Dead Batteries

[hirstpb]

Both house and chassis batteries dead. I’ve had the 2019 AI Grand Tour in the driveway all summer. Unplugged, the solar panels have kept the batteries charged. Until now. And, I have driven the AI on errands, but haven’t been camping. I suspect the electrical problem happened when I had the unit in for warranty work in Aug and Sept. No problems before then. After, lost house batteries, which they charged up. Then, power step stopped working. Now, nothing works. Can I jump start the chassis to get it to the Airstream Dealer?

[hirstpb]

Originally Posted by hirstpb

Both house and chassis batteries dead. I’ve had the 2019 AI Grand Tour in the driveway all summer. Unplugged, the solar panels have kept the batteries charged. Until now. And, I have driven the AI on errands, but haven’t been camping. I suspect the electrical problem happened when I had the unit in for warranty work in Aug and Sept. No problems before then. After, lost house batteries, which they charged up. Then, power step stopped working. Now, nothing works. Can I jump start the chassis to get it to the Airstream Dealer?

Also plugged into 20 amp outlet and still get no power. I’ve checked the circuit breakers. Nothing. When it stops raining in next day or two, I’m going to try to jump start. Very frustrating. Any suggestions?

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Unfortunately, there are a lot of "control" systems on modern vehicles. With no 12V, those systems go away and pretty much everything stops working. Indeed some sort of external charger is the first step. If there is a way to get one (safely !!!) rigged up, letting one run for a day or two is a good way to do it.

As to what happened? One can only guess at this point. I had a similar problem with my trailer after service (batteries totally dead). The only thing I can guess is they left the breakaway switch "on" and went out to lunch when doing the state inspection on the trailer. Having a light on in a storage compartment is (unfortunately) enough to drain the batteries pretty fast.

Bob

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by hirstpb

Also plugged into 20 amp outlet and still get no power. I’ve checked the circuit breakers. Nothing. When it stops raining in next day or two, I’m going to try to jump start. Very frustrating. Any suggestions?

The built in Magnum Charger will not charge when plugged in if battery voltage is below 10V. Your batteries must be fully drained.

You can jump start the engine from another vehicle using jumper cables. But you must be very careful to get the polarization correct.

[hirstpb]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

The built in Magnum Charger will not charge when plugged in if battery voltage is below 10V. Your batteries must be fully drained.

You can jump start the engine from another vehicle using jumper cables. But you must be very careful to get the polarization correct.

Thanks. I’ll try jump starting in the morning when it stops raining. I see new batteries in my future. Beyond that expense, I’m concerned there’s an underlying problem that will be hard to find. And, I’m 3 weeks out of warranty!

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Probably a good idea to update your user info to show the 2019 ..... I was headed off on a question about warranty and a 2015 date on your RV

If you already have a good charger, I'd use it on the coach. If you don't have one, I think this is a great excuse to go buy one. I happen to like CTEK chargers:

https://www.amazon.com/CTEK-56-674-A...69687482&psc=1

The advantage of using a good external charger is that it goes through the whole "rock and roll" of getting the battery(s) back up to working condition. That takes a long time. Until that is done there is no real way to figure out if the batteries are shot or not.

Problem wise, I'm still betting on something odd being left turned on .....

Bob

[hirstpb]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

Probably a good idea to update your user info to show the 2019 ..... I was headed off on a question about warranty and a 2015 date on your RV

If you already have a good charger, I'd use it on the coach. If you don't have one, I think this is a great excuse to go buy one. I happen to like CTEK chargers:

https://www.amazon.com/CTEK-56-674-A...69687482&psc=1

The advantage of using a good external charger is that it goes through the whole "rock and roll" of getting the battery(s) back up to working condition. That takes a long time. Until that is done there is no real way to figure out if the batteries are shot or not.

Problem wise, I'm still betting on something odd being left turned on .....

Bob

Oops. Way overdue updating profile. Will get on it. Thanks.

Tried to jump start. Didn’t work. Calling AAA tomorrow. Will likely need a new chassis battery. Will take back to the dealer once I’m mobile again! Dealer already charged the house batteries once.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

A jump start is a very iffy sort of thing. A charger is a much better bet. That said, the jump start should have worked if it was done right:

1) Fire up the "source" and let it run for at least 5 minutes
2) Find some nice fat / short jumper cables
3) Get the two vehicles so the cables will reach
4) Hook up the cables
5) Run the "source" for at least 15 minutes with the engine above 1500 RPM.
6) See how things are doing (do you have lights in the target vehicle yet? )
7) If the target is still dead, check the connections on the jumper cable / run for another 15 minutes.

Once all that seems to be ok, pull the jumper cables and try to start the vehicle. Doing the start without pulling the cables is a *really* good way to blow a diode in the "source" alternator......

Bob

[uncle_bob]

Hi

..... left out part ... (sorry about that).

Why this complicated process?

If you have a completely dead battery, that's different than a battery that's simply to low to start an engine. With a low battery, you have to get it up a little bit. With a dead battery, there is a long ways to go.

The alternator in your source vehicle will only put out just so much. If it is a modern car, that may be a mighty small amount (like 40A ... yikes ...). Indeed the battery in the source vehicle will also provide current. Again with a modern car, maybe not much.

All that current has to make it through the jumper leads (which have resistance) and the four clamps that tie to the battery posts. There's more resistance there than you might think. This actually is a good thing, otherwise the voltage on the "source" vehicle would go to crazy low levels when you hook up (and the engine would die and you now have two dead vehicles .... ).

Bob

[hirstpb]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

..... left out part ... (sorry about that).

Why this complicated process?

If you have a completely dead battery, that's different than a battery that's simply to low to start an engine. With a low battery, you have to get it up a little bit. With a dead battery, there is a long ways to go.

The alternator in your source vehicle will only put out just so much. If it is a modern car, that may be a mighty small amount (like 40A ... yikes ...). Indeed the battery in the source vehicle will also provide current. Again with a modern car, maybe not much.

All that current has to make it through the jumper leads (which have resistance) and the four clamps that tie to the battery posts. There's more resistance there than you might think. This actually is a good thing, otherwise the voltage on the "source" vehicle would go to crazy low levels when you hook up (and the engine would die and you now have two dead vehicles .... ).

Bob

Thanks for the detailed tips. AAA starter worked just fine. I took the AI for a good ride while running errands for about an hour. Have an appointment to drop off at dealer tomorrow. In addition to the house battery issue, I’m not happy with the warranty work they did while keeping the unit for over a month. I hope their performance reverses by pessimistic expectations!

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Unfortunately dealer service is what it is. The only reasonable answer is to find another dealer. There is a wide range of "quality" out there.

Bob

[02interstate]

I use a solar battery charger for the house battery and that seems to work well. I replace the coach batteries every 2-3 years.

[1919]

I had on my 2019 Interstate a bad BIM controller. It connects or disconnects the batteries depending on if they are charging on not. It is cheap product. Many here have replaced it with the BlueSea unit that is automatic, manual connect or manual disconnect.(3 way switch) But when my BIM controller was bad, it connected the house to the chassis battery and drained both. If you leave the 12volt system on, the propane valve and the propane sensor will drain your batteries, even the chassis battery.
My new 2020 has a dc to dc buck boost unit as standard, so the infamous BIM unit is history. The new Mercedes chassis requires a buck-boost system because of the required isolation between chassis and house and the way the alternator works, the BIM is no longer usable on the 2020's and going forward.

The way I could tell the BIM was bad, was the button to connect the batteries on the dash for emergency start DID NOT CLICK WHEN PUSHED. Usually there is an audible click when the solenoid connects the batteries. I also knew the batteries were connected because the voltage was identical after the van sat overnight. Even if the BIM is good, I would recommend the BlueSea unit. Search the forum for pictures and model numbers....