waterskier_1

Rick Nelson E-13 (I think) Red & White Exec.

The temp sensor controls the battery charger (or solar controller) so it can charge as fast as possible without destroying the batteries buy overheating. I would recommend reconnecting to the new batteries.

You have a ground problem in the bulb sockets. I'd start with the onery right turn.

Lithium batteries don't like being at 100% SOC, either in storage or on charge. This is one of the charge parameters that the battery charger has to deal with. A proper charger will shut off (charging the battery) when 100% SOC is obtained and remain off until a certain SOC is reached (30% - 45% depending on the application) and then it will turn on (start charging the battery) and the cycle continues. Now Tyger are a lot of charger that don't comply, just like there are people who have their alternators charging them at 14.2 Volts for 8 hours as they drive. The battery sellers are partially at fault, claiming nothing special is needed to charge lithium in order to make a sale. Granted, the cell & often the battery manufacturers employ safeguards, but there are there for gross catastrophic failure, not there to enhance battery life.

The battery polarity is not important - it makes no electrical connection to the battery. It is just using the post as a mechanical way to attach to the battery. Some sandwich then between batteries, some glue them to batteries. The bell shape is the thermocouple, and the "white sealant" is likely thermal paste to help conduct heat.

1) Besides the suggestions above, you could have a piece of dirt or something blocking the internal check valve, such that it never builds pressure, and simply backflows to the tank. 2) What do you mean by "lights on the pump motor button"? Are you referring to the lights on the switches throughout the coach to turn on and off the water pump?

Yes, I'm familiar with heated batteries. It extends the charge (and discharge) temp, but it uses the battery to power the charger. That would only deplete the battery faster. Remember, I'm storing this for months, not always connected to shore power. Even if I didn't keep it connected to shore power, it just seems counterproductive to pay to heat batteries that are in storage. If this were only for days or even a week or two, that would be one thing, but I store mine for several months. If I really wanted Lithium batteries bad enough, I'd just pull them and take the batteries indoors. But then I'd have to replace them with something to keep the essential services in the coach powered up (like the Victron and the router to monitor remotely). Right now, it isn't worth the effort. I am considering buying some cells, designing my own BMS, and possibly supplementing my Lifeline AGM when I go dry camping for weeks/months. But that would be more to learn the details of Lithium battery building and making a cell-based BMS to protect cells individually. Most battery BMS protect against overvoltage, but assume all cells are good. One bad cell will expose all the others to overvoltage with conventional BMS. I guess I miss the engineering aspect since I'm retired 🙂 Okay, after seeing Richard's and JD's posts, I think I can answer better. I have no idea why Monaco would install a BIRD, and not use it Bi-Directionally. That is why I couldn't figure out why there was a need for the "maintainer". It seemed redundant (it really is). If that is like the Lambert Maintainer I had in my Dynasty (looks like it) they were problematic. Even though the green light was on, it was still not maintaining my chassis battery. If like mine, it only works one way. The BIRD controls charging when the engine (alternator) is running, and the "maintainer" controlled charging the chassis when on shore power. So, I believe if you remove the purple wire from the BIRD and tape it well so it doesn't short out, you'll still have the BAT BOOST function. One of those purple wires goes to the BAT BOOST switch, and the other goes to the Isolator Relay (I called it Big Boy, but it may be a different brand). With it removed from the BIRD, the BIRD can no longer control the Isolator Relay, but the remaining purple wire to the BAT BOOST is still functional. This should disconnect the alternator from the house batteries while the engine is running. Now, the wire that you have circled I believe goes to the house batteries. If you disconnect that (and tape it also), then you will have inhibited the charging of the chassis battery from shore power. Ask if you have any questions.

Jim, thanks for the CTRL5 hint. Why didn't I ever hear that before! I now see that the gen signal is to lock out the Isolator Relay if both the alternator and genset - inverter/charger are both operational. That would solve the ALT-FAIL light when both are charging. I still am not clear why Monaco would use a BIRD, as an IRD, and then add what looks like a Lampert Battery Maintainer. That device has proven to be problematic.

Richard, do you know the purpose of having the wire to the generator? If it's only an IRD, how does the generator play in this scenario?

I'm trying to make sense of this. It appears that you have a BIRD (Bi-Directional Isolator Relay Delay) but it appears there is another isolator, which I'm not sure of it's purpose. The BIRD does control another Relay - The Big Boy. The way the BIRD works, in general, is that when the ignition switch is turned on, it signals the BIRD to start a Delay. After that Delay (which is intended to allow the engine to come up to speed and get the alternator running) the BIRD signals the Isolator Relay (which many call "The Big Boy") to energize. It is the Big Boy that actually connects the two battery banks together. There is more that goes on in the BIRD. It must sense that one battery bank is over 13.5 volts before it will allow connection. This function is to make sure that at least one of the banks is actually being charged (and no bad, unchargable batteries) before allow the banks to be connected. The basic IRD only looks at the chassis battery, and therefore only allows connecting the banks together when the chassis battery is being charged (the engine is running and the alternator is working). The BIRD goes a step further. It also looks at the House Batteries, and if they are over 13.5 volts, it will signal the Big Boy to connect. This allow you to charge the chassis battery while on shore (or gen) power. Ok, now back to the basic question. The easiest way to handle this is to simply disconnect the purple wire which provides the power to turn on the Big Boy. Without that wire, the BIRD will not engage the Big Boy. Depending on how it is wired - I'm not sure about yours, many have a separate (usually RED) wire from the BAT BOOST switch to the Big Boy. If that is your case, then you'll still be able to connect the two banks together with that switch. Otherwise, you'll have to reconnect the purple wire, or simply jump the two banks together. Not that I do not know what that other isolator is doing. I don't have any wiring diagrams showing it, so I'm not sure how that might affect what I've described above. Do you know it's purpose? From the size of the wires, it's not got much of a load.

1. How do you expect a relay to control charging current (or voltage)? All the BIRD or IRD in lower level coaches does is supply a signal (voltage) to the Big Boy Solenoid (Relay - what I think you are calling "combiner") that connects both battery banks together as one huge bank. Granted it only connects when there is a charging source, but that is all it does. It can not control current (other than burning up) or voltage. The voltage when the alternator is running should be around 14.2 - 14.4 volts. That's way to high to apply to lithium batteries for a 6 - 8 hour drive. I think BattleBorn recommends 30 minutes per 100A-Hr then drop to down to 13.4 Volts. That's why people are so concerned about using the engine alternator to charge lithium batteries. Another concern is the extremely low internal resistance which means that it will accept charge current much faster (up to 10X as fast) and if not controlled, will easily overtask the alternator. 2) Not clear what you are saying. You say if you need to charge the batteries, you'll run the generator, but then you talk again about not worrying about the alternator being over worked. 3) It sounds like you are not able to take advantage of the extra 1000 Watts in the Inverter you purchased. This is a common problem people have. I've helped many design "after the fact" electrical wiring systems because of this problem. You are not alone. For someone considering this, here are some things to consider. As Mark B. mentioned, all the circuits that you want to run off the inverter must run through the inverter, even when it is on shore power. That means that what you have connected now is all that will be connected when you replace the inverter - typically this is the microwave and a string of outlets. The outlets will be limited to 20 Amp (in some cases 30A) maximum, not mater what inverter you install, unless you rewire the coach. This is because the existing wiring will only handle the 20 Amps. This is not impossible to overcome, a simple Inverter Sub-Panel will do the job, but you'll still need to run new wires to it, from the new loads, or separate the outlets into more than one string so you can have 20 Amps on each string. Magnum allows for connecting their inverter/charger to the incoming AC panel with 30 Amp breaker (which is what most have in place) and the associated wiring. What they don't tell you is that if you choose to do this, and want to use the full 3000 watts, you can NOT charge your batteries at the same time. Victron uses a 50 Amp Breaker in the AC Panel, along with requiring larger wires to connect the inverter, such that you can use the full 125 Amp battery charger at the same time as drawing a 3000 watt load. Just something to consider. Most Dynasty and above coaches already have an Inverter Subpanel, so little additional wiring is required. On the DC side there are two concerns. First, no matter which battery type you choose, you'll likely need to increase the cables connecting the batteries to the inverter since you'll now be drawing 50% (3000 vs 2000 watts) more power and the cable must carry the extra current. This is something often overlooked. In some installations, the inverter is very close to the batteries (less than 5-ft cable) which wouldn't likely require an upgrad. But if your inverter is 15-25 ft (cable length) away, it likely will require upgrading. Now the big monkey in the box: Adding Lithium Batteries. First, this is likely the reason that the invert is being replaced. It likely doesn't have charge parameters for Lithium Charing Profiles. Some are replacing because they want Pure Sine Wave. Some think they need more "power". But for this portion of discussion, lets assume the inverter/charger has the requisite Lithium Charge Profile. That's good. But only when charging from the inverter/charger (meaning on shore power or generator). Also, the lithium charge profile is not ideal for lead acid batteries, which you likely still have for Chassis Batteries. So, that means it is best not to allow the inverter/charger to charge the chassis batteries (or install some sort of controller between the two). The other concern I eluded to above is charging the lithium batteries from the alternator. Lithium batteries do not like an "absorption" charge for long periods of time. They also do not like to be stored fully charged. Yes, you can do that, but it will significantly decrease battery life. So, what to do. There are some work-arounds out there that in my opinion are not ready for prime time. Battleborn markets one such unit that allows the alternator to charge the lithium batteries for a preset amount of time (13 Minutes?) and then disconnects them for 20 minutes. Talking with the manufacturer, this is done more to keep the alternator from overheating and burning up than controlling the charge voltage of the Lithium batteries. DC-DC converts are a much better choice. What we see is that trying to charge Lithium and Lead Acid batteries with the charger is less than ideal. I explored all this and even though I don't have Lithium batteries (yet) because of the environment I store my coach (below -10 for days, several time a year) I still didn't like the mixed charging of my Lifeline AGM batteries. Therefore, I modified the Big Boy and basically disconnected the BIRD. Now the only way to energize the Big Boy (and connect the chassis and house batteries together) is with the BATT BOOST switch on the dash. I can restore it to original configuration with swapping a couple wire. This means that my alternator only charges the chassis batteries, never the house batteries; and my inverter/charger charges only my house batteries, never my chassis battery. This work for me because I also have 1400 watts of solar on the roof. The original 100 Watt panel is now dedicated to only the chassis battery. The remaining 1300 Watts is dedicated to only the house battery. This way I can set the ideal charge profile for each battery bank (including solar charge profiles). I did this primarily because with the solar charging I really didn't want my AGM house batteries setting with 14.2 volts on them for 8 hours going down the road, when they were already fully charged by the solar and should be in float mode. I don't worry about my alternator overheating or burning up charging my house batteries (not like with AGMs, but more likely with Lithium). This works for me, but might not work for others. BTW, I see no advantage to having Lithium batteries if you don't have solar to charge them. Sure they may last longer, weigh less, charge faster, but remember, for every bit of energy you take out of them, you have to replace at some point. This might mean that instead of running your generator a couple hours every day to charge you non-Lithium batteries, you can go two or three days, and then run your generator 4 -8 hours to recharge them. Happy to answer any questions. Much better to ask ahead than after and have to expend more funds than you realized for marginal improvement. -Rick N.

I don't think the 300 HP and the 325 HP were available at the same time. So, I'm not sure it's safe to say they used the same radiator/transmission cooler/CAC. The problem is in order to get more HP you generate more heat. I had to install a Pyrometer on my 7.3L Ford diesel when I "chipped" it. It definitely makes a big difference, and generates a lot more heat at the exhaust to the turbo. I have to keep my eye on the pyro constantly when pulling the mountains towing my boat, it will jump up almost instantly under heavy load. I believe that all the C8.3L cummins had about the torque, from 275 HP up to 350 HP, but I haven't verified it. Torque is what gets you up the hill, HP get you down the track faster. I think you might try some trucker forums, they may have more experience tuning engines for performance.

It seems that certain devices are more sensitive than others. Any device that uses a "wall wart" to take 120 VAC to some other X VDC (where X = 5, 9, 12, 18, 24, etc.) work fine since any ac is converted to DC before the device sees it. Over the years, it seems high end coffee makers (Keurig specifically) and electric blankets/throws with digital readout controls seem to be the biggest problems. The only manufacture doing business in the USA (as of a few years ago) that warranties their refrigerator for operation on MSW inverters is Samsung. That's why so many are using it even with all the problems (recalls, class-action suits, etc.) they have against them. That isn't to say that they are the only ones to make a refrigerator that will operate on MSW, but rather that they are the only manufacturer to incur the cost and time testing their refrigerator so they know it will not be affected by MSW. As you may imagine, using inverters to power residential refrigerators is a very small portion of the potential consumers. I personally haven't heard of a single refrigerator failure due solely to being operated on MWS. But I have read many warranties that won't cover their refrigerators operating in a mobile environment. Look at what the coach manufacturers are installing. I don't think all new coaches come with PSW inverters, but the ones with residential refrigerators might?

I don't know your physical layout, but toss wires don't look long enough to reach the chassis batteries, so I'm assuming that there is an intermediary connection point. Generally, the purple wire come from the BOOST switch or the Isolator Relay Delay (IRD) - the other was usually a red wire - both went to the same terminal on the relay coil. The other terminal (no wire attached seen in the pictures) went to ground. Removing the wire from the front run bay would not allow the BOOST switch to operate. I believe you would need to leave the wire to the boost switch, remove the white from the IRD and connect ground to the other coil terminal. And the positive terminals need to be reconnected to the relay large terminals. It might be easier (assuming you'd use this function rarely) to just jumper the two positive batteries together.

It depends on what he did to disconnect it. Does your alternator still charge your house batteries? That is typically accomplished through the same relay.

Check out any of the DIY lithium battery design sites. I think BattleBorn batteries states it under charging specs.

I have rubber valve stems on all the things I tow (Jeep, car, boat, tow dolly) and use TPMS external sensors on all. The car and Jeep both have internal TPMS monitoring also. I use the "cap" design, not the flow-thru ones, because of weight. Also, I have not found a need to check tire pressure every day or week. That is why I have a TPMS.

I ordered mine from AutoAirOnline.com. I got the Seltec TM-15HS Compressor. This was for my 1997 C8.3 Dynasty. Here is the link to the page. Same price I paid back in 2017 (except I had it overnighted at $100).

There are two things you are not considering. The first is that some (most?) lithium batteries require a higher voltage than the alternator (without modification to it's Voltage Regulator, which is often built-in) than the alternator produces. As I mentioned above, most alternators put out 14.2 volts. Lithium batteries require 14.4 - 14.6 Volts. So, assuming there are not electronics involved, only a straight wire, your alternator will not charge the lithium batteries to 100%. But the other aspect which may not be as obvious, is that there is - there has to be - a voltage loss or drop across most devices, including all Solar Controllers. It takes a higher voltage input to the device than what the device can regulate output. Consider the simple Solid State (Diode) Isolator. Each diode junction has a fixed voltage drop of 0.3 to 0.7 volts (depending on the chemistry of the diode and the current flowing through it). That is why, decades ago, the remote sensing (Monacoers know it as DUVAC) voltage regulators were developed. No, I'm not saying that the internal voltage regulator in our alternators (or an external regulator on a new replacement alternator) could not be developed, that would regulator the alternator output correctly for lithium batteries. I'd be quite surprised if that doesn't already exist. The problem is that would make the new alternator charging system incompatible with lead acid, AGM, gel cell battery technology. So, the problem isn't that the alternator can't do the job, it is that it's more difficult to find a solution is we decide to use the same source for charging two different battery technologies. The same holds true for the inverter/charger running off shore power (or generator) and attempting to charge the chassis battery with the lithium battery profile. It's just a bit easier to decrease the voltage from what is supplied than to increase it (when it's direct current). That's the main reason that alternating current still exists. The solution for me (as I mentioned before, I still only have AGMs because of the cold climate I store my coach) I don't let my alternator charge my AGM batteries. I don't like the idea of having 14.2 volts for 8 hours or more applied to my house batteries. I did the same thing with my old Dynasty even after I replaced the AGMs with conventional Trojan Lead Acid batteries. I seldom need the alternator to charge my house batteries since they are already charged when I disconnect from shore power, and I have plenty of solar power to maintain them while I drive. I typically don't drive at night for hours.

The difference between a PWM or even a better MPPT controller is that they require a higher voltage (usually 18-24 volts) input to regulate down to 14.4 or lower output. They can no increase the voltage. A DC-DC charger/converter/controller, it goes by many names, but the main factor is it converts DC to AC, which then can go through a transformer and be increased or decreased, before rectifying and filtering it to yield DC out. This means that a 14.2 Volt Alternator voltage can be "transformed" to over 16-18 Volts and then made back to DC at a voltage higher than 14.2 volts (typically a lithium battery likes 14.4 - 14.6 volts).

You do not want to leave the lithium batteries connected to 14.4 for more than the time it takes to replenish the charge (usually around 30 minutes for 100 A-Hr battery). After that you want to decrease to below 13.5 Volts. You do not want or need to float lithium batteries. You don't want to keep lithium batteries stored with Moyer than 80% SOC for extended time. Itmight be good to research all these parameters before you being designing your own charging system. I've found that battery manufactures (versus the individual cell manufacturers) will tell you pretty much what you want to hear to make a sale. Most battery sales people don't understand the engineering design that takes place. I'm not aware of any battery manufacturers that actually manufacturer the cells they incorporate into their batteries, nor the BMS, but not 100%sure on the BMS, since I haven found one suitable for my needs and will likely design my own.

The salesman switch doesn't cut off all 12 volt, that is why there is a DC Disconnect at the battery. The inverter/ charger is considered a source, not a load. The disconnects are there to disconnect loads that might drain the battery. They were not put there for maintenance purposes. I suppose you could but a disconnect between the charger and the batteries, but that would bring other problems. You could damage the charger is you were to inadvertently plug in shore power with there being no batteries connect to the charger. Same problem if you were to put a stiffness between the engine alternator and the battery or the solar controller and the battery.

As Richard said, the disconnect switches are there to disconnect the load, not the charging source. The chassis battery disconnect does not disconnect theengine alternator either. I think the other consideration is that when in storage one might switch off the house loads, but still want the capability to charge the batteries. When you installed the solar, you should have included shutoffs from the panels to the controller and then protection from the controller to the battery cables.

I'm not sure about the Ambassador, but Dynasty & Exec that year have two buss bars in the Front Run Bay; one connected to the chassis battery & one connected to the house batteries. That is where the generator feed connects. It is a fairly simple matter of moving that generator feed from the house battery buss to the chassis battery buss. Regarding the alternator charging units, I did some research and most are designed to proofread the alternator from overheating by the batteries trying to draw too much current. One solution was to simply turn oh the charge for a short time, then disconnect the lithium batteries for a while & then repeat. There was no feedback as to the charge status of the lithium batteries. I consider, from an engineering reference, they are "feel good" red-neck patched. You don't say what you have for solar, but my recommendation is to completely isolate (except for emergency "boost") the two systems. That is what I have done, even with just Lifeline AGM batteries. I generally begin a drive with mostly charged house batteries (>80% SOC) so I don't need my house batteries sitting under a 14.4 volt charge for 6 to 10 hours. Plus I have 1400 Watts of solar on the roof which will keep them topped off & power anything on the house side when traveling. I have dedicated the original 100 Watt solar panel solely to the chassis battery which will maintain the fully charged chassis battery while parked w/o shore power. This works for me. If/ when I move to Lithium Batteries, I'll keep the same configuration.

You have received a lot of not helpful comments, some on the verge of crucifying you for even the thought of not having a residential refrigerator. I have no personal experience with the "Article cooling unit" so held off on responding. Do you mean the "Amish Cooling unit"? If so, I have that conversion and love it.