Wanderlodge Gurus - The Member Funded Wanderlodge Forum - Batteries - charging

Boy, its amazing the range of reactions you get when you play the
musical horn.

Alternator charging and battery health questions.
In the morning the voltmeter may be showing between 10.5 and 11 volts,
Engine turns over nice and easy and settles into idle.
Voltage now reads around 10 volts and charging meter is dead on zero
and continues until we tap the accelerator. Rev up to around 1200rpm
or more and then the charging meter jumps to 60-75a and the volt
meter pops up to 11.5 or so.
Continue to idle and charging drops to 20ish and voltage climbs to 12-
12.5v in 10-15 minutes.

The first question is what is going on until that initial tap on the
accelerator?

We've got 4 Kirkland Marine deep cycle batteries about 20 months into
a 30 month warranty.
While we were at Walmart the other day we tried to get them to check
the batteries but they did it with all four connected and only
checked for the cold cranking spec (550a). I didn't think that test
was worth squat but that was all they would do.

Just running and hour or two of two mini-spots, the night light, the
water pump sporadically and the heater fans intermittently at night
drops us from full charge voltage to around 11v or into dangerous
cranking territory.

The second question is, do those reading and times sound like a
healthy battery bank?

Regards,
GPSGary
On our way to registering in South Dakota
84FC35 (with a personality)

I dn't know about how healthy it is, but my readings are just like
what you describe. The alternator has to be "excited" by spinning it
above idle to get a good output.

Scott Forman
86 PT38
Memphis

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "hippieforever3"
wrote:
>
> Boy, its amazing the range of reactions you get when you play the
> musical horn.
>
> Alternator charging and battery health questions.
> In the morning the voltmeter may be showing between 10.5 and 11
volts,
> Engine turns over nice and easy and settles into idle.
> Voltage now reads around 10 volts and charging meter is dead on
zero
> and continues until we tap the accelerator. Rev up to around
1200rpm
> or more and then the charging meter jumps to 60-75a and the volt
> meter pops up to 11.5 or so.
> Continue to idle and charging drops to 20ish and voltage climbs to
12-
> 12.5v in 10-15 minutes.
>
> The first question is what is going on until that initial tap on
the
> accelerator?
>
> We've got 4 Kirkland Marine deep cycle batteries about 20 months
into
> a 30 month warranty.
> While we were at Walmart the other day we tried to get them to
check
> the batteries but they did it with all four connected and only
> checked for the cold cranking spec (550a). I didn't think that test
> was worth squat but that was all they would do.
>
> Just running and hour or two of two mini-spots, the night light,
the
> water pump sporadically and the heater fans intermittently at night
> drops us from full charge voltage to around 11v or into dangerous
> cranking territory.
>
> The second question is, do those reading and times sound like a
> healthy battery bank?
>
> Regards,
> GPSGary
> On our way to registering in South Dakota
> 84FC35 (with a personality)
>

Read article #5 here: <http://www.phrannie.org/phredex.html> and
you'll learn more about batteries and such than you might think.

The voltages sound rather low. Indeed, 11.5 volts would suggest a
seriously weakened battery. The batteries may have been damaged from
being drawn down too low.

Assuming that the Kirkland batteries are the normal type that you add
water to, you should get a battery hydrometer from an auto parts
store. Instructions on use is usually on the box or even printed on
the hydrometer. (Can't use these with sealed batteries.) It will give
you a very accurate picture of the battery condition and help you
spot any bad cells.

You might need a new regulator for the alternator. It's normal for an
alternator to not put out much (if any) power at low revs, so when
you rev up the alternator really starts producing. 60-75 amps
suggests a rather significant charge rate on the batteries -- so I
wonder if your batteries are holding their charge.

Pete Masterson
'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42
aeonix1@...
On the road at

On Sep 18, 2008, at 5:17 PM, hippieforever3 wrote:

> Boy, its amazing the range of reactions you get when you play the
> musical horn.
>
> Alternator charging and battery health questions.
> In the morning the voltmeter may be showing between 10.5 and 11 volts,
> Engine turns over nice and easy and settles into idle.
> Voltage now reads around 10 volts and charging meter is dead on zero
> and continues until we tap the accelerator. Rev up to around 1200rpm
> or more and then the charging meter jumps to 60-75a and the volt
> meter pops up to 11.5 or so.
> Continue to idle and charging drops to 20ish and voltage climbs to 12-
> 12.5v in 10-15 minutes.
>
> The first question is what is going on until that initial tap on the
> accelerator?
>
> We've got 4 Kirkland Marine deep cycle batteries about 20 months into
> a 30 month warranty.
> While we were at Walmart the other day we tried to get them to check
> the batteries but they did it with all four connected and only
> checked for the cold cranking spec (550a). I didn't think that test
> was worth squat but that was all they would do.
>
> Just running and hour or two of two mini-spots, the night light, the
> water pump sporadically and the heater fans intermittently at night
> drops us from full charge voltage to around 11v or into dangerous
> cranking territory.
>
> The second question is, do those reading and times sound like a
> healthy battery bank?
>
> Regards,
> GPSGary
> On our way to registering in South Dakota
> 84FC35 (with a personality)
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
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