Generator won't start without chassis ignition switch on.
chattercamper said
08:07 AM Jul 15, 2011
I have an Onan 7000 Marquis generator in our 31' Class A. I have 2 12v house batteries that show 12.6 volts each. Without the chassis ignition switch turned on, if I try to start the generator, it sounds like a dead battery, just clicks from the Onan starter. If I turn the chassis ignition switch on, the Onan fires right up. Any thoughts on this?
Mmalenski said
08:33 AM Jul 15, 2011
Without looking at it, it sounds like your ground wire is hooked up so it your chassis must be on. Have you tried to ground it to something different? Or it could be a dead battery, it almost sounds like it has it's own battery, that could need a charge or new battery. But without seeing it, I am only guessing.
chattercamper said
08:55 AM Jul 15, 2011
The Onan is grounded to the frame of the chassis right beside the generator. I don't think it has its own battery. The hot wire to the starter on the Onan comes from an "Intellitec Battery Disconnect relay" in the engine compartment of the RV. I'm not sure what this is.
Ontheroad2013 said
05:12 PM Jul 18, 2011
It does seem like a wiring issue somewhere. Have you had any work done recently or have you just recently purchased it? If this is a new problem, I would say that it is definitely the battery.
chattercamper said
06:02 PM Jul 18, 2011
We purchased it 2 years ago, but were stationed overseas and stored it in PA. We just moved back to the states. It has brand new house batteries. Any help is much appreciated as this is our first motorhome. Thanks in advance.
NorCal Dan said
10:10 PM Jul 18, 2011
What battery bank is the battery disconnect relay connected, house or chassis? If it's hooked to the house batteries, and the relay is bad, I would expect other 12v items to not work inside the rig, ie. lights.
chattercamper said
04:20 AM Jul 19, 2011
Yes, nothing works inside the rig, no lights, bath fan, 12v TV, etc, without turning on the ignition key switch. The relay is connected to the house battery banks.
NorCal Dan said
10:23 AM Jul 19, 2011
Sounds like a problem with the relay. I'm not sure what the ignition key has to do with it, maybe the chassis battery is providing 12v to the relay to energize it and bring the house batteries online.
Here's a link to a pdf file for the Intellitec Relay. Use your multimeter to check the voltages. The relay provides a convenient way to disconnect the batteries but is not a required item. Have you checked your rig to see if there is a "salesman switch" near the entry door?
chattercamper said
10:32 AM Jul 19, 2011
There is no "salesman switch". I looked at the PDF file, thanks. Looks like Intellitec uses a control panel on most of their units. My rig does not have one anywhere. I just ordered the relay. We'll see if that fixes the problem Thanks again for all your help
NorCal Dan said
10:40 AM Jul 19, 2011
Strange. The main purpose of the relay is to disconnect the batteries. If you don't have a salesman switch in the rig then I don't see a purpose for the relay. Using the ignition key to power the relay makes no sense to me.
If you post the details of your rig, year, make, model, maybe someone here has the same rig and could offer suggestions.
If it were me, after I checked the voltages on the relay, I would probably bypass it, at least for testing the theory that it is indeed the problem.
chattercamper said
11:30 AM Jul 19, 2011
Thanks for the input. Makes no sense to me either. It's a 1994 Winnebago Vectra 31' with 7000kw Onan Marquis Gold generator.
chattercamper said
07:53 AM Jul 20, 2011
Put in new BD relay. Same problem! It was like my house batteries weren't even hooked up, so I started exploring the wiring(should have done this first). Ended up being a bad ground from my house batteries to the frame. Severely rusted! Took apart, cleaned down to bare metal and put back together with some anti-corrosion spray. Everything works like a champ now. Thanks to all for your input and help.
NorCal Dan said
10:21 PM Jul 20, 2011
That's great news. I'm still stumped as to why the relay is there...
chattercamper said
08:32 AM Jul 21, 2011
Best I can figure, Intellitec usually uses a panel in the rig to switch off the house batteries during storage. My RV does not have this panel, but it has a switch on the dash that says "AUX Batt ON/OFF" When I toggle this switch, it activates the BD relay, same as the panel.
I have an Onan 7000 Marquis generator in our 31' Class A. I have 2 12v house batteries that show 12.6 volts each. Without the chassis ignition switch turned on, if I try to start the generator, it sounds like a dead battery, just clicks from the Onan starter. If I turn the chassis ignition switch on, the Onan fires right up. Any thoughts on this?
Here's a link to a pdf file for the Intellitec Relay. Use your multimeter to check the voltages. The relay provides a convenient way to disconnect the batteries but is not a required item. Have you checked your rig to see if there is a "salesman switch" near the entry door?
If you post the details of your rig, year, make, model, maybe someone here has the same rig and could offer suggestions.
If it were me, after I checked the voltages on the relay, I would probably bypass it, at least for testing the theory that it is indeed the problem.
Put in new BD relay. Same problem! It was like my house batteries weren't even hooked up, so I started exploring the wiring(should have done this first). Ended up being a bad ground from my house batteries to the frame. Severely rusted! Took apart, cleaned down to bare metal and put back together with some anti-corrosion spray. Everything works like a champ now. Thanks to all for your input and help.
Best I can figure, Intellitec usually uses a panel in the rig to switch off the house batteries during storage. My RV does not have this panel, but it has a switch on the dash that says "AUX Batt ON/OFF" When I toggle this switch, it activates the BD relay, same as the panel.