Three pictures

[Mahatnmacoat]

I think in modern speak it's called 'hacks. Modifications.

First picture. I replaced the momentary on switch between my house and chassis batteries with a lighted rocker switch. The idea was to positively link and charge the two while motoring without having the 12 volt house appliance relay switched on. Turns out the engine alternator charges both batteries with or without the relay on. However it also turns out that the charger is not linked to the chassis battery, by generator or shore cable. So with the rocker switch on when plugged in or running the gen set I'm also charging the chassis battery. A point of aggravation was and is, is that I bought a lit switch because I wanted to know at a glance if it was on. Three wires were connected to the momentary on switch, always hot positive, negative and hot when button depressed. A point that was and is aggravating, no arrangement of the wires connected to the three terminals will illuminate the light. Except with the switch "off", no continuity between any two terminals. I'm pretty sure it's operator error so I gave up.

Second picture. The coach had two 12 volt service ports, cigarette lighters right near each other. I pulled one and installed a two source battery monitor, Main and AUX. I didn't install an off/on switch since I installed a battery disconnect switch at the chassis battery. At a glance I can see the state of charge of both batteries. The monitor was $14.00 from Amazon. I like it. I was so pleased I took the pictures before I cleaned up from the install.

The third picture is an off/on switch right above the outside mirrors control switch. Can not figure out what it controls. The chassis is a 2002 E450, Jayco 3230. Maybe Grumpy will read this and tell me.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours.

[Bullitt6283]

First picture... The three wires: (if your coach is wired like mine)
1 wire is to the coil of the solenoid which ties the batteries together.
1 wire is from the engine ignition circuit, and is normally connected to the above.
1 wire is from the coach battery, and is not normally connected to the above.

So the momentary switch controls which power energizes the battery charging solenoid.... either engine ignition when it's on, or coach battery power when you push the button.
Connect the light with one wire to the first wire above, the other wire to a ground. The light will indicate when the batteries are tied together.

Second picture... Good Idea!

Third picture, rearview mirror heat.

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[Mahatnmacoat]

Bless you.

[michael.g]

Originally Posted by Bullitt6283

Third picture, rearview mirror heat.

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The third picture is the switch for the sideview mirror heaters. Not much point in heating the rearview mirror.

-Michael

[Bobby B]

They put a momentary switch there for a reason. The solenoid is not ment to be energized for long periods of time. You will burn out the solenoid eventually. I hard wired a trickle charger in where my shore power cable is where there also is a 120v outlet. When I plug into shore power, I plug the trickle charger in also. Works the same when the generator is running.

[Mahatnmacoat]

Thanks Bobby, I gave that some thought. I might reroute the wiring though a continuous duty relay, $45.00 at the near-by parts store. The set up has already come in handy several times and I pointed my no contact temperature gauge at the relay after I'd had it switched on for a while, the relay was actually a few degrees cooler than parts closer to the engine. I don't think internal temperature was building.

Thanks again for your interest and comment.

[Bullitt6283]

Originally Posted by Bullitt6283

Third picture, rearview mirror heat..

Originally Posted by michael.g

The third picture is the switch for the sideview mirror heaters. Not much point in heating the rearview mirror.
-Michael

Agreed.

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[Bullitt6283]

Originally Posted by Bobby B

They put a momentary switch there for a reason. The solenoid is not ment to be energized for long periods of time. You will burn out the solenoid eventually.

That solenoid is energized the entire time the engine is running, to enable the alternator to charge the house battery.




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[don_kleinschnitz]

Mahatnmacoat,
For the dual voltmeter in the dash, did you pick up both the house and the chassis battery voltage in the dash or did you have to run a new wire for the house battery?

[Mahatnmacoat]

Hey Don, In my E405 the house/chassis relay is under the hood right in front of the steering wheel, I'll post a picture tomorrow. Easy to get to. The relay is direct linked to it's respective battery with #4 cable. I labeled the two cables. The two leads I made up are 18 gauge but you could use as low as 22 gauge, the monitor pulls very low current. The white wire is the "Main" terminal of the monitor the chassis, the black one is the "Aux" terminal, the house. I got the negative connection from a handy nut under the dash. As I mentioned, I didn't put an off/on switch in the negative lead since I installed an off/on switch to the chassis battery. The radio is direct wired to the battery. I thought I had a parasitic battery drain until I found out from this thread that the switch above the mirror control is a heater for those mirrors. I also discovered I was incorrect thinking that absent the parallel switch there was no connection between the two batteries. From the monitor I now know that when the engine is running both batteries are being charged. Picture tomorrow.

[Mahatnmacoat]

Fourth picture attached.

[don_kleinschnitz]

Thanks for the pictures I will add this to my RV next summer.

[Wireless Mike]

I like pic2 showing both voltages at a glance.
What was name or part number

[Mahatnmacoat]

Good Morning, I don't know a part number. On Amazon I searched 'battery monitor'. Scrolling through the choices i noticed this dual voltage model, the price was $14.00. I ordered it and a three chamber shower dispenser shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Over $25.00 bucks and you get free shipping. I'm not a cheap skate but I do try to be thrifty. Happy Holidays!

[don_kleinschnitz]

This is the voltage monitor I chose.
https://amzn.to/3oyijvZ

[Mahatnmacoat]

Ya gonna love it. The one minor adjustment I might make is to get a sliver of dark window film to cover the display. It's very bright but I haven't yet used it much driving at night. There's a thread in here about removing the dash panel. I REALLY wish I'd seen that thread before I started this one. Best!

[don_kleinschnitz]

Mahatnmacoat,
I am in the process of putting in the meter as you did.
How did you route the wires from the relay through the firewall, I can't find any path??

Thanks for the help.

[don_kleinschnitz]

I am in process of adding the voltage meter as Mahatnmacoat had done.
I also included another fast-charging usb to power all the junk I have on the dash.

The composite fiber-looking dash actually comes off pretty easy. You put a plastic trim tool under the passenger side and pry up gently and it pops off. There are retainers all around its perimeter just pry under the lip.

I used a plastic door molding tool from this set: https://amzn.to/3x4vMRf

Then I pulled the trim under the steering wheel off the same way as the dash.

OMG! another Jayco wiring piece of **** art. Do they understand what dangling wires in a vibrating RV do to reliability....sigh!

After an hr of tie-wrapping and fitting the trim on-off I finally got the wiring to play nice, be tied down, and the cover to latch in place on the top and bottom.

The bottom line is that there is not enough room for all Jayco's add-on wiring and camera switch routed down under the steering wheel. Of course, there is way more wire used than is needed.

The good news is now I know where my camera switching unit is, not behind the radio YAY!
I did the best I could tieing the wiring it still droops just above the brake pedal. Not my favorite, but there isn't enough room.

Then I pulled off the doghouse, grrr more loose wiring jammed between the upper doghouse seal and the frame, I don't think the doghouse was sealed as wires are laying in the way. Tied all that up also.

Still looking for a route from the engine relay to the dash for my panel.

Dash insert came pretty nice, left room for a TOAD brake indicator.
I used this stuff: https://amzn.to/3uWpscE

[Mahatnmacoat]

Looks like you did a nice job Don. Did to get my response to your private message? The short version is that I pushed a hole through an accessible rubber grommet in the firewall, then fed the wires through it to the monitor. I too was appalled at the electrical wiring workmanship under the dash. I groused about it here and Grumpy had some forgiving words for the "craftsmen" working in RV factories.

Best regards to all!

[don_kleinschnitz]

Thanks for the message but I still have not found a way through.
Can you give me some idea of where that grommet is.... a pic would be great but some idea of the location will also be helpful.