Ray O'Donnell
Member
Hi. My first post asking for advice. My 34J has been in storage for 18 months now and I am just now getting it ready for the road. As I would have expected, the batteries were all dead. As they were many years old, I opted to just replace them rather than try and get a few more miles out of them. I have them installed, fresh oil and lube, fresh gas, flushed the radiator, checked hoses and belts and done the once over for any animal damage or anything else out of sorts. Time to start the rig. Big surprise, nothing. Just a click of a relay under the hood and the battery and seat belt light illuminated on the dash. I have nothing else that seems to work on the chassis battery. No headlights, wiper, blower motor, horn, radio, etc. The connections at the battery are good. I have not checked the connections at the starter yet, but will over the weekend. Probably spend some time disconnecting and cleaning all the connections I can find. Have also not checked for voltage at the starter yet, but don't expect I will find any there.
I figured starting the engine was a lost cause for the day and went ahead and tried the generator. The starter engages and turns the generator over with a vigor, but also no actual start. I disconnected the fuel line and found it dry.
I am fairly certain the battery disconnect switches are operating properly. I hear the relays shift when I hit the switches. With the coach batteries turned on, I have interior lights, the fridge starts up, and all the 12V items seem to work, with the exception of the radio. It will not operate on with the switch set to "Park". I assume the travel-park switch on the dash switches the 12V power to the radio from the coach to the chassis battery.
At this point you are all probably wondering what is my question. Well here it is. How about some advise on where to go first. I notice several of you seem to have considerable experience with Bounders on the F53 Chassis. Surely one of you can point me to the one thing that will only take a minute to fix, that will solve my problem.
Seriously, I notice that Lou (Onanman??) has a 97 Bounder and I seem to recall mention that he has access to wiring information on the battery disconnect switches. I suspect my problem is most likely corroded connections or perhaps a tripped circuit breaker in that area. Problem is, I have no information, no schematics, wiring diagrams etc for that system. I have the complete package of manuals that probably came with my RV new, and also have the Ford F53 Chassis manual, but there is no wiring schematic. Any ideas?
I think the Battery Isolation box is that box in the engine compartment located just above the chassis battery on the driver's side. What gives me doubt is that there are several fuses to systems in the coach (steps, solar panel, CO2, etc) that lead me to believe the box may be something else. The circuit board inside shows some signs of surface corrosion. I think I can unplug it and remove and would then have access to the main cables from the coach and chassis batteries that enter into it from the passenger side.
Would I be on the right track by going into that box and cleaning things up?
My battery cables are also in pretty sad shape. Does anyone know if I can just buy new battery cable assemblies or is that something I will have to manufacture?
I am sorry for such a long post on my first try. I promise. I will limit things to only one small item from now on. And of course, I sincerely hope I will be able to provide just the right suggestion to a fellow RVer in need in the future.
Ray
I figured starting the engine was a lost cause for the day and went ahead and tried the generator. The starter engages and turns the generator over with a vigor, but also no actual start. I disconnected the fuel line and found it dry.
I am fairly certain the battery disconnect switches are operating properly. I hear the relays shift when I hit the switches. With the coach batteries turned on, I have interior lights, the fridge starts up, and all the 12V items seem to work, with the exception of the radio. It will not operate on with the switch set to "Park". I assume the travel-park switch on the dash switches the 12V power to the radio from the coach to the chassis battery.
At this point you are all probably wondering what is my question. Well here it is. How about some advise on where to go first. I notice several of you seem to have considerable experience with Bounders on the F53 Chassis. Surely one of you can point me to the one thing that will only take a minute to fix, that will solve my problem.
Seriously, I notice that Lou (Onanman??) has a 97 Bounder and I seem to recall mention that he has access to wiring information on the battery disconnect switches. I suspect my problem is most likely corroded connections or perhaps a tripped circuit breaker in that area. Problem is, I have no information, no schematics, wiring diagrams etc for that system. I have the complete package of manuals that probably came with my RV new, and also have the Ford F53 Chassis manual, but there is no wiring schematic. Any ideas?
I think the Battery Isolation box is that box in the engine compartment located just above the chassis battery on the driver's side. What gives me doubt is that there are several fuses to systems in the coach (steps, solar panel, CO2, etc) that lead me to believe the box may be something else. The circuit board inside shows some signs of surface corrosion. I think I can unplug it and remove and would then have access to the main cables from the coach and chassis batteries that enter into it from the passenger side.
Would I be on the right track by going into that box and cleaning things up?
My battery cables are also in pretty sad shape. Does anyone know if I can just buy new battery cable assemblies or is that something I will have to manufacture?
I am sorry for such a long post on my first try. I promise. I will limit things to only one small item from now on. And of course, I sincerely hope I will be able to provide just the right suggestion to a fellow RVer in need in the future.
Ray