24 volt starting bank dead - How best to charge?

[86neoplan]

Wow!

I thought I was the only one with the exact same problem... I just dont got to 1 volt. I apparently drain to 18-20, but the bus just wont start on that. In fact, all it does is make a fast clicking noise.

there are 2 new batteries, and i figured that would solve it, but i forgot to throw the disconnect, and one week later...

i have just noticed today that a lot of the terminals look like they have never been touched...not on the battery, they are all new, but the rest of the bus...

and i thought i was alone.

shawn

[belfert]

If its a MCi it most likly has a tap between the two 12 volt batterys. This will put a drain on the system even when the mast switch is open . It happens all the tme in my shop. It will drain the batterys in about aweek

Not an MCI, but a Dina.  It does have a Vanner equalizer.  Is that enough to kill the batteries?  The disconnect has off, both, 12 volt, and 24 volt.  It does seem like it kills the 12 volt and the 24 volt with the switch.  Not sure if the Vanner is before or after the disconnect.  It odesn't seem like the batteries drained before with the disconnect off, but I never went a week without starting until recently.

I haven't started to charge the batteries yet as it has been raining and I don't have a reason to start the coach right now.

Brian Elfert

[DrDave]

If any of your bay doors were left open, The lights were probably on and drained the batteries.

I placed a manual cut-off switch on my bay door light circuit and eliminated that problem.

Or just make sure the main disconnect is off when leaving the bus.

I have a 6-amp 24 volt charger wired in permanently that I plug in when needed and it peaks
the batteries after a long rest.

[gus]

New batteries can have oxidized terminals if they have plastic covers, and the dealer probably didn't clean the cable connections even if he did clean the battery connections.

One battery can have shorted plates and since you are hooking pos to neg to get 24V you have an automatic drainage.

[Busted Knuckle]

Brian,

I reccommend you seperate and clean and charge each one individually as you plan and after doing this to each one load test it before hooking them together. Then when you get it hooked up and running always remember to turn off the batteries if it will be shut down 12 hrs or more! But while at C&J have them check your equalizer as Bobby's Dina's both have had to have the equalizers changed one of them twice! One was draining the batteries when shut off and the other was over charging while running and FRIED 3 sets of "Brand New Looking Batteries" know why they looked brand new? They were and the drivers were out in the middle of nowhere and would call in and tell him the batteries were shot again and he'd have whoever put new ones on and send the old ones back so he could get credit for them, well finally one of them was at home when it happened and I sent someone out to change 'em out and find the problem because I knew we weren't getting that many bad batteries in a row! Well he discovered the inverter was boiling them after he installed the new ones he started it and let it run while he ran and grabbed a quick bite, when he got back 30 mins later the 2 BRAND NEW batteries were boiling out so he got to checking and found the equalizer was putting like 30 volts out to 12 volt batteries! I've also talked with other owners who've had problems with the equalizers in Dinas! Just a thought and not worth much! LOL!
  Knuckle 

[belfert]

Brian,

I reccommend you seperate and clean and charge each one individually as you plan and after doing this to each one load test it before hooking them together. Then when you get it hooked up and running always remember to turn off the batteries if it will be shut down 12 hrs or more! But while at C&J have them check your equalizer as Bobby's Dina's both have had to have the equalizers changed one of them twice! One was draining the batteries when shut off and the other was over charging while running and FRIED 3 sets of "Brand New Looking Batteries" know

C&J won't even sell Vanner Equalizers anymore due to all the failures they see.  They sell Sure Power as replacements.  I'll check it out after the batteries get charged up.  My smart charger keeps erroring out so I need to get a new charger.

I thought my bus was going to be all repaired by now, but the parts haven't all showed up at C&J from MCI yet!  They are still waiting on brake shoes and MCI only had one tie rod end.  My bus probably won't go in for repair until week after next.

Brian Elfert

[Dallas]

As Bryce said,
Load test your batteries after charging, but as a piece of advice, let the batteries set for 12 to 24 hours to help equalize the surface charge after charging and before doing any tests. Before doing a load test check the specific gravity of the electrolyte. I use a refractometer, which is 100% more accurate than the cheap hydrometers sold at Walmart and Autozone, but MAK tools and Snapon sell pretty good ones.
Specific gravity will let you know where you have a weak or bad cell. 1 bad cell can cause all of your cells to go dead.

IHTH
Dallas

[Busted Knuckle]

 MAK tools and Snapon sell pretty good ones.
IHTH
Dallas

Dallas I thunk you meant MAC & SNAP-ON Tools, but what would I know!
Knuckle

[Dallas]

MAK tools and Snapon sell pretty good ones.
IHTH
Dallas

Dallas I thunk you meant MAC & SNAP-ON Tools, but what would I know!
Knuckle

OK Bryce, make fun of me cause Phil won't give me no spill czek!
They always told me,
"Buy ya books and buy ya books.
Send ya to school and ya eat the teacher"!

You just wait till you get here!
Then you'll be sorry!
I'll have Gary park you with all the skoolies!

Dallas

[DrivingMissLazy]

MAK tools and Snapon sell pretty good ones.
IHTH
Dallas

Dallas I thunk you meant MAC & SNAP-ON Tools, but what would I know!
Knuckle

OK Bryce, make fun of me cause Phil won't give me no spill czek!
They always told me,
"Buy ya books and buy ya books.
Send ya to school and ya eat the teacher"!

You just wait till you get here!
Then you'll be sorry!
I'll have Gary park you with all the skoolies!

Dallas

I do not think a spell check wil help on trademark names like Snap-On , but if you really want one here is one I use and it works great.

]http://www.iespell.com/

Richard