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Fotoheart

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Tahoma, CA
  • Interests
    RVing(duh), photography, cooking, skiing, ping-pong, fly fishing...

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  1. Here's the closeups. Also included 1 of the coach batts.
  2. Forgot to say the green battery is for the generator, & it is a deep cycle wet cell.
  3. Ok, I did that & zero generator cranking. Mystery battery solved! From what you said about a lawn mower, the generator charges up that battery. It also charges up the coach batteries. Is it possible for the gen batt to be wired into the coach batts &/or solar display? Because as I mentioned before, the gen won't start unless the display shows the voltage around 11v or higher. I probably am overthinking this, & it is working fine again. Here's the pics you asked for-sorry for the delay. I'll post again with close ups since there's a 100kb limit per post.
  4. Thanks so much, again! It's pouring here right now, so when it slows down, I'll get a pic of under the hood. I don't think it will show you anything new. Due to most of the engine access being inside, & the big K&N air cleaner, you can't see much under the hood. I do know that both the hood batts are typical wet cells. The 3 AGM coach batts are deep cycle. Scott
  5. Hi Guys, i feel like I'm making you guys work too hard. I'm sorry I hadn't mentioned what I had. It's a 23' 1990 Fleetwood Tioga Arrow on a Ford E-350 Econoline chassis. 7.5lt Engine, gas not diesel. My main problem, the solar control display, has been solved. I just never fully understood how the solar panel, 3 coach batteries, extra batt. under the hood, generator & converter/charger were connected, & if it was done properly. Normally, it all works fine. Occasionally, something would go wrong that made no sense to me. Like the engine starting batt. dying for no reason after say a week. A neighbor mentioned he had heard that some propane safety switches were wired to the starting batt. & could drain it, which mine was doing. That made no sense to me, because it could leave you stranded. We like to camp out in the woods, & there's usually no cell service or anything. We woke up one morning to not having enough power to start the generator or the engine. I think we were in too much shade for the solar panel to do it's job. That's when I started bringing a fold up solar panel, so I could find a spot of sun, & slowly charge up the extra under the hood batt. I also start the engine every few days, just in case. As for what charges what, I know the generator, converter/charger & solar panel charges the 3 coach batts. Now that I think about it, I don't know what charges the extra hood batt. Of course the starter batt. is charged by the engine alternator. I may try what Kirk mentioned to see if what that will tell me. Sorry for the long windedness. & thanks again for trying to help me understand with the little info I was giving you. Scott
  6. Aack! Ok, now I'm confused again. Sorry if my confusion is causing you guys to disagree. This is the 1st motorhome I've owned. Total beginner at 1st, but learning. I have 3 agm batteries for the coach, plus, I guess, the extra one under the hood, that seems to be mainly for starting the generator. Once I replaced the extra under the hood battery, I had no trouble starting the generator. The other hood battery is strictly for engine starting. I do have the Emergency Switch for help starting the engine, but it only works if the engine battery still has some charge. If the starter clicks when I turn the key, the Emergency Switch works with the generator running. I've never tried using it in reverse(to start the generator), but after reading what Lou said, I'll give it a try next time. I do know the solar/generator system does not charge the extra under the hood battery. I think? Ok, as I said I had my hips replaced, & haven't been boondocking for 2yrs. I may be forgetting. In any case, thanks for all the help! Pepé(my motorhome) is working fine at the moment. Scott
  7. Hello! Sorry it's taken awhile. No usable internet at rv park in reno, then we broke down just outside of Reno on the way home(separate issue). But, Good News! After searching the internet, found info about my Go Power Solar controller. Even though mine was an older model, there is a "soft reset" & a "hard reset" that can be tried. I did a soft reset, & everything is back to normal, working fine! Just to fill you in, my engine starting battery is separate from everything else, except that the propane safety cut off controller will drain the starter battery if I'm camped too long without driving. The other under the hood battery is tied into the Go Power control, but seems to be just for starting the generator? As I remember, I've been in a situation where the coach batteries were fine, but I still couldn't start the generator. Then again, I'm getting old. So, to cover all the bases, I carry a fold up solar panel & a battery charger. This may be for a different post, but we broke down on an exit with no services, shade or anything, & Hartford Insurance's included 24/7 RV Towing & Roadside assistance let us cook in 115° heat for 2 days! I started thinking they were going to find 2 sun bleached human skeletons, a small dog skeleton, & a very fat cat! Thanks for your help, Scott
  8. Hey, thank you oldjohnt! I agree with everything you said. I have 3 AGM coach batteries, & an extra wet cell battery under the hood that seems to mainly be the generator starter battery, & they're all hooked up to the solar power display, inverter, charger, etc. Never fully understood how that all works. Anyway, been getting ready to go out of town, & haven't taken off the display yet. I'm hoping it could just be a loose wire/contact or something. Actually, didn't think of checking the fuses/circuit breakers, so thanks for that. I didn't realize that a tripped breaker or blown fuse might only cut off 1/2 the voltage until it happened on the rv. Going down to Reno, NV, & may be able to get it looked at there if I can't figure it out myself. Thanks again, Scott
  9. Thank you for the reply. I'm having trouble signing in, so it took me awhile. I haven't checked recently, but I did replace one a year or two ago, & believe they are fine. I'll check again, but when the one battery was going bad, the display panel still worked as normal, & showed that the system was not charging all the way. Now the display is stuck. It always reads 11.4 V, 20% charge, & 0 amps from the solar panel.
  10. Hi, I'm new here, so please bear with me if I do something stupid. I have a 1990 Fleetwood Arrow in which I think the previous owner put in a solar panel & control display. It was working fine(as far as I know), until this year. We hardly drove it for 2 years while I had my hips replaced. The display has always read 12-13V when there's plenty of sun or when I run the generator for awhile. It's now stuck on 11.4 V no matter what the situation. In the past, whenever it read below approx. 11.5 V, I would have a hard time starting the generator. However, the generator starts fine, so I'm thinking it's something in the display panel. I have your basic meter, but don't know what to test. Any thoughts? thanks, Scott Ps-There's no one in my area that works on coaches.
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