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RV-Dreams.com Home -> RV-Dreams Community Forum -> RV Maintenance and Technical Tips -> Generator won't start without chassis ignition switch on.
Post Info TOPIC: Generator won't start without chassis ignition switch on.
chattercamper


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Generator won't start without chassis ignition switch on.
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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? 



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Mmalenski


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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.

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chattercamper


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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.

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Ontheroad2013


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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.

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chattercamper


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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.


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NorCal Dan


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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.

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chattercamper


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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.

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NorCal Dan


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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?

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chattercamper


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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

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NorCal Dan


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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.

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chattercamper


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Thanks for the input. Makes no sense to me either. It's a 1994 Winnebago Vectra 31' with 7000kw Onan Marquis Gold generator.

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chattercamper


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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.



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NorCal Dan


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That's great news. I'm still stumped as to why the relay is there...

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chattercamper


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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.



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1994 Winnebago Vectra 31'
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