Sometimes, You Just Feel Like Hitting Yourself OVER YOUR HEAD!

The Intellitec Battery Disconnect Switch came in today.  In anticipation of putting it in tomorrow (Tuesday) I decided to do a little Google Search on troubleshooting this part just in case it was not the part that gave us the problem.

Of course, intelligent people would have done this search BEFORE they ordered a part...but when watching Arny use the Circuit Tester, it was obvious that power was not getting to one side of the Intellitec Battery Disconnect Switch (which, at the time, I did not even know that was what it was called).

Anyway, my google search finds a site that seems relevant to our problem, and as I read the following:

"Problem with relay I think or Panel. I have the Intellitec 01-00066-003 BD3 switch panel and the Intellitec 01-00055-000 Battery disconnect relay.

Problem: switch will not turn chassis off coach works turns battery relay on and off but chassis does not..."

I am thinking...hmmm, we have the relay (the part I ordered), but we don't have a manual switch.  In the back by the bathroom sink there is a light panel and from there I can see if the batteries are being charged up or not...but....OH NO!   WHAT ABOUT THAT SWITCH BY THE DOOR WHICH SAYS "Use" and "Store"...

The light above the use/store switch was glowing red...I push it up to the "use" position (this rocker switch moves up and down but returns to the middle position so the only way you know it is on is the red light) and nothing happens inside (since we are plugged into a 30 amp outlet, we have power inside).  I push it to store fully expecting the lights to go out...they don't.  I push it back up to use, go outside and disconnect us from the 30 amp outlet...we still have lights!

If you have followed the blog long enough you know that this is NOT the first stupid thing we (I) have done.  I talked about the time dad and I went to a junkyard to buy a spare tire for the HHR just to find out that there is a hidden compartment in the HHRs, and sure enough, there was a tire in mine after all.  Oh, the list goes on and on...I think it started with the time when I was around 8 years old, my older brother Jim was being his normal obnoxious young teenage self, and in my frustration, I kicked him...but he moved...and I hit the wall with my foot real hard.  Went crying to mom and dad and said, "Jim hurt me!"  Of course, when they found out HOW I got hurt, it was one of those funny stories that have told over and over and over through the years...through the decades.

 

In my defense, I always thought that if the disconnect button was pushed to "STORE", that it turned everything off,  Apparently when you are connected to shore power, that is not the case.  HOW it got turned off is anyone's guess.  Had I turned the disconnect switch to "USE" while we were at Sam's Club last Tuesday, we would be home or near home right now.  Instead, we will be "HOME" for Christmas this year...our second home here in my sister's backyard.  On Thursday morning we will start out to our real home in Florida.  

Had dad lived just a month longer, he would have laughed and laughed at this latest episode.  I think he would have laughed so hard that it would have killed him.  Oh, how I miss not being able to tell him my funny little stories anymore...

False Start on our Exit from California

At Sister's House, Citrus Heights, CA

 

When we went to bed last night (Tuesday) the only thing we had left was to un-hook the electricity, and put our steps away (we have a manual set of steps before you get on the retractable steps of the motorhome to make it easier for Marcia and Skruffy to get into the motorhome).  At 6:35 I let Skruffy and Bubba out to have their final morning treat from Arny, by 6:45 they were back in and eating, by 7 we started to pull out of the backyard.  By 7:30 we were at Sams to fill up...but that is when I noticed we had a big problem.

Since we were only 3 miles at most from Arny and Sandy's house, and Arny is so good with vehicle issues, it made sense to head back to the RV pad in their backyard.  Only issue hindering us from working on it was a light rain that did not let up until around 1:30.  First thing I spotted was some corrosion on the batteries, so I took the two Interstate batteries out, tested them and they were holding 12.6 volts.  Arny and I started to clean them up, got them hooked back up, and still...no 12 volt in the motorhome unless we were plugged in.

 

After running some power tests with his meter, Arny isolated the problem to the Intellitec Battery Disconnect Switch (pictured above).  Now, locating one which can be here in a few days during the busy Christmas Shopping Season was the next issue.  I had such good luck with Dyers RV Parts and Accessories out of Phoenix, I went with them...it should be here in 2-5 days.  Amazon was giving me a time period of the 24th through the 30th...and even though it was less expensive, I went with Dryers.  Thank goodness the 12 volt system works when we are plugged into the 110 electrical outlet near the RV pad...which is why we did not see that there was a problem when we left this morning since the last thing I did was unhook the 110 and off we went.

So with that...we have decided to stay put through Christmas.  HOPEFULLY this Intellitec Battery Disconnect Switch is what is wrong.  Hopefully it will be delivered Friday or Saturday and we will quickly know if this is the problem...fingers crossed.