I'm completely lost and confused....

[SkyeMarieC]

Hey all, so i inherited a 2001 jayco designer series 3150J, mini motorhome about 2 years ago. Recently I have come up against multiple issues, but right now the biggest one is that our house battery isnt powering anything. It wasn't charging when we were plugged in, so we bought an external charger and juiced it up that way. The indicator on the charger was solid green which means it was fully charged when I took it off. I was thinking that would resolve the issue but we still have no power to our lights, our water pump or our fridge. I've checked the fuses and breakers that I know where are at, and none are blown or tripped. The main battery in the engine is fully charged as well, the engine kicks over and runs just fine, so I don't know what to do here. I've checked multiple sites and forums and I can't seem to find the answers I need, can somebody please help me? Do I need to check the battery isolation relay, the converter box, or something else, and where are those things even located?? Not to mention what the hell is the red flip switch for on my battery, and which way should it ve turned? I am a total rookie here, and I could really use a good coach.

 

[Taftcoach]

Do you have a multimeter available?

 

[Grumpy]

How about the battery disconnect switch at the door near the floor? Push it quickly, don't hold it. The relay involved is behind the battery in that compartment.

And I forgot my manners.....

 

[SkyeMarieC]

Not presently, but I can pick one up later tonight. My in laws have a few they just aren't home right now

 

[CAG-JAY]

How about the battery disconnect switch at the door near the floor? Push it quickly, don't hold it. The relay involved is behind the battery in that compartment.

And I forgot my manners.....

Just a chance but that would be my guess.

 

[Happy wife / happy life]

Welcome to the forum from Northern California!! I kinda start with the easy stuff first. Is the water level correct in the battery? Are the battery cables clean and tight at the battery. Has the battery got a clean ground. If the answer is yes to these questions at least you have eliminated the easy stuff.

 

[craigav]

Hey all, so i inherited a 2001 jayco designer series 3150J, mini motorhome about 2 years ago. Recently I have come up against multiple issues, but right now the biggest one is that our house battery isnt powering anything. It wasn't charging when we were plugged in, so we bought an external charger and juiced it up that way. The indicator on the charger was solid green which means it was fully charged when I took it off. I was thinking that would resolve the issue but we still have no power to our lights, our water pump or our fridge. I've checked the fuses and breakers that I know where are at, and none are blown or tripped. The main battery in the engine is fully charged as well, the engine kicks over and runs just fine, so I don't know what to do here. I've checked multiple sites and forums and I can't seem to find the answers I need, can somebody please help me? Do I need to check the battery isolation relay, the converter box, or something else, and where are those things even located?? Not to mention what the hell is the red flip switch for on my battery, and which way should it ve turned? I am a total rookie here, and I could really use a good coach.

Feel free to share a picture if you can. I suspect the red switch is a disconnect switch and is in the disconnected position. If it has a I and O position, try switching it to the I position. Also, you may have another switch as well at the door as others mentioned. ~CA

 

[pconroy]

Feel free to share a picture if you can. I suspect the red switch is a disconnect switch and is in the disconnected position. If it has a I and O position, try switching it to the I position. Also, you may have another switch as well at the door as others mentioned. ~CA

I found some online. If it looks something like this, the do as craigav said - rotate it.

 

[pconroy]

Feel free to share a picture if you can. I suspect the red switch is a disconnect switch and is in the disconnected position. If it has a I and O position, try switching it to the I position. Also, you may have another switch as well at the door as others mentioned. ~CA

If it's inside and looks something like this, then it's the "flick" on as Grumpy said.

 

[SmokeyBear-JAY]

I think craigav is on the right trail. I'll wager that "red flip switch" is a battery disconnect switch, and it has accidentally been switched to disconnect. However, your terminology is confusing. You call it a "red flip switch" and then ask, "which way should it ve[sic] turned?" which indicates a rotating switch like in pconroy's post.

At any rate, it should have some kind of off/on indictor. If it's off, turn it - or flip it - on. Then, using a voltmeter, check for voltage *after the switch* not at the poles. If there is no voltage, turn/flip the switch the other way and try it. If there still is no voltage, I dunno.

 

[mrmom]

One more thought on this: How old is the battery? A battery that has gone bad (internal problem) will show charged but will not produce power.

And welcome to the forum.

 

[hwbarton]

I have a 2001 Jayco Eagle 283 G. I had the same issue. There is a fuse in the relay behind the house battery mounted to the frame. Your battery disconnect turns the relay on and off. Good luck

 

[Hamerjk]

possible issues

There are a lot of answers to help. One turn the switch on the battery and see if it corrects your issue. Next could be your battery, out of water if this is the case it is dead, and needs to be replaced. Check your voltage of the battery when disconected from you rv. They need to be replaced every few years. Also check when connected to rv will let you know if you are charging while hooked up. This is why you should have a good multimeter at hand always. I have a couple one in my home and one in the rv. Oh also take a picture of your battery with everything connected to the battery. You will be glad you did. Let us know what you tried and if it corrected your issue.

 

[Camper_bob]

You've already gotten some great advice here. The most valuable would be to get a volt meter and learn how to use it (if you don't know already).

The other thing I didn't see anyone mention is that there are likely fuses on/in the converter. There should at minimum be a reverse polarity fuse. Either way, you need to locate the converter so you can take voltage readings for trouble-shooting.