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Old 11-13-2020, 06:05 PM   #1
sjaeger
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12 Volt power wonky

I have 2007 Montana Mountaineer 307RKD that has been working just fine until the last few days the 12 volt system sometimes works and sometimes does not. Or sometimes the lights work that are on 12 volt but they are very dim. Other times they function like normal. We have been plugged into shore power (50 amp) in the same place for close to 7 months now.

Could it be the shore cord or something else? We are not electricians by any means.



Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
 
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Old 11-13-2020, 06:21 PM   #2
jsb5717
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My first guess would be the power supply, sounds like it might be failing. They aren't hard to replace. You might also check all of your plugs for corrosion just to be safe but I think the power supply is a likely culprit.
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Old 11-13-2020, 06:21 PM   #3
Carl n Susan
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Assuming the 120V appliances are working, the shore power cord is not your problem.


The converter produces 12V on the power buss to charge the batteries and can power 12V devices like the lights. The battery also provides 12V power to the buss. Either one is usually adequate to run minimal voltage 12V devices such as lights.



I suspect the converter is dead or dying and the batteries haven't been charged. Using a VOM, check the voltage being produced by the converter. With shore power you should measure 13.4 +/- volts. Without shore power there should be 12.6 +/- volts. You can do both measurements at the battery to start. The results should give us an idea where to look next.
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Old 11-13-2020, 07:26 PM   #4
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This is a question to those who might know. Can a dead, dying, or shorted battery pull down the 12 volt output of a good converter? If so, then disconnecting a battery cable might stabilize the 12 volt power.
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Old 11-13-2020, 07:43 PM   #5
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Good question. I wouldn't think so but I don't know.
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Old 11-13-2020, 08:36 PM   #6
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Since the 12 volt output of the converter is connected to the battery for charging, it would seem likely a bad battery, especially a shorted battery, could pull down that output unless there was some detection circuit to disconnect the battery connection from the converter in case of such a problem. Would be interesting to see a schematic diagram of that set up.
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Old 11-14-2020, 04:29 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BB_TX View Post
This is a question to those who might know. Can a dead, dying, or shorted battery pull down the 12 volt output of a good converter? If so, then disconnecting a battery cable might stabilize the 12 volt power.
On my old TT, when the battery had a dead cell, the converter would run much longer trying to charge it and get warm causing the fan to cycle more than usual. It did not cause the low voltage or lights to dim, but it did affect the system.
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Old 11-14-2020, 06:21 AM   #8
sjaeger
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BB_TX View Post
Since the 12 volt output of the converter is connected to the battery for charging, it would seem likely a bad battery, especially a shorted battery, could pull down that output unless there was some detection circuit to disconnect the battery connection from the converter in case of such a problem. Would be interesting to see a schematic diagram of that set up.

We think it may be a bad cell in the battery, we hooked up a battery charger to the battery and were able to run everything overnight. Hopefully replacing the battery today will fix the problem. Where would the converter be located?
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Old 11-14-2020, 11:20 AM   #9
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Somewhere very close to your breaker panel is a good bet.
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Old 11-14-2020, 10:16 PM   #10
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You might check your battery ground connections. I found that when things don’t make sense it’s a ground problem.
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Old 11-15-2020, 04:48 AM   #11
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Sounds like a dead cell in your battery. I would be looking there.
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Old 11-15-2020, 06:38 AM   #12
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Battery might be bad, as mentioned above it would be good and easy to check the voltage coming from converter. I had issues, first was ground, second was possible battery and finally replaced the converter. It all adds up. Hate to put in a new battery if you are going to kill it by not charging.
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Old 11-15-2020, 10:00 AM   #13
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I've had the exact problem from your description and it was a battery. Lights and everything 12v decided to act like there was a ghost somewhere - and the converter did run almost non stop. Replaced both and it fixed the issue - you need to do the same if you have more than one battery. The bad one will cannibalize the good one and you will go through the same thing again at some point in the future.
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Old 11-15-2020, 11:54 AM   #14
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I'm in the bad battery camp as well. Not much experience with RV's but I've had several cars over the years that had a bad cell that would cause all kinds of problems.
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Old 11-15-2020, 06:04 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sjaeger View Post
I have 2007 Montana Mountaineer 307RKD that has been working just fine until the last few days the 12 volt system sometimes works and sometimes does not. Or sometimes the lights work that are on 12 volt but they are very dim. Other times they function like normal. We have been plugged into shore power (50 amp) in the same place for close to 7 months now.

Could it be the shore cord or something else? We are not electricians by any means.



Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
You might also check your battery. I failed to keep up with water addition to the battery cells and over time I had the same conditions you note. Sometimes things were great (the inverter was able to keep up with the load) and other times I didn't have enough juice. A quick check would be in order and cost you nothing if the battery is OK.
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Old 11-16-2020, 06:44 PM   #16
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Disconnect your batteries and shore power. Open up the breaker panel and check all the wire lug terminals for tightness. It is common for them to become loose over time or straight from the factory.
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Old 11-22-2020, 01:49 PM   #17
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I agree with Sourdough , a battery on its way out will take the better battery with it. A loose ground wire has been the Bain of most R v ers since the begining of time !!!
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Old 11-22-2020, 03:36 PM   #18
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I have a 2012 295RK. had the same problem. The 12v converter went south. The old one is mounted in the pass threw compartment, behind the heater hoses. They put the tabs under the frame. Plugs into the back of the switch panel. I could not loosen the lugs holding the 2- 12v cables. used my sawsall. It had plenty of extra length to reposition it to a better area up front. and be able to plug in the AC. Purchased one from Amazon. A little bigger and better. Now when I plug in, it reads 14.4v and then drops down to 13.2v while charging the battery. Life is good. I posted pictures a while back
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Old 11-22-2020, 09:42 PM   #19
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I have 2 AGM batteries in my 2010 Mountaineer 326RLT. Last winter while plugged into 20Amp in storage I ran the furnace overnight prior to leaving for the South. I noticed the furnace fan would sometimes run slower and the lights would dim. We headed South, stayed for 4 months and had no problems. A couple months ago we took it out for a 4 day stay. The morning we were getting ready to return home I noticed the fridge light blinking and eventually went out. At that time other 12V lights were dimming. I checked the battery monitor and I only had 1/3rd. My batteries were 5 yrs old. We were in a hurry to leave and were only 1 mile from Interstate Battery so I replaced the batteries. We drove home, plugged it in at storrage to 20 amp. Two days later the batteries went from full to 2/3rds. I removed the converter and took it to my Montana Dealer and they showed me it was putting out 12.7V. I bought a new converter and plugged the old one back in. I had 12.7V behind the converter but only about 6V comming into the battery. I installeld the new converter and have about 13.2 V comming into the battery.

My converter is located behind the back wall of the garage on the door side, just ahead of the breaker panel. I first pulled the breaker panel since I didn't know where the converter was located but I later had to remove the garage panel to get to the screws holding it to the floor. It wasn't necessary to remove the braker panel. If you don't need it immediately, find the model # on yours and shop on Amazon. Much cheaper than the dealer.
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Old 11-24-2020, 03:23 AM   #20
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If they light but are dim I would check batteries water level and charge. You cam also take a multi meter and check the cells themself. Pop the tops of fill plugs on battery. Check voltage from positive to negative posts. 12v? Then with one lead still on one of the posts put the other lead into the water of the first cell closest to post should be around 1 and a half volts give or take then go to the next and so on. The reading on your meter should be close to the same in each cell. I.e. 1.5 then 3 then 4.5 and up. You are looking for one cell to have the same voltage as the one previous. If this happens you have a dead cell which might cause your problem. Remember once you go one direction put lead on the other post and go back the other way. Seems like that wouldn't matter but it does. If that checks out I would look for a loose ground. Good luck and Happy Trails
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