Classic Winnebagos & Vintage RVs

I have a 27 foot, 89 Chieftain and the starting battery has gone dead a couple of times. Right now there are no auxiliary batteries in the rig, only a starting battery. Am I leaving the dash switches in the wrong position? Where should the "Battery Mode" switch be left? And the "Auxiliary Batteries" switch? Can either switch in the "wrong" position cause the starting battery to go dead? I'm confused...

If you have no house batteries then that is a moot point and the only switch that would pertain is the momentary switch which on mine is on the left side And transfers power from the house batteries to the chassis battery in case of a dead chassis battery. So basically none of the switches are causing the problem. Do you have a DC refrigerator? If you do make sure it is not set for DC, that runs off of the chassis battery and is for while you are traveling only. Check the radio in the dash to make sure it is off and make sure the ignition is in the off position and key out. My off position is slightly to the right and straight up and down is Accessory position. You cannot take out the key in ACC.  And how old is your battery? If it is 4-5 years old it is due. If the top of the battery is covered in dirt it could be self discharging across that.

Thanks, Rick. As usual, you clarified a problem for me.


John

Oops! Forgot another question: when I do install the house batteries, where should the dash switches be left?


Thanks again,


John

You can put in the house batteries whenever you want. There should be a switch to the left of the radio on the dash that says Aux battery with a light next to it. That is what turns on the house batteries. If the light is on then the house batteries are on. What you do want to check is the charging system for the house batteries, if it is the original system it will eventually boil the batteries dry if you leave them plugged in all the time like most people so when parked at home. This was just a sign of the times. The modern chargers are much more efficient and will charge faster and also have a float mode to maintain the charge without overcharging. This is not something you need to jump right out and get before you put in the batteries but it is something to keep in mind.


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