VA3EPR
Elliot lake
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I have charged my auto side battery of my rv. took the connectors off the battery for 2 days. no drainage. the voltage sat at 12.76v. the other day i put the battery terminals back on it and voila . over night the battery went to 9.76 v..... there is nothing running in the cab itself. no clocks no nothing. what could the problem be? its a 1978 shasta ford. stumped and confused on this one.
VA3EPR
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2oldman
Winchester WA
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VA3EPR wrote: i put the battery terminals back on it and voila . over night the battery went to 9.76 v.. Was there any sparking when you reconnected it? That indicates a big load. Sounds like the battery is shot.. way shot.
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PapPappy
Wilmington, NC
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Does the RV have a CO detector? What about the electronics for the fridge? They may draw down the battery some, but not that much. I would have the battery tested, to see if it's got a bad cell.
If it does, it would show a full charge, but not hold it.
Most Auto parts places will do a Load Test of the battery for you.
Bill & Claudia / DD Jenn / DS Chris / GS MJ
Dogs: Sophie, Abby, Brandy, Kahlie, Annie, Maggie, Tugger & Beau 
RIP: Cookie, Foxy & Gidget @ Rainbow Bridge.
2000 Winnebago "Minnie" 31C, Ford V-10
Purchased April 2008 FMCA# F407293
The Pets
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full_mosey
Oklahoma
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Probably heavy sulfation. The 12.76V was likely a surface charge on what is left of the plates.
Take the battery to a store for a load test right after charging. You will be in the right place when they tell you it failed the test.
HTH;
John
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MNtundraRet
Bloomington, MN
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Judging from the age of your motor-home you likely have frayed cable somewhere, or a solenoid that did not disconnect. At that age who knows how often a questionable DIY modification has been done to the vehicle. Some dummies were known to replace the momentary emergency start switch with a ON/OFF switch. Does your motor-home have one and is it in the "on" position? This would put the starter circuit on the house circuit and easily discharge a starter battery.
By the way. The OP is talking about the starting battery. If the starting battery has been discarged about a half-dozen times it will no longer recharge to full capacity.
Mark & Jan "Old age & treachery win over youth & enthusiasm"
2003 Fleetwood Jamboree 29
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NewsW
US
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Joined: 02/06/2012
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Age of batteries?
If older than 2 years or 50 cycles.. It is probably toast.
Desulfate conditioning may save it, but unlikely.
You said you had nothing on it and it just went down to 9.xx volt?
It is toast.
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Matt_Colie
Southeast Michigan
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EPR,
There is no given here. The vehicle description and age don't tell a lot about it. If it is an early closed loop engine, then a ECU drain is very possible. Let's test.
Solder two wires to a marker light bulb.
Put it in series with the engine battery.
Does it light or even glow??
Yes? Then you have a drain you have to find. It would have to be pretty bright to kill a good battery over night. A just visible glow will take anywhere from three to five days.
No? The battery is toast. You can take to a CT store for a load test and when they confirm the fact it will be convenient to get the replacement.
My vote, without any additional information, is the battery. 9.8 is a lot like one dead cell and another is dying.
Some refitters (like Shasta) added and changed the chassis (engine) electrical system enough to be very interesting. If it is a drain, it can be tough to locate. Pulling fuses is a good start.
Matt
Matt & Mary Colie
A sailor, his bride and their black dog going to see some dry places that have Geocaches in a coach made the year we married.
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VA3EPR
Elliot lake
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MNtundraRet wrote:Judging from the age of your motor-home you likely have frayed cable somewhere, or a solenoid that did not disconnect. At that age who knows how often a questionable DIY modification has been done to the vehicle. Some dummies were known to replace the momentary emergency start switch with a ON/OFF switch. Does your motor-home have one and is it in the "on" position? This would put the starter circuit on the house circuit and easily discharge a starter battery.
By the way. The OP is talking about the starting battery. If the starting battery has been discarged about a half-dozen times it will no longer recharge to full capacity.
where would this so called on off switch be located? i hsvr 2 soleniods involved on this. one is where the rv bat is and the other is the auto bat. now between the 2 of them . i have 1 wire goin from the live side of one to the none live side of the other one. does this make sence to anyone? if need be i shall upload a diagram of what is found. by the way the battery is 2004 and was working fine last year in my mothers van.
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VA3EPR
Elliot lake
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2oldman wrote:VA3EPR wrote: i put the battery terminals back on it and voila . over night the battery went to 9.76 v.. Was there any sparking when you reconnected it? That indicates a big load. Sounds like the battery is shot.. way shot.
no sparking at all.
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MNtundraRet
Bloomington, MN
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Quote: "by the way the battery is 2004 and was working fine last year in my mothers van."
The battery is eight years old. It has given good service and needs to be replaced. That may the only problem you have right now.
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