User manual

Everything is great until I stop and hook up. After awhile the lights go dim. The

only way to get them back is to start the engine.

When you are connected into shore power, you should be running off the converter /

charger and the battery should be charging. The monitor panel should show “C.” If the

converter charger is not operating, you are running off the RV battery even though you

are plugged in. First, make sure you have AC power. Check the microwave display. If

that’s okay, then check the AC circuit breakers by cycling them on and off. If that does

not solve the problem then the inverter charger is not working and needs to be checked

out.

The mechanic replaced both the alternator and the battery, but the battery still runs

down.

In an isolator equipped vehicle the charging current must travel through the isolator. If the

isolator is bad, the battery won’t charge. The output of the alternator will show a higher

than normal voltage because of the voltage drop across the diode in the isolator. This is

normal. In addition, there may be some additional circuitry unique to an isolator equipped

vehicle needed to “start” the alternator. If this circuitry is not working correctly, the

alternator won’t work. The schematic in the Roadtrek owner’s manual covers these

connections. Show this to the mechanic.

The vehicle battery runs down in only a week, Is this normal?

GM thinks it’s normal. The newer vehicles draw 5 times the previous idle current to keep

the accessories alive which limits the standing time to about a week. With a “separator

equipped” vehicle, you can just leave it plugged in and that will solve the problem. Be

sure to have the battery switch in the on position if you have the direct connection.

If you don’t have a separator, then all you can do is start the vehicle once a week or add a

battery charger. You could add a battery switch, but the vehicle will forget all the learned

engine settings and it will run poorly until it relearns the proper settings. A real bummer!

I was told not to leave the vehicle plugged in when not in use

If the battery charger is working properly, the batteries will not be damaged by leaving the

vehicle plugged in. In fact the batteries will be damaged if you allow the batteries to run

down completely. Completely discharged batteries will freeze in cold weather and the

case can crack. A malfunctioning charger can overcharge the battery and “boil” out the

electrolyte, but this is abnormal and should be corrected immediately.

The RV battery is new, but when I dry camp, the battery runs down too fast.

Think “green,” if you turn on all the interior lights and run the exhaust fan on full tilt, you

will not get as much run time as you will if you conserve.

The Interstate battery website says that for a group 27M battery you can run for 17 hours

at a 5 amp load. 5 amps at 12 volts is only 60 watts. That’s not much when you consider