Converter Test - Page 2

PhyerPhyter · 04-20-2015, 10:58 PM

Sounds to me like you have a bad battery. Under 10v with light load (small load) shouldn't drop voltage that low that fast. If you have 9.6v or less battery is definitely toast. How does slide motor work when converter is hooked up? Try hooking up booster cables from your truck (known good battery) and see if you can get slide in. I've never had a slide out but I wonder if converter can handle the amperage draw from slide motors with kaput battery?

Pegsmi98 · 04-21-2015, 05:04 AM

Thanks Phyre. Well as mentioned that is about my only goal right now is to figure out why the slides aren't working. I will throw a pair of jumper cables on it before I leave this morning a d see what happens.

rick danger · 04-21-2015, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pegsmi98

I bought a brand new camper was to avoid this crap. Crazy!

I feel your pain

Seriously, I've been there. You plonk down good money for new stuff to try and have as trouble free a life as possible , but doesnt always work.....Especially with all the "imported" products these days. ...Good luck

TNCraig · 04-21-2015, 05:13 AM

I had 2 new batteries installed when I bought my Pinnacle last year. Within 3 months operating with a malfunctioning converter the batteries were toast. Dealer changed both the converter and batteries under warranty.

Pegsmi98 · 04-21-2015, 05:16 AM

Thanks Rick and Tn... It is appreciated! Crazy how we hold some pride in being able to do something nice and buy new and to deal with some of it....

Ela1948 · 04-21-2015, 05:30 AM

If it were me, I would isolate that battery and pull a amperage load on it. If the battery still checks out, I would start checking my ground wires for poor contact. It sounds to me like that you have a wiring issue. Either poor positive or negative wiring problems. The fact that you now know that your converter is working, makes me think that it is a poor connection some where. A working converter will power even a bad battery as long as it is powered.

Ela1948 · 04-21-2015, 05:38 AM

Keep in mind that if you put jumpers on your battery from your truck and it works fine doesn't automatically mean that you have a bad battery. You have now made your truck your new ground. It still could be a poor ground strap.

Pegsmi98 · 04-21-2015, 05:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ela1948

If it were me, I would isolate that battery and pull a amperage load on it. If the battery still checks out, I would start checking my ground wires for poor contact. It sounds to me like that you have a wiring issue. Either poor positive or negative wiring problems. The fact that you now know that your converter is working, makes me think that it is a poor connection some where. A working converter will power even a bad battery as long as it is powered.

Got it and agree. Now tongue in cheek here how the hell do I do that with an enclosed under belly... I know I could start un screwing and start looking but I will be pushing the dealer today.

I just plugged our excursion in while it was running and had 14.3 volts going into battery. Same flipping thing...

Ela1948 · 04-21-2015, 06:13 AM

You said that the slide wouldn't go in. Is there any other indications that you have an electrical issue??

Pegsmi98 · 04-21-2015, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ela1948

You said that the slide wouldn't go in. Is there any other indications that you have an electrical issue??

Here is what I have witnessed:

Two slides, one wont go out, one wont come in. They both "grunt" a little bit and then a click noise (nothing like when they are pulled in tight and they make the clunk noise indicating they are all the way in).

Yesterday the radio was flashing back and forth and would not respond to hitting the power button or anything, I shut the lights off and the radio came on.

If I turn on the main air conditioner it starts and for a test while it is on I hit the second slide button and it will kill the AC, then the fan starts again.

Now the battery indicator light will show full power with lights off and 1/2 or so with lights on.

I have the battery hooked up to my charger WITHOUT it charging but it shows the current voltage and percentage. When I first started this whole process it showed 50% and I do not remember the voltage, this pointed me in the direction that the converter was bad since the battery was way down and not charging. I have put a full charge on the battery and has been at either 95% or 100% and 12.6-12.8 volts.

The whole thing does act to me like there is a bad connection somewhere, a
bad ground seems very possible with the loss of voltage from the converter to the "relay" thing above the sink behind all the switches...

Ela1948 · 04-21-2015, 07:34 AM

I would clearly focus on the ground wire connections. Take a very good set of jumper cables and hook your positive ends between your trailer and your running suburban battery. Hook your negative cable lead from your negative on the Suburban to the frame on your trailer. Make sure it's rust and paint free. That should give you a new ground cable for testing purposes.

Pegsmi98 · 04-21-2015, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ela1948

I would clearly focus on the ground wire connections. Take a very good set of jumper cables and hook your positive ends between your trailer and your running suburban battery. Hook your negative cable lead from your negative on the Suburban to the frame on your trailer. Make sure it's rust and paint free. That should give you a new ground cable for testing purposes.

Just to clarify, hook the one side on the Excursion to both to the battery terminals, and just positive battery post on camper and Negative to clean frame?

I just got off phone with Jayco Engineer and he wants me to take down my under carriage and cut the wires on the motor to bypass wiring and connect a battery to the wires to get the slide in. He is suggesting the dealership run a new wire to the slide motor, but the only covers the 1 slide....

Pegsmi98 · 04-21-2015, 06:12 PM

Got the g*d da*m slide in and headed to dealer tomorrow. There was an opening I could take lose on the bottom, I unhooked the motor and hit it with jumper cables off the battery...

Thanks to all. I sure hope this ends my woes with this new rig.

jfguay2 · 04-21-2015, 06:44 PM

Wow! What an ordeal! Hope you get it all fixed and taken care of! Keep us posted!

sask934 · 04-21-2015, 08:58 PM

Let us know the outcome.....seem like wiring issue and your battery may have suffered s a result.

Pegsmi98 · 04-27-2015, 10:13 AM

drum roll please.....

Pegsmi98 · 04-27-2015, 10:14 AM

Dealer called, and said they pulled the under belly off and found a broken ground bolt.

All those troubles, a broken ground bolt.

sask934 · 04-27-2015, 11:34 AM

Good news at least it was a simple fix!

Todd Klassy · 04-27-2015, 10:07 PM

If you want to help preserve your investment in batteries I might recommend you installing a Battery Failsafe Devices 12 Volt LCD Low Battery Alarm. It's a bit on the pricey side ($64) for what it does, but it I've had it installed only two weeks now and it has saved me twice.

You can set the voltage level you want. Mine is set to 12.20 volts.

Here is the link:

Battery Failsafe Devices

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