No start up!

[Danny]

I went to start up the bus to let it run a little while.  To my surprise I had left the battery switch in the "on" position from the previous time.  I apparently had no battery charge at all.  This took me back because the batteries were new 6 months ago.  Would they have dropped off that much by leaving the switch on for about a month?  Is there something else I should consider?

Thanks,
Danny

[Beatenbo]

Danny, see if it has an old PA amp in front electrical box. Those things are wired direct cause the bus lines run them every day. A few weeks will drain new batteries. I had an MC8,MC9, 96A3 and now a C3 all had PA. Just unplug if their. Charlie

[Ace]

Danny our Prevost manual says to turn off the main battery switches anytime you have the coach off for any length of time! We never used to do that until I got tired of charging the batteries to get going. NOW, we do it when the door opens and we step out for dinner! It's just a habit that we got used to and only time the batteries go down now is when the bus sits for more than a week or so without being started. Never understood why but evidently there is a drain from something that causes them to go down.

FWIW, I have Two Interstate  and Two Champions. The Champions have a higher CCA rating and they are usually the ones to go down first. They were also the cheaper of the Four but I didn't like the service I got from the Interstate staff after a problem with the originals, hence the Champions were purchased from Sam's Club.

Ace

[FloridaCliff]

Danny,

I have heard someone with the same problem in every brand of Bus, mine included.

Like Ace I have just got into the habit of turning off the main battery disconnect.

Problem gone.

Cliff

[JackConrad]

If you want to check for a phantom load, try this.  First re-charge the batteries. Disconnect the ground cable and put a small bulb of appropriate voltage (12 or 24) in series between the negative batteries terminal and the negative cable. If there is anything draining the batteries, the light will glow. The larger the drain, the brighter the bulb. You can then disconnect different electrical item until you find the drain.  hope this helps, Jack     PS; we do as Ace mentioned and turn off our mater switch whenever we stop. We consider this a labor saving step (2 inutes to shut off batteries possibly saves a hour to re-charge. 

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Danny,

Also check thoose baggage door lights, they have been the gremlin of my drain in the past!

And like the others, I always kill the battery switch!

Nick-

[DrivingMissLazy]

Well, I did it differently. I found all the little items that were draining the battery over time and fixed them.  After that the bus could sit six months and the batteries were still full charged.

Using the method suggested by Jack Conrad is one great way to find those little leaks. The last one I found, that resolved the last of my problems, was an electric clock in the dash that was connected directly to a battery source.  It was an electro-mechanical type that actually ticked every second. I jiust disconnected it.

I sometimes find it hard to understand that a group of guys so meticulous on other things will let something like this go and never fix it.
Richard

Danny,

Also check thoose baggage door lights, they have been the gremlin of my drain in the past!

And like the others, I always kill the battery switch!

Nick-

[brojcol]

Danny,

I also followed the rule, "turn off those switches."  Even when I stopped for dinner, as Richard said.  It just seems like a small hassle to save a couple hundred bucks. 

No matter how hard we try, there may be a light or something that burns constantly somewhere.  In my case, I found a light in one of the bays that didn't quite go out everytime the door was shut.  I had no way of knowing this, since the door was shut.  But after letting the batts drain one time, I tracked it down.  But then I got some good advice to shut off my batteries everytime I left the coach.  Even for a short time.  You never know.

Jimmy

[FloridaCliff]

I sometimes find it hard to understand that a group of guys so meticulous on other things will let something like this go and never fix it.
Richard

Richard,

First, I know you meant no offense.

But since you brought it up.

Its about priorities to me. 

Remember, most of those responding are still building or modifying there coaches.

At this point I am not going to possibly waste a day or more chasing a minor drain that I can eliminate by flipping a switch.

Too many other "Irons in the Fire"

But eventually, like you, I will track it down.

Cliff

[DrivingMissLazy]

Definitely no offense intended.
I had problems and I had no choice but to fix them or suffer with dead batteries.

I discovered that my main disconnect switch did not really disconnect my start batteries from everything in the coach.

In addition to the dash board clock, I also discovered that the voltage regulator sensing was connected to the battery before the switch. There were probably another thing or two but I do not really remember now.

I only wanted to indicate that with Jack's method of testing it is very easy to find the problem in less than an hour generally. At least on the coaches that I have worked on with this problem. And then there is no more worry about turning off the main switch or returning to the coach hours or days or weeks later and discovering dead batteries.
Richard

I sometimes find it hard to understand that a group of guys so meticulous on other things will let something like this go and never fix it.
Richard

Richard,

First, I know you meant no offense.

But since you brought it up.

Its about priorities to me. 

Remember, most of those responding are still building or modifying there coaches.

At this point I am not going to possibly waste a day or more chasing a minor drain that I can eliminate by flipping a switch.

Too many other "Irons in the Fire"

But eventually, like you, I will track it down.

Cliff