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Amy79
10-12-2019, 06:08 PM
We have a 1999 gulfstream sunvoyer with the ford v10 I have a question.
Do the coach batteries have anything to do with starting the engine. We keep getting conflicting information. We were told that we have one bad coach battery and someone unhooked it and we we can't get the rv started again we need to move it in the next few days and we don't have the money to replace the battery yet.
Also does anyone have a diagram of how the coach batteries are hooked up so we can properly hook it back up when we get a battery.
Our friend says that the battery under the hood tests fine

We are living in the rv fulltime

Here is a description of what happened

Originally in beginning of June it was starting fine we were not living in it yet just getting ready went out the next day and it would not start we figured something got left on accidentally had it jumped by someone who had a high powered jumper. We moved into it the first part of August but only had regular house power to plug it into I started it every other day it would be slow to start but would always start we moved about 35 miles to a location with 30amp service and we were having no problems starting it when we had to move it to dump the tanks ect. Then this last time we needed to dump the tanks it started right up we drove it about a block to dump it shut it off got it dumped it started right up we could not get into our spot because a car was blocking our spot so we we parked it on the street and shut it off and it started back up still was not room to get in our spot so shut it off again got them to move then it would not restart. Tried to jump it off a car that was v8 with no luck had someone we know to come help he said the battery to start the engine tested fine but when he looked at the coach batteries he said one was bad he unhooked the bad battery from the other coach battery and jumped started the engine battery with his jumper thing and it started right up. Got it parked shut it off. He said that we would be ok till we could get one and that disconnecting it would not affect starting it or driving it. (He said that if it needed a second battery to help start the one coach battery would be enough) but later that day we wanted to pull it up abit at the site and it would not start. Won't even turn over now with that battery is disconnected and we need to move from this site tomorrow and we don't have money for a battery till my spouse gets a paycheck should we try to reconnect the bad battery
eddard
10-20-2019, 01:06 PM
Your coach batteries should have no relationship to the chassis battery. They are only in parallel when the engine is running, through a solenoid mounted on the engine firewall. It sounds like you've done a lot of engine starting with little run time, which gradually reduces the chassis battery capacity. I suggest you put a charger on the chassis battery and get it back to full charge.
EAGLE-1
10-20-2019, 06:17 PM
I have a different coach than you , but i have a switch on my dash that connects all my batteries together for a short period of time.
Sudsy
10-21-2019, 10:35 AM
I have a different coach than you , but i have a switch on my dash that connects all my batteries together for a short period of time.




Me too!


Sudsy
eddard
10-21-2019, 01:17 PM
Yes, many rigs do have that "emergency start" function. My 1998 Gulfstream Ultra does not, and I assumed your 1999 doesn't either. If it does, and it malfunctioned or stuck, that could be the cause. On rigs I've owned that did have that function, it was a temporary switch that disengaged when you let go of the switch.
Amy79
11-20-2019, 08:21 AM
It does have the emergency switch that you are taking about we did get it moved to our next temporary location and then to our hopefully permanent one for the winter. I am thinking maybe something with that switch is stuck or something with our charging system so going to research that over the winter.
DolceFarNiente
11-24-2019, 12:26 PM
It does have the emergency switch that you are taking about we did get it moved to our next temporary location and then to our hopefully permanent one for the winter. I am thinking maybe something with that switch is stuck or something with our charging system so going to research that over the winter.

Chassis (starting batteries) in all models very frequently go dead when the coach hasn't moved for a while, or if you're doing a lot of engine starting; its just the nature of the beast. This is why the momentary switch on the dash that connect house and chassis batteries is there, for those sinking moments when nothing happens when you turn the key. And although it sounds like a good idea, chasing down the tiny electrical drains that kill your starting batteries could cost you thousands.

Instead, hook up something like a Trik-l-Charger; since you're fulltiming, you'll be hooked up to shower power most of the time and this will keep your starting batteries up as long as you're plugged in.

Or invest in a battery disconnect, and disconnect the starting batteries when you stop for more than a few days.
Amy79
11-25-2019, 07:45 AM
We acually do have an battery disconnect but we are very new to this and someone had said to use it when in storage but since we are full time I was not sure if it was ok to turn the chassis battery off when we were parked. I also have a trickle charger that I think is in storage I might check.
DolceFarNiente
11-25-2019, 09:31 AM
We acually do have an battery disconnect but we are very new to this and someone had said to use it when in storage but since we are full time I was not sure if it was ok to turn the chassis battery off when we were parked. I also have a trickle charger that I think is in storage I might check.

I don't mean the salesman switch that you find on a bulkhead somewhere (they have an ugly tendency to fail at inconvenient times, but yes you CAN use that at any time) but a cutoff that is attached to the battery terminal itself, like this one on Amazon

https://tinyurl.com/svundxp