Lazy Daze Owners' Group

Battery issues- do I just need a new cab one?

April 05, 2010, 01:01:25 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 111596

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Do the following pull from the cab or coach batteries:

HWH Levelers with the joystick box?
 Starting the Generator with the remote start switch (switch inside the rig)?
 I think my low-amp battery issues are related to either the generator or levellers pulling on my cab battery.
 When I start the engine and use the levelers- I can actually see the battery switch drop significantly as I put load on the levellers!  Then the battery guage pops back up to normal the second I stop pushing on the leveler's joystick.  Weird.
 Everything will then look fine on the battery, so I turn off the leveler box and the cab engine.
 But then I start the generator -it can take 6-10 seconds of reving for the generator to finally turn over and start up-, not too long.  As the generator runs along fine, I turn on the cab battery and... du, dun, duuuuu...
 There's that low amp battery light on!  And the cab battery on low (on the "o" in the word "normal", whereas it was between the "m" and "a" just a few seconds before.

So is it the generator pulling too much from the battery?

Is the battery low?
 On our trip, if we then let the rig sit overnight, the battery would be back up to normal in the morning and we'd be fine.
 If we used the levelers even briefly at the dump station, the battery would be back to low amp when we restarted the engine.  But if we then drove highway speed, it would just jump back up to normal and the Low-Amp light would go off.
 Sometimes, on our trip on the drive to and from FL, after getting gas, the engine appeared to sould like a low battery in slow starting, but then the battery showed normal.  Very unnerving when your rig doesn't start right up.  Makes my stomach drop.

So do I just need a new cab battery?
 Is something wrong with my levelers, generator start, or electrical system? (please no)
 I bought the Optima Yellow Top battery (starting and deep cycle) exactly 2 years ago.  From Yellow Top reviews, that might be it's lifetime.  We have indeed been about 50,000 since installed.
 And I thought the generator pulled from the coach batteries- incorrect?

Please advise.
As always, thanks for the help,

Tessa in TX '92 MB - Ciao Baby!

Re: Battery issues- do I just need a new cab one?

Reply #2 – April 05, 2010, 04:56:56 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 111604

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Smart idea, Sam.
 And since I know the key has to be in the ignition and partially turned in order to move the levelers, the levelers must be coming off the cab battery - why didn't I think of that?
 I added the generator aftermarket, but am not sure which battery got it.  Your tip should help solve that conundrum.

Thanks for the help, Tessa