Battery Drain 2017 Melbourne

[New TN Camper]

Bumping this up for DonnaB

[shw]

Originally Posted by abarkl

All RVs have parasitic power draws to include such things as CO detectors, powered steps, radios, and other tech features.

If the RV will not be used or powered by shore or generator for an extended period then a full battery disconnect must be used to prevent these parasitic power draws.

We leave ours connected to shore power while in storage and have also installed a Trik-L-Start which allows the built in converter to charge the chassis battery while charging the coach battery.

A reply to travelwritegirl question—-“we leave ours on shore power....”. My 2019 Melbourne 24L was parked in our driveway for about 2weeks—on shore power-—went out to start the MB engine—did Not even click-click-click. Had to use the little button that jumps with the use of the house battery. I thought that connecting to shore power would keep Both up to need—found out this was wrong.

[shw]

Originally Posted by TravelWriteGirl

I forgot to mention that is a Mercedes Sprinter chassis, but could still do the same. I would pull the fuse IF I knew where to find it, but due to lack of documentation on which fuse is which, it would be a testing/guessing game. Would you have any idea on where to find that information?

We have a 2019 MB chassis Melbourne 24L..with( sad to say) a sound stream radio that still does not work( this is radio#2 from JAYCO)...the 12volt fuse for the radio is in the back of the radio and you need to take it out of the dash...to find that the wiring mess is unbelievable to the radio and our radio repairman could Not believe it even turned on and reworked it—still did not work!

[JimD]

The engine's battery is not connected to the coach battery charging system. The only time it is connected is when the engine is running which allows the alternator to charge all.

I added a small solar charger to my engine's battery. Very low power (aka cheap). The small solar panel just sits on my hood. This keeps the battery charged as long as there is sunlight now and then. Has worked great for me.

To monitor the battery I have a voltage monitor plugged into the cigarette lighter connector. This is how I knew the battery was going down without being used. It doesn't take all that long to occur.

[shw]

Originally Posted by nevadamelbourne

I picked up the melbourne today and this is the information on the fix....."inspected unit had relay on park brake and followed Jayco's instructions and tested for power at radio and park brake lever. removed 20/40 relay and disconnected wires & taped off, checked, ok." Well we'll see how that works and btw, mercedes replaced the battery and alternator for a complete fresh start. hope it works...they also showed me the quick disconnect by the accelerator pedal and recommended using it when the unit would be sitting for more than 3 weeks.

OK-being a new A newbie 2019 Melbourne 24L owner and discovering all the wonderful comments very useful here—-but where is the “quick disconnect by the accelerator pedal”— inside the cab or under the hood (red knob)??

[ColoradoMillers]

On our 2017 Melbourne 24K, the battery disconnect is inside the cab, under the dash and to the right of the accel. pedal.
It's an in-line wiring connector, not a switch.

[Pfflyer]

Originally Posted by shw

OK-being a new A newbie 2019 Melbourne 24L owner and discovering all the wonderful comments very useful here—-but where is the “quick disconnect by the accelerator pedal”— inside the cab or under the hood (red knob)??

In my Mercedes chassis owners manual it is explained on page 137. In your manuals index look for “Battery Isolating Switch”.

[ColoradoMillers]

Update: Battery is holding charge and no issues starting the Sprinter even in our cold temperatures. Not using trickle charger or battery disconnect.

[motonut_1]

New owner of a used 2016 Jayco Melbourne 24K. Am dealing with the chassis battery drain issue already and have only driven it home from the dealership and parked it in our driveway. Got in after week and a half and key wouldn't turn. Found out dead battery locks out ignition. We have a 30 amp plug in but needed additional power cord to reach it which had already been ordered. Anyway, this site has been a treasure trove of useful info and now have a 5 amp Battery Tender on order which will be plugging into one of the coach outlets and into the 12V plug on the lower dash which should eliminate the discharging problem. Thanks to everyone.

[Mellonracing]

Originally Posted by ColoradoMillers

Here's the diagram from Jayco.

Does anybody know why Jayco installed this relay to begin with? I can't quite figure it out. And after the re-wire, nothing seems to be adversely affected by removing this relay from the circuits.
I just did the re-wire on my 2020 Melbourne after constant chassis/engine dead battery problems that ruined it way ahead of its lifespan. Even the Trik-L-Start that I installed last year couldn't keep it charged. I guess I'll have to wait and see.

[JimD]

Originally Posted by Mellonracing

Does anybody know why Jayco installed this relay to begin with? I can't quite figure it out. And after the re-wire, nothing seems to be adversely affected by removing this relay from the circuits.
I just did the re-wire on my 2020 Melbourne after constant chassis/engine dead battery problems that ruined it way ahead of its lifespan. Even the Trik-L-Start that I installed last year couldn't keep it charged. I guess I'll have to wait and see.

If you are talking about the battery disconnect switch, it is there to remove 12 volts from most circuits. Suppose to save battery drain which it definitely does in my Greyhawk.

If you are talking about the relay on the firewall, it is there to connect the chassis battery together with the coach battery. This allows the alternator to charge the coach battery. On some rigs there is a special switch that allows activation of the relay in case one of your batteries is real low. It could help in starting the generator or the engine depending on which battery is low.

[Mellonracing]

Originally Posted by JimD

If you are talking about the battery disconnect switch, it is there to remove 12 volts from most circuits. Suppose to save battery drain which it definitely does in my Greyhawk.

If you are talking about the relay on the firewall, it is there to connect the chassis battery together with the coach battery. This allows the alternator to charge the coach battery. On some rigs there is a special switch that allows activation of the relay in case one of your batteries is real low. It could help in starting the generator or the engine depending on which battery is low.

I'm sorry but I didn't frame my question correctly. I was referring to post # 91 from "ColoradoMillers" that had an attachment "Battery Draw Jayco rewire diagram.pdf". It's the relay located under the driver's seat that is apparently installed during the Jayco build. I was not referring to the battery disconnect switch or the relay on the firewall. In reading this forum and other RV and Mercedes Sprinter forums, this relay under the driver's seat seems to be a big factor in the universal battery drain headache that everybody has. By doing the rewire as shown in the ".pdf", most of the problems are resolved according to the people posting. That's why I was wondering what its purpose was to begin with.