Brass Posted September 23, 2019 Report Share Posted September 23, 2019 Sorry if this has been addressed already elsewhere in the forum, I did do a search that didn't return any results but will be the first to admit my forum search skills are not the greatest. In my truck I have a remote battery disconnect switch located at the base of driver's seat, right near the pull ring for the jockey box. It is supposed to kill power to the truck when parked. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to be working since I came out to a set of dead batteries recently. So my questions, does anyone have any experience with these? Were should I focus my search for the cause of the fault? Are these worth the effort of repairing or is there a better solution for parking? Thanks for replies! Brass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertMiner Posted September 23, 2019 Report Share Posted September 23, 2019 Lots of failures... just remove or replace with something better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adept99 Posted September 23, 2019 Report Share Posted September 23, 2019 (edited) If you feel the need to have a cutoff switch, check out West Marine (I know, trucks don't float). They have a pretty decent selection of switches and most of that is high quality. Just pay attention to your wire/cable sizes and you should be fine. Edited September 23, 2019 by adept99 Quote Paul & Paula + Daisy the amazing wiggle worm dog... 2001 Volvo 770 Autoshift, Singled, w/ Aluminum Bed - Toy Draggin 2013 395AMP XLR Thunderbolt Toy Hauler 2013 Smart Passion 2012 CanAm Spyder RT 2013 Harley Davidson Street Glide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noteven Posted September 24, 2019 Report Share Posted September 24, 2019 Or check with a Kenworth dealer they use good quality switches. Quote "Are we there yet?" asked no motorcycle rider, ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billr Posted September 24, 2019 Report Share Posted September 24, 2019 It’s possible the cut off switch isn’t killing all take offs from the batteries. You will need to look at how they wired in the switch. There are several connections to the batteries some factory some by others. If you can cut off all loads you should have better luck keeping the batteries up. Setting up a powered charger is good idea. Solar panel also. Quote Bill and Joan and 3 Collie pups 2001 Volvo VNL 770 "The Doghouse" Singled short, "ET" hItch VED12 465HP Gen 1 Autoshift 3.58 ratio 2005 Mobile Suite 38RL3 2011 Smart Passion loaded piggybacK Weigh-It Portable RV Scales http://www.weighitrv.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moresmoke Posted September 24, 2019 Report Share Posted September 24, 2019 Don’t know the year of your truck, but the computers are typically wired separate from the disconnect switch. These separate feeds are the most likely to drain your battery. The big cables on the disconnect are more likely to burn the truck to the ground than cause a discharge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanZemke Posted September 24, 2019 Report Share Posted September 24, 2019 On my 2000 Volvo 770, disconnecting all of the small gauge positive wires from the batteries reduces the current draw, but some parasitic draw remains. My truck's stock radio and electric door locks still work when all of the small wires are disconnected. So those components, and I suspect several others, take their power from the battery to starter circuit. I decided not to bother tracing any other loads. My plan is to consolidate all of the positive wires going to my batteries on to a single power post. And run a single wire from it, through a high amperage switch, to the positive post of the battery nearest to the starter. I chose this switch: https://www.bluesea.com/products/3000/HD-Series_Heavy_Duty_On-Off_Battery_Switch Quote Volvo 770, New Horizons Majestic and an upcoming Smart car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyA Posted September 25, 2019 Report Share Posted September 25, 2019 22 hours ago, Moresmoke said: Don’t know the year of your truck, but the computers are typically wired separate from the disconnect switch. These separate feeds are the most likely to drain your battery. The big cables on the disconnect are more likely to burn the truck to the ground than cause a discharge. Moresmoke has given a good answer. A total battery disconnect switch must be capable of handling the thru-current of spinning the starter on a cold engine which can easily be 1,500 or more amps. Lesser total battery switches will offer too much resistance at this high of a load and melt or weld the the contacts of the switch not to mention the drop voltage to the starter. Keep the BIG cables to the starter alone and and disconnect the circuit to the EECM. Quote Randy, Nancy and Oscar "The Great White" - 2004 Volvo VNL670, D12, 10-speed, converted to single axle pulling a Keystone Cambridge 5th wheel, 40', 4 slides and about 19,000# with empty tanks. ARS - WB4BZX, Electrical Engineer, Master Electrician, D.Ed., Professor Emeritus - Happily Retired! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noteven Posted September 25, 2019 Report Share Posted September 25, 2019 Suggest using truck battery disconnects... Quote "Are we there yet?" asked no motorcycle rider, ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanZemke Posted September 25, 2019 Report Share Posted September 25, 2019 Wise advice from Moresmoke and RandyA. Better to be safe than sorry. However, if your truck sits for a month or more, without any convenient power source, just disconnecting the ECM may not be sufficient to save your batteries. That is the case with my 2000 Volvo 770. The simplest solution, is to disconnect ALL of the positive wires, including the thick one, from all of your positive battery posts. But over time, you may tire of doing that. I have. A solution, for longer term storage, is a proper switch for the task. Like the starter solenoid, that all of our trucks have. The switch I linked to above, was specifically designed for this task: "Cranking Rating 30 sec 1750A". It's also from a trusted source. It cost a bit less than $100 from Amazon. Quote Volvo 770, New Horizons Majestic and an upcoming Smart car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertMiner Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 Is your truck stored outdoors? Sunshine is cheap power. Add yourself a small solar charger and always have charged batteries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brass Posted September 26, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 Thanks for the replies everyone. Further research into these remote style switches has told me that they are prone to failure. I plan to replace it with a manual version. Sourcing one for an HDT seems like the only option with all the available current from the battery bank. Unfortunately, we don't get to drive it as often as I would like to so the residual draw all these trucks seem to have is a concern. Along with the between trip concern and to help with keeping the fridge running when we do get out in it, we will also add a 100 watt flexible solar panel to the top of the sleeper. I'm not sure if that would make the switch unnecessary or not? We don't leave the fridge on between trips. All the same, even with a good charge controller, we don't want to end up overcharging the batteries while the truck sits. So perhaps I just answered my own question there. BTW, the truck is a very young 2014 VNL670 D13 with 120,000 miles on the clock and a 10 speed, I never learned how to drive an automatic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertMiner Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 Please research the "cons" of using flexible solar panels before moving forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrap Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 Definitely don't want to rewire the charge and start on a 2014. It's a MIL light and/or frozen DEF lines waiting to happen. Probably best just to fix/replace what's there. So, question for all, if you have a troublesome truck with an inverter and want to put a small-ish maintenance panel on the roof or top of the drom, does it have to go back to the batteries? Or can it go to the power studs of the inverter? Inverter's right there in the sleeper toolbox next to the charge controller, has a couple of big fat fused 2/0 cables, and saved me a crap ton of time. I argued against one of the solar system mfgrs help guys [actually my intern doing it had to argue between me and him ;)] and still did it my way. Anyone tried it that way? Truck ain't burned down yet, but it's only been a month....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanZemke Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 Scrap, It can go directly to the power studs on the inverter, and IMO should. You're basically using the solar panel as a trickle charger/maintainer. The low current generated by the panel isn't going to be affected much by a few more feet of wire (especially fat ones). The solar system mfgrs help guy either didn't know what he was talking about or was trying to sell you something. Quote Volvo 770, New Horizons Majestic and an upcoming Smart car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moresmoke Posted September 26, 2019 Report Share Posted September 26, 2019 4 hours ago, Brass said: I never learned how to drive an automatic! Bigger learning curve there than you might think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyA Posted September 27, 2019 Report Share Posted September 27, 2019 8 hours ago, Scrap said: Definitely don't want to rewire the charge and start on a 2014. It's a MIL light and/or frozen DEF lines waiting to happen. Probably best just to fix/replace what's there. So, question for all, if you have a troublesome truck with an inverter and want to put a small-ish maintenance panel on the roof or top of the drom, does it have to go back to the batteries? Or can it go to the power studs of the inverter? Inverter's right there in the sleeper toolbox next to the charge controller, has a couple of big fat fused 2/0 cables, and saved me a crap ton of time. I argued against one of the solar system mfgrs help guys [actually my intern doing it had to argue between me and him ;)] and still did it my way. Anyone tried it that way? Truck ain't burned down yet, but it's only been a month....... Scrap - You done good! It's like "All roads lead to Rome". The system is a closed web and attaching to the inverter studs is perfectly OK. BTW - I have a 25 watt solar panel on my '04 VNL670 with a cheap but "smart" PWM controller connected to 4 batteries. I stay away from snow and migrate to sunny climates as the weather changes and as such have never had a dead battery issue. Quote Randy, Nancy and Oscar "The Great White" - 2004 Volvo VNL670, D12, 10-speed, converted to single axle pulling a Keystone Cambridge 5th wheel, 40', 4 slides and about 19,000# with empty tanks. ARS - WB4BZX, Electrical Engineer, Master Electrician, D.Ed., Professor Emeritus - Happily Retired! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickeieio Posted September 27, 2019 Report Share Posted September 27, 2019 Back to the battery dis-connect..... Why do you have to disconnect the positive side, with all those little cables? Why not just remove the ground side? One big wire......... Quote KW T-680, POPEMOBILE Newmar X-Aire, VATICAN Lots of old motorcycles, Moto Guzzi Griso and Spyder F3 currently in the front row Young enough to play in the dirt as a retired farmer. contact me at rickeieio1@comcast.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noteven Posted September 27, 2019 Report Share Posted September 27, 2019 4 minutes ago, rickeieio said: Back to the battery dis-connect..... Why do you have to disconnect the positive side, with all those little cables? Why not just remove the ground side? One big wire......... I disconnect the ground cables on my analog KW. And then I reconnect them later. And then I get out the manual for the JVC sound system complete with hands free phone and Bluetoot and hunt around to figure out how to get rid of the default swirling cycling color display designed by a LSD researcher and also set the date/time. Takes longer than disconnect reconnect of the battries. Quote "Are we there yet?" asked no motorcycle rider, ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanZemke Posted September 27, 2019 Report Share Posted September 27, 2019 "Why do you have to disconnect the positive side, with all those little cables? Why not just remove the ground side? One big wire........." Hmmm. At first I thought - why didn't I at least try that? Yeah, there may be connections to the negative grounded frame, instead of the battery, but it's also possible there aren't. So I walked out to my truck to check. Alas, there are also two small white wires connected to the negative side of the battery bank. So removing either side requires a fat cable and a few wires. And the difficulty of adding a heavy duty switch, to either side, is also about the same. BTW, several(6?) years ago, I bought a solar panel and charger and it didn't work for me. The panel was rigid, about 4 foot long and a foot wide. I, and my Volvo are in Connecticut, and my back yard has trees on all sides but does get some full sun. The panel/charger wasn't able to keep my batteries topped up in the winter or summer. I have no doubt a reasonably sized panel would work for folks without trees, especially in locations closer to the equator. But the one I bought didn't work for me. Quote Volvo 770, New Horizons Majestic and an upcoming Smart car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrformance Posted September 30, 2019 Report Share Posted September 30, 2019 https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200332201_200332201?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Automotive > Batteries %26 Chargers %2B Jump Starters > Battery Maintainers&utm_campaign=BatteryMINDer&utm_content=167981&gclid=Cj0KCQjwz8bsBRC6ARIsAEyNnvpaGzPHWbsW_nGWOi7chrSqZiO-y4HtlNftv8QBUqdClpVxdIov8JAaAg7NEALw_wcB Works to keep the batteries topped off, I have three of these. I purchase them when they go on sale at Northern tool for $25. Keep the batteries up in my separate inverter setup in the camper, and the lawn tractor in the barn. Quote 2006 Volvo VNL 780, " Arvey" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift 2003 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 2010 Forest River Coachman Freedom Express 280RLS Jackalopee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaydrvr Posted May 13, 2021 Report Share Posted May 13, 2021 37 minutes ago, jameslandry said: Remote operations for the WATERWICH 12V Wireless Remote Control Battery Disconnect Switch gives me an easy job turning my batteries on and off. I don’t have to lift the hood every time to move the trigger because this feature is accessible in my hands already. I find it less hassle, and it adds a leap of convenience. That shows a rating of only 180 amps. Maybe enough for a small car or motorcycle, certainly nothing larger. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big5er Posted May 13, 2021 Report Share Posted May 13, 2021 On 9/27/2019 at 4:42 PM, DanZemke said: I, and my Volvo are in Connecticut, and my back yard has trees on all sides but does get some full sun. Dan, do you have a shore power plug? If you are in the back yard why not simply install a battery minder and just keep the truck plugged in? This is what I have. It's the "old" model and a lot cheaper than its "new" counterpart.AmazonSmile: NOCO Genius G26000 12V/24V 26 Amp Pro-Series Battery Charger and Maintainer: Automotive Quote MY PEOPLE SKILLS ARE JUST FINE.~It's my tolerance to idiots that needs work.~ 2005 Volvo 780 VED12 465hp / Freedomline transmission singled mid position / Bed by Larry Herrin2018 customed Mobile Suites 40KSSB3 2014 smart Fortwo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanZemke Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 (edited) Big5er, Yeah, that's what I did too, and am still using it. I chose a BattteryMinder model 128CEC1 which is only 12v but otherwise probably similar to the one you linked to. ---------------------- For those looking to buy a charger like Big5er and I suggest, here's a link to the device I've been happy with for a little less money ($162, although I have no experience with the vendor). https://www.impactbattery.com/batteryminder-model-128cec1-12v-2-4-8-amp-charger-maintainer-desulfator.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4svR7JDJ8AIVSgOzAB289AjQEAQYASABEgIrRvD_BwE --------------------- In his above post, Parrformance suggests a smaller and much less expensive BatteryMinder. I have one too. But it my case, 1 amp was not enough current to overcome the parasitic draw on my Volvo's batteries, so I needed something larger. Using Parrformance's recommended vendor, here's a better link for the 6amp BatteryMinder: https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200661886_200661886 Edited May 14, 2021 by DanZemke Clarity and provide another source Quote Volvo 770, New Horizons Majestic and an upcoming Smart car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJohns Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 x2 on the battery minder. The results are not in yet but I have some batteries that are getting pretty old and still working. Quote 2002 Beaver Marquis Emerald C-12 Cat 505 HP 2014 Volvo 630 D-13 I Shift SOLD 2017 New Horizons SOLD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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