RoadTripper2084

Yeah, so "no load" means not driving (by my interpretation, anyway). So fast idle is fine so long as you have oil pressure registering before you engage it. I've also read in my manual that you can use the PAC brake to accelerate engine warmup by engaging it during idle. I've never tried that yet since I'm usually running around doing other things and not sitting there to push the floor switch for the PAC brake.

That doesn't sound right. AFAIK You are supposed to keep it a low idle until oil pressure is showing on the pressure gauge, then high idle. If it's cold out (<50f) I'll give it 30 secs anyway before high idle to hopefully give the oil a chance to warm up and circulate. Running the engine at a high idle is actually better for it than low as this will increase the temps and lubricity of the oil quicker.

To be clear, I meant it is on the top left side of the engine if you in the bedroom facing the back of the coach. Here is another diagram of the solenoid that I found:

Yeah, that's the normal way it's done these days. I suspect they changed it since the behaviour on mine would probably be concerning for people who didn't read the manual (why is my ABS light still on?).

Okay, I am not a mechanic and I don't know what I'm doing, so consider yourself warned. Does the starter turn over, but the engine won't fire up? If so, a very common problem on these mechanical engines is the fuel lockout solenoid will fail or stick. Based on your description of the the engine just stopping all of a sudden it could explain it. Here is a page from my manual that talks about it: Under your bed, on the left top side of the engine you will find it. If you turn your key to the ON position (but not cranking), and then use your hand to push the solenoid all the way up/in, this will open the fuel valve and allow fuel into the engine. While you (or someone else) holds the level all the way in, have someone else try to start it with the key. If this was your problem it should fire right up. Likewise, when you turn your key "off", this solenoid shuts down and the valve closes, turning fuel off to the engine. This is literally how the engine starts and stops (well, with the additional of turning over via the starter to start). Note that if the solenoid has failed you may need to manually pull the lever down to stop the engine, even when the key is "off". If it were me, I would follow the procedure above to ensure that the fuel valve was fully open to see if that gets it started.

Nope. On my rig it's the expected behaviour. 🙂

The 97 Dynasty is a mechanical engine, so no electronic diagnostics for the engine. The Allison tranny is electronic, but that's not your problem. Sorry, I'm just trying to figure out where you sit. The Turbo has failed, that much is certain? And Cummins said that the engine is blown? How did they determine that? Did they open it up?

FYI On my '97 Dynasty the ABS light stays on until you move forward faster than 5 mph, I think.

In my travel trailer, which I just sold this fall, I had a pair of 6-volt golf cart batteries, they were basically Trojan knock offs by a local commercial battery supplier (240AH). I was careful to never let the water get below the top of the plates, rarely drained them below 50% capacity, and not for long if I did, as recommended above, and put them on a shelf in my garage in the winter on a very small maintainer. These batteries were 12 years old when I sold the unit. They were starting to show their age, with frequent buildup on the posts, etc. However, we were able to complete a successful 4 night dry camp in Jasper this summer without draining them below 50%. Best battery experience of my life. Looking to use LiFePo4 for the house batteries in my new rig, but failing that 6-volt flooded would be my next choice for sure.

I'm researching right now and would like to upgrade to LifePo4 for the house batteries, assemble my own as you have done. What I'm struggling with is figuring out the "minimal" required other components in my rig that I'd have to replace to do so (doesn't make much sense to go lithium if I have to spend 2x for new converters, smart battery monitors, etc. as well). Thus far I *think* the path of least cost may be to use a DC-DC charger between the lead acid chassis batteries and the LiFePo4 house batteries, and simply charge the house batteries whenever the chassis batteries are being charged (detect higher chassis battery voltage). I'm not sure if I also need to disconnect the house batteries from the existing coach charging circuits or if that can be left in place, since the voltage levels are all low enough that they can't overcharge the lithiums in any case? How have you got your lithium house batteries setup in the coach?

Not sure yet, will be purchasing a vehicle to accommodate my tow requirements. My main objective is to have as simple/easy hookup and teardown as possible so using it won't be a chore. Well that, and as low a cost as possible so will be looking for decent used components where possible. We're only weekends and vacations right now so trying to keep the budget low as we won't be getting a lot of use for now. At this point the a 2010ish CR-V is at the top of the list, since it can be towed 4 down with the automatic trans., and has AWD (nice to have where we live).

Any updates? I'm also looking at putting together a TOAD solution so this discussion has been informative.

For what it's worth, the tach on my 97 Dynasty (mechanical C8.3) has an issue where it will jump up very high and immediately settle back to the correct RPMs. This occurs frequently when the engine is cold, and far less frequently when it is warm. From what I've read it appears likely to be an issue with the alternator, though a dodgy ground might also be a factor? I replaced the belt and tensioner and noticed when I hand-turned the alternator that it made a ticking sound every rotation, but there was no play in the pulley and I couldn't "feel" anything corresponding to the ticking either, but now I noticed the tensioner is jumping a bit when it's running. I think I'll pull the alternator off and get a rebuild kit while it's in winter storage. My speedo has been reading a little high, usually 2-5kms hour over. Last trip though it also started to jump way up and then back down, though staying high for minutes at a time. Not sure what could be causing this either, though dodgy ground connection seems likely. I will be refreshing my ground bus connections at the rear of the coach, and if there is one in front of the front firewall in the spring to see if that clears up the speedo issue.

I just had to replace my solenoid a few weeks ago. I had the same thought "how much friggin' power does this thing use just staying energized all the time?". Could someone post a link to a suitable latching solenoid for reference?

Thanks for the reply. So basically, I'm looking at a new inverter if I want to charge from shore power or the alternator, a DC-DC converter if I want to charge from the alternator, and a new solar controller if I want to charge from solar? And there isn't one magical box that does all that already? 🙂

Thanks for the advice. Unit is winterized now but in the spring I think I will add a good dose of Iron Out (the stuff for plumbing/water softeners: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00103XAQC/ref=emc_b_5_t?th=1) to the fresh tank and run it through all the pipes and fixtures when I am sanitizing it and see what that does. Honestly, the water I put in it seemed fine, it was only when I opened the filter canister that I noticed the rust.

My new-new-to-me 1997 Dynasty has signs that it has been used long-term with a very rusty fresh water source. The toilet bowl has rust streaks from the water outlet ports, and when I was winterizing it and removed the water filter canisters in the water bay, they had rusty water at the bottom of them. They are also completely covered in rust that doesn't wash off, though they are plastic (see attached). I can only assume that all the pipes, etc. are coated in this rust layer. I have seen no other signs of rust in the water when using water from our house in the tank. Water smells normal/fine, etc. Is this something I should be concerned about? Can I just ignore it if it's not producing rusty water at the taps, etc.? Should I use the filter canisters with filters or replace them?

Thanks. I have now found this diagram in my Owner's Manual. Looks like the solar is cut off when the battery disconnect switches are opened. I was worried the controller might be drain on the battery even in storage. In a perfect world, I'd like a drop-in replacement for my wet-cell LA House batteries that was LiFEP04 and that could be charged from the existing gear in the coach. Am I correct that the House batteries can be charged by the alternator, inverter (when on shore power or generator is running), or solar controller? Would a DC-DC converter placed in-line between the battery and rest of the coach provide the charge protection/profiles from any existing charging source? Or I am looking at replacing a bunch of other components as well? Sorry if this is too broad a question, I'm just starting to figure this stuff out. 🙂

Wow - thanks for responding! I am amazed at the complexity they built into these systems. Based on my earlier readings it does *seem* like the stock LE-415 maintainer is working, maybe it's not 100% reliable though (labels corrected): Q: Do you know if the 120v outlet in the engine bay is only powered via shore/generator and NOT by the inverter? or always powered by any of the 3? Q: My factory solar panel doesn't seem to provide any charge. The most I've seen on the panel outside the bedroom is 0.1A, but the red "charging" led never lights. Maybe my batteries have been too charged for it start charging them (been mostly on shore power so far)? Does the solar panel charge/maintain the House batteries, or the Chassis (or both)? Q: When storing for longer periods (weeks/months), should the rear battery disconnect switches be a reliable way to prevent ghost drains on the batteries, or do I need to disconnect the grounds from the batteries / install a secondary battery disconnect? Q: Do you have any experience with using LiFeP04 batteries for House batteries in this setup? Trying to understand the simplest/cheapest setup that will tolerate being charged by the alternator, shore, generator, and solar. Thanks again!

So I ran a few tests as you suggested: Chassis / House Unplugged (no shore power): 13.61v / 13.71v Running lights and dash fan on (only): 13.11v / 12.55v House lights on (only): 12.76v / 12.85v Nothing on: 13.03v / 12.81 Inverter on: 12.39v / 13.2v Pretty confusing numbers, but it certainly seems like the 2 parallel batteries in the bottom tray are actually the House batteries, and the single battery on top is the Chassis (so opposite of my labelling above)? Yeah, this rig currently has 3 identical G4D (4D) batteries. I ran a pair of 6v deep cycle batteries in my last trailer for 12 years, took good care of them and they still powered us through a 4 night boondock last summer. 🙂 Looking into LiFeP04 batteries but need to get my head around all the implications (re: extra equipment required to make it co-exist with the chassis batteries, alternator, etc.). That's my winter project, to figure out what I'm going to do to supplement/replace the house batteries. We like to boondock and this rig has a residential refrigerator, so going to need a bit of battery capacity to avoid running the generator too much.

Hi folks, new member here. My new-to-me 1997 Dynasty 36' came with 3 identical batteries, 2 connected in parallel on the bottom tray which I assume are the chassis batteries, and one on the top tray which I think is the House battery. I believe the previous owner mostly drove between 50A service parks so didn't need much House capacity. I'm planning to upgrade the house batteries for next season but step 1 is to figure out how things are supposed to work, and are currently working. What's confusing me is that when I plug the coach in, I see the maintainer mounted on the electrical panel in the engine compartment light green, and then the voltage for BOTH sets of batteries bumps up: Chassis: from 12.74vdc to 14.24v House: from 12.76v to 13.86v. My understanding was that the built-in maintainer would only charge the House batteries when the coach was on shore power? In addition, if I then plugin the 3rd-party maintainer mounted in the engine compartment (added by a previous owner), both sets of batteries once again see a voltage change: Chassis: from 14.24vdc to 14.27v House: from 13.86v to 13.97v. Finally, after charging on shore power for approx. 4.5 hours, I unplugged the coach and left it for 15 mins. Then took a further set of readings: Chassis: 13.61v House: also 13.61v In addition, anytime I've used the switch on the dash to temporarily connect the House batteries to the Chassis, I've see no change at all in the dash volt-meter. All of this leads me to think that all 3 of my batteries are somehow connected to be both House and Chassis batteries? Is this somehow normal? Thoughts?