rtmurley Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 My coach (2009 Dynasty ISM engine) is at Cummins because of a no start condition. Cummins found the batteries under load would drop to 7 volts not enough to start the engine. Under no load conditions the batteries show full charge 13 volts. What causes batteries to lose capacity under load. In the 8 years we have owned the coach we have replaced the chassis batteries five times, normal life is 20 months with longest being 27 months.. Cummins has determined the starter is bad and is in the process of changing it. What may be causing the short battery life? Thank You, Ray Murley 2009 Dynasty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Converterjoe Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 That's a LOT of batteries in eight years. Do you let your batteries go dead often? Allowing FLA batteries to discharge completely can cut their life in half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jim Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 Wow that is a lot of batteries!!! I get 5 years out of my chassis battery. I always keep a trickle charger/conditioner on it when its parked. Sorry, no idea what is causing the short life on yours. I'm starting to regret responding to this post, because I have a feeling I'm going to go out and find my chassis battery needs replacing. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtmurley Posted January 19, 2021 Author Share Posted January 19, 2021 Jim Bob, thank you for your reply. There is no electricity where the coach is stored. However, the solar panel on the roof keeps the batteries charged. Whenever I go out to the coach I check the battery voltages with a volt meter and there always up. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoaks5 Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 I took my coach (04 Navigator with ISM) to Cummins in Des Moines which has been very good at fixing issues I either can't figure out or don't want to fix. The first time they told me the starting batteries were bad and needed replaced. This had nothing to do with the issue diagnosed (bad injector). I have never had an issue with these batteries although they are older 4-5 years I would guess. Took it in another time for a low power issue (turbo actuator) and they told me the house batteries were bad and needed replaced. These are 2 years old and there are 8 of them. I haven't changed any of the batteries to date and still haven't had any issues with them. Maybe I will find out that these are bad at sometime but at this point I am a bit skeptical on their battery testing procedure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Nodine Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 On 1/19/2021 at 5:52 PM, rtmurley said: Jim Bob, thank you for your reply. There is no electricity where the coach is stored. However, the solar panel on the roof keeps the batteries charged. Whenever I go out to the coach I check the battery voltages with a volt meter and there always up. Ray Ray, If your batteries are flooded wet cells then you need to check the water level once a month. If the water gets below the plates it will lead to premature failure of the battery. It would also be wise to make sure the solar charger is not over charging the batteries. The solar controller could have failed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacwjames Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 (edited) I bought a simple voltage monitor/display that plugs into the front cigarette lighter so that when I walk into the coach I can see what status the chassis battery is. The only other way I have to check it is the solar display that shows charging amps or voltages from house or chassis but this monitor is as convenient to look at. If your solar is working properly it should keep up with the battery charging provided you have the disconnects off unless you have a decent amount of solar, not parked under any shade, and live where the sun shines a lot. If I don't shut off my salesman switch my 335 watt of solar won't keep up. I usually check it every other day. If we have a period of cloudy days the batteries start getting low and I have to shut off the main disconnects. Relying on solar isn't the best option. When was the last time you cleaned your solar panels. I've had to replace my chassis battery twice, the first time it was 4 years after we bought the coach so I don't know if it was original. I was in Northern Michigan with limited choices to buy, bought a one from a chain type automotive store (there brand) and it only lasted 2 years. Bought a Duracell about 6 years ago from Batteries Plus and it's still going strong. Edited January 21, 2021 by jacwjames Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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