2017 Alante 31P Battery Problems

[berwin]

Update: The dealer said the problem was related to a bad relay in the leveling jacks and that fixing that relay fixed both the chassis battery drain and the jacks retracting once you turned off the engine. We dewinterized it and took off to a local campground to shake it down. Well, the jacks stay down now but the battery still goes dead over about a day or two of camping plugged into shore power. Only way to handle it so far is to remove the chassis battery ground when not driving.

[micp]

You might also consider using a "Auto Electric" type of shop as this is an area that they specialize in. I had my Alante in to the Dealer twice for the same problem, Jayco authorized an independent auto electric shop that found my problem quickly and I was on my way. I was very pleased with Jayco standing behind their product in this case. JH

[berwin]

micp, that's good information. An auto parts store here in Norfolk recommended Tidewater Auto Electric for my problem. I didn't know "Auto Electric" was a generic term. I'll definitely give this a try.

[johnharrison]

This was an issue for us also, we had to replace the battery and all is well now.

Jack and Rosalind

[Redpelican]

We had the same issue on our 2017 Redhawk. Turns out it. Was also a bad cell in the battery.

[cabinetmaker]

My chassis battery got replaced before I even took delivery. Seems the chassis is built months before the motorhomes and the motorhomes are built months before purchasing and this is bad combination for chassis batteries.

I am with others thinking you have a bad battery.

[mountaineyedoc]

I was recently sent a wiring diagram from Jayco. They asked me to take it to a Ford dealer and have them rewire my coach. I attached the diagram. I took it to the dealer and they said they can't find an issue and didn't really do anything to wiring. I still have the same issue. Battery dies in a few days. I think I am going to replace the battery and see what happens. I find it interesting that Jayco sent me a wiring diagram. Seems like if they had a wiring problem they should have advised the people who bought their product.

[Barrick]

Originally Posted by mountaineyedoc

I was recently sent a wiring diagram from Jayco. They asked me to take it to a Ford dealer and have them rewire my coach. I attached the diagram. I took it to the dealer and they said they can't find an issue and didn't really do anything to wiring. I still have the same issue. Battery dies in a few days. I think I am going to replace the battery and see what happens. I find it interesting that Jayco sent me a wiring diagram. Seems like if they had a wiring problem they should have advised the people who bought their product.

Wondering if you’ve solved your problem? I have the same situation, my chassis battery drains in about 4 days. This is when I’m hooked to shore power. I even had the battery replaced, and the new one does the exact same thing.

[Dbrown]

Originally Posted by Barrick

Wondering if you’ve solved your problem? I have the same situation, my chassis battery drains in about 4 days. This is when I’m hooked to shore power. I even had the battery replaced, and the new one does the exact same thing.

There must be a parasitic load draining your chassis battery. I have my Precept in storage house batteries removed and not hooked up to power and my chassis battery will start the engine after 30 days each month. I would hook an amp meter in line and see how much current is drawn when plugged into shore power.

[klspahr]

Thanks for posting those wiring diagrams, I see that mine is wired wrong too. I had re-arranged that wiring mess in the house battery compartment when I added wire to a larger inverter.

[Barrick]

Originally Posted by klspahr

Thanks for posting those wiring diagrams, I see that mine is wired wrong too. I had re-arranged that wiring mess in the house battery compartment when I added wire to a larger inverter.

Is this a simple DIY wiring fix, or do I need to take it to an auto electric shop?

[klspahr]

It requires you to snip a wire out from a butt splice and then reconnect that wire to a terminal on a relay. This all this is done in the house battery bay. Download the wiring diagrams above and see if you can match it up with the wiring in your unit. Who knows it may be correct already.

[Barrick]

Originally Posted by klspahr

It requires you to snip a wire out from a butt splice and then reconnect that wire to a terminal on a relay. This all this is done in the house battery bay. Download the wiring diagrams above and see if you can match it up with the wiring in your unit. Who knows it may be correct already.

House battery bay, or chassis battery location?

[Foretm]

I too have the same issue on a 2019 Entegra Vision 31V (same as the Jayco Allante 31V), and I just spoke to Jayco tech support who confirmed that the alternator will charge the house battery, but the converter will not charge the chassis battery. The relay is a one-way relay vs a Bi-directional one (B.I.R.D.), and are supposed to send me some diagrams for my unit.



Has anyone considered the Trik-L-Start or its big brother the Amp-L-Start for this situation? What about an on-board charger hard wired into the 110v system attached directly to the chassis battery?


What have you folks done to resolve the issue?


Thanks,
Mike

[Foretm]

Closing the loop, I chose to add an amp-l-start to my coach and it’s been working wonderfully. The install is super simple, and didn’t take any time at all.

[bingwahyhoo]

So Michale what is the amp-l-start doing for you?

[Foretm]

Its allowing the on-board converter/charger to charge both the House and Chassis battery. My coach doesn't have a BIRD (Bi-direrectional Relay/Delay), so while my alternator will charge the house battery the converter/charger does not charge the chassis battery.



This device monitors the house battery and will divert charging current to the chassis battery when needed to keep it topped off.


There's quite a few parasitic draws on the chassis battery from the camera IR emmiters, to the steps, to the radio, etc...

[KellyAndBill2012]

dmccor1

We just purchased a 2018 Alante 31P and are having the same exact issues. To compound the problem, sometimes the radio works when I get it started again, and sometimes it doesn't. I have added a battery maintainer to the chassis battery so the engine isn't dead every time I go to start it. That seems to work so far, but it seems like there is some kind of parasitic load on the chassis battery when the house side is plugged in. I can't seem to figure it out.

Did you ever get a resolution?