of starting a fire with two sticks.

So, I'll call Ford for a jump start, even though I'm surrounded by idling trucks. At least I can sleep while I wait.
Re: HELP! Truck battery drained; house battery o.k.
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 58223
Jeanne, if I were you I'd call Ford or whatever emergency road care service you have.
 This is a long shot, but...if you can find the isolator diode (small module--less than a cubic inch--with three terminals, somewhere under the hood), you can short the outer two terminals together with the heaviest wire you have, thus connecting your house and truck batteries.
 DON'T try to start the engine yet, because the shorting wire probably won't handle the heavy current. But if you give it half an hour, the house batteries should recharge the truck battery enough to let you start AFTER disconnecting the shorting wire.

If anybody else has a better idea, speak up!

Andy Baird
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: HELP! Truck battery drained; house battery o.k.
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 58224
Thanks, Andy. I've decided to call for help. The largest wire I have is the one that's holding my brain cells together, and I guess it's not working well, or I wouldn't have left on the truck lights. I've been on the road for two weeks and am about ready to go home after this.
 I feel pretty good about the fact I know what's wrong and how it can be fixed. That's a plus.

I'm thinking you are doing the right thing...heading out full time.
When the dirty bombs are exploded in D.C. or the pandemic spreads world wide or the next hurricane blows in, I may be out there too! But, when I do, I WILL have a jumper cable.

Jeanne
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] HELP! Truck battery drained; house b
Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 58225
where are you on Turnpike?  My brother works on the turnpike, at Somerset and Bedford exits.  I can call him.
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] HELP! Truck battery drained; house b
Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 58226
Emergency Cellular Phone Service For emergency assistance on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, dial *11 (or 1-800-332-3880) on your cellular phone.)

State Police or Emergency Assistance In Pennsylvania: Toll Free 1-800-932-0586 717-939-9551
Re: HELP! Truck battery drained; house battery o.k.
Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 58227
Andy,

You must have a *very* small diode isolator!!
 All the ones I've seen are about 3 X 3 X 6 inches. As you state, the isolator will have 3 terminals and a rather heavy wire going to each. Another help
bumper
"Yonder" '05 MB
"WLDBLU" glider trailer
Re: HELP! Truck battery drained; house battery o.k.
Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 58228
When I bought my LD I then bought a portable jumper from
www.jcwhitney.com  I have one in every vehicle, and it has saved me once .  At first I would simply transfer the one from my Honda minivan that I bought at Costco then realized it probably would not have enough cranking amps to start the V-1o engine.  I bought the Pro 660.
Item Description    Unit    Item #    Price    Qty.    Order Pro 660 Amp Heavy-duty Jump Starter    Each    ZX077625P    $179.99

Hopefully I will never need it.
Re: HELP! Truck battery drained; house battery o.k.
Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 58229
"You must have a *very* small diode isolator!"
 Yup, I do. Gertie's old isolator was about half a cubic inch. I know because I had to have it replaced a couple of years ago. Maybe Camping World put in a larger one...I haven't looked. But anyway, I should have mentioned to Jeanne that I was describing an older unit and hers might look different.
 I have several things for emergencies like this: 1) Camping World's 'Roadcare' RV road service, 2) a cell phone with which to call said road service, 3) a Wilson Trucker roof- mounted cell phone antenna in case I have trouble getting a signal, 4) Verizon National SingleRate service, which lets me connect in roaming areas where the more popular America's Choice plan doesn't permit a connection, and 5) a Cobra CB radio with which to call for help if the cell phone is lost or unusable. (That's a real last resort though, because who knows who is listening to CB distress calls?)
 I also carry homemade, very heavy (#1 welding cable) jumper cables that are long enough to reach from the house batteries to the engine battery, with a safety disconnect in the middle. And finally, on the advice of this group I bought a 21 Ah battery pack/300W inverter that can also be used to jump-start the engine.
 Believe it or not, I've used most of these items in the past four years. Being left sitting for months at a time is hard on the engine battery! In retrospect, I should have either taken it out in the winter...or jumpered the isolator when not using the rig, so that the solar panels could keep it topped off along with the house batteries (which never had any problems, thanks to the juice they got from the panels). Have any of you battery experts tried this strategy?
 Anyway, now that I'm on the road full time, these kinds of engine battery problems shouldn't happen...especially since I replaced my flooded-cell engine battery with a more robust AGM unit. But if they do, I'm prepared!
 One other thing occurs to me: would it be possible charge the engine battery from the genset? You might have to pull the battery to do it, of course...I'm just wondering whether there is even a way to hook it up. Not having a generator in Gertie, I haven't had occasion to try that trick.

Andy Baird
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Fleeing disaster
Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 58230
"I'm thinking you are doing the right thing...heading out full time. When the dirty bombs are exploded in D.C. or the pandemic spreads world wide or the next hurricane blows in, I may be out there too!"
 My thinking exactly. One of many things that pushed me toward fulltiming was the ability to get away from big cities like NYC (I used to live 45 miles from there) and Washington that are tempting targets, and to flee natural disasters like hurricanes and forest fires. About the only thing Gertie can't outrun is a tornado, and I'm hoping my weather radio will warn me in time to seek shelter if one of those appears.

Andy Baird
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: HELP! Truck battery drained; house battery o.k.
Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 58233
Thanks, guys. As always you all come through with information and help. I finally packed it in last night and got some sleep. Dealing with this in the morning and in the daylight is reasonalble. Anyway, I now know what to do and what to carry for the next trip!!

Jeanne
Re: HELP! Truck battery drained; house battery o.k.
Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 58235
Quote
O.k. I hope someone is out there, cause I need some help.
 I'm parked at a PA Turnpike service area. I've been here three hours to rest. I was getting ready to head out again when I discovered I hadn't turned of the truck headlights. Needless to say, my battery is drained,

Jeanne Allen
Hi Jeanne, As a woman traveling alone, this same thing happened to me many yrs ago, before cell phones, I did have a CB and was able to call for help that way and someone jumped my car. But my battery should not have drained as fast as it did, since then I always replace the battery within 3 yrs, and with a Sears Diehard, it's never happened again.
Just go to Sears and let them install one. Good Luck! Mari
Fleeing disaster
Reply #13 –
Yahoo Message Number: 58237
As someone who lived at the epicenter of Loma Prieta quake, what is needed to flee disaster or leave a wrecked house is gas---duh!---and it is a good idea as a general policy not to let gas tanks go below half full. In a disaster, gas stations are not pumping.
 Also ATM's are not pumping either, so have a stash of cash, some in smaller bills. Though some stores opened to sell supplies, the cash registers didn't work, so you had to have close to the right change.
 And you know and have the rest--water, food, etc. Maybe a windup radio and solar flashlight.
 Last, another use for the RV in the backyard---a refuge for family/friends fleeing a disaster area.

Maryellen Thanks to this list recent road emergency info. Ditto satellite internet.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: HELP! Truck battery drained; house battery o.k.
Reply #14 –
Yahoo Message Number: 58239
Quote
"You must have a *very* small diode isolator!"
In retrospect, I should have either taken it
 
Quote
out in the winter...or jumpered the isolator when not using the
rig, so that the solar panels
 
Quote
could keep it topped off along with the house batteries (which
never had any problems,
 
Quote
thanks to the juice they got from the panels). Have any of you
battery experts tried this

Quote
strategy?

Andy Baird
Jumping the battery isolator, in order to allow a charging source to charge both house and chassis batteries, is a good option in an emergency or when the batteries can be closely monitored. As a normal proceedure, or to leave the batteries jumped for extended periods, may not be the best solution.

Jumping the isolator places the batteries in parallel.  Parallel batteries or banks should be of identical size and even age tp insure that they properly share charging current available without one being over or under charged.

A charging source, such as a solar charge controller, relies on the battery voltage (and in some cases the current and temperature) to determine appropriate charge rate. Since the batteries in question are typically physically seperated, there will be a wiring voltage drop even if they are connected with heavy wire.
 A better long term solution might be to install a small PV panel for the chassis battery. Of course, as Andy mentioned, this is not needed if the MH is often on the move.

bumper
bumper
"Yonder" '05 MB
"WLDBLU" glider trailer
Re: Jumpering the isolator
Reply #15 –
Yahoo Message Number: 58242
"Jumping the isolator places the batteries in parallel. Parallel batteries or banks should be of identical size and even age to insure that they properly share charging current available without one being over or under charged...A better long term solution might be to install a small PV panel for the chassis battery."

Of course--I knew that, but wasn't thinking about it. Thanks, John!

Andy Baird
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
 
Re: HELP! Truck battery RESURRECTED; house battery o.k.
Reply #16 –
Yahoo Message Number: 58260
"Jeanne Allen" wrote last night: I'm parked at a PA Turnpike service area. I've been here three hours to rest. I was getting ready to head out again when I discovered I hadn't turned of the truck headlights. Needless to say, my battery is drained, and the truck won't turn over.

MY UPDATE!! I woke up today, called the FORD Emergency Assistance number and they said they would be right there. I sat down behind the wheel to wait. I happened to try the key and the damn thing started!!

Now how the heck do you suppose that happened? The dash lights wouldn't come on last night. The engine barely urped a grind and this morning with a little extra nudge, the truck starts!
 With this kind of finckyness, you'd think it was a cat or a woman or maybe a god! Maybe all three!